<\/p>\n
Why do you go to the movies? Ask anyone and they will tell you it\u2019s the magic, escape and romance of the theatrical experience. Dazzling images beamed straight into hearts and minds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s old hat, we\u2019ve heard it for decades and it doesn\u2019t give many clues to the contemporary decline in movie theater attendance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, a better question: why don\u2019t<\/em> you go to the theater? And, among Hollywood\u2019s largest demographic, 18-34 year olds<\/u><\/a>, what keeps Chapman students away from \u2014 or coming back to \u2014 the silver screen?<\/p>\n \u201cEverything has gotten more expensive, and that includes movie tickets,\u201d said sophomore psychology and theatre double major Campbell Hicks.<\/p>\n As Napster did for the music industry, higher prices at major theater chains, as well as independent cinemas, is thanks to the proliferation of streaming services and video-sharing platforms. To account for the excess of entertainment outside of theaters, ticket prices have been raised and Hollywood studios have invested in the production of streaming and internet content.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of media I can consume without having to go to the theater. It’s kind of rare that there’s a movie that comes out where I am fiending to see it,\u201d senior theatre major Gabby Denny said.<\/p>\n Indeed, there is a question of quality, but is it really the movies themselves keeping seats empty?\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou could point to the culture of blockbuster filmmaking right now. A lot of people are getting tired of the same franchises that keep getting iterated on,\u201d said senior film and media studies and philosophy double major Carol Liddle. \u201cI think a lot of people fell out of the Marvel loop<\/u><\/a>. There was a time where everybody was rushing to go see \u2018Endgame,\u2019<\/u><\/a> but now it feels way too drawn out.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond blockbusters, the quality of medium-budget filmmaking is also a concern for Liddle.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe only things that we get are like random studio stuff that gets made like \u2018Ella McKay,\u2019<\/u><\/a> that screens for two weeks and then just sort of falls out of theaters and gets put on Disney+<\/u><\/a> or whatever,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd then the Marvel movies stay in theaters for like three months. There’s no in between.\u201d<\/p>\n The theaters, then: monolithic, lonesome palaces of cinematic exhibition, built like art deco cathedrals for aliens to find and marvel at once humanity is long gone. Do they simply not cut it anymore?<\/p>\n \u201cPost-COVID, there’s been a shift towards wanting to do things at home instead of going out. You talk about, like, the collapse of third spaces in general: cafes are seeing a lot less business, people are just wanting to do whatever they have to do at home,\u201d said Liddle.<\/p>\n For Hicks, COVID also remains a major factor in the decline of theater attendance.<\/p>\n \u201cI think, especially for our generation, there was a critical period where we were supposed to be in the theaters and experiencing that third space, but we were stuck inside,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Six years on from its start, the pandemic continues to quietly shape modern behaviors, especially media tastes and consumption habits.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think a lot of people now will be multitasking while watching movies,\u201d said Hicks. \u201cLots of times, people play, like, a video game while watching a movie, and that’s pretty frowned upon in the movie theater.\u201d<\/p>\n But if homes continue to become the dominant place for the enjoyment of movies, will theaters perish? Students are more optimistic than one may expect.<\/p>\n