How The Pandemic Is Changing American Cinema

1A

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4.3 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 25 January 2022

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

With vaccines in play and a better understanding of air ventilation, theaters were supposed to open their doors again. And they did... sort of.

Ticket sales in 2021 outpaced 2020. But were still nearly 70 percent behind the haul from 2019.

A lot of that is the pandemic, but moviegoers have been gravitating away from theaters for years now.

In a world where reboots and franchises dominate the box office (and even they aren't doing pre-pandemic numbers), how can other films compete? And what does that mean for the future of American cinema?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	There are three main reasons why the movie theater experience rules and always well.
0:13.1	Number one is the big screen.
0:14.7	The opening scene of Star Wars where the Star Destroyer comes flying overhead.
0:18.8	That scene is not the same on TV as it is on a movie theater screen where the Star Destroyer
0:23.8	eats up the entire space above your head.
0:26.4	Number two is the shared experience with the audience.
0:28.9	The collective gasp of the audience when something incredible happens on screen.
0:34.2	Number three is the sound system.
0:37.0	While our home entertainment systems are great, you know, our big 40, 50, 60-inch TV and
0:42.8	4K and home theater grades surround sound, there are certain movie scenes and films that
0:49.4	need to be seen in the huge epic scope of the theater and with a communal audience.
0:54.4	I miss going to the movies and I just think it is a shame for everyone because the experience
1:00.7	is not the same.
1:02.2	2021 was going to be Hollywood's return to form.
1:06.5	With vaccines in play and a better understanding of masking and air ventilation, theaters were
1:11.2	supposed to reopen.
1:12.7	And they did.
1:13.7	Sort of.
1:14.7	Ticket sales in 2021 outpaced 2020 but were still nearly 70% behind the hall from 2019.
1:22.0	A lot of that is the pandemic.
1:24.2	That movie goters have been gravitating away from theaters for years now.
1:28.6	One survey from 2019 found half of all Americans went to the movies either once a year or never.
	...

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