What Made Movies Lose Their Popularity?

A few weeks ago, we launched a contest inviting readers to submit personal essays about what’s gone wrong with the movie business—and how it might win back the audiences that seem to have largely abandoned it. We received many excellent entries, but five stood out as the best. We’ll be publishing one each day this week.

Here’s the fourth, courtesy of Mr. Nicholas Mountjoy! (You can read the first right HERE, the second right HERE, and the third HERE!)

The biggest focus of the movie industry today is to “put butts in seats” and “give the people what they want.” The problem is that the butts aren’t going to the movies, and the people aren’t (seemingly) getting what they want. For the movie studios, I’d say that’s a big problem.

I’ve thought about this at length, and I have several theories as to why this is happening—and how it could potentially be rectified. Movies are both my gift and my curse. The first movie I consciously remember watching was the masterpiece that is Back to the Future, along with Weird Science and Footloose (1984, of course). I went to the movies with my friends as a teenager—big groups of us at a time—as movies were an essential part of our growing up, not just for entertainment but for socialization as well.

By watching countless movies and partaking in these cinematic adventures, my life was shaped, and I developed a lifelong fascination with film. Over the years, I’ve built a practical and obsessive knowledge of film and the filmmaking process. I don’t know everything, but I humbly realize that I am what you would call a movie buff.

In addition to my movie knowledge, I read the trades countless times a day and keep myself up to date with new movie news and box office numbers. When you read JoBlo.com 6–8 times a day, you start to notice things about the movie industry: patterns in how movies succeed and fail, and how to draw your own conclusions. One such pattern I’ve observed is that box office grosses are declining—even for movies that traditionally would have been huge hits. There was a time when a summer movie had a better-than-even chance of being at least a marginal success. That’s no longer the case.

This is a big deal for studios because less revenue is never good—and it’s a big deal for me, because I want to see Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and still want studios to keep making original movies too! I’ve always thought there was a silent agreement between moviegoers and movie studios: they need us to show up, and we need them to make good movies. It’s a simple pact. But lately, it seems like both sides aren’t holding up their end of the bargain.

I’ve read a lot of articles and spoken to a lot of people, and I think I’ve come to four main reasons why people aren’t going to the movies anymore.

1. The COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s an unfortunate fact that COVID caused two things to happen: first, people couldn’t go to the movies; and second, people realized they didn’t need to go to the movies. That shift in mindset changed everything.

2. Conditioning and reinforcement.

People have been trained to know that for a small monthly fee, they can just wait and stream the movies they want to see. Captain America: Brave New World began streaming on Disney+ less than four months after its theatrical debut. That’s not a long wait.

3. Streaming itself.

I’ll be the first to admit I love streaming. But studios are cannibalizing one revenue stream (theatrical ticket sales) to feed another (streaming subscriptions). You can’t simply shift money from one pocket to another and expect to make more. Even Gordon Gekko might admit that greed isn’t always good.

4. A jaded audience.

This one troubles me the most: the moviegoing public is becoming more jaded, less enthusiastic, and generally disinterested in movies. My grandmothers are great examples of the opposite extreme—they went to the movies to be entertained and feel joy. Contrast that with many younger viewers today who want to be challenged, or who seek out “elevated horror” or deep artistic meaning. As time goes on, we’re drifting further from the idea that movies are meant to entertain. I get it—not every movie can be Raiders of the Lost Ark, and sure, Kraven the Hunter isn’t exactly a thrill ride—but there needs to be a balance.

As with most problems, there are solutions—and the box office slump is no different. Here are a few of my own humble suggestions.

1. Let artists be artists.

Probably the most detrimental factor to movie performance is interference from studio executives. You need artists and businesspeople to work together—but you wouldn’t hire an artist to do a CEO’s job, and vice versa. When making a movie, everyone involved needs to be on the same page and let the artist work. When executives interfere, creative synergy is stifled. And audiences can sense that. When there’s blood in the water, they stay away. So, everyone working on a movie should maintain a sense of unity. I know that’s easier said than done—but it’s crucial. This connects directly to the budget issue: studios need to bring budgets down. Making movies that cost $300–400 million just isn’t sustainable. Hell, even $200 million may be too much now.

2. Revamp streaming platforms.

The idea that a brand-new movie is on streaming just four months after theatrical release is, frankly, ridiculous. It’s a terrible business model.
Back in the day, movies were on pay-per-view forever before making it to cable channels like HBO or Showtime—and even longer before airing on broadcast networks like TBS or FOX. Going back to that “old way” might help reinforce the importance of box office revenue, and make theatrical releases feel more special. If people know they won’t be able to stream a movie for a year, they might go to the theater.

3. Involve the fans.

Here’s a wild idea: studios should listen to fans more. Let them pitch ideas. For example, there was that guy who took out an ad in The Hollywood Reporter with a treatment for a sixth Die Hard movie. Now, some people were done with the franchise after Die Hard With a Vengeance—but the point is, fan involvement creates interest. If studios find a way to let fans feel part of the process (even in small ways), they might build more invested audiences. Eli Roth is already doing something similar with The Horror Section.

4. Make going to the movies social again.

Studios and theaters need to bring back the sense of fun and socialization that made movies a cultural event in the ‘90s and 2000s. Think of Barbenheimer or Top Gun: Maverick. Those weren’t just movies—they were phenomena. People had something to talk about, and it became part of the cultural moment. Recreating that atmosphere could help. And part of that effort should include rethinking marketing strategies. The current approach clearly isn’t connecting with audiences—and it’s expensive.

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