First came streaming, then COVID, now HBO-Max same-day release
Written by Sophia Hysaw, Opinion Editor and Staff Writer
For many years, people have questioned how movie theaters will survive due to numerous factors such as the increase of technology and rise in popularity of streaming platforms.
But now it seems that there is a real threat and movie theaters could truly be in danger.
“Most people are maintaining COVID restrictions, which means that entertainment industries that rely on social gathering have suffered,” according to a Dec. 4, 2020, article in The Nation Magazine entitled “Movie Theaters Aren’t Dying, They Are Being Murdered.”
Although this may seem like a temporary obstacle, with the pandemic lasting longer than anyone expected, this could be increasingly harmful to movie theaters everywhere.
“Cinema is at another crossroads now, in the age of the pandemic. In New York and Los Angeles, two of the biggest cities for movies, theaters are not allowed to open, and haven’t been since March,” a Dec. 15, 2020, article in Vice magazine reported.
Not only are fewer people attending theaters, some venues are even legally forbidden to open. Rules not only prohibit people from attending entirely, but could discourage the attendance of theaters generally.
As if this alone isn’t concerning enough, recently HBO Max announced that they will be releasing new movies on their streaming service the exact same day as movie theaters.
“Indeed, films big and small will be following an earth-shattering day-and-date release strategy throughout the entirety of 2021, giving audiences the option of staying home…or going to a movie theatre to see it on the big screen,” The Indie Wire commented.
When opening the HBO Max website, marketers accentuate the timely releases to moviegoers on the front page: “In theaters and on HBO Max The Exact Same Day.”
While this is once again only temporary, there is no saying that this couldn’t become permanent. Many viewers may find this new option much more enjoyable, sitting at home watching movies on their own TV, not having to worry about babies crying in the back row or even paying $10 for a ticket in the first place. Many may see this as a complete transformation of the movie-watching experience.
“Now there is a push to make the movie theater merely one platform among others, offering an experience deemed no more meaningful than watching the same feature-length visual narratives on a home entertainment system, a laptop, or even a cell phone,” The Nation reported.
But magazine companies aren’t the only ones taking notice of this. The CEO of AMC Entertainment made a statement on HBO Max’s new transition to airing same day new movies:
“Clearly, Warner Media intends to sacrifice a considerable portion of the profitability of its movie studio division, and that of its production partners and filmmakers, to subsidize its HBO Max start up. As for AMC, we will do all in our power to ensure that Warner does not do so at our expense.”
It can be found difficult to be confident in the stability of the movie theatre industry when even their own CEO’s see the rising power streaming services hold, such as HBO Max, as a possible threat.
With the past year being extremely unpredictable and almost unprecedented, it is hard to tell what is to come in the next few months, but it is safe to say that this development could easily result in a very bad outcome for movie theaters across the nation.