Can Streaming Services Replace the Movie Theater Experience?
Stephanie Samsel ‘21 News Editor
Over the past decade, streaming services have become more and more conventional, with today’s isolation yielding the success of companies such as Netflix, Hulu and Disney+. The widespread number of entertainment subscriptions to video and music streaming providers alike has led many to speculate whether movie theaters and concert venues will experience a resurgence in customers after there is no longer a concern of contracting COVID-19. For numerous Howard students, the preference for at-home or public entertainment is based on the release date of the project being viewed. “Movie theaters play movies that aren’t on streaming services; they’re new and I guess over time [attendance] decreases because the movies
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come with those streaming services, but once they come out people want to see them then, some people don’t want to have to wait. I’m one of those people who doesn’t want to wait for a movie, so I’ll just go to the movie theater and see it,” says junior Amanda Negrete.
Senior Matthew Cheruiyot shares Negrete’s decision-making process: “When it comes to the newer movies, definitely… I wanna go to the theater. I don’t like watching new movies on my phone or something just because… I know the experience is the movie theater, given the way the movie was built, the sounds, the environment… all that good stuff.” In terms of listening to music, he is looking forward to going to concert venues, adding, “I know one thing is for sure: I never want to stream a concert on my phone; that is not a fun experience.
That’s just me watching a YouTube video more or less. You want to be connected to the artist you’re watching.” Others, however, are more confident that after the pandemic ends, the convenience of streaming will negatively affect movie theater attendance long-term. “I don’t see people moving away from streaming services... I think it’s just going to keep hurting the movie theater industry [and] drive-in movies,” predicts Timothy Mackall, a senior at Howard. “I went to a drive-in movie a few months ago. They were playing Star Wars: Episode Five. They got really good attendance — was crazy busy, actually...I think people were just looking for whatever they could do to get out of their house, but I think when people aren’t going to be as desperate to find things to do, I could see [theater attendance] numbers going back down because streaming services just make everything easier.” The ease of at-home streaming does not come without its drawbacks. Many students are cognizant of the fact that the countless options of films and TV shows to watch have challenged their patience and need for social interaction.
Negrete, a subscriber to Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu, says, “When I’m not doing homework or in school, I’m just binge-watching TV, and it’s bad because… sometimes I feel like I should be calling my friends more, I should be talking to people more, but it’s just like I have all this stuff, why would I — why would I need to? It can be really negative to be sitting at home and binge-watching this 40-minutes per episode show.” Mackall notes, “I’ve noticed I’m really lazy. And binge-watching always just decreases your patience because everything is just right there, so you’re like, ‘Eh, I can just keep watching this next episode.’ When everybody has their own show that they’re watching, they don’t want to spend time together, so they’re not all gathering around the TV to watch one show together or waiting for a show to come out weekly.”
Whether or not the abundance of streamable content will make movie theaters a dying business may depend on a more modern collaboration. According to Negrete, “People rent out movie theaters to play Netflix movies! It’s strange,” she says. “You’d think they’d just play a movie that’s new… I feel like they could just play it at home. I guess [it is] to get the feel of the movie theater.”
Senior Matthew Cheruiyot shares Negrete’s decision-making process: “When it comes to the newer movies, definitely… I wanna go to the theater. I don’t like watching new movies on my phone or something just because… I know the experience is the movie theater, given the way the movie was built, the sounds, the environment… all that good stuff.” In terms of listening to music, he is looking forward to going to concert venues, adding, “I know one thing is for sure: I never want to stream a concert on my phone; that is not a fun experience.
That’s just me watching a YouTube video more or less. You want to be connected to the artist you’re watching.” Others, however, are more confident that after the pandemic ends, the convenience of streaming will negatively affect movie theater attendance long-term. “I don’t see people moving away from streaming services... I think it’s just going to keep hurting the movie theater industry [and] drive-in movies,” predicts Timothy Mackall, a senior at Howard. “I went to a drive-in movie a few months ago. They were playing Star Wars: Episode Five. They got really good attendance — was crazy busy, actually...I think people were just looking for whatever they could do to get out of their house, but I think when people aren’t going to be as desperate to find things to do, I could see [theater attendance] numbers going back down because streaming services just make everything easier.” The ease of at-home streaming does not come without its drawbacks. Many students are cognizant of the fact that the countless options of films and TV shows to watch have challenged their patience and need for social interaction.
Negrete, a subscriber to Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu, says, “When I’m not doing homework or in school, I’m just binge-watching TV, and it’s bad because… sometimes I feel like I should be calling my friends more, I should be talking to people more, but it’s just like I have all this stuff, why would I — why would I need to? It can be really negative to be sitting at home and binge-watching this 40-minutes per episode show.” Mackall notes, “I’ve noticed I’m really lazy. And binge-watching always just decreases your patience because everything is just right there, so you’re like, ‘Eh, I can just keep watching this next episode.’ When everybody has their own show that they’re watching, they don’t want to spend time together, so they’re not all gathering around the TV to watch one show together or waiting for a show to come out weekly.”
Whether or not the abundance of streamable content will make movie theaters a dying business may depend on a more modern collaboration. According to Negrete, “People rent out movie theaters to play Netflix movies! It’s strange,” she says. “You’d think they’d just play a movie that’s new… I feel like they could just play it at home. I guess [it is] to get the feel of the movie theater.”