Many people view movie theaters like Tower Records. Those people believe that with the rise of streaming options, your local AMC or Regal will go the way of the legendary record store – extinct. But at this year’s CinemaCon, National Association of Theater Owners president John Fithian thinks that’s all hyperbole and completely untrue.
“I can’t begin to tell you how often reporters have asked me if the movie theater industry is dying,” said Fithian (via THR). “Every downturn in admissions is a sign of secular decline, every innovation or improvement is intended to ‘save’ the movie theater business.”
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With MoviePass getting tons of headlines, combined with the ever-present reality of streaming services dominating the entertainment consumption landscape, Fithian thinks movie theaters are here to stay. And these so-called “disruptors” will join a long line of technologies that came and went.
“There has been a lot of hype about the next ‘disruption,’ he added. “VHS. DVD. Streaming. Shortened windows. PVOD. Subscriptions and simultaneous release. Yet we never die but remain a strong business in the face of disruption everywhere else in the entertainment landscape.”
Ultimately, he welcomes the disruptors because he believes that creating new movie lovers is a win-win for all involved. However, he thinks that no matter what, streaming will never be able to replace the communal experience of a movie theater. He illustrates that point by mentioning the recent cultural milestone films that tapped into the public like never before.
“Would ‘Black Panther,’ ‘Get Out,’ ‘Wonder Woman’ or any other major recent hits have become significant cultural landmarks if they went straight to streaming? Of course not. Their impact is a direct result of people experiencing them in a communal way,” said Fithian.
The NATO president believes that the future of theaters comes down to one thing, and one thing alone – the quality of the product. Bad movies bring fewer people to the cinemas than good movies. Fithian doesn’t want anyone to get caught up in the hype about declining attendance.
“The point here is simple: our business rises or falls on the movies in our cinemas. It doesn’t stand to reason that movie-going habits have permanently changed based on the performance of any given movie, weekend, month, or quarter,” explained Fithian.
At the end of the day, Fithian believes that the theater industry doesn’t need saving or need to be disrupted. Because for as long as people are excited about films, the need for a theater will be there. “The word disruption is thrown around way too much. Nothing needs to be disrupted when it comes to the basic goal of our industry: bringing people together to share a communal experience,” Fithian concluded.
