Movie theaters may not be dying, but they certainly won't ever be the same.
That's because countless cinemas nationwide have been losing their audiences, thus causing some to also lose a big chunk of their revenue and others to completely shut down for good. Much of the blame can be placed on the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced several theaters — including big name chains — to indefinitely close their doors to the public. Back in March 2020, AMC Theaters closed all of its locations nationwide, thus causing the company to lose a whopping $4.6 billion that year. The situation got so dire that director Cristopher Nolan penned an op-ed in The Washington Post, urging people to save their beloved theaters.
Many cinephiles, however, ditched the theaters way before the pandemic due to rising ticket and concessions prices. A Morning Consult poll found that 55% of respondents said they are more interested in watching movies at home because it's both cheaper and safer. Thanks to streaming services, people can do that more easily and more often. Long gone are the days when people had to rent DVDs, only to return them after a certain number of days. Now, viewers can watch as many movies as they want whenever they want.
In an effort to bring back audiences, movie theaters are getting creative with new offerings, amenities and special discounts. The most notable perk is National Cinema Day on Sunday, Aug. 27, which offers super cheap tickets to moviegoers.
Here are a few other ways theaters are hoping to lure us back:
