In the modern world of streaming websites and skyrocketing prices of movie tickets it is undeniable that film is becoming a dying art. Too many people, especially at a younger age, watch movies without any notion of opinion or criticism.
There was a time when going to the movies held a deeper meaning. In those days, people went to the movies almost as often as they went to church. You could spend less than 20 cents and spend an entire day escaping the harsh means of reality. Now, you could spend the same amount of money at the movies as you would going out to an expensive restaurant. In 2016, there were the fewest total ticket sales per person since the 1920’s when film was first starting out.
In addition to decreasing ticket sales, today’s theaters seem to be jam-packet with over-budget Hollywood sequels. After the few box office successes with sequels such as the Harry Potter franchise, the Twilight franchise, Shrek 2, Batman: The Dark Knight and Dark Knight rises, and Despicable Me, Hollywood has become buried in a deep sequel slump. The amount of recent movie sequels have been overwhelming with unsuccessful series such as Divergent, Alice in Wonderland, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Zoolanders, etc. It is undeniable that in recent years the silver screen has been drastically losing it’s effect on a range of all audiences, old and young.
Furthermore, it is obvious, especially to younger audiences, that the development of new streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon has taken a toll in the world of cinema. Remember when we all had to search for Netflix movies online and wait for them shipped to our house within the next few days? With all the recent updates and developments within the past few years, Netflix has grown to become one of the most successful resources for movies and TV shows.
Though Netflix has been less successful with their original movies as opposed to their TV series, it’s only a matter of time in which they gain the upper hand on that angle of entertainment. Even legendary filmmaker, Martin Scorsese, is further supporting the company and all it represents, by recently granting Netflix the rights to his newest upcoming film starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pecci called The Irishman. Are we reaching a point where going to the movie theaters is unnecessary? Even though Netflix is making movies that seem more convenient to stay home and watch, is there enough people to argue the need for the theater experience?
I would say it’s only a matter of a few years until Netflix and other movie streaming sites make a fatal impact on the film industry. However, with movie theaters still being an amazing experience, it is a necessity to bring in more movies that will pull audiences in. Though it seems clear that there is a bright light ahead for all these new streaming sites, is the light dimming on the film industry and all the great history we’ve known behind it?