It’s clear that movies remain one of the pinnacles of entertainment, and the last year in movies is showing this statement to be true. Movie theaters have been around for more than 100 years and since then evolved into a space for people to come together to experience something new for a little bit.
After the recent “Barbenheimer” craze back in July, movie ticket sales are slowly coming back to pre-pandemic levels. Many theaters including AMC, Cinemark, and Regal temporarily closed due to quarantine. As the world is back to a certain normalcy, businesses that rely on in person consumers are attempting to bring numbers back in.
Over the last year sales have been increasing at theaters and USA Today states that the industry data shows that one of the factors of increasing theater sales has to do with younger people as, “About 80% of the “Barbie” audience was younger than 35.”
With the rise of streaming services, it has been easier to access movies and more people prefer to watch movies through streaming services and according to the Motion Picture Association, theater attendance all over the world dropped 4% in 2021 and part of it has to do with the rise of streaming service availability.
This has caused many studios to put their movies straight onto streaming services to save them from jumping through the hoops of assuring theater releases. However, it might become tiring sometimes to scroll through Netflix and never find the perfect movie to watch. Movie theaters give customers a distraction-free experience to watch movies surrounded by other movie lovers.
Production companies will refrain from putting movies straight onto streaming services in an effort to push people to movie theaters and cinemas so that they will retain the theater experience and encourage them to come back. Over the last year, there have been a number of films that have found success in the box office such as “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer,” and “The Hunger Games the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”
In a Digital Signage Today interview with Richard McPherson, he brought up the current rise in theatrical releases of concerts, the recent most popular being Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” with others such as Beyonce’s “Renaissance” and “BTS: Yet to Come.” McPherson states that: “In the past some older concerts would be shown as special screenings. Since the pandemic, current concerts have been getting booked more and more.”
There has also been a new approach to the way people are going to movie theaters. The “Barbie” movie encouraged people to dress up in pink while “The Eras Tour” pushed viewers to come dressed up and even dance and sing, bringing a whole new idea of community at movie theaters. It brought people together from all different backgrounds which is the beauty of movie theaters especially in this circumstance.
Drive-in theaters are also finding their way into popularity. During the pandemic, drive-in movies were a way to get the theater experience while also staying safe. Now, more and more people are coming during the summer to watch movies in a different way.
One contributing factor to the film industry’s success might be the diversity in movies and that there is something for everyone to enjoy. The variety includes horror movies like “The Nun II,” family movies like “Wonka,” and art films like “Poor Things.” Films have been so easily accessible in all genres this year which is driving sales.
Movie studios such as Warner Bros, Disney, and Universal are using more familiar titles to lure audiences to watch their movies. They are coming out with fan favorites giving them new stories from series like Ghostbusters, Planet of the Apes, and Saw. There are a number of sequels, reboots, and live action remakes that have been wildly popular and have definitely brought in box office sales.
Luke O. is a huge movie lover and frequent theater goer. “Watching a movie in a theater heightens the experience of the film,” Luke said. “You only get some of that when viewing a movie at home on a streaming service. You get to absorb the movie with a bunch of strangers who, like you, get to see what you’re watching for the first time.”
Movie theaters are making their way back as the place to go on the weekend. As more highly anticipated movies are about to hit the screen this year, we can look forward to more visits to the movie theater.
