Sara Stewart is a film and culture writer who lives in western Pennsylvania. The views expressed here are solely hers. View more opinion articles on CNN.
On Wednesday, the world's biggest movie chain announced it may not bounce back from the financial damage of the pandemic shutdown. AMC Theaters has said it is"generating effectively no revenue," hasn't for some time, and doesn't see the forecast improving anytime soon. Sara Stewart As a professional moviegoer and lifelong cinephile, I'd like to venture a suggestion: Maybe the crumbling of Big Cinema has been a long time coming? It seems likely -- and some surveys confirm -- that even after lockdown measures wane, people will favor streaming movies at home over the risks associated with going out. But I think we're at a moment of great potential for an overhaul of the whole business of cinema.
How coronavirus is shaking up Hollywood 01:02My whole life is lit up with movie milestones. Being awed by the bombast of"Star Wars," one of my first big screen experiences. Getting schooled in 1990s indie cinema at Chicago's Music Box, where if you were lucky there was a live pipe-organ performance beforehand. Stumbling upon a cult-fan screening of"The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension" in L.A.
Drive-in theater making a comeback 02:32If and when movie theaters come back, they'll need to operate with a lot more personal space for patrons. That's going to translate to higher ticket prices. Perhaps moviegoing will become more like the theater: Admission is a bit more expensive, and you treat the experience with a little more respect .
Opinion You mean the $15 bag of popcorn isn't keeping them in business
Opinion We thought going to the movies was 'over' when the DVD player came out. Oh so wrong! There is NOTHING like sitting in a theater! They'll be back! (wouldn't hurt if they lowered the prices a bit on popcorn!)
Opinion Movie theaters are soul sucking environments that exist to provide you the “experience” of watching movies on a large screen, now that protectors exist (allowing you to have 100+ inch screens in your home) and flat screen TVs are widely available, movie theaters price and overall
Opinion That would exactly why we need to stop bailing out corporations and just let them die.