At the Academy Awards this weekend, only one actress was willing to address the sore subject that all of Hollywood has spent the past year avoiding: the demise of movie theaters and the entertainment industry’s relationship with them.
“Please watch our movie on the largest screen possible,” said actress Frances McDormand after Nomadland won best picture on Sunday. “And one day soon, take everyone you know into a theater, shoulder-to-shoulder in that dark space, and watch every film that is represented here tonight.”
It’s no secret that movie theaters are struggling. Box office receipts plummeted 72% worldwide and 80% in the United States last year, according to the Motion Picture Association trade group. AMC Entertainment Inc., the biggest theater chain in the world, almost went bankrupt. And hundreds of smaller theaters that depended on AMC’s resources shut their doors for good.
Even now that coronavirus restrictions are being lifted and movie theaters are accepting customers again, their future is uncertain. Online streaming services have stolen theaters’ business, especially now that major networks are partnering with platforms such as HBO and Disney+ to release films directly online instead of in theaters. Indeed, most of the films celebrated during this year’s Oscars premiered online, including Nomadland, which was released on Hulu at the same time it premiered in theaters.
Most entertainers expect this change to become permanent, for better or worse. Home viewing is easier, more convenient, and more likely to attract a bigger audience, which makes online streaming great for business.
Meanwhile, the films themselves are getting ripped off. Most great movies were created for the big screen, so by watching them at home, the viewer is only experiencing half of what these pictures have to offer. Imagine watching Mad Max for the first time in your living room instead of at the cinema. It just wouldn’t have been the same.
But McDormand was the only one among the actors, actresses, directors, and producers on the Oscars stage willing to say as much. Which raises the question: Will Hollywood come to the defense of its lifelong partner? Or will it follow viewers’ lead and abandon the movie theater as an outdated relic? What Hollywood decides to do will determine the entertainment industry’s future — and right now, it’s not looking so bright.
