The Scene staff
Theaters have played a huge role in America’s favorite pastime since the late 19th century. Watching a highly anticipated feature with a theater full of equally excited fans is something everyone should be able to experience. It’s been more than 100 years since the invention of film, and movie-making is as big as it’s ever been. So why is it nobody is going to the movies anymore?
Some 84 percent of American respondents admitted to watching more movies at home than in theaters, according to a CBS study in 2015. Given the rise of streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu and HBO Now, it’s understandable that they would want to relax in the comfort of their own homes. And the current state of technology makes it easier than ever to pirate and stream new releases online for free.
The alternative is driving to your local cinema, standing in line, buying a ticket, stuffing yourself into a crowded room and praying that a crying baby or loud teenagers don’t disturb your viewing experience. Then you drive home, often feeling unsatisfied by a generic, uninteresting film that you just sat through for an hour and a half. In other words, you wasted your time.
This brings me to the first reason why I believe cinemas have suffered a steady decline since the rise of Netflix in 2012. By watching a movie at home, you save yourself precious time. If you don’t like the new Adam Sandler comedy you’re streaming, you can simply turn it off and move on to something else. You can’t do that in the theater. You have to get up, walk out and ask for a refund that you won’t get, basically ruining your day.
Not to mention that you wasted tons of money. On average, it costs $9.11 for a movie ticket and $14.59 for large popcorn and large soda in a theater. That’s $39.01 to take a date to a horror flick, not a cheap date night. It’s easy to understand why people would choose the option of buying a monthly subscription to Netflix for $12.99 and streaming thousands of masterpieces from anywhere they want.
The rise of streaming services alone is enough to explain the decline in movie ticket sales. However, I personally think it has as much to do with the quality of films as the way that we view them. This is something I’m very passionate about, so if I end up ripping on your favorite movie, forgive me. These are just my personal views on the climate of modern cinema.
Some, if not most, of the blame falls on the shoulders of studios and directors who produce sub-average movies just to make a quick buck. It boggles my mind that studios can give directors ungodly amounts of money (millions of dollars), all of the talent in the world and any writers they want, and they still find a way to churn out garbage.
For example, the latest entry in the “X-Men” franchise, “Dark Phoenix,” bombed at the box office on its opening weekend, grossing a measly $14 million. Then ticket sales dropped by a shocking 71 percent the following weekend. The film has done so badly that 21st Century Fox started pulling it from theaters after a mere three weeks.
The 12th film in the rebooted “X-Men” franchise received a 21 percent rating on trusted review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, gaining the impressive title of worst-reviewed film in a series that already was filled with low quality. The lack of ticket sales is surprising, even with the low review scores. “X-Men Apocalypse” had double the box office of “Dark Phoenix” in its opening weekend, and “Apocalypse” reviews were just as bad.
Could it be that audiences are wising up and figuring out that what is perceived to be a good movie is actually a bad one? Take the newest “Men in Black” movie. “Men in Black: International” received a 23 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, debuting with a sad but laughable $10 million at the box office. The sequel to the highest grossing film of 1997 was a failure that unsuccessfully tried to lure audiences with a recognizable name.
In the internet age that we live in, word of mouth can travel faster than anybody, including movie studios, could have ever fathomed. There are thousands of reviews online weeks before a film release to tell the public whether it’s worth spending money on. Unfortunately, most movies today are not worth it.
Studios are worried about receiving a decent score on Rotten Tomatoes because that can make or break a movie. The death of movie theaters seems far off, until you consider how many problems they are facing in the current filmmaking climate. Many film analysts have declared that Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” will be the last blockbuster. I pray that this is not true because I believe in the magic of movies and its ability to endure. However, it’s impossible to ignore that cinema is in an unprecedented state of decline.