When looking back at my childhood, some of my fondest memories are of my family’s monthly outing to the movies. Routinely, we would drive down to our local theatre in our hoodies and pajamas, engage in the gluttony of buttery popcorn and overly-sweetened Icees, and feel the thrill of seeing a movie on the big screen. The experience of sitting in a theatre with dozens of others watching the same thing was uplifting; it felt human.
However, the enjoyment of going to watch a movie was soon shattered when that local theatre went out of business last July. I guess I wasn’t completely surprised; the price of movie tickets had skyrocketed, and with the popularity of streaming services, it seemed that no one found it feasible anymore to take a trip to the theatre. Nevertheless, I was upset, and I knew I would mourn the privilege of the theatre now lost in time.
The downfall of movie theatres isn’t just a local phenomenon; in the past couple of years, the movie industry has seemed to lose its spark. Large companies like Disney have since taken to the policy of quantity over quality, recycling the same stories and themes over and over again with recent projects like Moana 2 and the remake of Lilo and Stitch. In recent news, Netflix has bought Warner Bros. entertainment, making them one of the most powerful entertainment businesses in the industry and directly increasing the power of movie and television streaming.
To add to this seemingly greedy mess, the complexity of AI has led to movie companies having all the more tools to mass produce films. In recent news, the creation of the AI actress Tilly Northwood sparked online controversy, leaving people to speculate if even human actors could become a thing of the past.
While the future of the movies seems bleak, there have been glimpses of hope found in latest arthouse projects. Companies like A24 and Neon have been frontrunners in a new era of films with complex cinematography, with movies like Everything Everywhere All At Once and Marty Supreme having success on a global scale. What sets these movies apart from the blockbusters and repetitive sequels is the originality they possess. The companies they are associated with do not limit the directors and screenwriters to making the films a money or Oscar grab. This is especially true for A24, who started out as a distribution company for independent movies with unique creative directions.
While we can’t predict if the next blockbuster hits will finally contain coherent storylines, or if that little theatre I knew and loved will ever be restored, one thing we can be clear of is that the age of movies is not coming to an end. However, companies should take into consideration the admiration of fans, especially the next time they try to release another Scream movie.
