Editorial: Are cinemas going to die out?

 Are Theaters going the way of the Dodo? 

This year has been hard on everyone. Matter of fact, this year might be one of the few times where every single person, industry, country and ideology has been suffering. I wish I could say I hadn't lost sleep over losing my job or not being able to provide for myself, my girlfriend, my friends, my cat (especially my cat), but that would be lying. And I think that now, as we come to the end of this horrible year, I can offer a prospective on the question that cinephiles have been whispering to each other since march “Are cinemas screwed?” In short, the hell if I know but I guess not?

In long? Well its kinda complicated but i'll try and lay things out in two categories, things that will stay and things that will change. That things that are going to change have already been set in motion so I may as well start with them. First up, Streaming is going to become a far more utilised platform for big studio releases, especially as Disney starts buying more and more production companies (and their backlogs). Disney+ has stormed into the market and it's only a matter of time until everyone else follows suit. To be brutally honest, i'm surprised they weren't doing this before they had an excuse, it just makes too much sense logistically. Why worry about leaks and transporting film hard drives and negotiations with cinema chains when you can just hit upload and have it ready to go worldwide on a platform you own? It makes great sense from a business standpoint and i'm pretty sure The Paramount Case of 1948 doesn't cover streaming services so its as legally tight as a Disney lawyers tie knot. Secondly, Cinemas will be doing reruns of old favourites from time to time. If new films ain't coming, throw on some hits from a few years back. We had The Dark Knight playing at my cinema a few times and it definitely drew in some decent foot traffic. More than 100% Wolf did anyway thank god.

And as to what's going to stay the same? Well, not much. But cinemas are still going to be around, at least in some capacity. They might be smaller, cheaper, less staffed and far less numerous, but they will still exist. The institution of cinemas has been around for well over 100 years by now, so I can't see it fizzling out into nothing after one year of low trade, but streaming is definitely making a grab for it's crown. My prediction? Cinemas will have to become a more exclusive venue. Meaning more indie-darlings and foreign films and marketing themselves to a more “selective” (for lack of a less snobby word) audience. 2020 was a good year, i'm told, for smaller movies by Directors and Writers who shun mass-market appeal in favour of more artful pursuits. I guarantee we could have turned a nice profit if we'd gone out of our way to show more artsy-fartsy fair instead of loops of cheaply made animated shit all day long. But thats on the programming directors, not us on the frontlines. So cinemas are going to be smaller in size, less numerous and become more like your stereotypical art house flea pits, so hopefully sans fleas. Give streaming to the masses, and give Cinemas to nerds like me. We'll need a good reason to leave the house once this is all over anyway.