The feeling of excitement when the lights dim, the buttery smell of popcorn, and the feeling of experiencing a movie with strangers. That is the magic of movie theaters. Sure, streaming at home is more convenient, but there is little to nothing that beats laughing, crying, and cheering alongside a crowd of strangers. For me, the magic of cinema started when I was five on a field trip that involved baking and watching my very first movie.
May 16, 2013. I was five years old, and to me, the world was still big. I hardly knew about the wonders of movie theaters. At this time, I was in kindergarten. After the bright overwhelming lights of picture day, we were going on a field trip. For this particular trip, we visited a place that was both a bakery and a cinema. We baked croissants, then were led into the theater. The reclining seats swallowed me as I waited for the movie to start. For the next hour and forty two minutes, I sat through plot twists, sad moments, and victory. When the credits rolled and the lights came back on, I felt like a changed kid. I had just experienced my first movie in a theater, and I loved it.
As I grew up, my love for movie theaters had only grown. I even had specific preferences: the middle seat somewhat towards the back, a medium drink, and a large popcorn. But my favorite part about movie theaters overwhelms those materialistic things. I love the sense of community that I feel being a part of a crowd as it reacts to something in real time. Nowadays, it’s common to see viral TikTok videos about movie theaters. Whether it’s a crowd cheering “chicken jockey” during the Minecraft movie, or everyone matching a color. On a coach, you can pause, replay and restart, but in a theater packed with people, it’s an experience you live in.
The rise of streaming platforms has changed how audiences consume movies, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic. During global shutdowns, theaters closed indefinitely while streaming services grew in popularity. Mohd Akram has stated that Covid-19 has largely affected cinemas. Due to people being confined to their homes, platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video benefited because viewers could easily access entertainment at the comfort of their home while there was “no news of reopening theaters” due to growing cases. That shift continued to stay, because according to an AP-NORC poll, nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults reported choosing streaming over theaters for at least one new movie in the past year.
Even years after the lockdowns ended, theaters continue to struggle. According to an NPR report by Bob Mondello, five years after COVID caused the biggest attendance drop in movie history, ticket sales still remain below pre-pandemic levels. One contributing factor is the shrinking theatrical exclusivity window. While films once stayed in theaters for around 90 days, many now arrive on streaming platforms in as little as 45 days, which reduces urgency for audiences to attend screenings in person.
Movie theaters have created experiences that streaming simply can’t recreate. Sitting in a room full of strangers, reacting together in real time, turns a movie into something special, even if the movie itself was bland. Even as streaming grows more popular, theaters remain special.
