With the sad news that Cineworld is temporarily closing down all branches of its cinemas in the UK it has made me think and wonder why the cinema industry is suffering as much as it is. The obvious answer is Covid-19, with everything going on people naturally aren’t going to want to sit in a room with other people for hours for the sake of a movie and that is for sure understandable. But even if you take Covid out of the equation the cinema industry was something that was dwindling.

Convenience is something that your average movie enthusiast would take into account when considering whether to take a trip to the cinema or simply stay home and watch a movie from the sofa instead. It’s obvious when you think about it, why would somebody go out and spend more or less 3 times the amount of money when they can do the exact same thing in the comfort of their own home. The only real difference being is the movie as you have to wait a few months for any new releases. Providing you can avoid spoilers on social media that isn’t too much of a problem. Also, with the rise of Netflix and other content providers growing online it has offered even more competition to cinemas themselves, Netflix and Amazon prime have both started to produce movies that are exclusive to their sites, with newly released titles becoming available at the click of a button in the comfort of your own home it would seem silly to go out and have an evening at the cinema instead. So, with people often taking the easy option to get their movie fix that means cinemas themselves start to lose out on a considerable amount of business.

But the one thing that people miss out on when they don’t go to the cinema is the experience. In the past it was such a big thing for people to do and would arguably be considered one of the better nights out that somebody could have for a reasonable price. During the 40s and 50s cinema boomed and it wasn’t out of the ordinary for people to go and watch a movie every week. But slowly over the years the novelty of the cinematic experience has worn off for some people despite advancements in the industry. Different aspects to the cinematic experience have been added over the years such as 3D, IMAX and even 4DX recently have been added to offer another string to the bow of the cinematic experience. But even with those advancements in place this still didn’t lead to the masses flocking back to their nearest cinemas. But the experience of watching a blockbuster on the big screen is something that is special without people even realising. The best way to judge it is to see the reaction of a kid going to the cinema for the first time. They are mesmerised by the big screen and deafening noise. When you go to the cinema to watch a movie it’s not like you are just sat watching a movie, you become so engaged that you feel like you have become part of the movie. You are more of a fly on the wall within the movie rather than somebody sat watching it, and that sort of in-depth experience is something that you just don’t get sat at home on the sofa.

Cinema seems to be on a slight hiatus at the moment with Covid, but next year when movies begin to be released again people should look to the cinema as a form of escapism in these times of hardship. Being able to go somewhere different that isn’t your own home and delve into something interesting for a couple of hours could do wonders, not just for the cinema industry, but for people as well. Mental health is something that has come under serious stress for people when they can’t go out and live their normal lives. Cinema can be that few hours of peace for people in the darkest of times and that special ability that cinema has is not something that should be shunned.

Once again thank you to anyone reading,

Catch ya later!