In the past five years, the movie industry has plummeted with consumers. According to statistics by The Numbers, the industry has lost about four billion dollars since 2018. Although there was a big drop due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not making as near as big a come-back as expected. While the movie industry is not currently thriving, the streaming services are. Max Pacheco, 11, prefers streaming services over going to the movie theater. 

“I prefer streaming services…because it’s more convenient. Not only that, but it’s a lot cheaper,” Pacheco said. 

Pacheco prefers the comfort of his own living room. However, going to the movie theater brings him back to his childhood. 

“I feel kind of nostalgic to be honest with you, because I don’t go to movies much anymore, and it used to be a really big thing in our family…It kind of feels, depending on if you have the seats that vibrate and move, like you are there which is really cool,” Pacheco said. 

Pacheco feels like the movie theater creates a sense of community while he still is able to relax and enjoy the movie.  

“I really like comedies or horror movies to watch in the theater. Horror is kind of a shared experience. You can see the emotions of people around you if they’re scared of something. It’s just kind of interesting to see how people react to the movies, whereas comedy is also fun to laugh with people about something that is really funny,” Pacheco said.

While Pacheco prefers theaters for the community aspect, Curtis Allen, film teacher, appreciates theaters for the technological side of the experience.

“I just prefer the whole experience, sitting in a big theater with other people…The sound quality, the picture quality. It really can’t be replicated in your own home no matter how big of a screen you have,” Allen said. 

Although going to the theater is an experience for most people, Pacheco describes a solution to get even more people to visit the theaters. 

“I think big sequels to movies, like “Top Gun: Maverick”, everybody [wants to go] see. So either sequels to big movies that [are a big hit coming out], or movies that are made by bigger directors…I think it all starts with people wanting to go back to the theaters, and right now there is not really much of an appeal when you have VOD, and the prices are so high,” Pacheco said.

People are not wanting to go to the theaters, and Allen thinks one reason is that the stories are getting repetitive. 

“For me, I’m a big marvel fan, but I’m getting a little burnt out. Like for instance, I didn’t go see ‘Wakanda Forever’, not because I have anything against that particular movie or anything like that, I was just kind of getting tired of the retreads,” Allen said. 

The luxury of sitting in a home, and not having to drive anywhere is also a big cause of the downfall of theaters, according to Allen. 

“I just think that streaming services are just too convenient. Sometimes the cost is an issue, because you get into spending over $100 to take a family of four, to get food, drinks, or snacks. A lot of times the movies seem to be available on streaming just a couple of months after they go out,” Allen said. 

This does not apply to Esteban Sweet, 12, whereas he thinks the atmosphere of the theater is exciting and would rather go out. 

“I feel like I get more value out of a theater, because I subscribed to HBO Max for half a year, and I watched two shows on it…I’d much rather spend $60 watching like four movies in the theater,” Sweet said. 

Although Sweet would rather spend the money at the theater, not everyone thinks like him. He questions if it is even possible for a revival in the theater industry. 

“Theaters are kind of endangered, honestly… It’s like the age of theaters is slowly fading away…I think that the biggest come-back [the theater] could ever have, has already happened…Like obviously statistics can always go up and down, but I think the biggest up… was the post [-COVID-19 pandemic]. People were like ‘Oh we can go to the movie theaters again.’ As per future come-backs, not really. Streaming services are really killing the movie industry,” Sweet said.