The Battle of The Screens
I was around three years old when I went to the theatre for the first time. The first Golden Village had just been opened in Yishun (It had been open for around two years at the time when we went but two years was a long time back then) and it was a big deal. I of course, remember next to nothing but my mum says she had explained to me that a theatre is like a giant television. And so, when we reached the theatre, I promptly asked if the gigantic exit sign was the remote. To say movies are the centre of my universe would be an understatement. But even if you’re not as intense about movie watching as me, I’m sure you can agree that movies mean something to all of us. There’s so many genres to pick from, so many movies to watch because they feature actors we so dearly love and so many sequels to keep up with because we are so heavily invested in the franchise. They tell us a little bit about ourselves, they make us cry, they make us laugh, they let us forget about the reality of our lives for just a little while. Which makes the whole debate between Netflix and theatre a little confusing for me. From my point of view, choosing between Netflix and the cinema is just a matter of convenience and experience, respectively.
Apart from the ease of watching (read: bingeing) TV shows with “Skip intro” and “Next episode starts in 5 seconds”, Netflix (feel free to substitute with any other streaming medium you’re more in favour of) is also a convenient way to watch movies. If you’re reading this, I believe there’s a high chance that you’re a fellow millennial. So like me, you probably remember the evolution of watching a movie if you missed it in the theatre: VHS tapes, VCDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs and all the other questionable methods in between. Or if it aired on the local television channel. Now however, as long as the movie is available on one of the streaming mediums, streaming, is arguably easier. Need a Ryan Reynolds fix? Having an emotional moment and want to bawl your eyes out to an old movie that’s a source of comfort for you? Want to watch some sort of comedy but you don’t know what movie to watch? You can pick it all on Netflix. It’s all about targeted content. And this is where Netflix has an edge, and is not just about re-watching “older” movies that have done their time in the theatres. Apart from having a library for movies that have been made and released by traditional filmmakers, alternative filmmakers have a space to discuss themes and subjects, that would otherwise be too controversial for mainstream audience and theatres. Which is why it’s unfortunate when it’s treated as less than or like it’s the leftovers of traditional cinema. Especially when Netflix’s movies have Oscar nominations.
Theatre on the other hand, is about watching a movie with a group of like-minded people and fellow fans. There’s this invisible bond and some sort of unspoken unity, that connects us all while we watch (read: worship) the screen in front of us. Mostly. Except for the one time the girl behind me kept asking her boyfriend which “character” it was during Infinity War. And the toddler who started screaming during Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. And all the people who get up as soon as the credits roll without waiting for them to end during every Marvel movie. What are you even doing at a Marvel movie if you’re not watching the post-credits scene? But you get what I mean. And how many of us have such bomb speakers at home? Sure, the affluent can afford to have theatres in their own homes but what is the point? Isn’t that kinda like private streaming then? Theatre wasn’t and to some extent, still isn’t, just about the movies. It also features shy first dates, squad outings (do people still use that terminology anymore?) and private retreats. It’s a more holistic viewing experience. And here’s the thing, the theatre industry continues to evolve: 3D movies, virtual reality, scents, wind movement and thumping in your chair, all to make you feel part of the movie.
If you ask me, not all movies are made for the theatre. Not all of them have a stunning visual experience that can only be enjoyed in the theatre. And that’s where streaming comes in. But summer blockbusters are proof that people will continue going to the theatre. Sometimes they don’t even have to be summer blockbusters – this winter featured The Shape of Water, The Greatest Showman, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and BLACK PANTHER. Movies that can only be enjoyed in the theatre for the visuals. The dip in movie-going in recent times isn’t solely due to streaming. The movie industry has always had its dips – for all sorts of reasons including the fiscal shape of the year.
At the end of the day, streaming and theatres, can and will continue to co-exist. It’s not a matter of just one emerging victorious or picking one over the other. They are just different ways to appreciate the art of story-telling. Perhaps it’s naïve, or overly optimistic (are they one and the same?) to hope that theatres and streaming services can work together in giving their shared audience the best for their own viewing experience. While I believe that theatres will be kept alive because of intense aficionados like me, it’s hard to predict the future and what the theatre means for the next generations, even Gen Z who live among us due to the fact that they grew up on more technology than their predecessors. Look at what’s happening to the radio industry. Having said that, if streaming is the future of cinemas, we might be losing something. Because there is something about watching a movie in a theatre that transcends the fact that we are just watching a movie.
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