Is Going to the Movie Theater Dead?
Movie Theaters ARE Dead! If Not, Dying.
By: Adriana Pena
Movie theaters emerged in the late 1890s. The home of America’s first movie theater: The Vitascope Hall, originally opened in a vacant store in New Orleans on July 26th 1896. Over the years, it gradually modernized its screenings and features for its customers. With the first movie theater being the Vitascope Hall in 1896, and the most recent, Paragon, which, which opened on July 1st 2025.
Theaters began selling more than just popcorn in the early 1930s. Their reason for this was to boost Depression-era profits by selling candy and soft drinks at counters. In todayβs movie theaters, itβs very common, if not expected, for movie theaters to offer full meals, sweet snacks, frosted drinks, soft drinks, and even alcohol, which was later introduced into theaters in the late 1990s. But are customers in movie theaters nowadays aware of the loophole that theyβve fallen into?
Once Covid-19 put the world in lockdown, movie theaters were completely shut down; they were one of the industries with the highest drops in customers. A company that faced one of the most significant drops in customers due to Covid-19 lockdown was the Box Office. Their income dropped by 80% in the span of only a year, going from a soaring $820 million in January 2019 to $70 million in November of 2020. AMC had a reported net loss of 4.6 billion in 2020 alone.
Movie theaters arenβt completely dead in todayβs society, especially compared to Covid-19 lock down times, but the attendance is definitely declining. Thereβs been a significant drop in attendance throughout the years since pre-pandemic times, driven by the convenience and variety of streaming at home.
Although for one person a movie ticket can sometimes be at a reasonable price, the average family of five would have to pay anywhere from $60 to over $100 total. The costs for tickets and snacks, combined with the lack of exciting content, audience behavior issues like phone use, and talkative and noisy people, make the option of home streaming the better option when wanting to watch a movie with no disruptions.
Some movie theaters would even use their premium formats like cocktails and meals as a way to justify their prices. With less frequent wide releases, theaters use this tactic as a loophole. Movie theaters are now betting on pricier tickets and concession stand sales. Concession stands make their snacks much more expensive than what they really are. Theaters do this to make up for the wide percentage of people who would rather watch a movie in the comfort of their own homes than in theaters that can be messy from immature people throwing snacks or leaving behind trash.
Movie Theaters are NOT Dead!
By: Arcade Francis
After Covid 19, movie theatres took a massive hit, as AMC lost 4.6 million in just 202, and the box office losing 80% of its income. Coming back from the pandemic, prices are higher than ever, etiquette is low with the usage of phones, talking, and the silver screen’s biggest enemyβ¦ streaming. But the theatre is far from dead. Big blockbuster films like Superman or The Avengers feel fitting only on the big screen.
Movie theatres aren’t just big tvβs where you watch films, they are a second home to people. A way to escape the confines of life, not just in your own living room. A place where you can be immersed in a separate world full of emotion, laughs, and action. The art of film is not meant to be experienced from a couch or bed. Back in 1878, when the horse in motion was created, it opened endless doors for storytelling.
Now, 147 years later, we have IMAX and Dolby, and we are STILL creating better filming techniques and sounds. These 147 years weren’t spent so we could watch the most captivating sights on a couch with a phone in hand. No. To TRULY experience these wonders, there is no better way than to sit down in a large dark room, surrounded by an audience as excited as you are. Lights dimming, sound booming, and the largest screen showing your eyes spectacles. Movie theatres are NOT dyingβ¦ they are reviving to be stronger than ever.
