As a movie buff with decades of cinema-going under my belt, I must admit that the current trend of streaming giants like Amazon MGM Studios is leaving me feeling a bit like Scrooge himself – bitter and disillusioned. The swift arrival of blockbusters like Red One on streaming platforms is robbing us of the joy of anticipation, the thrill of the communal experience in a darkened theater, and the satisfaction of supporting our local cinemas.
Over the weekend, three movies with a bit of debate surrounding them were released on streaming platforms, and one of them is currently dominating the viewership. The action-packed holiday film starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, titled “Red One”, recently premiered on Prime Video, and it’s garnering positive responses from viewers who have a subscription to the service. Despite some less than favorable reviews from critics, which may have kept audiences away from theaters initially, the convenience of watching it at home seems to be persuading many to give it a try.
In Red One, the stellar cast includes J.K. Simmons playing a particularly charming movie Santa. The story revolves around a massive and intimidating operative (Johnson) who joins forces with a hacker/bounty hunter (Evans) to save Santa, who has been abducted on Christmas Eve.
As reported by Variety, Red One has become Amazon MGM Studios’ most-watched film premiere on their streaming platform, marking a significant achievement for this high-budget production that faced challenges at the box office. Regrettably, this success comes as another setback to movie theaters nationwide, underscoring the trend that audiences are increasingly opting to wait for films to become available for free on streaming services rather than visiting cinemas.
It’s not a recent occurrence: With cinemas closed due to COVID-19 restrictions at their peak, major Hollywood studios opted to distribute several movies across top-tier streaming platforms to maintain their release timetables. This move was advantageous in 2020, but it has since led to a significant negative outcome – viewers are now more likely to wait for films to become available on streaming rather than visiting theaters to watch them on the big screen, as this habit has been ingrained in them.
It’s intriguing to observe that moviegoers are being selective about which films they attend in theaters and which ones they prefer to stream later on. For instance, Wicked has shattered pre-Thanksgiving box office records, while Moana 2 remains popular. However, a week prior, Red One barely attracted any viewers.
It might be the case that the poor attendance at the holiday action movie in cinemas is due to it being an entirely new concept, unlike films like “Wicked” and “Moana 2,” which are connected to established intellectual properties. If a film featuring two of today’s biggest movie stars can’t attract audiences, then how can less-established original projects expect to flourish?
One issue might lie in the rising costs associated with attending a movie theater, including ticket prices, snacks, and specialty popcorn containers. Consequently, viewers are finding themselves in a position where they must carefully select which films to watch. Yet, if spectators persist in favoring reboots, remakes, and sequels, the film industry could potentially focus solely on these genres, thereby limiting the opportunities for fresh, innovative concepts.
Essentially, the main point is that new films are appearing on streaming platforms far too quickly. For a movie to thrive at the cinema, it should be kept there for longer than just a few weeks. Perhaps if Red One had stayed available long enough, it could have turned into a surprise box office success. Although it’s fantastic that it’s receiving the recognition it deserves on Amazon Prime Video, this early availability might be encouraging audiences to abandon cinemas even more.
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2024-12-18 01:07