A trip to the movie theater is always a blast. There’s no better way to watch a movie than on the big screen. It’s the most immersive, and there’s something special about experiencing it with a crowd all feeling the same emotions as you.

Unfortunately, it’s becoming more and more difficult to see a movie at the theater. A movie’s time at the theater has decreased greatly over time. Back in the 90s and early 2000s, movies were available to see in theaters for three to six months at a time. Before that, they were in theaters even longer. Now, though, bigger movies are only on the big screen for thirty to forty five days, and smaller budget films are often in theaters for a shorter timespan than that. 

There are a number of reasons why this is the case. One of the biggest is that the marketing strategies of most studios have become centered around the opening weekend of a film. They make it feel like a huge event, and most audiences feel the need to attend a screening during that weekend for fear of missing out or fear of spoilers online. Because of this, most movies tend to see most of their earnings during that first weekend, maybe the first two weekends. The earnings drop off over time from there, so studios see less of a reason to keep their films in theaters for longer than that. Previously, movies would gain popularity over time due to word of mouth, so studios wanted them in theaters longer.

Another major reason is the higher demand for home video. In the world of streaming, these studios feel the need and pressure to get their movies on whichever streaming service as fast as possible so they can make money there as well. This results in rushing movies out of theaters and onto streaming platforms.

Regardless of the reasoning, movies are now in theaters for shorter periods of time than they were before, and it makes it much harder to see every movie you want to on the big screen. There’s less of a chance to do so. For me, I work full time, I have house chores to take care of, I write this blog, I have been writing a novel, I play video games, I play tabletop games and go to a weekly game night, I play Magic the Gathering, I take care of pets, I watch TV and movies at home when I can, and I read. We all have lives, hobbies, and responsibilities. It was easier when we could go to the movies at our leisure, but now we have to find somewhere to shove it into our busy schedules.

On top of all that, there are typically multiple movies that I want to see out at the same time. With these short release windows, it forces me to pick and choose, which means I have to miss some movies I’m interested in. It’s become annoying and frustrating.

When movies were in theaters longer, it made it so much easier to go to whichever movie whenever I wanted. It’s something I truly miss.

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