FILE - This Feb. 27, 2019 file photo, Brie Larson appears at the premiere of the "Captain Marvel" in London. Larson appeared at a movie theater Saturday night in Clifton, N.J. The North Jersey Record reports theater patrons at the AMC Theater initially didn't seem to notice Larson, who was dressed in a Captain Marvel sweat suit. But soon her appearance caused a stir, and numerous photos posted online showed her posing with fans and even serving popcorn from a concession stand. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, File)
The year is 2019 and you’re at home, alone, and bored on a Saturday night. Do you go to the movie theater, buy a $20 IMAX ticket, a $10 bucket of popcorn, and watch the newest Marvel movie? Not really. You stay at home, pay $12 a month for unlimited streaming on Netflix, and watch “The Office” again for the fifth time.
Whether or not this is an accurate depiction of a stereotypical millennial’s behavior towards cinema, it’s certainly what Hollywood and the general media like to think is to blame for a supposed decrease in ticket sales. This argument has been a very hot topic for many media publications in recent years.
The truth of the matter is the film business isn’t necessarily in decline, but rather in a stagnating stand still. According to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the movie industry is neither growing nor declining. It is instead sustaining itself at a very modest rate and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
It doesn’t sound so bad when the MPAA puts it like this, but for Hollywood, this is a nightmare. The industry expects to see a discernible growth from year to year in order to justify putting out bigger and better movies. Without this growth, studios are more likely to recycle the same formulas and avoid taking risks, which in itself is part of the problem.
Why then are there countless articles out there blaming millennial’s for this stagnation? It mainly has to do with Hollywood execs not wanting to look bad and the media is finding that using millennial’s as a scapegoat is guaranteed to garner attention and clicks.
However, the real reason for this apparent lack of interest in cinema has a lot more to do with the genuine belief that there is just a lack of quality movies being made. Compared to the viewing habits of younger generations not being able to appreciate newer films. How many times can you release a new Marvel or Fast and Furious movie and expect the same turnouts and profits? The answer is a threshold, and we’re approaching it quickly.
Of course, there are various other reasons for this as well, like the availability of streaming services that offer near limitless streaming for only the price of only one movie ticket a month. Paired with a rise in anti-social behavior, and an overall decrease in free time in young adults are among other things that make it difficult for people to physically go see a movie.
Unfortunately, there is not really anything that can be done to rectify this injustice against our generation or fix the problems that are seemingly plaguing Hollywood. All one can do is just hope that one day we can live in a society where people don’t think millennial’s are the bringers of death to any industry and we can all just independently enjoy movies in our own way.
