This weekend, I hung out with my best friend. We were at my house, bored, wondering what we should do. We decided to watch a movie. After going back and forth, I suggested the idea of watching a Bollywood movie named Om Shanti Om, my favorite movie. My best friend agreed immediately, even though she comes from an Eritrean background and I come from an Indian background. Those were two of the best 2 hours and 42 minutes of my life. We were not distracted once. We spoke about our favourite characters, vibed to the music together, and grabbed onto each other during every plot twist, even though it was my 100th time watching it. In the end, she ended up loving it, and we decided next movie night we would watch a movie from her culture.
From that moment, I realized that movies have always been a big part of my life. I thought of how many movies I have watched at my house, my friend’s house, and the cinema, and realized that movies bring people together. Â
The Importance of Cinema
Cinema is a vital, influential medium that has a big impact on everyone’s lives. It is a type of art that brings comfort to everyone. People choose genres, study them, and know everything about them; these are how fandoms begin. The other day, I came across a reel on Instagram where Brittany Broski was interviewing Timothee Chalamet, and he said, “What is Earth without art, just a rock?” That truly stuck with me and made me realize the impact cinema and art in general has in our lives. Cinema is so important that it captures the language, traditions, and values of different eras. Additionally, films often highlight social issues, such as human rights, environmentalism, or politics, which create hope in humanity and encourage action. Such as the recent Superman, which was released on July 10, 2025, restored many people’s hopes in humanity and sparked discussion on social media, where people said they felt inspired leaving the theatre. Cinema acts as a stress reliever for many. A lot of people look forward to going home and watching a new movie while eating dinner or having a movie night with friends. I know when I am sad, I often turn to my comfort movie to cheer myself up. Finally, cinema has a huge economic impact globally as the film industry generates billions in revenue and provides employment opportunities, contributing vastly towards local and international economies.
Example of when cinema brought people together
There are so many examples of when people came together at their local movie theatres to watch their favorite movies. From Star Wars to Harry Potter to Avengers: Endgame, tickets were sold out, and people were ready to watch their favorite characters on the big screen with their loved ones. Let’s talk about some more recent ones, such as the Barbie movie, which came out July 21, 2023. I remember dressing up with my friends, the theme was pink, of course, and we booked tickets days in advance since it was so difficult to find any. When I went to the theatre, I saw so many people come together from all generations; it felt like we were all a part of a community. I remember my friend, who had a rocky relationship with her mother, went again after watching it on her own with her mother to watch it because that’s how emotionally it had impacted her. Now, if we go back just one month ago, in December 2025 where Stranger Things Season 5 finale was released in theatres across North America, it caused many people to go into theatres again. I went with my sister, and we saw people wearing merch and ready to see their favorite characters one last time. People were cheering during the final battle, standing up and clapping at the end. While we were exiting the theatre, people were emotional. It was a realization that the show we grew up watching is finally over after 10 years. Proving that cinema is a big part of our lives and starts from people sharing similar childhoods with the shows and movies they watched growing up.
Why we must keep cinema alive
In 2025 Oscars Best Director speech for Anora, Sean Baker delivered a passionate speech about the theatrical experience, arguing that communal cinema, where we all laugh together, cry together, and just feel emotionally together, is a vital, irreplaceable cultural experience. This is something so deep because cinema makes everyone feel special. It’s a magical experience, with movies offering beautiful soundtracks, visual technology, and education. The cinematic format preserves the filmmaker’s original, intended experience. Lastly, sharing your favorite movie or TV show with someone can be the start of so many relationships, having a social impact on our lives.
Conclusion
The next time you watch a movie, think about the impact it may have on your life and everyone else’s. Sometimes we learn incredible things about the impact of certain things in our lives that we might solely consider entertainment. It’s incredible when you think about the impacts of cinema; they educate, enlighten, and, of course, bring us closer together. Truly an empowering medium.
References:
Academy Awards acceptance speech database page
Baker, S. (2025, March 2). Academy Awards acceptance speech (Speech No. 097-12). Academy Awards Acceptance Speech Database. https://aaspeechesdb.oscars.org/link/097-12/
GreatNews.Life article
Thomson, A. (2024, July 12). Why we should keep movie theaters alive. GreatNews.Life. https://greatnews.life/article/why-we-should-keep-movie-theaters-alive/
MyCineMatech article
CinemaTech Seating Inc. (n.d.). How watching movies can bring people together. MyCineMatech. Retrieved January 22, 2026, from https://www.mycinematech.com/how-watching-movies-can-bring-people-together/