Why People Fear Losing the Theater

Netflix recently announced their acquisition of Warner Brothers, and while the deal isn't confirmed yet given antitrust laws and Congressional investigations alongside continual efforts by rival companies to purchase the media conglomerate, it's equally likely that the world's largest streaming platform gets away with acquiring a colossal chunk of the cinematic industry as it stands today. IPs like Batman and Minecraft's ongoing cinematic universe (which frankly, feels ridiculous to write), Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and dozens of other famous fantasy universes will unequivocally belong to them. This has worried thousands of people, who have taken to social media in recent days to protest this swift acquisition, calling it unjust and terrifying, a sphere of expansion for already obscenely rich shareholders at the expense of virtually everyone else. But why is this? Well, one concern rises above all the others regarding the possible cultural heat death America might experience if this deal goes through: the elimination of the movie theater.

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has already mentioned how extensive theater runtimes for certain movies aren't "consumer-friendly", and proposed the idea of cutting down runtimes for films to merely two weeks on the big screen before shifting them completely to streaming. It's "outdated" to take the time and effort to head to a communal place to experience a piece of art, which is better ingested by your senses from the comfort of your own home. Perhaps this point of view could be understandable from the perspectives of those literally unable to make the theater trip. Individuals with disabilities or specific reasons that disallow them from going in public and experiencing films on the silver screen would certainly benefit if their most anticipated media releases were immediately shelved onto their streaming platform of choice for viewing. But then, this occurs anyway. The Dune franchise is available to watch on everywhere from HBO to Youtube TV to Hulu. All of Star Wars is available on Disney+. And for people who elect to pirate what they view, even these platforms are irrelevant. Frankly, can they even be blamed? These streaming sites are run by corporations in constant competition with the other regarding profit margins and shareholder appeasement. Some films will disappear from Netflix by the end of this year while others take their place, and even those movies might become at risk due to once legal stipulation or economic necessity or another.

Most of the movies I've reviewed on my blog this year were experienced through theaters. Due to the expense of these outings, I frequented these places a little less. Twenty+ dollars for tickets, not counting popcorn or other snacks you choose to purchase, is pretty pricey, especially in today's economy that's leaking more than a whale's blowhole. It's understandable why some might be diametrically opposed to the theater experience. Why not just pirate or stream everything at home and renege the experience altogether? Well, it's because of the community vibes provided by excursions to the theater.

Whether you're going alone, with friends or family, or a partner during a date, you're ultimately engaging in movies at the primary imperative of your experience. What I mean is, you're sitting down for the express purpose of spending your next hour and a half to two hours consuming the artform that's been painstakingly crafted for that purpose. At home on your personal television, there's an incredibly higher chance you're probably ignoring what's happening on the screen altogether, scrolling on your phone, talking to someone, or generally engaging in activities that divert your full attention away from the cinematic artform. And that's not necessarily a terrible thing. If the movie isn't of the best quality or merely put on for background noise, then you're not inclined to give it your full attention. But genuine quality, the Sinners and One Battle After Anothers (which I'll be watching and reviewing soon, stay tuned) of the industry, should not be relegated to such an ignorable space. Maybe if you've seen such films and enjoyed those stories already, but first-time viewing of monumental adventures should, in my opinion, be undertaken in the theatrical format if you can help it. There's a unifying effect that theaters have on us psychologically. Rows of individuals brought together, usually anyway, by excitement of what the screen will display next. Everyone together curious and whispering and wondering how the hero will emerge from this pickle, what diabolical plan the villain will enact next. Laughing together at the comical moments and crying at the tragedies. Cheering and clapping at the big climatic payoffs and waiting patiently, eagerly, fearfully during the moments of horror and suspense.

Again, I'm not saying theaters are exclusively the best way to enjoy a film. If that's what you've garnered that from this post so far though, there's little hope in explaining my points to you from here-on. You can enjoy a good flick at home with your friends, and it'd most certainly be cheaper too. But isn't it alright for the casual moviegoer to be allowed, at least once every month or few when a story of particular interest and built-up cultural hype comes along, to venture out, purchase some tickets and snacks and accepting the inflated costs purely because of their love of this medium, and sitting down with their fellows and enjoying together one of the few experiences our society has left that everyone unilaterally agrees is delightful, raw fun? Or must all humans be reformatted into the machines we utilize for the mundanity of our daily lives. Our phones, computers, IPads, and everything they unlock, the social media networks and the accessible video content and the layers upon layers of eldrithically stacked information crusted together to form the modern megalith that is the Internet, having evolved from our tools of convenience and mastery, have become the guiding blueprint for our psychological and emotional roadmaps going forward. Going outside for even the smallest tasks will become further obsolete. The excursions and enjoyments of simply experiencing a presented thing with others will be viewed as strange and unfathomable by generations growing up in this hyper-corporatized technocratic imperium. And should we be happy with such a state of affairs?

I suppose it's the human imperative to abstractly evolve. Our physical bodies have reached the tail-end of their evolutionary capacity, the only means for us now to progress are through the active operations our mind conjures. Becoming pod-people living vicariously through home appliances is surely a step forward for convenience. Is that evolution? To a tiny minority of billionaires, it is. Or they might not even view it that way. The beneficiaries of this hypothetical closure of theatrical windows of release might cynically understand the human condition is to enjoy things with others, to act in synchronized unity with our peers rather than in suspicion, division, and isolation from them- but they have those enjoyments, or perhaps they lack the imperative to experience those connections and care little if others have or have not the opportunity too. It's not a poignant ambition of mine to make friends with every stranger I come across on the sidewalk, to deeply involve myself in the intrapersonal dramas of every curious fellow I meet, but even saying hello to them and hosting a conversation that might last only a few minutes but leave an impression of years thereafter is deeply enriching to my human experience. Please support your local cinemas for the movies you truly believe deserve it, and God Bless.

P.S - Yes, I'm aware I haven't posted on this blog for most of the year despite promises otherwise. I can only really apologize. Other priorities in my life have taken command over continually updating this, but I'll still try to think of new ideas and reviews I can post here. I often go through cycles of demotivation and malaise before suddenly and energetically churning out something new and entering this unstoppable dormancy of sloth for months further on end. Really, it's entirely about my feelings at the moment. That might sound capricious, but it's merely the truth. I hope you all still enjoy the content already produced and published here, and if I decide to make posting here a commonality in my life once again, all the better. Regardless, I hope everyone reading this, and especially those who've read to the end, are doing well in their own personal journeys and adventures. Stay safe and happy!