The cinema has been one of the most popular pastimes around the world for decades now with families, groups of friends and couples all taking the chance to go out together and enjoy the latest release from the best producers in the world to either be entertained, informed or just brought to tears with laughter.
Some of the world’s biggest movie stars have made their names in films that have broken all kinds of box office records, but in recent years people have started to watch films on ErosNow.com to get their Bollywood fix and the likes of NetFlix for their catch-up TV and some of the biggest Hollywood releases in recent times making the cinema seem like a bit of a dinosaur in the digital age.
While going to the pictures is still seen as an exciting evening, more and more people are deciding to stay at home or go to a friend’s house to watch a DVD or stream a film over the Internet using their web-enabled televisions or connecting their laptops and tablets to the TV via a cable like Apple TV. This has meant that the number of tickets sold at the cinema are dropping year-on-year, while DVD sales are on the rise just like the number of subscriptions to streaming sites.
So has the cinema had its day, and if so, why? The unfortunate answer is, yes, and the state of the cinema has come about for a variety of reasons, it can’t solely be put down to the developments in technology – although of course they are a large factor.
One of the main reasons behind people opting against going to watch a film is the overall price. By the time you’ve bought a ticket and then a drink and possibly some food – either to watch with the film or to go for dinner before or after – you’re looking at around £20 to £25 in the UK and people just don’t have that kind of disposable income anymore.
Another reason behind the demise of the cinema is the speed in which modern films go from screen to DVD, (and of course, the web). Before the digital era really took off around the world, many films were mocked for going “straight to DVD” (or straight to video as it used to be).
A good film would take six months, even longer, to come out in the shops for buying which left film lovers with two choices – go to the cinema or wait a fair few months before they get to see the latest blockbuster or offering from their favourite stars or producers. Today, films make their way from the big screen to our various personal screens in just a couple of months – if that in some cases – and film lovers are much more likely to be patient and buy the film on DVD for around £10 or watch it online as part of their monthly subscription to their chosen site.
The overall speed and quality of our laptops and Internet connections are another major contributor to the dwindling number of cinema goers. While watching content online has become more accessible, the most important thing is that the devices we can watch the films and programmes on have adapted to ensure that users can watch films in high quality with fast speeds and good sound quality. This has meant that viewers can now have the full cinema experience from the comfort of their own homes.