By: Sebastian Lai and Tristen Rutman

Due to the pandemic the world is currently experiencing, most movie theaters in Westchester have temporarily closed. Some of them even shut down for good. For example, the popular movie theater iPic is now permanently closed. The theater was well known for having reclining seats and hot food during movies. The Regal Movie Chain, a well known chain of theaters across the US, is also closing. The company is temporarily closing all 543 of its theaters across the U.S. due to Covid-19. Alamo Drafthouse and AMC theaters are some other cinemas that are closing. Because of these closings, many streaming services started to release movies online, ahead of their usual premier dates. 

As a result of the closing of many theaters, numerous movie companies have released their movies digitally. Companies have either released their movies at a cost or included them in a subscription with a certain streaming service. For example, Warner Bros released their newest movie, Wonder Woman 1984, on HBO Max, the same day they released the movie in the theaters. However, since so many theaters were closed, most people watched the movie through an HBO Max subscription. The lack of audience showed at the box office, as the movie earned just one-fourth of what it earned compared to the first movie in 2017. The future of cinema is uncertain, but cinema fans can at least be hopeful for upcoming displays. 

The future of movies is going to be much different than in the past. Streaming services such as Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, etc. are greatly benefiting from these new standards. While streaming services are profiting from these changes, many people are disappointed. They simply miss the old feeling of buying tickets, popcorn and sodas with their friends and family. Will the future of movies ever be the same?