Throughout my time at Texas A&M, I have met a multitude of people with strange dispositions against going to movie theaters, whether it’s for a date or a typical night out with friends.
However, simple hearsay does not prove a general trend of movie theaters’ sinking popularity. So, to study this idea, I asked over three dozen Aggies for their thoughts on movie theaters. Forty responses were collected from a variety of online sources.
Nearly a third of the respondents had never been to a movie theater. Shocking, right?
For the two-thirds that did attend, their main reasons for doing so included hanging out with friends and seeking entertainment.
On the opposing side, the respondents said that budgetary concerns and lack of interest in recently released movies were their main reasons for not attending the theater. When asked to elaborate, students said they preferred doing something else with friends, had no one to go with, preferred to stream or just had a distaste for modern Hollywood.
Only six out of the 40 respondents had a distinctly positive outlook on the industry, frequently attending the movie theater for the cinematic experience.
What does it all mean? Are cinemas doomed to fail?
While rising ticket and concession prices are driving many people to streaming services, those same services are consistently raising their prices. Students spend $60-200 per month on subscriptions.
How are movie theaters combatting budgetary concerns for students? Most theaters in Bryan-College Station offer students reduced prices — Star Cinema Grill charges only $8 per ticket.
The quality of modern entertainment has decreased heavily since the golden era — when theater attendance was consistent and encompassed most Americans. While this epoch relied on the lack of television and other modern technology to entice people to the cinema, streaming has begun to steal movie theaters’ clientele.
But is it simply streaming? Social interaction is the dominant factor in theater attendance, with many students having an aversion to going alone.
Why are college students so dependent on their friends to attend the theater? The answer lies in our generation.
Psychologically, the desire for human interaction is an inherent characteristic within every individual. However, the ultra-reliance on a group mentality stems from the pandemic. COVID-19 caused a social fracture during the government-mandated lockdowns, forcing everyone to become distanced from each other. Great times, right?
The use of social media and technology increased during this period, multiplying the psychological effect of the pandemic on our youths.
Yes, I realize that was four years ago, but it doesn’t matter. That lack of social interaction created an emotional void in our generation that led to greater attachments to group activities.
These group activities involve all facets of human interaction, whether digital or physical.
Consider TikTok: Avid users attach themselves to every fad because of their desire for popularity. Whether eating Tide Pods or being “demure,” this group mentality was enhanced by the pandemic.
Simply put, if your friends aren’t interested in going to the theaters, you will more than likely follow their lead.
If theaters could mitigate these social barriers, college students would be more inclined to attend. Creating a more interactive space would possibly alleviate their financial losses and usher in a new golden era. Some chains are already attempting this, such as Cinemark with their arcades or Regal Cinemas with their 4DX roller-coaster-esque experience.
The cinema is an experience that can be enjoyed with or without friends, on a budget and without predatory streaming pricing that accumulates over time.
You may feel compelled to do everything with your friends because of the stigma that doing things alone is uncool. However, going to the theater alone is not the social suicide you believe it to be. You don’t have to sit with the Plastics, you can be an individual.
By going to the movies alone, you are uninfluenced by anyone’s opinion on the film. While I do concur that going with friends can be exciting — especially with terrible films like Madame Web — enjoying something for yourself is not as tortuous as you might think.
Do yourself a favor and go watch a movie alone. It’ll be worth your time.
Killian Netherton is an English and psychology sophomore and opinion writer for The Battalion.
