Cinema: the flickering embers of a dying flame
Has the Grim Reaper placed its sharp scythe across Cinema’s throat?
‘All good things must come to an end’
- Geoffrey Chaucer
Vine, Blockbuster, Toys R Us. These were some of the staples of a noughties/2010s childhood that were expelled from the market into the pit of bankruptcy, forever severed from those who thought they made the world just that extra bit special.
Now another mighty domino is set to fall upon our memories, and that scalp may be the entire cinema industry. Forever imbued with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood studios, motion pictures masterfully crafted by esteemed directors, actors, screenwriters, score composers, and set designers were pumped from Tinseltown to our very eyes all across the world.
From family-friendly animations, to nail-biting thrillers, to action packed box office cash grabs, we may be the last generation to experience the thrill of the Golden Screen unless market innovation and consumer preferences change quickly.
It was the rise of streaming services such as Netflix that sounded the death knell of Blockbuster, the once undefeated champion of the DVD industry with a reign confined to a short, fourteen year period before it shut its doors forever.
Now the carnivorous march of the streaming service empire is threatening the Big Screen itself. Due to the convenience which movie-lovers hold at their very fingerprints inside the comfort of their own home, showered with an armoury of cheap, plentiful snacks and nobody’s screaming children to worry about but your own, the cinema is coming off as second-best.
As producers have smelt this blood in the water, they have elected to beam films straight onto their respective streaming platform, in a market manoeuvre that should be made illegal. When Ricky Gervais bowed out in a grand finale of controversy as host of the Golden Globes, he quipped: ‘Well done Netflix, you win.’
Though Netflix is not the only guilty party. The greatest monopoly of them all, Disney studios, has also stormed the field of battle with its Disney+ subscription service. While its progress reached light-speed, it has certainly not been smooth sailing for the streaming services, especially with dire news that this technological gold rush may have dried up. Regardless, they have the infrastructure in place and enough consumer demand to line shareholder profits and keep the wheels of industry turning.
The same market advantage is not found in cinema's empty, cobweb-ridden holster. In October, Cineworld, the second largest cinema chain on the planet, filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States, having accrued debts hovering around the $5 billion mark.
Lockdown hit the movie industry hard, as it did to a lot of important aspects we hold close to our hearts, but it has been unable to shock itself back into rhythm. Cinemas are beholden to studios churning out movies, which do not happen as often as you think, while still being burdened by rent and employee costs that, on the other hand, must be paid every month without fail.
The films must also be somewhat popular, igniting enough hype amongst the target market to balance the books of the venue, which is frequently a hit-and-miss scenario. Having sat in almost completely empty screenings this week, with one such viewing being only myself and one other, Cineworld’s future does look bleak (though by no means can my film habits provide a terminal diagnosis).
Has the Grim Reaper placed its sharp scythe across Cinema’s throat, or is there a slow, meandering path out of the darkness and into profitability once more? James Bond and Tom Cruise have done their best to prop up a falling industry, but as with all successful armies, they need more soldiers on the frontline.
Summertime will be ideal to test the waters, due to the nature of the wide-appealing films which are released in conjunction with the school holidays, but if the season yields barely any fruit, then the life of the cinema may be coming to a close. Lights out. Camera Off. The End.