OPINION: Can theaters be saved?

Less people are going to the movie theater for movies. While annual box office numbers were going up in the ‘10s, the amount of tickets sold were going down.

At the domestic box office in 2002, 1.5 billion tickets were sold for a box office of $9.1 billion ($5.81 average ticket price).

In 2024, 762 million tickets were sold for a box office of $8.6 billion ($11.31 average ticket price).

Almost the same gross, but a little over half the tickets. It’s a simple and unfortunate fact. Why is this the case?

Have movies gotten worse? No, I don’t think so, especially when filmgoing was at its peak in the ’00s, a time still suffering through the transition to digital. Personally, I had an overall positive look at 2024.

Have theaters gotten worse? No, not really, especially when most theaters these days will do everything for the convenience of their audience. My trip to Flix Brewhouse in Des Moines reminded me of this when waiters walked around the audience delivering full meals.

Have people gotten worse? Perhaps. Nothing against people, but the pandemic may have done something irreversible to theater behavior. I’ve mentioned the dog which wanted my attention during “The Substance.” Fun little fellow, much more fun than the owner who scooped him up without a “sorry.”

It’s hard not to prefer an empty theater to a full one when I can feel the audience growing restless around me. Last year I watched a few movies for kids like “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” and “Mufasa: The Lion King” which seemed to overly stimulate the kids around me. Stomps and screams and general kid babble cut through the fairly average movies.

My viewing of “Transformers One” had the group of boys next to me dump their popcorn buckets on the floor after the credits rolled. It might be an isolated incident, but I’ve had a grumpy opinion on the youth of today when there’s no parents to corral them. I’m starting to sound like my dad.

I’ve seen videos (highly viral and most likely not representative of the average experience) of teenagers dumping popcorn and going wild for certain movies with meme potential like “A Minecraft Movie.” From my time on the internet, I’ve heard enough “chicken jockey” to last a lifetime.

Kids aren’t the only ones who can have bad behavior. I wrote a whole column on a couple who ruined a viewing of “Nosferatu” for me. Some people don’t grow up.

Watching movies with friends is always the best option. However, I am deathly afraid of asking anyone, friend or not, into doing anything. If I’m told no for any reason, no matter how much that no is justified and makes 100% sense, I hate myself for even asking.

How stupid of me. Now they know I want to spend time with them, and I value our friendship. What will I do now?

Breakdown aside, being alone or wanting those friends or family to experience a movie together at home is likely more desirable than ever. It’s also more accessible.

Streaming services, the war baron, have led the charge with algorithmically-decided recommendations where you can press one button and be watching a movie. Film distributors have fully embraced these services, often through ownership or partnership.

Disney has Disney Plus and Hulu, Warner Bros. has Max (or, I guess HBO Max now, again), Paramount has Paramount Plus, Universal has Peacock and Sony has a strong partnership with Netflix.

Even the mini-majors are at the mercy of streaming. MGM is owned by Amazon, and A24 has a partnership with HBO Max. Lionsgate isn’t pinned down completely but to be honest, considering the quality of Lionsgate’s movies, it might be for the best.

Within three months of theaters, movies are ready to be streamed, often at the cost of a single movie ticket. Add in access for the month and an impossibly large content library including TV, and there’s really no better option for pure content.

How easy it must be to be a couch potato. If I wasn’t obsessed with new movies, I wouldn’t mind. My obsession with theaters is an anomaly, what about the average person?

How can theaters make money? Hollywood will be fine as long as they cut their film budgets responsibly, but theaters are at the mercy of the audience. As much as I enjoy multiplexes, I doubt they’re worth the cost as I sit through a viewing alone.

I could blame audiences, but I don’t think that’s the problem either. With those ticket numbers, we can estimate the average American went to see two or three movies last year. This seems crazy, but it’s true.

For those two to three options, what is working? Unfortunately, it’s because of the one thing I dread: franchises. “Inside Out,” “Deadpool,” “Moana,” “Despicable Me,” even “Wicked” has a connection with “The Wizard of Oz.”

As the “Lilo & Stitch” remake is projected to clobber the box office over the Memorial Day weekend, it’s hard not to feel somewhat pessimistic. Filling seats is unequivocally good, but it’s hard being a witness when much better movies are available.

But to contradict myself even more, I don’t mind. I may not like it, but it’s necessary for survival right now. Movies, in their release in theaters, only matter for a few weekends. Then, it’s up to word of mouth to give a legacy. Ironically, word of mouth might fuel streaming releases.

For the theaters, finding the intersection between audience favorite and quality moviemaking is the sweet spot. I’d prefer the best movies to be shown all the time, but that’s not reality. The reality is theaters need to live. I don’t mind.