For a lot of people, a night out at the theater is as relaxing an experience as it gets. As a massive fan of seeing new movies as soon as I possibly can, I used to feel the same way. But nowadays, I find myself less interested in the theatrical experience, and I’m not sure if that will change anytime soon.
The pandemic changed everything
Cinema was never the same again
While you could argue that we have moved well beyond COVID and the pandemic era, the yearly box office since 2020 hasn’t exactly seen a staggering recovery in numbers. Audiences still come out for some of the big event films, but that’s no longer a guarantee. I no longer feel the pressure that I once did to get in on the theatrical experience, because it’s no longer a massive water cooler moment.
Movies also now see a shorter theatrical lifespan thanks to trends that started during the pandemic. You no longer have to wait six months or more for a film to hit home viewing, for the most part. Some studios still hold on to this archaic idea, but when you have tentpole releases like Superman hitting digital release after just five weeks in cinemas, where’s the incentive to go to a crowded theater so you don’t miss out?
It just doesn’t exist anymore, and personally, I’m okay with that, especially with rising ticket prices. I don’t want to pay more money just to sit in a room with a bunch of loud strangers for two hours.
It’s no longer an event experience
Why splash the cash when you can chill at home?
If you’re old like I am, perhaps you recall a time when seeing a popular film in the cinema was a special experience. You’d talk about the new blockbuster with your friends or family in real life, and you’d avoid the dreaded fear of missing out (FOMO). Studios and theater owners banked on this being the case because if you’re not part of the zeitgeist, are you even a member of society?
In the modern era, most of the conversation has shifted to online spaces, and the conversation just shifts too quickly to keep up with. Plus, you’re going to get just as much conversation around a theatrical film as you would for a streaming release. Look at the lingering popularity of KPop Demon Hunters. It’s no longer an exception, like Stranger Things during the early days of streaming event television. It’s simply the rule.
If I miss out on a Superman-level event in theaters, who cares? I’ll get to see it at home in a little over a month anyway, and there’s plenty of other pop-culture conversation to take part in in the meantime. It all moves too fast for the FOMO to really take hold anyway. The desire for me is no longer there because event viewing no longer exists for me on a purely cinematic level.
Also, with the rising budgets of prestige streaming television shows and movies, it’s basically like watching a fresh event film at home on release. Movie studios that focused on the theatrical experience no longer have a monopoly on cinematic cultural phenomena.
Streaming at home is simply superior
I don’t even have to hear people eating
Perhaps my tolerance for large crowds has simply worsened as I’ve aged, or it may be due to the pandemic, but I’ve lost the comfort I once felt at a movie theater. Give me the home streaming experience anytime over that. I can pause when I want to, I can get up and use the bathroom, and I can choose the volume of both the movie and the people around me—if any.
And not only are movies hitting digital release faster than ever, but they’re also dropping on streaming services quicker. Just last week, I watched both Final Destination: Bloodlines and Sinners on HBO Max. These two movies were released in 2025, and they’re already available to stream. That would never have been the case a decade ago. That’s all for one streaming subscription price a month. Sure, the cost of streaming services continues to rise, and that’s worrying, but it’s still cheaper than two movie tickets and overpriced concessions a month.
Even if movies didn’t hit streaming services as quickly as they do, there’s a plethora of films released every year that will eventually do so anyway. I can’t keep up with it all. Some of my favorite films I’ve watched this year are ones that were released a year or two ago. I’m just not in a big hurry to consume every single movie I can as soon as they come out, and the streaming experience makes that a viable decision.
I’m not saying that I have given up on theaters entirely, or even for all time. However, I no longer believe it’s an experience I need to have regularly. It doesn’t feel like the spectacle it once did, even on a large screen with superior audio. It’s just never been easier for audiences to be a lot more selective about what they’re willing to venture out to see on the big screen on a Friday night.
That’s a good thing. Sorry, Christopher Nolan, but I don’t find myself missing the theatrical experience at all, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
