In 2019, Christopher Nolan (famed director of The Dark Knight Trilogy, Interstellar, and Dunkirk) delivered a pre-recorded speech to the UK Cinema Association's annual conference. After apologizing for not giving his speech in person, he emphasized the importance of seeing films in theatres. My memories are not just of the films themselves and the amazing adventures unfolding on screen; they're also of the sense of occasion,
he reflected. He recalled the experience of being a young child entering an architectural space that's so much bigger and grander than myself; the thrill of the curtains opening, moving to enlarge the screen for a widescreen presentation.
Nolan, a long-time supporter of the theatrical experience, spoke about the future of his craft. It is a tremendously exciting time to be putting films into cinema,
he said.
Sadly, Nolan was wrong.
One year and six days after Nolan's keynote, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Stay-at-home orders shuttered theatres and major motion pictures such as James Bond: No Time to Die, Godzilla vs. Kong and Nolan's Tenet were delayed. The entertainment industry stood at a complete standstill. Movie theatres, already feeling pressure from the rise of streaming services, faced an existential threat.
As millions of people are vaccinated each day theatres are slowly reopening. Yet the future is uncertain. There is a lingering discomfort among some people of sitting close to strangers in a crowded space. Meanwhile, the rise and acceleration of streaming content also puts the future of public film exhibition in doubt.
Not the first time theatres have been threatened
Theatres have always been a fundamental part of cinema and the foundation of exhibition. Until 1948 theatres were owned and operated by movie studios. During this studio system
Hollywood conglomerates like Paramount and RKO had control over production, distribution and exhibition of films which gave the studios unrestrained power over the industry. In a landmark Supreme Court case, United States V. Paramount, studios lost control over the exhibition side of the business (theatres). After the decision, major movie theatre chains grew separate from studios which removed a barrier of entry to the world of film as studios could no longer decide to only exhibit their own films.
The anti-trust litigation had little impact on the popularity or saturation of cinema in the United States. Over time, movie theatres continued to grow making more money than ever before. Theatres' continued popularity after the Paramount anti-trust case showed that the experience of going to the cinema isn't one that depends on studios or greater Hollywood for support, but rather it's an experience many Americans inherently enjoy.
Yet, the Paramount decision about theatres paled in comparison to the perceived threat the following decades would bring to the industry: television. The post-war period in the United States saw a large rise in the popularity of television. Now, for the first time, people could watch content from the comfort of their own home. Yet even with the rapid growth of television, theatres remained a staple of the cinematic experience. Once again, the movie industry survived a threat that could have destroyed it.
Now Playing: A Pandemic
On March 17, 2020 AMC Theatres announced via Twitter that it would close for 6-12 weeks.
The CDC had just implemented guidelines that said people should not be gathering in groups of more than 10. Theatres remained closed for much longer than initially expected, with some only just beginning to open. Not only did this closure of cinemas lead to mass layoffs but also delayed the releases of many upcoming films.
As time went on, the unprecedented effect COVID-19 would have on entertainment slowly came to realization. Massive theatre chains came close to bankruptcy while the impact on local theatres was even worse.
John Fithian is the president of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), a trade association that has members in 103 countries around the world and in every state in the U.S. In a Q&A with the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, he spoke on the pressure cinemas have felt during the lockdown periods.
Something that we've never experienced in our history happened. We were forced to shut down quickly all around the world,
he said, and that's never happened before in the 120-year history of this industry. We've shut down for a day or two, but just to be completely shut down all around the world for months on end is very strange,
he explained.
To combat the inability to exhibit motion pictures in theatres, Warner Brothers announced last December that its entire 2021 slate of films would be released on HBO Max.
Fithian is confident that this decision by Warner Brothers is only for COVID: They do not intend to do that long term, they've made that very clear so I would call that a pandemic model,
he said. However, there is little doubt that the exhibition of films will change following the pandemic. What of these models is actually about the future and not just about the pandemic is subject to heavy negotiation,
explained Fithian. If all movies are available at home the same day as in cinemas, that model could decimate the theatre industry. Most of our patrons would still come to the cinema anyway if the movie were available in the home, but some percentage wouldn't and that percentage is enough to kill the probability of cinemas,
said Fithian.
Warner Brothers' decision to release a year's worth of films directly to streaming highlights a major question about the future of film: what place do movie theatres have in a modern world where people can stream films cheaper and more comfortably at home?
What's so great about theatres anyway?
Amanda Pope is a documentarian and tenured professor at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. While she hasn't been to a theatre since the beginning of COVID-19 over a year ago, she believes that the theatre experience is a cornerstone of the film industry. They're essential,
she explained, the theatre experience is just vital for film because it makes it possible for you to join a community of enthusiastic supporters of media.
This sentiment is shared by many who are close to the world of cinema. The decline of theatres is a sad thing for moviegoers to whom going to the movies is something thoroughly enjoyed for a night out. However, to many cinephiles the act of seeing films with a group, as opposed to alone in one's home, is a part of the experience of watching a film. Live theatre and film in theatres is critical. I would hate to see it go away,
said Pope.
Without the communal aspect of movie theatres, the experience of watching a film can be very lonely. Otherwise, we have these isolated silos, thousands and thousands of citizens watching media alone in their living room. It's not the same,
Pope explained.
Paul Thomas Clement, a student filmmaker at USC, shares many of Pope's sentiments regarding the theatre experience. I think that any movie you watch on your computer at home would be at least twice a good if you watched it in a cinema in a dark room on a big screen,
he said.
Clement is passionate about film and loves cinema as an art form. Like Nolan and Pope, he believes in the captivating experience theatres provide that home-viewing is unable to replicate. There's something about cinema where the feeling of being in awe comes much more difficult on a smaller screen,
he said.
If you love a movie and haven't seen it on a big screen, you don't know how much you truly love that movie because it's the experience itself that gives so much. That feeling of getting lost.
It's no surprise that film enthusiasts place high value on theatres. However, a study released in May 2020 conducted by sports and events analytics firm Performance Research, in partnership with Full Circle Research Co., showed that the majority of the public prefers not having to leave home to see a movie. One of the questions read: If costs are roughly the same, would you prefer to see a firstrun movie you're excited about as a digital rental at home or in a movie theatre–if both were available at the same time?
A startling 70% of the 1,000 people surveyed said they were more likely to watch at home. Compare that with only 13% of people saying they're more likely to watch in a theatre while 17% were unsure. These findings suggest that Hollywood and movie theatres have a lot of work to do if they want to guarantee the future success of cinemas.
The survey findings also highlight other concerns people have about attending events separate from cost. In a similar study by Performance Research in partnership with Full Circle Research Co., 49% of respondents said it would take a few months
to possibly never
for them to return to theatres, even if it is cleared by the CDC. Over the pandemic cycle most people have gotten used to–if not comfortable with–staying inside. For many, the notion of suddenly returning to normal is a far-fetched one.
