With the use of more and more streaming services such as Netflix, cinephiles are fearing the end of going to movie theaters. Going to the movies isnât just a mundane activity for some, it is an experience or memory they can cherish and use to pinpoint important moments throughout their life. However, if movie theaters continue to close, watching movies will become a mediocre night-in task or background noise for doomscrolling. So, it is really a matter of people not going to the movie theaters or they donât need to go to the movie theaters.
For starters, streaming services revolutionized the film industry for not only the viewers, but for the filmmakers. Imagine spending years on this passionate project (a film) and you are the filmmaker, your job is to make and direct the film and bring your true vision to life. You donât know anything about public relations or marketing, especially regarding your film. Then here comes a streaming platform with a beautiful deal wrapped in a perfect bow â they handle the stuff you donât understand like PR and campaign marketing. It feels like a win win, if it werenât for the fact that some movies were created with the intention of being shown on the big screen.
Despite movies being made to be experiences with others in a theater, oftentimes, people do not feel like they even need to use their time, money and effort to see a movie. For one, they could just open Netflix or they typically say, âIâll just wait until it comes on Netflix.â Meaning, they already pay for these streaming platforms: why would I waste my money on a physical trip to the theater when I could watch it from the comfort of my own home in no time. And yes, no time â there is hardly any time for movies to make money because their runs in your local theaters have gotten shorter and shorter. There are people in the film industry that believe this is a good thing and it was made possible due to the success of streaming.
According to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos for Variety, âFolks grew up thinking, âI want to make movies on a gigantic screen and have strangers watch them [and to have them] play in the theater for two months and people cry and sold-out shows ⊠Itâs an outdated concept.â Sarandos then proceeds to state that âwe are saving Hollywood!â He, if anything, believes that everyone would rather a streaming platform than having a trip to the theater because it is old-fashioned or something that just isnât done anymore. He has taken his words and framed them as looking out for his customers through ease and accessibility. Yet Netflix has shown this through money-hungry, lazy, and overall rushed decisions.Â
For example, Netflix has canceled many fan-favorite shows, and movies, simply because it didnât get close enough to their hit shows, like Stranger Things (2016) or Wednesday (2022). They canceled shows that had massive fandoms and support from their viewers all because they didnât give them a chance. They give them a small window of time to show that people are watching that show or series and when their ideal numbers aren’t met, those are first on the chopping block. To name a few, Julie and the Phantoms (2020), Boots (2025), The Society (2019), The End of the F***ing World (2018), Iâm Not Okay With This (2020), American Vandal (2017), Spinning Out (2020), and the list could go on forever.Â
So if the excuse is that Netflix truly cares about their content and the cause of allowing people to watch movies from at home, why cancel so many of their favorite shows? Why have limited theatrical releases for specific Netflix movies if theaters are redundant and ineffective? My guess is that this isnât true, but Netflix uses it to their advantage when they can, like their limited run for Frankenstein starring Oscar Issac, Mia Goth and other than Australian heartthrob Jacob Elordi. They had specific premieres and showings in bigger cities, but I think having the cast there in person at specific events, especially someone as currently sought after and popular, Jacob Elordi really created a new excitement around the press for the film. Netflix cares about their audiences, when they are giving them money and when they are watching their content. Without that, the passion that other directors, filmmakers and cinephiles have regarding movie theaters does not apply to Netflix or their CEO Sarandos.Â
Anora (2024) director Sean Baker chose to take his speech time at the 2024 Oscars to highlight a message on the film industry and its connection to movie theaters stating, âWhere did we fall in love with the movies? At the theaterâŠThis is more important than ever; this is a communal experience you simply donât get at home. And right now the theater-going experience is under threat. Especially independently owned theaters are struggling and it is up to us to support them. Filmmakers keep making films for the big screen. Distributors, please focus first and foremost on the theatrical releases of your films. Parents, introduce your children to feature films in movie theaters and you will be molding the next generation of movie lovers and filmmakers. And for all of us, when we can, please watch movies in the theater and letâs keep the great tradition of the movie-going experience alive.âÂ
This speech is proof of the passion in his and not only his, but also people who simply enjoy movies, whether watching them or creating them.Â
Sean Baker is proof that there is something pure and fun about going to the movies and creating a new experience around something to watch. Other filmmakers have also been very outspoken about this issue. No one is saying that streaming services and platforms are wrong and that they shouldnât exist. However, I am saying they shouldnât create this controversy of if going to the movies is even worth it? It is worth it because even though it might not be important to everyone, it can mean a lot to some. It is great watching a movie in bed on your laptop, but nothing comes close to the experience of going to the movies with people you care about.