Less people are going to the movies these days. Ticket sales are down on average, despite recent films raking in all-time record high sales. Despite the Avengers taking over as the top grossing movie of all time in 2019, less people are going to the movies today. The entertainment value isn’t what it once was. Is Netflix to blame?
Steven Spielberg, perhaps the most famous name in the biz, recently blamed them. Netflix, in his mind, didn’t just destroy the rental industry. Blockbuster went out of business around the same time Netflix was expanding in popularity. But, is Spielberg right? Is Netflix pulling people out of the movie theater? The answer isn’t certain. While Netflix does create its own content, maybe they aren’t the ones really keeping movie-goers away.
Edward Norton has a different idea. As his newest movie “Motherless Brooklyn” is about to be released, he answered this very question. In his mind, it’s the movie theaters themselves that aren’t doing a good job. In fact, he even wants movie fans to call out their local theater if they aren’t providing a top-notch movie experience.
“It’s the theater chains that are destroying the theatrical experience. Period, full stop. No one else,” said Norton. “A lot of filmmakers and cinematographers that I know that have really started to look into this say that more than 60 percent of American theaters are running their projector at almost half the luminosity that they’re required by contract to run it at,” Norton said. “They are delivering crappy sound and a dim picture, and no one is calling them on it.”
Movies in Today’s Netflix World
The costs of going to a movie these days are astronomical. Most families can easily drop $50-$100, depending on what they decide to eat and drink, for a single outing. But the quality they deliver is doing downhill. If people aren’t getting what they pay for, why bother? Of course, they would rather stay at home, save a few bucks, and turn on Netflix.
“If [movie theaters] were delivering what they’re supposed to be delivering, people would be going, ‘Wow, this is amazing, I do not get this at home’…Well, I want people to literally walk into their theater and find the manager and say, ‘If this looks dark, you’re giving me my money back. Because I’m paying — and at the ArcLight, I’m paying premium — for a premium experience,’” said Norton
“If I disagreed with anybody, with great respect, it was [Steven] Spielberg,” Norton said. “Netflix invested more in ‘Roma’ theatrically than any boutique label at any studio would have by a factor of five. They put a Spanish-language black-and-white film all over the world in theaters. Hundreds of theaters, not just a few; as many as Sony Pictures Classics would have done. They put more money behind it, in a theatrical context, than anybody would have. You can’t tell me there’s a whole lot of people making black-and-white Spanish-language films and putting that investment behind them.”
Norton added, “There’s a lot going on because of Netflix, and what it was the vanguard of, that represents an unprecedented period of ripe opportunity for many more types of stories and voices to be heard, and told, and celebrated. It’s incredible, what’s going on.”
