Are Movie Theaters Going to Die?
The death of movie theaters is something we’ve been hearing about for years and something that has always worried me. A movie and dinner is an American staple and to have it taken away, seems unthinkable. Keep in mind, this is all coming from a die hard cinephile.
Theaters have clearly responded to the pressure, offering luxury seating and dine-in services as well as adopting subscription model ticketing such as AMC A-list. These changes seem too late, unfortunately, as COVID-19 looks to be the proverbial nail in the coffin for them.
Unless, despite all this bleak foreshadowing, there is a bit of hope at the end of the tunnel. A chance that our worst fears may never be met. As soon as Warner Bros. announced their plan to release their whole 2021 slate simultaneously to theaters and HBO Max, I thought it equalled death to the moviegoing experience. Many might think it still does. However, I think if you pay close attention to the response, you’ll see that movie theaters may be institutions that never die.
Let’s start with the whole Warner Bros. fiasco. It quickly became clear that the studio never consulted with their talent or behind the scenes players before announcing the move. Dune director, Denis Villeneuve, chastised them for the decision and Legendary is threatening to take legal action against them. Warner Bros. has already backed down on Dune, agreeing to release it exclusively in theaters next fall and the Will Smith movie King Richard may be the same case due to contractual obligations. At the end of the day, the studio may have to back down from its original plan.
The other interesting piece of this has been the response from other studios, specifically Disney. Although they touted a ton of new content for their streaming service, Disney Plus, at their latest investors' meeting, they also stressed exclusive theatrical releases for all of their Marvel and Star Wars films. It seemed like an intentional smack in the face to Warner Bros. to show that the industry is not behind them. There is even a new Russo brothers movie from Universal called Electric State that now must contractually premiere exclusively in theaters.
Whether a movie is released at home or in the theaters, the studios need the support of the actors and creators. Otherwise, they won’t have any content to distribute. If the creatives can remain united on this issue, it’s going to be hard for the theatrical experience to die out. If they refuse to work without certain stipulations, there is not much else that can be done. If the theaters can outlast the pandemic and find a way to stay afloat economically, there should be plenty of content for them to draw audiences back. They are in a dangerous spot, but if they can endure the storm, there may be a light at the end of all this.
