'Cheers to streaming!': Readers share why they aren't seeing movies in theaters anymore (2024)

Movies

Expense level, movie quality, annoying theatergoers, and the ease of streaming are just some of the reasons Boston.com readers say they're skipping movie theaters this summer.

By Kevin Slane

June 18, 2024 | 2:38 PM

Ticket prices, annoying crowds, and superior streaming services are just a few of the reasons why Boston.com readers aren’t going to the movies this summer.

Earlier this month, when the 2024 box office was looking particularly dire following the financial failure of “The Fall Guy” and “Furiosa,” we asked Boston.com readers about their moviegoing habits this year.

Since then, the box office has rebounded with strong performances from “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” and “Inside Out 2,” but the numbers are still short of what theaters saw before the pandemic.

Boston.com reader responses reflected this gap, with 79 percent saying they are seeing fewer movies in theaters than they did before the pandemic. 70 percent of readers say they’ve seen either zero movies or one movie in theaters in 2024, and only nine percent said they’ve seen five or more movies in theaters this year.

Not enough good movies?

Studios are mostly blaming the 2023 dual strikes for leaving the cupboard bare for the 2024 summer movie season. Reader responses reflected that, with 45 percent saying the current crop of theatrical releases didn’t interest them.

“The quality of movies in theaters is total crap — mostly sequels and superheroes,” said reader Stephen K. “The content for grownups who want sophisticated entertainment is on streaming services.”

“I still enjoy going to the movies,” said Scott of Burlington. “The problem this year is there has not been a movie that is worth going to.”

“I am burned out on sequels, remakes, reboots, and creatively bankrupt cash grabs,” says Dan S. “I would like to see more filmmakers with actual vision given big budgets (Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’ movies come to mind) rather than by-the-numbers design-by-committee bland nostalgia traps.”

Are movie theaters too expensive?

An additional 45 percent of readers said that going to the movie theater is too expensive right now.

“Going to the movies can cost upwards of $75 when you include two adult tickets, concessions, parking, gas and amenities,” said Cape Cod reader David B.

“Home TVs and sound systems have closed the gap with the theatre experience just enough to take all that money for a movie and popcorn and subscribe to at least 3-4 streaming services for the month,” says John C. of Plymouth.

Streaming movies at home instead?

The greater worry for studios than bad movies or rising inflation, however, is that for many people, the habit of going to the movies died during the pandemic.

Only a few months after launching Disney+ in November 2019, Disney began pushing its planned theatrical releases to the service during the pandemic. New streamers Peaco*ck (April 2020) and HBO Max (May 2020) did the same.

Four years later, 47 percent of Boston.com readers said that they prefer watching movies at home, and that they are going to the movies less thanks to streaming services making it easy to watch the latest releases from their couches.

“I’m paying for every streaming service anyway,” said Sean of Holliston. “May as well get my money’s worth and wait for the movies to come to me.”

“Why bother when I can see the same stuff at home a week later?,” said one reader from Concord.

“It is also much easier to shut off a movie you don’t like than it would be to leave a movie theater,” said J. Mistry of Reading.

“I’m home in my PJs with my now larger TV,” says D. of Winchendon. “Why do I need to go to the theater and deal with the traffic, people, and prices?”

The worst part of movie theaters? Other people.

Finally, 23 percent of readers said they are going to the movie theaters less often in 2024 because theatergoers are too annoying. (I can sympathize, having recently watched “Inside Out 2” next to two moms who reacted indignantly when a theater employee ask them to stop texting three different times. Their kids were infinitely more well-behaved than they were.)

“I’ve turned into a grouch at the movies. People can’t stay off their phones,” says JD from Ashland. “I really enjoy seeing a comedy with a large crowd, but cellphones have made that untenable.”

“Theatres are full of misbehaved children, running around, talking loudly, and not knowing theatre etiquette,” said Daryl of Milton. “Thanks to their millennial parents who take theatres as babysitters and failed to teach them. Cheers to streaming!”