In a post CoVid world can cinema survive?
There’s no escaping since the impacts of CoVid have been felt on a global scale. It has filtered down into and impacted almost every aspect of life that we take (or should that be took) for granted prior to this global pandemic. It’s had real significant impact on peoples personal lives, and sadly many people have now been affected, or lost loved ones to the virus. It is hard to imagine prior to this pandemic, something like a virus outbreak (which has happened several times over the years) could change the way the world operates, and the gears of global economy to grind to a halt almost overnight – but it has. Our lives have changed, and there is no doubt this will have lasting impacts for the foreseeable future. Where it has hit us most, is in the social aspect, and the things we do for fun to unwind after the long working week. One of which, along with pubs and restaurants, has been cinema.
A recent Empire (film magazine) issue dedicated itself to ‘The Greatest Cinema Moments Ever.’ 1 In it they asked a whole host of actors and directors to talk about their most memorable moments and experiences in cinema. Through-out the article it was also inter-cut with the likes of Edgar Wright, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg talking about how cinema will never die, even with the global CoVid pandemic. Which got me thinking, firstly could it, and secondly what would it be like? To live in a world where the cinema was no longer a thing, and instead we all watched movies only in our homes.
Since the global pandemic, cinemas have gone into hibernation, or mothballing, and have largely remained closed to the public. Here in the UK both Cineworld and Vue cinema’s have remained closed for months, while Odeon cinema’s have remained open. Odeon tried to react to the situation, and showed screenings at weekends, while during the week the cinema halls were used for judicial purposes, most probably earning some much-needed cash to survive this period. However, it has now followed suit with lockdown, and closed all cinemas at present. Sadly, it makes sense for cinemas to close, as there haven’t been any releases for the last 12 months of any note (apologises to small and indie movies which are still being released) to justify remaining open.
Posters of movies held back from release by the CoVid pandemic
Cinema’s themselves, contrary to popular belief don’t make a lot of money from ticket sales. Roughly only 40% going their way, and the rest in the direction of those behind the movie’s. Cinema’s like all businesses have peak periods (theirs being summer and Christmas), and take a large portion of their annual income during these windows. Summer is when studios release their huge blockbusters which rake in billions (think any Marvel movie for the last decade), while at Christmas it’s the turn of animation studios and traditional family movies (think Frozen or Star Wars). Studio’s, as well as Cinema’s, need the cash flow from these periods to survive, to continue running and producing more movies. Tenet being the only blockbuster movie of note released in the last 12 months. While others Black Widow, Top Gun: Maverick, Dune, James Bond – No Time To Die, to name but a few have all been held back by studios till audiences can return. So with a lack of an audience, the whole infrastructure of the movie industry has slowed. Indie movies have benefitted as they aren’t usually as labour intensive, have lower costs, and are relatively simple to edit and finalise in post-production, but they obviously don’t rake anywhere near the money these huge studios require.
Some studios jumped on platform of home streaming, with mixed results. Releasing their movies in a rental style manner, a notable example Wonder Woman 84 which was released in the UK on Jan 13th almost a month after it was released in America on HBOmax (a service not available in the UK) and cinema’s, which cost £15.99 for a 48-hour period. Others attempted this mid-summer last year, with backlash from directors themselves. Christopher Nolan being extremely vocal about Tenet being released on home streaming, as he made the movie with the intention of it being seen on the big screen. Similarly, Dune which should have been released November 2020, was another touted for home streaming, before the director Denis Villeneuve came out vocally as well saying his movie had to be experienced on the large screen to get the scope of the story, as well as the visuals. Tenet was released albeit later than expected when first lockdown lifted, with some mixed reviews (I could go on, and might do in another article on this movie), while Dune was pushed back to October 2021 as the 2nd lockdown kicked in. So it’s safe to say home-streaming as a model still has a long way to go.
But home-streaming is what the future of movies would look like if we never had cinema’s anymore. You and a partner sitting at home watching the movie, on your flat screen tv, home-made popcorn, nacho’s, or hotdogs. No trailers, or booming surround sound, fold-down seats, or the company of strangers. Now this latter statement, although strange, is important. Yeah, we could invite friends around, and split the home-streaming cost, but would that be the same? Plus, how many of us have a living area large, or comfy enough to accommodate this? We all have flat screen tv’s nowadays, some of them big, but do they really compare to cinema screens which tower over you, and in the case of IMAX are slightly concave to give more immersion. What about 3D, although partially gimmicky and movies are still great without it, but it does really help action scenes take on an extra dimension (no pun intended). Sound is also incredibly important – how can you replicate the gentle vibration through your seat, as the base soars and the huge battle cruiser appears on screen almost as if it has been flying slowly in from behind you for several seconds?? Plus, trailers, seeing somethings still to be released, then leaning into the person you’re with and saying, ‘should go see that next’, or talking to your friends and family after it and telling them what trailer’s you seen. Lastly let’s not forget food as well. I mean we can all cook hotdogs and microwave popcorn, pop a jar of salsa and open a bag of Doritos, but is it really the same, plus no large dark auditorium to hide the shame of eating it all to yourself! Can any of us realistically say we can copy this all at home, or that home viewing could match up to any of the above? Cause that’s what it would be, a watered down, facsimile of an experience you’ve had. Like the steak at your favourite restaurant. You could cook that same steak at home following the exact same instructions the chef uses, but it never quite amounts to the same experience.
That’s why I’m convinced cinema will never die, because we don’t just go to see movies, we go to experience something. That’s why movies suck so bad at times, it’s when we don’t get the whole thing, and it’s only the hotdog and nacho’s that was the best thing about it. We want to go see that movie that’s been teased in trailers for months, has our favourite actor, sit in our favourite seats, eat our nachos with our favourite dips (cheese, chilli, and salsa if anyone wants to know). Have these greatest, thrilling moments like the Empire article talked about, be immersed and enthralled for the next few hours in another world, forgetting about all the other stuff and noise going on in your own life for a while, and take some time off from it. Walking out at the end, and casually catching the eye of a stranger, knowing you’ve both experienced something, as corny as it sounds is magical at times. Who can beat the feeling of everyone in a packed audience, as it erupts with laughter all at the same moment because of what’s happening on screen? Another personal favourite moment of mines in recent memory was in Avengers: Endgame, when Captain America lifts Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, a close-up of it lifting, it then smacks Thanos in the head then fly’s back into Captain America’s hand, not Thor’s. There was an audible gasp from the crowd, and some individuals hollering and clapping, that’s the experienced shared with strangers that movie’s do so well. Ever been in a pub (bar) and the atmosphere has been brilliant, its partly because of all those other people, you aren’t there with them, but somehow them being there adds to the experience. Same with football matches, or concert’s, it’s the shared experience that everyone is getting without really communicating it (intentionally) to one another, its almost tribal in origin.
Ultimately that’s why I don’t really think the experience of going to the cinema, or cinema’s in general will die out. Just for the same reason football matches, music festivals, restaurants, bars won’t. We want these things, and we need these experiences, we are by our very nature social animals, either intentionally or unintentionally we need it. Also there is too much pent-up appetite for it, just as there is for music festival’s or want to go back to the pub every weekend, cinema is no different. Yes, for sure, as with all these things there will always be winners and losers, smaller independent chains or cinemas will go out of business. Also the way we co-ordinate ourselves and organise going to the cinema may be forever, or short-term changed as well due to CoVid but it will remain part of our culture, of that I’m sure.
I for one can’t wait to return to a cinema in the near future. For my ears to nearly pop at the sound of Bond’s Aston Martin during a car chase, my eyes to be captivated by the visual choreography of Black Widow’s fight scenes, my seat to tremble and rumble as Tom Cruise’s Maverick banks around in an aerial dogfight, and my brain to be enthralled as the intricate story of Dune is unravelled before me. To turn my brain off to reality for a while, and to go on a journey, and perhaps I’ll see you there, or we’ll just share the same experience in a different time and space, but the result will be the same, sheer enjoyment! Just don’t forget the nacho’s, I’ve missed them dearly.
1. https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/empire-edgar-wright-greatest-cinema-moments-ever-issue/