It’s hard to remember now, but just before the 2010s started— when Avatar redefined the blockbuster, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s successes fueled Disney’s industry-saving box-office renaissance—there were a lot of conversations about what the future of filmgoing might look like, and many believed the “going to the theater” part of it was on its way out.
HDTVs were everywhere, DVD still ruled, Blu-Ray was just dropping, and going to the theater was mostly just a giant pain in the ass, what with the high prices, the poor exhibition quality, and of course, the people—the phone checking, loud-talking, food-spilling people. In the time of COVID, it’s hard to imagine anyone would consider the prospect of paying Regal or Cinemark over $10 a pop to spend two hours in a roomful of that as a privilege. It sounds more like the sort of trap the villain of a Saw movie might lay.