Will movie theaters become a thing of the past? Will we struggle to convey to our kids the excitement of watching a summer blockbuster on a big screen in a crowded room with strangers? “The Town” host Matt Belloni joins The Washington Post's Alyssa Rosenberg and Chris Suellentrop to talk about movie theaters in crisis and what it means for the entire film industry.
To listen to the entire conversation, use the audio player or The Post's “Impromptu” podcast feed.
Chris Suellentrop: Is the decline in moviegoing an existential threat to Hollywood, in the same way that journalism is endangered by the internet and changing habits? Will it change the types of movies we watch? Why do I care about this?
Matt Belloni: Because maybe in the next five years, if you decide to go to your local multiplex to see a movie, or go on a date, or spend time with your kids, there won't be a movie theater there anymore. The movie theater business is likely to shrink. There are just too many showings, especially in the U.S.
Movie theater construction in the '80s and '90s went completely haywire with the rise of cineplexes and the rise of traditional summer blockbusters and then year-round blockbusters, and the tent-pole business that studios run today knows that in order to compete with streaming, they have to create theatrical experiences that make people say, “I have to see that in the theater right now.”
And in most cases, that means intellectual property that's already been branded, something you already know, sequels to movies you've already seen and loved, or a specific genre like horror or big-budget action movies. That's what the industry currently calls “theatrical release.” Everything else will be streaming.
Alyssa Rosenberg: What is your optimistic view of the future of theater, and do you think it is actually possible or likely?
Belloni: I think movie theaters have a future, but it will inevitably be a smaller, more boutique, more niche, and probably more expensive experience. When cinema started in the '20s and '30s, the idea was that movies were for everyone. It was popular art. If you had a quarter you could go see a movie. I don't think that's going to happen.
Follow this authorAlyssa Rosenberg's opinion
People don't go to the cinema these days, they go to see movies. If the movie piques your interest, you're like, “Okay, I want to see it at the cinema.” It's not like, “It's Friday night, I'm going to see a movie, what are you doing?” I don't think it's going to be like Broadway. I don't think it's going to be like opera. But it's like a sporting event, people who are interested will go, people who aren't interested won't go, and they might not be interested.
You can listen to the full conversation here:
