Episode 38 - What’s next... for Movie Theaters

You say the word “Blockbuster” and for most people it conjures the image of blue and yellow signage, cardboard stand-ups, and the never-ending question of what do we watch this weekend… 

The thing was, all the movies in that store had likely already had their spotlight-moment on “the big screen” in move theaters across the country and the globe. With any luck, their creators and producers had long-since already made their money back and then some, so every rental and sale of the movie afterwards went straight to the bottom line. 

Fast forward to the streaming era and really that narrative didn’t change much right away… major films would hit the local 20-screen monstrosity and then weeks or months later would find their way to a streaming service of choice to collect fractional pennies from your $14.99 per month. 

Today though, that tide has turned dramatically the other direction… 

Major productions are hitting streaming services “day of” more and more frequently, and even those that don’t are still finding a viewing public perfectly willing to wait it out for the benefit of watching from the comfort of their own home. 

You still have standouts that will draw a crowd and, most importantly, drive up popcorn sales… but is that enough? The other meaning of blockbuster was the summer tentpoles that literally made the year for studios, producers, and outlets alike. Is there enough steam left to keep that engine plowing forward, or has the Streaming World really, perhaps permanently, changed our movie-going experience? 

Let’s tune in and find out…