Are Cinemas Dying? A Discussion with Joe Brennan
- up926208
- Jan 20, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 22, 2021
Throughout history there have been several occasions where it looked like cinemas could be fading to black for one last time, whether it be the introduction of coloured television or the explosion of popularity gained by streaming services. But with the on-going effects of Covid-19 in 2021, are we seeing the knockout blow that will end cinemas as we know them. This is one of the questions I posed to fellow film and cinema lover Joe Brennan during our conversation.
Cinema is an art form that connects people through their shared passion, but it’s also something that isn’t loved by everyone. Not everyone shares my excitement of seeing a new film in the cinema. Some might share my enthusiasm for film, but find just as much enjoyment in watching from the comfort of their own home. Such people would be delighted by the recent news from Warner Bros, so if you’re a lover of the big screen and popcorn you may want to look away for a second. That news is of course that all of their 2021 content will be released on HBO Max’s streaming service, meaning that blockbusters such as Dune and The Matrix 4 will be available to watch at home.
But what does this mean for our beloved cinemas? Discussing with Joe about what he thinks the future may entail, he spoke about hoping “people feel the same as him and want to get back into cinemas to have that experience again.” Prior to lockdown and Covid-19 Joe was going to the cinema every week with his Father, he reminisced about the experience, saying “I miss the walk there, watching something new and then talking about it on our way back. When you’re at home you can pause, walk around. That isn’t the experience I want from films”. The cinematic experience is more than just one of excitement to see something new, it’s an occasion to look forward to, a chance to bond with others over something that honestly interests you.
This short answer Joe gave epitomises what cinemas do for fans and why they have such an important role in a film’s reception. They capture the atmosphere of a film in a way that can’t be matched by a TV at home. The word we kept reverting back to was ‘immersion’ and how the attention of the audience is predicated on the feeling that you’re in the world you are watching.
With immersion comes enjoyment, which is exactly what Joe and me agreed made us love the cinema so much. He explained that his love for going to the cinema is based simply on a love of films themselves. “I love seeing new ones as soon as possible, as much variety as possible and seeing them for the first time is best in a cinema because you are properly immersed.”
Joe went on to talk about the biggest thing he missed is the communal feeling of watching something with a big group of people. “Certain films like Star Wars or an Avengers film, feeling the energy of other audience members, it’s something that can’t be replicated. It’s nice to all be experiencing the same thing at the same time.”
But this experience is one that may be slowly fading away. The threat Covid-19 poses is one of the biggest in history; with very few new releases and constant shutdowns of non-essential businesses it is understandable why many studios are deciding to make the transition to streaming services. Money being the obvious factor, but in today’s climate less people want to make a trip to watch something they can access at home.
This was no more apparent than with the recent release of Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated ‘Tenet’. Reports surfaced claiming that Nolan had pushed for Tenet to be released exclusively in theatres, with the hope that enough people would flock to the cinemas to see one of the only new releases in a while. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case, the film did not do as well as people expected and to put it gently, it didn’t break any box office records. But this doesn’t come down to the film's quality. People were not leaving their homes; theatres were closed so of course less people were going to see it.
During our discussion I asked Joe for his opinion on the news about Nolan and if he agrees with many fans that his insistence for a theatre release was unnecessary. Unlike me, Joe was able to see Tenet, but he felt like Nolan tried to be the ‘saviour of cinema’, with his film being the one that ushered in the start of a return to normality. “The world wasn’t ready as far as Covid-19 goes, so if cinemas do die, I think Tenet will be a really important film to look at historically.”
With that being said, if cinemas are running their final lap, they will be sincerely missed by me and countless others. But after all at least we have Netflix as an option to fall back on.
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