Why don't American audiences go to the cinema anymore?

Spontaneous movie theater visits are on the decline, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic changed audience behavior.

Statistics from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPA) over the past three years show that the film industry is recovering, but has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels - Photo: Shutterstock

This not only reduces the number of movie viewers but also seriously affects the movie theater profits

Previously, "spontaneity" audiences - people who just go to the cinema without any specific plans and choose to watch random films - were considered an important source of revenue for cinemas.

This is a group of people who can make a big difference in revenue, contribute to maintaining diversity in films and bring cinematic works closer to the public.

Movie theaters face many problems after the pandemic

In a recent article, the newspaper The Los Angeles Times Point out the current situation is not as expected.

Not only are there a lack of compelling films, but even when there are, they are not shown long enough for audiences to discover and choose to watch them.

Wolfs, a movie starring two of Hollywood's top actors Brad Pitt (left) and George Clooney, also had to leave theaters early to serve Apple TV subscribers - Photo: Apple TV

Part of the reason for this phenomenon is the race between online broadcasting giants like Netflix, Apple, Amazon...

Specifically, non-blockbuster films will have to leave theaters early to be broadcast on the above platforms, making it easier for audiences to access and avoiding expensive service fees when going to theaters.

According to The Los Angeles Times reported that before the pandemic, films would typically stay in theaters for an average of 80 days before hitting the small screen, but now that number has dropped to 30-32 days.

In contrast to the "casual" audience, regular moviegoers, with the habit of visiting the theater every week, only account for about 12% - 15% of total box office revenue.

This has been pushing theaters to face major challenges in maintaining revenue.

Blockbusters like Wicked, Moana 2, Dune 2, Deadpool & Wolverine... still attract huge audiences to theaters, but this does not reflect the whole picture of the film industry - Photo: Warner Bros/Universal/Disney

Moreover, although theaters are trying to return to normal after the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, global box office revenue has yet to recover as before.

Before the pandemic COVID-19 happens, box office revenue in the US regularly exceeds the $10 billion mark each year. However, experts predict this year that figure will only reach about $8.5 billion.

Another important factor that makes the situation worse is the lack of diverse genre films.

Movies with an average box office gross of $50-100 million are becoming increasingly rare.

It Ends With Us is one of the rare romantic films that dominated the box office this year, but this success also comes from Sony's strong marketing efforts - Photo: Sony

Movie genres such as drama or romantic comedy, which were very popular in the past, have now almost disappeared from the big screen.

Of course, filmmakers still regularly produce these genres, but they will not be promoted as loudly as the action, blockbuster, A-list movies that have been released recently. Wicked; Moana 2 ...

This causes dramas or romantic comedies to only appear in theaters for a short period of time before being quickly discontinued. "giant" of online broadcasting industry buy and upload to their platforms, audiences also have fewer options when going to theaters.

All of these factors are putting Hollywood in a difficult position.

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