Streaming: The Death of Movie Theaters

Matt Beck | Editor

I remember in my youth that going to the movies was an experience unlike any other. The atmosphere was exciting--giant promotional cutouts, the smell of the warm butter from the popcorn machine, and the lights from the arcade.

This created an experience that was hardly ever forgotten. So what happened? Why, all of a sudden, has streaming taken over? Well, it started way before a pandemic.

I never liked the idea of theaters raising their admission prices. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but what experience am I paying for now? For a large popcorn, it costs on average $8 -10 dollars.

For a ticket, it use to only cost a few dollars, and now that price has been rising every year since 1996. So what happened to those cheap entertainment tickets I grew up enjoying? Now for the total cost, I’d spend on a good night out at the theater. I could buy the movie and stream it in my home.

Why has the price of admission skyrocketed to the point where I deeply contemplated if this movie is worth going to see?

Streaming happened. And a war took place between the old and the new. It started in the 90s with video-on-demand. Then, in 2007, Netflix allowed members to stream content from their customer accounts.

The cost of televisions and home stereos was high during this time, due to their production cost. Within the next ten years, the cost would go down drastically with the modern tech revolution and mass production from companies such as Apple and Amazon.

Putting big corporation theaters in a position that was written on the walls to say the least. Unlike others, I don’t feel bad for these theaters at all. Like Blockbuster, Amc, and its competitors, they saw the signs and still didn't move towards the future of having a competitive edge over streaming. Now they want me to pay $25 to take my girl to see Space Jam 2.

I don’t think so; it’s not going to happen when I could stream it in the convenience of my own home.