Movie theatres have always been known as a fun way to experience watching a movie, especially when with friends. Two years ago, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary to go to the movies once or even twice a week for people who loved movies. When the coronavirus broke out, this all came to a halt for roughly seven months before any movie theatres were open again. Now, with streaming services gaining popularity at a rapid pace, one can wonder if it’s even worth it to go to the theatre nowadays.

According to Statista, there were over 1.23 billion movie tickets sold in the United States and Canada in 2019. That number dropped by a jaw-dropping 81 percent to 224 million tickets in 2020, unquestionably because of the Covid-19 outbreak and the massive shutdown of stores worldwide. This brought many people to look for their entertainment in streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, and many more.

“I would rather watch movies at home,” said Makenzie Loechler, junior, “because I can lay in my pajamas, grab all the snacks, blankets, and pillows I want, and watch the movie with no interruptions and no distractions.”

Even though public places, including movie theatres, have begun to open up, many have decided against going. With some services deciding to release new movies online as well as in theatres, there seems to be fewer and fewer reasons to go out to see a new film. It’s become far more convenient to simply purchase the movie at home rather than buy a ticket to see it in theatres.

“With movie theatres, there’s definitely a better experience than with streaming […] you can see how everyone else reacts to whatever is happening in the film,” said Jordan Stephenson, sophomore.

However, there is still a reason movie theatres were popular in the first place. There are a few things better than a group of people reacting to a huge plot twist, especially when it’s on the big screen. With films such as Avengers: Endgame, some post the audience reactions online just so others can try to experience the atmosphere of watching it for the first time in theatres. 

“It’s more fun and enjoyable to watch at a movie theatre, and it’s more comfortable and relaxing to watch at home,” said Reagan Wilkerson, sophomore.

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