Are movie theatres lagging behind? What do they need to do in order to get people going again?

Right now, it would seem that people have spent an awfully long time away from movie theatres. Locations are hopefully about to open up again, but are cinemas going to be able to survive in this current climate? There are a few features that were released theatrically in-person over the summer, for instance, and this could be a bit of a game-changer for the theatre industry. 

Christopher Nolan’s much-anticipated Tenet took the risk of debuting on the big screen. The director is attempting to reignite the love that people have for movie-seeing culture. The American filmmaker has been a strong advocate for theatres and he is making a bold move to try and get people back in them. That being said, we live in a climate where streaming is taking priority, and where it is much more convenient to sit in front of the television rather than actually going out to pay for a ticket. Likewise, the pandemic has of course contributed to this increase in home viewing.

Last year, there was also the big release of Disney’s live-action Mulan. The distribution team chose to dodge the risk of going to the big screen, instead sticking with their at-home digital option. Disney+ has propelled the success of streaming as it gives children the chance to view all of their favourite flicks online. When one looks at things such as Netflix, they will see that the platform is much more catered to a more adult audience – so the gap in the market is being filled nicely.

Why are theatres less popular nowadays?

When looking at movie theatres, one will soon see that they are much less popular than they were 20 or so years ago. One will notice that people do not attend films as much as they once did because it is just inconvenient to do so. A similar situation has occurred for those who like to spend time playing games in person at entertainment complexes, with many sites offering a similar experience – online –  giving access to the best games and codes: most recently, Veikkauskertoimet.com has sparked interest.

If one goes online, they will have access to a plethora of sites, making it easier than ever to play without even leaving one’s room. There are sites that give one access to the best games and codes. It would seem that more and more people are now moving online for various entertainment purposes, but this doesn’t really mean that theatres are doomed to fail.

After all, some films are going to inevitably see failure, and right now there are so many features in the queue that are going to spill out onto streaming platforms. For this reason, movie theatres may be able to thrive as things begin to reopen as there won’t be as much competition.  They may be able to restore the steady amount of customers that they once had. That being said, as people start to see the convenience that streaming has to offer, cinemas may end up meshing into the background. This brings about a very important question: are movie theatres going to become obsolete? What can they do so that they can gradually win people back?

Is streaming going to work?

Disney+ made the decision to release Mulan on a range of streaming platforms. This may seem like a very safe move, but at the end of the day, The King of Staten Island has moved to digital screens and Tom Hanks’ own drama Greyhound – which is set in WWII – came alive on the Apple platform. Disney+ have already rocketed their user base with the release of films such as Hamilton. Streaming is looking very promising for cinema flicks, especially with all of these pricey additions. Mulan was over $200 million to produce and it is going to cost just $29 on the Disney platform. This will give one the chance to buy the picture which is ideal compared to the price families would normally pay per ticket at a physical cinema. That being said, not everyone will end up choosing this option. Some like the experience of being able to go out to the movies – but there is no telling what the future will hold.

The struggling launch

When one considers HBO Max, they will see that it struggled to launch. This may be due to the release of big features such as Wonder Woman 1984 which came out in October 2020. There is also Dune, which will come out sometime in 2021 after being delayed last year. In this way, of course, it would seem that new releases may well try and awaken streaming platforms that may not have been seeing as much success. Of course, films such as Tenet might overshadow the streaming industry because it was hyped as being the first post-pandemic big-screen movie that audiences just have to see. It’s safe to say that Nolan’s newest project drew in a fantastic crowd despite the decline in theatre-going due to pandemic restrictions. This could prompt studios to begin to skirt around the platform so that a fully-fledged theatrical release can be created.

Things are never going to be the same again

Even if everything did happen to go back to normal, it would seem that movie theatres may never become popular again. There will always be a shift in the creative production of films. Hollywood does not hold the same kind of power it once did. Sony, Paramount, Universal and Warner Brothers are all trying to capture the media scene through cinemas, but right now it seems that they are choosing to pass the content they do have on to services that include Netflix, Apple and even Amazon. Older studios including Disney and Hulu have gone on to produce Disney+ as well. Theatres may well expire if they do not do something about this soon. They need to make sure that they put the work in while also making sure that they do everything they can to revolutionise the industry for the future.

The editorial unit