Author: The News Feed

by J.J. Hendrickson–

Popcorn popping. Drinks filling. The film reeling. For more than a century, theaters have been a hallmark of American culture.

Now, streaming is changing. The industry and theaters are feeling the impact. Greg Boatwright, general manager of the Lyric Theatre, says it has forced them to partially change their business model.

“In the past, we were primarily a movie theater. We did some special events. We’re now really transitioning away from movies. We now offer more theater classes and put on plays and musicals. So really it’s more about getting the community to use the space however they want.”

Before the pandemic, film stayed in theaters for up to 90 days. Now, some leave them for streaming in as little as 30 or avoid them altogether. This shift is influencing how some movies are made. Virginia Tech’s head of the Cinema Department, Walter Betts, says filmmakers should not rewrite their movies for distracted audiences.

“It’s affecting a lot. Artistic talent is always mangled at any moment in time. It’s never good to be an artist. Be a film artist the way you want it to be. And that probably means you’re not going to be particularly comfortable in a world that says redesign narrative based on people not paying attention to story. That just seems like a weird thing to do.”

As streaming continues to reshape how movies are being made and watched, theaters are working to redefine what the cinematic experience means for their communities.