Streaming Services Are Shifting The Cinema Experience

By Andrea Briones

Lights dim and silence fills the room: a moment of anticipation that has defined moviegoing for more than a century.

Today, that moment sits at the center of a growing debate as audiences remain divided over the rise of streaming services and their impact on the cinema experience.

Barry University student Maria “Luli” Duran is one of thousands of movie lovers impacted by the shift.

“It’s sad in a way because I feel that we’re losing the magic of what it’s like being in a theater and the entire cinema experience,” said the sophomore majoring in theater at Barry University. “The reason why people are still making films to this day and releasing them to the cinema is because they want us to experience, they want us to cry, they want us to laugh and I feel that sometimes in the comfort of your own home, that is not really possible.”

PHOTO CREDIT: ADOBE STOCK

Silver Screen to Streaming

The genesis of going to movie theaters dates to the early 1900s. For only five cents, people lined up in front of nickelodeons—small storefront theaters—to watch silent films.

By the 1920s, cinema introduced sound and became more than entertainment, but an immersive experience. From lavish chandeliers and grand lobbies to velvet seats and massive Corinthian columns, it became revolutionary.

Theaters were the primary way to watch movies, but this began to shift in the 1980s when home movie videos entered the market.

In 1985, Blockbuster Video, an American video rental store, made these movies widely accessible. This allowed audiences to rent and watch movies from home, avoiding large crowds at the theaters. Still, there was always a delay between when a movie was offered in the theater and when it was released in-store.

At its peak in the late ‘90s, they established more than 9,000 stores in the United States and earned $800 million in one year, according to Business Insider. Nevertheless, theaters continued to dominate with more than 23,000 locations in the country and moviegoing remained a cultural norm.

The real disruption arrived in 2007, when Netflix introduced streaming.

Unlike rentals, the platform offered instant access, no late fees and subscriptions to a growing library of content—becoming theaters’ number one threat.

Fast forward, streaming services today are everywhere with Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max and more reshaping how we watch and experience entertainment, creating more controversy.

“Folks grew up thinking, ‘I want to make movies on a gigantic screen and have strangers watch them [and to have them] play in the theater for two months and people cry and sell-out shows. It’s an outdated concept,” said Ted Sarandos, the Co-CEO of Netflix, in a brief discussion with Time Magazine Editor-In-Chief Sam Jacobs at the Time100 Summit last April.

This comment has sparked backlash from movie fans and filmmakers who felt that Sarandos was dismissing the value and dedication of cinema.

"I think we've seen if you put a movie people want to see in the theaters, they are going to show up for it, and that experience of being in a full house and having that experience is so important," said  Rian Johnson—the director of  Knives Out—in an interview with Business Insider. "It's something that I love and I want more of in the world."

A New Era

Whereas movies used to be released exclusively in theaters, now some movies are released straight into streaming like Sinners, which won four Oscars at the 98th Academy Awards.

Others like Warners Bros release their movies to both streaming and theaters simultaneously, known as “day-and-date” releases.

“Netflix has a bizarre aversion to supporting theatrical films,” said Director Christopher Nolan, according to IndieWire. “They have this mindless policy of everything having to be simultaneously streamed and released, which is obviously an untenable model for theatrical presentation. So, they’re not even getting in the game, and I think they’re missing a huge opportunity.”

Because of these changes, audiences are changing their habits to prefer watching movies from home. In the last five years, AMC has closed more than 200 locations because of underperformance.

Streaming also affects how the industry makes money. In 2021, Black Widow was released in theaters and on Disney+ simultaneously, resulting in a legal dispute with Scarlett Johansson, an actor who claimed the streaming cut into her earnings.

“From an actor’s point of view, you don’t make a lot of money in streaming, but with a movie you do—it’s a whole other world,” said Elena Maria Garcia, an associate professor in the theater department at Barry University. “[Movies continuously make money even if its ten years down the line.]” 

Although streaming can be convenient, many critics and directors argue that the quality and standard of filmmaking is declining. With so many movies flooding the internet every day, budgets are often smaller, leading to weaker plots, noticeable holes and poor execution.

Matt Damon, a well-known actor and filmmaker, has shared that streaming services like Netflix assume viewers are multitasking or scrolling on their phones while watching movies.

So, filmmakers are encouraged to make stories easier to follow by repeating plot points and adding attention-grabbing moments early in the movie to keep audiences engaged.

Movies made for the big screen aren’t seen as impactful on smaller devices because wide shots, detailed visuals and powerful sounds don’t transfer well.

Like Oppenheimer, a biographical historical drama, directed by Christopher Nolan, films made with IMAX cameras, practical effects and immersive sound are designed for theaters—making Nolan hesitant to embrace streaming, where the impact may be diminished.

"The magic is the community. You're going in with a whole group of people watching something together,” said Garcia. “With streaming, I can be in my house. How magical is your living room? You know, you’re sitting there and the dog starts the bark, or someone comes in. It breaks the magic.”

The way we watch movies has changed and the industry will continue to evolve. But one question remains: Will filmmakers adapt or persevere through the change?