The Decline of the Movie Theater?

One of the big buzzes going around the film industry lately is the joint venture being evaluated by the big studios Sony Pictures, Disney, and Warner Bros. While the details concerning this is vague at the moment, what is understood is that for roughly suggested $30, viewer will be able to view the newest upcoming films via their cable provider in the comfort of their every own home, while the film is still being shown out in traditional theaters. Some independent films have already gone done this road, and many through the Apple Store, but this will be the first time that major Hollywood studios are seriously considering it.

So, with the possibility of streaming films featured in cinemas on the verge of becoming reality, what does this mean for the already established neighborhood movie theaters? Will this trend spell out doom to those facilities? Very possible. As more and more films are being released, many of them don't last very long in the theaters, as they may have in the past. The tables have turned from how a film is deemed profitable. Instead of seeing how long a film makes in the length it stays in theaters, it's more now weighed at how much a film can pull in just the opening weekend. There are exceptions of course. Christopher Nolan's Inception was a box office smash and showed healthy theater life for a better part of a month. Same with How to Train Your Dragon. But how many other films have lasted that long? Last I checked, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is already slated for early home release after a somewhat disappointing box office run.

Of course, there's also the consumer to think about. With 3D making a head with successes as James Cameron's Avatar or Piranha 3D, consumers have become weary of the hefty prices of admission tickets. Not to mention, with the recession and all, most folks aren't going to be willing to invest that much money in going to the theater. This is probably where Sony, Warner Bros., and Disney see potential with this kind of consumer market. For the same price that it might cost a family of four to see a film in a theater, you can watch the same film at your very home and save money that you might otherwise spend on concessions and the tickets combined.

That's not to say that there aren't cons. One of the bigger issues with this method of distribution or the theater is going to be piracy. While no doubt measures would be taken to discourage piracy, there's no way to truly stop it. And while Sony, Disney, and Warner Bros. will be on-board since day one, that isn't too say that other studios will follow, or at least wait until the particular service proves itself to be profitable. On the other hand, it was these same key companies that help sway victory to the Blu-Ray disc format during the HD hard format war years ago.

But what does this all mean for the move theaters? Only time will tell. If this type of distribution does pan out, then theaters would have to find other means to stay afloat. Those that offer 3D versions of films should be fine if 3D continues to make as much money as it does now. But we have to assume that services like this wil catch on. No doubt, like any other service, there will be skeptics, or enough people like myself that still love the whole theater experience. And since there's only been talks about this recently and no official announcement has been made, you can rest easy those cinemas won't be going anywhere for now.

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