There is a lot of uncertainty in the world at the moment. Not just from a medical point-of-view or a political point-of-view, but also from an entertainment point-of-view. We are living in unprecedented times. Nothing like this has ever happened before, to this scale at least. The world is at a stand-still. Everywhere is closed and people are worried about themselves and for their loved ones. Usually, when we’re worried like this we like to distract ourselves, like going to the Cinema. But with Cinema’s closed, what are we doing instead?
Luckily here in the U.K., we have the arrival of Disney+, a brand-new streaming service which launched last week. With the launch of this streaming service, we can revisit the classics of Disney with a sense of nostalgia, as well as newly updated classics such as Lady and the Tramp. This has come at a great time, but in America, they’re releasing Frozen 2 and Pixar’s Onward early onto the service too. Not only that but The Invisible Man, Bloodshot and Birds of Prey are all being released on demand too. The window between theatrical releases and home releases has shrunk massively thanks to the closure of Cinema’s. People still want the distraction and escapism of films, and with no Cinema’s open then home entertainment is the best we can do it. But this leaves us in an unusual situation, should we scrap Cinema’s altogether and make this the new norm?
It may seem unusual to think of the idea of closing Cinema’s for good but unfortunately they make money from showing films, and at the moment they’re not showing anything and therefore are losing money. Hopefully the local Government will help subsidise this issue, but when this is all over the question will remain the same. With Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon making money from the closure of Cinema’s, and at the same time keeping us entertained, should we start considering a world where Cinema becomes obsolete?
Christopher Nolan has recently argued that films are made in the first place to be seen on the big screen, and he is not wrong. Ever since classic epic’s such as Lawrence of Arabia and Ben-Hur the Cinema experience has been a unique one that cannot be replicated anywhere else. People love to be wowed and blown away by massive special effects and the scope of not-usually-seen scenery. This is the Cinema experience that people want and you still get this in modern epics such as Avatar and Avengers: Endgame. The experience has not changed and it is these films that we need in Cinema’s when they re-open.
The magic of Cinema will never fade and people will still want to watch the latest films at home as well because after all it is cheaper and more convenient. However, people will also want to experience that same feeling the first time they saw Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings. We will want a reason to escape the everyday, and you can’t do that at home, but you can at the Cinema. This is what I think will happen, the future of Cinema may change, but it will also evolve and work together hand-in-hand with streaming services. A more balanced future awaits us if we’re ready for it.
Here at Eyesight Productions, I wish everyone the best during these troubled times.
Thank you for reading today’s blog.
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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