Why We Should Kill Movie Theatres
There’s no easy way to say this but it’s time to start killing the idea of “going to the movies.” This social experience has been an escape for humans since its development and has provided careers and capital for the players involved. As of late, Hollywood has been scrambling in order to keep the status quo and provide adequate restrictions in order for things to go “back to normal”. What they don’t realize is that normal wasn’t working. “Going to the movies” is no doubt embedded in just about every person as a natural way of life, and most wouldn’t know what to do if movie chains became as obsolete as video rental stores. The creatives who go out and create films, hire crew, hire actors, set designers, and a slew of other skilled people have a special connection to this experience and believe that watching their film in a theatre is the optimal way to watch it.
Christopher Nolan’s enigmatic film, “Tenet” has been swirling around in this pool of indecisiveness. Truly a visionary, Nolan has specific ways he shoots, edits, and designs his film in a way that caters to almost every sense when watching a film of his. A common word that’s tossed around is “immersion.” Nolan is a master of transporting the audience into the grand scale world he’s created. With his recent release, his film has been pushed back due to the pandemic. After the blowback from the digital release of “Trolls: World Tour”, people were wondering what would be the alternative to releasing films if they were going to be ostracized for sending their product to digital services. AMC releasing a statement claiming they’ll no longer host any Universal films at any of their houses, in incredibly disturbing. A movie now is seemingly contractually obliged to place their films in theaters, mainly in order to keep those theaters in business.
Another major turn in distribution is the infamous, “#releasethesnydercut” movement. Zack Snyder has successfully resurrected his defunct, “Justice League” and will be releasing his original cut, streaming only on HBO Max. This in turn, opened a can of worms, with David Ayers also possibly releasing his original cut of “Suicide Squad” on the same site. I’m sure by the end of the month, we’ll be seeing “release the Trank cut” hashtags for Fan4stic. These exclusive distribution deals are a direct response to the bleak-looking future of theatrical releases. Nolan has remained confident about his theatrical release of “Tenet” although no release date was provided as of late.
Universal Pictures has a streaming service titled, “Peacock” after their NBC logo. Their site claims that they have exclusive streaming rights for films such as, “Fast9” and Jurrasic World 3". Since they’ve been kicked out of the group, it’s most likely they’ll settle a deal with another theatre chain to possibly make as much as possible opening weekend and then stream the films immediately after.
Wang Jianlin, owner of the Wanda Group (the company that owns AMC theaters) has stated that the rumors of AMC filing for bankruptcy due to the pandemic are “pure rumor”. I think it’s time to kill the modern theatre experience as we know it. It’s become too expensive and stressful. People just want to escape their lives for 3 hours without having to deal with the politics of where to watch the film. Many moviegoers have transitioned into creating that experience at their home with their friends and family. You’re free to pause the film if you need a restroom break or to indulge in vices without fear of judgment.
I see a future where actors and crew become more embedded with the watching experience of the film along with the audience. Zack Snyder has been hosting “watch parties” that consist of him live-streaming his own films with his audience. I see Live Commentary streams and AMA’s for recent films and instant engagement from audiences. Fox has recently aired a show titled, “Celebrity Watch Party” which is essentially, a ‘Celebrities react’ for fox’s programming. I’m not mad at the idea. I can see studios setting up specific Discords or Twitch's to engage with the stay-at-home audience.
Honestly, I don’t believe theaters are going to survive the end of the year. Having capacity caps and checking temperatures at the door isn’t going to get it done, the experience is tainted due to the public paranoia. Consumers are eager to back into the world and consume and movie theaters are banking on that for their survival. Please let the past die. It’s time to move on.
