Now that 2023 is over, we can reflect on all the good movies released last year. But if there is one thing we can note, many movies are losing audiences and money. Therefore, let’s hear Groves’ opinion on the movie experience’s rising costs and movie giants’ decline.

We established that Groves students who participated in our poll agree movies have been losing quality, especially Disney. In our poll, Disney, Marvel and Pixar have been losing the most quality due to rushed production, lazy ideas and bad writing. These bad reviews affect their revenue since, for the first time in 8 years, Disney hasn’t made the most money from movies in a calendar year (this honor goes to Universal).

When we referred to our survey, many participants said they go to theaters less due to streaming. Streaming is part of the problem since streaming requires content to gain popularity, making studios force writers, actors and directors to hurry up for minimal pay. The 2023 strikes were concerned about how writers and actors weren’t getting paid enough while still having to work in horrible conditions.

Some participants pointed out ticket and snack costs have increased in the past few years. To show the craziness of the rising costs, from 2003 to 2023, the US dollar inflated about 67% while the average movie ticket inflated 75%. For snacks, well-known movie theaters sell expensive candy. AMC, the largest chain in the world, has an average snack price of $4.24. As a result, people stop going due to the expensive price tag.

The final question we asked was if the movie experience has worsened since COVID. Many participants said that the movie experience has stayed the same. When asked for examples, participants would talk about the movies themselves and how some have been failures.

What is the answer to why movies have gotten worse in recent years? The answer is that streaming is killing theaters because people now wait for films to go streaming. So to meet streaming demand, companies need to speed up production, lowering movie quality. And at the same time, companies are making movies with hyperinflated budgets that lose money. So with fewer customers available theaters are forced to increase prices on snacks and tickets. And with less money, companies start taking advantage of writers, animators and actors.

But how can we help support theaters? Well, it’s a difficult question with few answers. The movie experience is going away rapidly. We must appreciate every second we still have in theaters. There are alternatives to spending a lot of money for tickets and candies, such as National Cinema Day, when theaters re-release movies for only 4 dollars a ticket which helped the movie industry. So we may have to say goodbye to theaters soon. They may go out on a high note.