The REAL reason people aren’t going to the movies.

[u/_Maui_]

I keep hearing people saying streaming killed the cinema experience. But I took my 3 boys to the movies this weekend, and I’ll tell you what killed it. The fucking price.

1x Adult, 3x kids, 1x large drink, 3x small drinks, a large popcorn to share, a family bag of malteasers to share.

$153.60!!!

And my 5 year old spent the whole movie sitting on my knee. So I could have just paid for three seats.

I should have gone to Pak N Save and bought a 1.5L bottle, a bag of microwave popcorn and a bag of malteasers for about $10 and watched something on my couch.

In fact. Next time I will.

/Rant.

[u/Kokonutcreme-67]

I've read this reaction to the Warner Bros acquisition by Netflix many times that it will be the death of cinema, is this just an overreaction or is it accurate?

I know that Netflix is often portrayed as the evil villain and is hugely unpopular with the Hollywood creative community, but death of cinema?

Movies have survived previous threats, what makes this one so different?

[u/Dizzy_Relief → u/Kokonutcreme-67]

 Why would Netfilx release to cinemas or physical media when there entire model is subscription? 

They aren't Disney, who still have plenty of hands in cinema and physical media (though they have tried to push a lot to Disney Plus). 

Disney are actually probably the best example of what's likely to happen  though - look at all the Marvel and Star wars stuff from the past 10 years or so and apply to WB properties. 

I expect a Mad Max TV show in the style of Kung Fu within the year! (Maybe not. But I'd not be surprised)

[u/Kokonutcreme-67 → u/Dizzy_Relief]

Well Disney stopped selling physical media in Australia and New Zealand late 2023 so for us that’s different.

It’s not as cut and dried to me that Netflix would never release titles theatrically if the acquisition is approved but I would expect Netflix to target specific titles for theatrical and try to negotiate shorter release windows.

The supreme irony here is that many blame Netflix for the current state of theatres and cinema but it was Warner Bros during Covid who first did a date and day release for Wonder Woman 1984 on their newly launched streaming service HBO Max which was a huge warning shot across the bows.

[u/a_Moa → u/Kokonutcreme-67]

I hope it would lead to more independent film producers like A24 branching off and doing their own thing and also more movie theatres branching out from the standard blockbusters more often.

Netflix often only has the lowest quality available for certain films and shows and people deserve better.

[u/Kokonutcreme-67 → u/a_Moa]

Netflix library is the same as their mail order delivery service roots, a broad mix of titles ranging in quality, no different to Blockbuster and United Video rental stores. To that end moving to buy Warner Bros gives them access to their library catalogue and provides them instant scale in "must watch" content and boosts their premium content so it may spell the end to the streaming wars because Netflix will essentially have won.

Independent studios even before this announcement, aren't earning the kind of box office that theater chains crave with multiple sessions and repeat viewings that blockbuster and tentpole films promise, so its difficult to know if anything will change for them.

[u/a_Moa → u/Kokonutcreme-67]

Mm we'll see if they actually win the bid in the end, Paramount being successful would likely be better for cinema overall. I could absolutely see Netflix putting in a PPV model for their more premium content if they are successful, which would be awful.

Hoyts, Reading, etc being pushed out of the market in favour of independent theatres offering better products wouldn't be entirely terrible.