For the last month or so of 2019 and just about all of 2020, the world has been fighting a new disease called the Coronavirus. It’s had reported cases all over the world, claimed multiple lives and forced many countries to go into periods of lockdown. And it’s also proven quite the issue for many businesses, not least the film industry.
In March 2020, the situation worsened when Coronavirus was declared a pandemic and the UK eventually went into lockdown. This resulted in cafés, restaurants, and shops and of course cinemas all being shut down – with many upcoming releases being postponed.
Then something rather unusual happened. Universal Studios took a handful of their films, mainly the ones that were already in cinemas, and added them to a streaming service called VOD (Video on Demand). There was also the problem of Trolls World Tour, a kids’ film in a series that has a history of making a lot of money in cinemas. The solution appeared to be to make Trolls the star attraction of VOD. This has proven a success, since it has outdone the first Trolls instalments in terms of box office and has had good reviews.
This has posed the question of whether studios like Universal will continue with this practice – and just how much of a threat it may pose to cinemas.
As expected there is a majority that don’t much favour VOD, some think it’s simply taking advantage of the pandemic and others think it’s better than paying for arguably expensive tickets. Universal seem eager to proceed with the streaming option and have even said that when cinemas do eventually reopen, they will look to continuing with both formats.
Understandably, this has earned Universal some detractors, with the AMC cinema chain leading the opposition by stating that they will never show any more Universal films. UK cinema chains like ODEON and Cineworld (which also owns Regal Cinemas in the US) are following suit. The main reason for boycotting films made by Universal is that they are not respecting the ‘theatrical window’. It’s also uncertain what will happen to films that Universal are only distributing, such as the highly anticipated Bond film- No Time to Die, which has already had its release held back by the virus.
It’s easy to see why Universal did this – they had a guaranteed money maker with millions of people stuck at home looking for ways to pass the time and no way to see new films in cinemas. But given the outcome, there is even the idea that cinemas could become obsolete in the future, and that films going straight to streaming could be the way forward. Personally, I hope it doesn’t come to that.
Films are made for the big screen at the cinema, they are not intended just to be released on a screen a fraction of that size, at least until they are out on DVD.
Something like Trolls can survive on VOD, but when you have a film that looks much more cinematic like Christopher Nolan’s upcoming Tenet, sending it straight to a streaming service on TVs seems like a disservice. If that weren’t enough, just imagine how films like Jurassic World 3 or Fast and Furious 9 could look being viewed on a tv screen for the first time, instead of the cinema screen they were designed for.
I can understand why those who don’t like cinema prices see this as a good thing, but what about those of us who spent a great deal of time at the cinema, who appreciate the experience it gives us, who have been going there practically all our lives? We don’t mind the prices and even have discount cards because of how often we go. There are enthusiasts who collect film tickets and put them in scrapbook after scrapbook. What about the film critics who have worked hard to make their appreciation for film an occupation and who give their opinions on film as a way of life? They choose to become critics because of their love of film and going to the cinema, not of watching them in their own living rooms where the only way they can justify it is convenience.
If that is the future, it sounds depressing and not one that I would be willing to apply my skills as a critic to, or want to be a part of at all.
We will see what the future holds when major businesses start to reopen? Let’s hope cinemas can pick up the pieces and resume as they did before – while VOD is remembered as something that was a good idea in unique circumstances but failed to maintain long-term interest.
That’s my ideal outcome of this. I would obviously prefer cinemas to stay open and relevant in the modern world, but with VOD creeping around, and the current lockdown situation still developing, it would be unwise to try take anything as permanent.
Until then I am just going to keep my fingers crossed that cinemas reopen soon, and when they do, I wish them good luck, I will be rooting for them.
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