Movie Industry Continues Decline As People Forgo Theaters

Start this off with a simple question: when was the last time you saw a movie at the theatres? The best bet is you have not gone to a theater to see a movie in quite some time, unless it was for either a hyped remake or a nostalgia movie. If that is the case, you are not alone, as millions of Americans are choosing not to see a movie in theatres, instead either opting to watch it on streaming later, or not watch it at all.

It has led to a massive decline in the movie industry, and consequentially, movie theatre attendance as a whole. There are a million reasons to not go to the theatre. If you can watch it on Netflix a month later, you save on ticket price. You also are not forced to buy a $10 popcorn and a $7 drink. The advent of technology, inflation, and just overall bad movies has culminated in a dip right as the holiday season begins.

Film expert and podcast host Christian Toto says there are a wide range of factors, but one of the biggest is the current pictures just do not capture the imagination.

"For every Wicked: The Good, which is overperforming and making a lot of money...there are many other films that are just not getting an audience," he says.

That can be attributed to a variety of reasons. The marketing for these films is far less prevalent than it used to be. Most marketing comes in the form of ads on YouTube that people skip after five seconds.

But Hollywood is just not what it used to be. Movie stars do not garner the same respect or draw they once did. Mostly because they use their platform to grandstand about politics, when they are delusionally removed from reality.

"Actors are more political and outspoken, which can be divisive, where audiences are fed up with a Sean Penn type...where they do not agree with his politics and do not want to see the product," says Toto. "Then you have streaming competition, movies made for streaming with big budgets and actors."

Streaming has become the way of the land now. There is no need to head to a theatre to see a movie when you can watch it on a streaming service about a month or two later.

Another factor too is the movies today are just simply not as capturing to the eye. Theatres will be packed for things like a re-showing of Back to the Future or Jaws but are empty for newer movies. That is because the movies today are just not very great.

"I feel more often let down than thrilled at the theatres, as a movie lover...and I hear that a lot, the movies are just not as good as they used to be," Toto says.

As the holiday season approaches, maybe you want to go for a bit of nostalgia and family time to the theatre. But in most cases, people are leaving that idea in the past and staying home to watch. If that trend keeps going as it is, Hollywood might become even more irrelevant than it is already has been.