The concept of watching a movie with popcorn in a theater has been around for about 130 years, but with the increase of streaming services, how much longer will these institutions last?
As technology continues to improve, the ability to rent movies without having to receive it by DVD or VideoTape increased dramatically. Making it easier for people to watch a film with very little effort, consequently causing theaters to financially struggle.
North Hollywood High School SAS Junior Sofia Narvaez shares her opinion, “I think that either way people consider the price…but I think that they only consider the materialistic aspect rather than the significance of what it means to actually watch a movie which is to connect.” Even though theaters hold emotional value, the increase of prices with time affects whether people will go.
The movie theatre industry dates back to the 1890s when inventors such as the Lumiere Brothers started to experiment with mechanical motion picture projectors. However, it wasn’t until 1895 that the first public screening and the invention of Cinematographe led to the development of movie theaters.
Throughout the last decade sales at theaters have been declining, with COVID-19’s quarantine only making it worse, due to the limited ability to go out. This has been causing many companies such as Regal Cinema and AMC to consider bankruptcy and to shut down locations.
Despite this, many people still enjoy the unique atmosphere that theaters offer. “I prefer theaters because I feel like you can connect more with the movie and with family or friends. That emotion and the big screen let you enter the world of the movie”, explains Narvaez.
Although the success of these industries grew quickly, streaming services started to catch up. By 2010, 16% of Americans with the development of the internet used services like Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, and Youtube because it provided easier ways to access films.
SAS freshmen Kathy Le argues that, “I feel like it’s kind of a waste going to theaters because you have to drive or walk there when you can just be on your bed and pull out your device.” Not only does streaming provide a more efficient way to watch movies but it also allows people to enjoy them in the comfort of their own home.
Even though many might prefer staying indoors and might favor using streaming services, people don’t want theaters to disappear. Samuel Jimenez STEM Senior emphasizes, “Watching movies at home isn’t as special as really going out for it and getting snacks so I think naturally I would feel a little sad knowing that moments like that would be gone.”
The evolution of technology has clearly changed the way that we enjoy watching films. Whether it will disappear depends on the future generation and their willingness to go out to buy their tickets, their snacks, and drinks.
