Why Did You Stop Going to the Movies?
Box office collapse portends darker days for Tinsel Town in 2023 ... and beyond
It’s the most commonly shared opinion this film critic hears.
“I don’t go the movies as much as I used to.
And that refrain came before the pandemic shut down theaters in 2020.
That’s anecdotal, of course. Now, the evidence is more compelling, and frightening, especially if you make a living in La La Land.
People stopped going to the movies this year in alarming numbers, and it got worse as the holidays approached.
The raw numbers tell the story.
The gross for 2022 domestic now looks like $7.5 billion, perhaps 15 percent lower than the year’s lowball $8.5 billion projection and far off the $11.2 billion of 2019 (which, at today’s ticket prices, would be over $13 billion).
Earlier in 2022, we saw modest-sized hits like “The Lost City,” “Elvis” and “The Woman King” show non-franchise fare could draw a crowd, even if other films stumbled upon arrival (“Bros,” “Devotion,” “Father Stu”).
Now?
It’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” and little else.
Studios release their awards-season contenders in the waning weeks of the year, and while they lack the snap of a franchise extension or superhero romp they still can sell some tickets.
- “The King’s Speech” (2010) – $138 million
- “Green Book” (2018) – $85 million
- “A Star Is Born” (2018) – $215 million
- “House of Gucci” (2021) – $53 million
What changed?
This critic reached out, via Twitter, for some informal reactions to a simple question: Why did you stop going to the movies? The answers suggest a near-perfect storm of causes that go far beyond fears of the waning pandemic.
Streaming
The rise of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+ and Hulu means more first-rate content delivered right to our flat-screen TVs. Recent streaming originals like “The Gray Man,” “Prey” and “Hocus Pocus 2” look identical to their big-screen peers.
Same stars. Similar budgets.
So why go to the movies when you can watch first-run content without reaching for the car keys?
The pandemic accelerated this trend, no doubt. Still, films are arriving faster and faster on VOD platforms now, meaning crowds can wait just a few weeks before seeing theatrical releases at home.
Liberal Hollywood
The industry has been left-of-center for decades, but today’s stars push their political views in ways we haven’t seen in the past. Social media. Viral videos. Softball interviews. And it’s often brimming with rage against those who don’t align with their worldviews.
You can not reason with a Trump supporter. They believe that a Lying Criminal who doesn’t give a flying fuck about them was sent to them by God. Don’t try to reason. Just Vote. Vote like our Democracy depends on it. Because it does.
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) April 29, 2022
That has alienated a small but growing number of film goers who prefer not to support stars who rhetorically spit in their faces. Gracious A-listers like Tom Cruise and Dwayne Johnson are now the exception, not the rule.
Lack of Quality Product
“Babylon” and “Amsterdam” are two of the year’s biggest flops. The former has some admirers. The latter? Not so much. Even films arriving with plenty of buzz prove less than award worthy. Think “The Whale” as a fine example.
Over and again movie fans lament the sorry state of modern storytelling. It’s one reason “Top Gun: Maverick” popped as it did. Both critics and fans adored it, and its rugged tale of a fallen hero’s final chance at redemption proved impossible to resist.
The Biden Economy
Be careful what you wish for …
Hollywood, Inc. rallied to defeat President Donald Trump in 2020. Now, they’re stuck with an 80-year-old leader with no clue how to steer the economy out of the ditch. That’s dramatically impacting Hollywood as a whole, and even streaming services are crunching some serious numbers of late.
It’s also forcing potential movie goers to make some tough choices.
Food … or film tickets?
High-Tech Man Caves
Gen X and Baby Boomers grew up watching a TV set with a 25 inch screen. Today, that’s considered appropriate for your computer monitor.
Flat-screen TVs are more affordable than ever. That means your Man Cave or movie room can boast a 65-inch screen with high-def visuals and a state-of-the-art sound system. That makes home viewing far superior to past living room arrangements.
It’s also a wonderful way to watch movies without being interrupted by noisy patrons. Need a bathroom break? Just hit the “pause” button.
That technological advance, along with the comforts of home, means the theatrical model is less and less appealing.
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The people have spoken, and Hollywood should be concerned as we head into 2023.
Let’s wrap by sharing some of the Twitter responses to the question at hand. Please share your own observations below, too.
The box office numbers are shockingly low …
Why did we stop going to the movies?
— Christian Toto (@HollywoodInToto) December 26, 2022
I desperately wanted to take my little to the movies this holiday season, but there is nothing out for families with young children…
People know it’ll just be streaming in a week or so if not immediately…
For me personally, I stopped going because it’s more comfortable to watch at home. I have a good enough TV and sound for me, more comfy chair, plus if I have to go to the loo, I can pause it. There hasn’t ever been a movie I “had” to see at a theater, I just wait and stream it…
The cost of the experience has become prohibitive. It’s cheaper to watch at home…
For me, it’s the product. Since prices have gone up, I’ve become more selective. And a lot of what’s been coming out lately just doesn’t interest me. Thor was the last thing I saw and I didn’t enjoy it, so I’ll be staying home more…
Simple, for our family of 5 to go & watch 1 movie will set us back $120. We still go but only every now & then…
Going to the movies used to mean a lot to me. But I stopped long before the pandemic…
And now? There’s just no reason for me to go anymore. I’ve asked myself, is it the movies, or is it me? It’s both. And I can do something about only one of them…
I stopped going to the movies because doing so directly supports the fascist, socialist pigs who are aggressively waging war on truth and humanity. Actually… I did take the family to see The Chosen – both because we really like it so far and to send “a message” – but even that I don’t feel as good about as I should. The more success they have the more likely it is that they will be forced to bend the knee – and undoubtedly they will, if they haven’t already – and therefore my supporting them will be as good as supporting the other side. Otherwise, I don’t care if the movie is some regurgitation of the kind we watched in better days, or if conservative critics promise me that it’s completely devoid of wokeness. The industry as a whole is both a fundraising arm and propaganda tool for the woke army, and it must be completely purged. So, I personally have no intention of ever fully returning until every willing participant has been run out of town, never to be heard from again; and every unwilling participant has apologized and made amends for the harm that they helped cause.
I still go to the show at the neighborhood multiplex and will continue in the New Year. I went to seven movies at the theater in 2020 and 17 movies in 2021. This past year, I went to the movie theater 19 times, either with the spouse or solo. Some movies were good and some bad, some disappointing and some surprisingly moving. If the movie industry cannot continue to support neighborhood theaters with new films, we will lose something important to our shared culture.
we quit yrs ago when entertainment gave way to political indoctrination.
30 some years ago, i took my family to my last movie, a PG13. My boys were still young, the opening language was a horrible, we got up and left and I asked for a refund. Never been back into a movie theater since, and have seldom watched a movie on TV. Hollywood is a cesspool nothing good comes out of a place like that.
Having to listen to the people sitting behind you eating a plate on nachos.
Reasons I quit going to movies
They are too cold, and too loud, just to mention a couple.
We only go to the theater for “Special Events” such as revivals of classic films like “Casablanca” or Riff-specials like “Riff-Tracks Live” or niche foreign films such as “Gundam” or “Shin Ultraman”. These are not available on streaming services and are not burdened by “The Message” (as the Critical Drinker says) so they are worth the cost.
Most of the current crop of movies out of Hollywood are badly written and have less than stellar acting. Add to that the SJW focus and it’s just not worth the money. Why should I go see a non-historical “The Woman King” when I can see “Greyhound” on streaming for less money and less preaching.
The super hero genre appears to be dying out now, so one wonders what will be next. Maybe if Hollywood loses enough $$ they may start looking at what folks are watching… Nah, they will turn to the Chinese market as it is bigger than the US…
I think people are still willing if the product is worth it. Lately it hasn’t been. Why would I pay upwards of $100 (tickets a drink and a popcorn) for my wife and I to go to a theater where they have to play the audio so loud it makes my ears ring in order to drown out the inconsiderate a-holes chattering to each other or into their phones and to watch “entertainment” that isn’t entertaining, or even very good?
I went to see Top Gun Maverick in the theater. That’s the only theater trip I’ve made in…I guess about 4 years or so. That one was worth it. For the most part, the dreck they’re putting out these days isn’t.
Heck, I don’t even watch most of the Hollywood movies after they come out on the streaming services…they’re just terrible. Either unoriginal, unimaginative, unintelligible, or all three – when they’re not just outright political propaganda.
It’s a shame…I used to LOVE movies and the entire theater experience. I still enjoy re-watching many of the classics from my youth, but the theater experience has become more painful than enjoyable, especially compared to the amazing A/V systems within reach of the typical middle class consumer these days, and the movies are, for the most part, garbage.
I have gone to see 2 movies in the past year. One was the Top Gun reboot and the other believe it or not was Bullet Train. Story lines are old and contrived, even streaming services are not hitting the mark. Super Heros are played out. Sick of the multiverse genre which is a cheap plot tactic to spin off characters. The stories are hard to follow and frankly every movie does not need to be a continuance of another movie. CGI is overplayed and it also cheapens the effect of the movie. Hollywood needs to get back to telling stories without politics, without woke agendas, and trying to include every race or sexual orientation into a story. If Hollywood did this, they would see people go back to the movies.
“That has alienated a small but growing number of film goers who prefer not to support stars who rhetorically spit in their faces.” I don’t think it is a small number. There’s at least 75 million of us. Adds up. Who wants to pay good money to see a Soviet-style propaganda film, especially one that is telling us that we are the problem? Not I. And I certainly am not going to put any money into the pockers of actors, directors, etc., who trash me and my values. Only movie in the last 3 years that I had any interest in watching (besides classics on TV) was Maverick, which I watched at home. Haven’t been in a theater in 7 years. I don’t anticipate ever going to one again if nothing changes.
I got tired of trying to believe that a 5’5″ 115-pound woman can beat the holy crap out of five 6’4″ 240-pound male gym rats and not even break a nail.
Yep.
There are three reasons I rarely go to a theater:
1. The big screen is for movies that maximize the scale of the format. Top Gun, epic war movies, movies that have sweeping cinematography and massive visuals – those are the kinds of films that I want to see on the biggest screen possible. Small scale human dramas and the like are just as good on a t.v. so why would I trouble myself to drive to the mall and watch those there?
2. Cost. As it is I generally watch the matinee when I do go because by the time the kids and I sit down I’ve shelled out $40-$50. That’s just not viable for me for more than rare occasions.
3. Most movies are just crap. Whether because of wokeness nonsense or just the fact that so few in the industry understand how to actually tell a story in the medium, I don’t watch many new movies EITHER at home OR at the theater because they’re just not worth my time.
We stopped going to movies primarily due to weak stories being promoted and too many “woke” insertions in plots that were already troubled. Hollywood needs to follow the Tom Cruise lead and re-learn how to entertain ( Not Lecture ) and be grateful you have an audience
The movies have become an endless stream of political drivel. Even Marvel has succumbed to pushing whatever agenda the Mouse House feels is timely. Ultimately when folks are seeking e-n-t-e-r-t-a-i-n-m-e-n-t they’re not interested in propaganda. I find smaller films — often ones that appear on video or streaming — are more in tune or, at the very least, don’t drumbeat their message for 90+ minutes.
Also, Hollywood keeps pushing stars that are, honestly, either way past their limelight or never really found one to begin with. Clooney and Julia Roberts? What year is this? 2000? How long did they try to tell us Rebel Wilson was the next Julia Roberts? And, sorry, but Melissa McCarthy has never been funny.
Plus, these stories all seem to be self-indulgent on the part of the writers and not reflective of the times. Even historical dramas can’t seem to get their facts straight, instead spinning the biographical details to fit whatever cause du jour is up their collective butts.
So … no thank you.
I stopped because since the theaters themselves have been subpar since COVID, with limited food menus, subpar food that they do have, and unprofessional staff. COVID got me used to having a movie experience at home, and the theaters have only gotten worse since then!
All of the above plus my fellow movie goers can’t keep their traps shut during the movie.