Now it’s Nicole Kidman’s turn to remind Americans about the magic of the movies
Nicole Kidman is starring in AMC's new ad campaign about encouraging people to go back to theaters
Film News Nicole Kidman
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every business in different ways, but few have endured quite as much of a saga as AMC Theatres. It all started right at the beginning of when the virus first popped up in the U.S., when theaters were shut down and NBCUniversal decided to dump Trolls World Tour on streaming to account for its abbreviated theatrical release. The now-historic decision—paving the way for nearly every major movie studio to do similar things with their own movies—was a huge success, with the Trolls sequel making “nearly $100 million” in $20 rentals and convincing NBCUniversal to put more movies directly on streaming rather than waiting for the pandemic to subside. AMC was so infuriated by that decision that CEO Adam Aron declared that no Universal movie would ever screen in an AMC theater again.
That position lasted about three months, during which AMC started bleeding through so much money that it became clear that the chain might not even survive the year. Thanks to some last-minute (like, maybe literally last-minute) deals, though, AMC managed to raise enough money to survive long enough into 2021 for theaters to start reopening. Now, just one month shy of being a year out from those grim forecasts, AMC has put together a $25 million ad campaign—its first ever and maybe the first ever period, according to Box Office Pro—designed to remind people that movie theaters exist and that they’re a much better way to see a movie than your dumb house.
Assisting AMC in this campaign is certified famous person Nicole Kidman, who appears in the ads walking through AMC’s new Porter Ranch 9 theater in Los Angeles while talking about how magical and transformative the moviegoing experience is in a voiceover (it’s a bit like the video that Vin Diesel released earlier this year, but without Vin Diesel’s… Vin Diesel-ness). The ads, which will appear on television in a real shot across the bow of movies’ biggest competitor, were directed by Tim Cronenweth and Oscar-winning cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth and they were written by Captain Phillips writer Bill Ray.
71 Comments
IMAX is the only way to really experience 54-year-old skin stretched tightly across a crone’s face.
What a completely tone-deaf ad. It’s not that people don’t want to go to movie theatres, it’s that they’re justifiably afraid of going to movie theatres.What a waste of money from a company teetering on collapse.
While I am in almost total agreement, the one thing I gotta counter is the idea that there’s people who don’t want to. I’m one of them. Taking a family of five to the latest MCU movie, even earlier in the day when tickets are cheaper, is minimum $50 to get in the door. Add in concessions, and we’re dropping a hundred. I’d much rather pay $20-30 to rent it at home, not be around coughing and hearing someone chew popcorn like a cow a row behind me, be distracted by the couple who won’t shut up or the person who brought a child way too young to be at the movies and is unhappy to be there, get to stay in my pajamas and eat my food and sit in my chair. The theater experience does nothing for me at all. I’m not saying I represent a majority of people, but it’s certainly a non-zero percentage.
To be fair, people started steering away from theatres even before COVID. Home theatre setups are easy and not too expensive.
True, although nobody was really worried that movie theatres might cease to exist before COVID happened.
And no home setup can replicate a movie theatre.
“And no home setup can replicate a movie theatre.”You’re right, to do that you’d have to invite a few insufferable teens to talk through the whole thing, pour pop all over your floor, and throw away $50 every time you go to the kitchen for snacks. I bought a cheap projector and screen, set it up in the backyard by the fire pit and haven’t looked back since. During the winter I just move it inside. There is definitely something to be said for enjoying a big dumb summer blockbuster in a crowd of fans. It’s a communal experience. But it’s one that is far too often spoiled by annoying asshats. Theatres aren’t going to disappear completely but ‘post-COVID’ they’ll slowly become more and more niche.
There is definitely something to be said for enjoying a big dumb summer
blockbuster in a crowd of fans. It’s a communal experience.
It’s not even about the crowd. First, no home theatre can replicate the spectacle of seeing a movie on a giant screen. I’m not even talking IMAX, just regular theatres, whose screens are larger than any home setup.And second, the sound system. No home sound system can replicate what theatres have. You might have a great sound system, but it’s not even close to the smallest theatre sound system.
Theatres aren’t going to disappear completely but ‘post-COVID’ they’ll slowly become more and more niche.
No, they won’t. Theatres will stay alive for the same reason they always have: Watching a movie at home will never be the same as watching it in a theatre.
I mean, ticket sales have been in a slow decline for almost 20 years and home theatre and day one streaming options will only eat into those sales further moving forward. Perhaps ‘niche’ wasn’t the right word. I guess I meant that theatres have probably already reached the top of their popularity. We’ve seen the effects already. Many theatres are now offering gimmick seats, alcohol and meals, a stronger usher presence, etc.
home theatre and day one streaming options will only eat into those sales further moving forward.
Will they, though? I really question whether we’ll still have day one streaming when this is finally over.
Many theatres are now offering gimmick seats, alcohol and meals, a stronger usher presence, etc. Ignoring the gimmick seats, it sounds like they’re offering exactly what people have been asking for for years. And they’re not all gimmick seats. I wouldn’t pay extra for my seat to vibrate & shake a little during the movie, but I still haven’t seen a 4DX movie and I really want to. I keep hearing that 4DX is worth the money, so I want to try it out. When this is all over.
“when this is finally over”This will never end, we’re gonna end up looking back at 2021 as one of the last normal years
You’re right, watching a movie at home will never be the same as watching it in a theater.At home, for instance, I can see the whole screen no matter where I sit, and I can have the volume where I can hear everything without being blasted out of my chair.At any given theater, there are approximately five seats where the viewing experience does not require you to make do with suboptimal angles, visibility, and/or clarity. And the sound balance and volume completely depends on which half-asleep employee is running the projector during a particular showing.Throw in mediocre, overpriced concessions, adhesive floors, the questionable cleanliness of your seat and armrests, and all of the rest of the logistical challenges of going out to a movie theater, and you’ve got a perfect case study of terrible ROI. No amount of Nicole Kidman’s Lizard Lady appeal to the mystic wonders of communal pop culture consumption is going to be able to whitewash that away.
You’re right, watching a movie at home will never be the same as watching it in a theater.At
home, for instance, I can see the whole screen no matter where I sit,
and I can have the volume where I can hear everything without being
blasted out of my chair.I’m not arguing that there are no reasons to watch a movie at home. There are plenty of valid reasons. But there are also valid reasons to still see a movie in a theatre, the biggest reasons being the screen & sound system that can’t be replicated at home. Seeing a movie with the crowd on opening night is something special, too. It’s not for everybody, granted, but there are valid reason to continue going to a movie theatre. They’re different from the reasons to watch at home, but they’re equally valid.
At any given theater, there are approximately five seats where the viewing experience does not require you to make do with suboptimal angles, visibility, and/or
clarity. And the sound balance and volume completely depends on which
half-asleep employee is running the projector during a particular
showing.
Clearly your local movie theatre just sucks. I haven’t had a bad view in a theatre since theatres installed raked seating instead of flat (that’s been 20 years or so), and I’ve never had any problems with the audio, either.
Yes they did lol, this has been a conversation for years. COVID streamlined it but the prevalence of VOD and streaming encroaching on theatre territory is not new, neither is the threat of extinction that theatres face.
Au contraire – I can control the volume at home.
I’m tired of having my ears blasted at the movie theater.
I wouldn’t mind the self-serving aspect so much if they had at least paired it with a PSA about vaccines or something. Like “Get the vaccine so that we can all enjoy the movie theater experience again.” Nope, not even an acknowledgement of the very understandable reason why people have stayed away. And they just couldn’t resist putting in a not-subtle-at-all hint about buying from the snack bar.
But that might alienate the anti-vaxxers, and they don’t want to do that. Their money is just as good as everyone else’s.God, I hate corporate America.
and judging by the comments (and ratio) on youtube, AMC has its bots and shareholders out IN FORCE to jam their message down everyone’s throats.
hey what if- get this – you stayed in your bubble and didn’t bother people making safe decisions about their lives lol!
It’s nice to see space aliens can still get work.
They prefer “undocumented extra-terrestrials”.
I was going to say “sure, hot space aliens” but then I remembered that Ted Cruz has a job.
That’s it, I’m never going to a movie theater again.
Not related to Ms. Kidman here, but I’ve noticed the AV Club and commentariat often bring up movies as a big Covid risk, as if it’s a huge incubator of the virus. And I’ve been insanely anxious throughout the entire pandemic about the disease, and did pretty much fuck all through most of the last year and a half. AND everyone’s decision is theirs, and I’d never judge someone for their choices in this nutso time, as long as they’re generally trying to be a good person about it.But just looking at movie-going, as it’s something I’ve resumed doing and felt honestly surprisingly comfortable doing, as it’s something I love:- Most theaters, as far as I know, have high-quality air filtration and ventilation (those high ceilings help a lot too). Perhaps not your local indie theater, but most major chains at least. Might not be plane level filtration, but way higher than normal places.- Because fewer people go to the movies now, it’s way easier to find showtimes with not that many people. Plus, theaters encourage you to change your seat if your assigned seat is uncomfortable for you. Perhaps avoid opening weekends, but I haven’t sat close to another human I didn’t go with, and I’m in a pretty highly trafficked area.- People don’t talk much during the movie, and studies have shown that it takes way longer to shed the virus if you’re quietly breathing than if you’re talking/singing/shouting. Perhaps avoid comedies to make 100 % sure there won’t be lots of expulsions of aerosols during the movie. And an absolute no if it’s a sing-a-long.- AFAIK, there’s been no documented case of a Covid cluster caused by a movie. Obviously that doesn’t mean there have been no cases, I’m sure there have. But that’s still pretty impressive!- All that considered, plus you being vaccinated and likely wearing a mask, plus at least some portion of the crowd also wearing a mask (even if it’s not everybody) your average risk is pretty low, arguably lower for an adverse event from Covid than from an accident in the drive to the theater. – And of course, this should probably be adjusted for where you are and whether cases are skyrocketing/high or falling/low in your area.So as a calculated risk for a night out, going to a movie probably isn’t a bad one. Certainly it’s not even in the same ballpark risk-wise as eating indoors at most restaurants, which is way riskier on almost every level.
Most theaters, as far as I know, have high-quality air filtration and ventilation
Found the problem.
Perhaps not your local indie theater, but most major chains at least.
So people outside of cities are out of luck, then.
People don’t talk much during the movie, and studies have shown that it
takes way longer to shed the virus if you’re quietly breathing than if
you’re talking/singing/shouting.
COVID is airborne. Sitting in the same room with a group of people for 2-3 hours is a risk, period.
AFAIK, there’s been no documented case of a Covid cluster caused by a
movie. Obviously that doesn’t mean there have been no cases, I’m sure
there have. But that’s still pretty impressive!
No, it’s just lucky.
All that considered, plus you being vaccinated and likely wearing a
mask, plus at least some portion of the crowd also wearing a mask (even
if it’s not everybody) your average risk is pretty low
It’s even lower if I watch from my couch. People lie about being vaccinated, take horse dewormer, and spend money on fake vaccine cards instead of just getting the free vaccine. Unless there’s somebody at the door checking vaccine cards, I’m not going to a theatre any time soon.
So as a calculated risk for a night out, going to a movie probably isn’t a bad one.
That doesn’t make it a good one.
Certainly it’s not even in the same ballpark risk-wise as eating indoors
at most restaurants, which is way riskier on almost every level.
There’s no good reason to do either right now.
I agree with you. I went to see ‘In The Heights’ during that very brief period when cases were declining and felt comfortable, but Delta is a different animal and I’m avoiding humans until it’s MUCH safer, whenever that is, if ever.
I’m also investing in a projector and some new furniture.
I enjoy movie theaters, but life will go on even if all of them go out of business.
Totally! This post isn’t meant to like movie-shame anyone. If you can invest in that stuff and are cool not going, then great. More just placing the risk of movie-going in context, especially to other activities a lot of people probably do that are as or more risky. Even folks who think they’re taking zero risks are probably just more accepting of some risks than others, and everyone has to navigate for themselves.
This is such a silly, judgmental, reactionary, holier-than-thou and factually wrong post I almost didn’t respond. But the most egregious thing: most places outside of cities ONLY have chains. That’s such a silly thing to say! Far more indie theaters in New York or LA than the suburbs or rural areas, where chains dominate and are often the only option.Major chains have high-quality filtration. I’ll get rid of AFAIK there. What I don’t know is that every single theater in that chain does – and if you’re worried, call and check! But most do.I didn’t mention anything about other people being vaxxed. I’m saying if YOU’RE vaccinated, and wear a mask, and are in a theater like the ones I described, your risk is low regardless of other people’s status. Unless you live in a city or are such a hermit that you’ve just set up a cave for yourself, I’m sure you, like most Americans, drove somewhere since being vaccinated. And you might’ve even driven somewhere just for fun, just for the drive, to get out of your head. Your risk of killing yourself and other people is higher for that activity than going to the movies as a normal, vaxxed, non-Covid denying person.I won’t respond further, don’t judge your choices – by all means stay home! – and wish you the best.
I didn’t mention anything about other people being vaxxed. I’m saying if YOU’RE vaccinated, and wear a mask, and are in a theater like the ones I described, your risk is low regardless of other people’s status. Then you’re an idiot. I very much care about the vaccination status of those around me. I don’t want unvaccinated assholes around me, incubating even more variant strains that my vaccine won’t protect me from.
I’m sure you, like most Americans, drove somewhere since being
vaccinated. And you might’ve even driven somewhere just for fun, just
for the drive, to get out of your head. Your risk of killing yourself and other people is higher for that activity than going to the movies as a normal, vaxxed, non-Covid denying person.
Now you’re just making shit up. Show your numbers.
When they start talking about driving, that’s when the (figurative) mask is slipping.
Vaccines have 25-fold death reduction. 5 % of all Covid deaths were below age 50.
https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/historical-fatality-trends/deaths-by-age-group/Over 60 % of all car deaths are below the age of 45. So let’s do this quick and dirty. 198.84 per 100,000 deaths from Covid. 5 % of that is 9.9 per 100,000 people below age 50. Even though vaccines have been shown to hold up for death and hospitalization against Delta, let’s reduce death reduction to 15-fold, which rounds up to 7 %. So that’s .7 out of 100,000 deaths for a fully vaccinated person.Now let’s take car accidents (data link below). 11.1 deaths per 100,000 people. 60 % of that is 6.66 per 100,000 for people below 45 (so likely higher if we do below 50, but just by a bit). And, well, that’s it. https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/state-by-state#:~:text=Posted%20March%202021.-,Fatal%20crash%20totals,per%20100%20million%20miles%20traveled.So for a 40 year old, the fully vaccinated death rate is .7 per 100,000. The car accident rate is 6.6 per 100,000. Now obviously this is quick and dirty and not 100% at all, but it’s pretty solid at showing you the relative risk between being fully vaccinated in the US and driving in the US.Thanks for the challenge, that was valuable for me to do too.
I don’t care about the rest of your post, but while most theaters have a lot of cooling in their air conditioning, most likely do not have high quality filtration (as that would increase their energy cost). I think the CEO was so proud that they use MERV 13 filters which is the equivalent to your home a/c filter, but below most commercial grade filters, and far below HEPA filters.
This was an extremely diplomatic response. Good on ya.
these people think they are doing politics by talking shit about movie goers you gotta just let them be miserable and ignore their wailing.
I’m not interested in risking my health or the health of other people who live in my building, including the elderly, the infirm, and unvaccinated children, just to see something that I can see at home relatively soon. You may think it’s “not a bad calculated risk”, but it seems like a really, really pointless one right now, when we’re still averaging over 1,500 deaths a day to Covid.
>People don’t talk much during the movie,
Press X to doubt.
“AND everyone’s decision is theirs, and I’d never judge someone for their choices in this nutso time, as long as they’re generally trying to be a good person about it.”But that’s the problem. It’s not a matter of individual risk-taking, because irresponsible people spread the disease to others.
If you wear a mask and are considerate of others and are vaccinated, you’re not being irresponsible. The irresponsible people might give you Covid, but if you’re doing these things responsibly, you’re not going to spread. It’s even shown that most of the spread of Covid is done by relatively few individuals if you want to go down that route. And yes I get it – if you’re living with an older person or immunocompromised person who you see every day, don’t go! Obviously every situation is different.And gimme a break with the driving/mask comment – masks and vaccines work, there should be global vaccine mandates and there should be indoor mask-wearing. I even said indoor dining is a far riskier proposition. I’m talking solely about movies. So can it with the “this guy disagrees with me about something so he’s obviously an anti-vaxxing anti-masker in disguise” numnuts.
– Because fewer people go to the movies now, it’s way easier to find showtimes with not that many people. Plus, theaters encourage you to change your seat if your assigned seat is uncomfortable for you. Perhaps avoid opening weekends, but I haven’t sat close to another human I didn’t go with, and I’m in a pretty highly trafficked area. So, the safety you’re enjoying is because no one is really going to the movies? Odd stance. What happens if movie attendence goes back to pre-COVID levels but still have all the bullshit of anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers?
*Part* of the safety is that, sure – that’s common sense. If movie attendance is 100 % and no masks are required and vaccine levels aren’t appreciably higher, I probably wouldn’t be comfortable. If people were, for the other reasons I stated above, which are also part of the “safety you’re enjoying”, I wouldn’t judge them. If people were AND movie theaters were shown to be superspreaders of the virus or foster higher community spread, which hasn’t been shown to be true, then I’d more strongly feel no one should go. I think that all is pretty consistent, no?
It is nuts how many people are taking your measured, reasonable statement and acting as though it’s reckless or selfish.I saw a movie in a theater for the first time since the start of the pandemic last week (The Green Knight — it was good!) There were six people in the theater, everyone had masks, I live in an 80% vaccinated area, I get tested twice a week, etc. It was a wonderful experience and I hope everyone can experience it as soon as they’re able to do so responsibly and comfortably.
Different parts of the country/world are experiencing different situations, and it makes no sense to layer identical requirements on top of all of them. Vaccines should be mandatory, as should indoor masks. It can also be true that there is room for personal variation in risk tolerance past a certain level of due diligence.Also, it is remarkable what a difference the rate of air turnover makes:
https://news.mit.edu/2021/covid-19-risks-indoor-0415
Wait, you’re not related to Nicole Kidman?
So as a calculated risk for a night out, going to a movie probably isn’t a bad one. Certainly it’s not even in the same ballpark risk-wise as eating indoors at most restaurants, which is way riskier on almost every level.Calculating a risk involves comparing potential ceilings to potential floors. The potential ceiling of watching a film at home is, yes, lower than watching it in public on a big screen, buuuuuut the potential floor of going out is FAR lower than staying home. Six feet lower, one might say.
Literally in the sentence you’re quoting I compare movie risk to eating out, putting it in the context of other activities that many people are currently doing. That’s the whole point. Yes, the risk of doing anything is higher than the risk of doing nothing, but since most people right now are doing something – perhaps not most AV Club commenters, who are likely on the more introverted side, which might explain the pushback for a pretty non-controversial post – it’s worth thinking of comparative risk.
The topic at hand is the risk/reward of watching films at home against doing so in public, so your comparison of the risks of watching films in public to those of eating indoors in public is a non sequitur. It is goalpost-moving.most people right now are doing something – perhaps not most AV Club commenters, who are likely on the more introverted side, which might explain the pushback for a pretty non-controversial post“LOL antisocial nerds in their moms’ basements are angry at my obviously superior logic.” Sure, Jan.
My man, I have given so much detail and explained so much in this thread. Have a good night/life.
I can’t with Kidman anymore. The weird lizard lick she does through those dead lips that I noticed during ‘The Undoing’ is a huge ‘nope!’ for me.
It’s that plastic forehead that gets me.
Creepy!
she applauds your sentiment
Those can’t be real, right?
Once she started down the plastic surgery path there was seemingly no going back. She just weirds me the fuck out now, which is a shame considering how stunning she once was.
They’re taking turns? That’s nice. Sharing is lovely.
“AMC started bleeding through so much money that it became clear that the chain might not even survive the year”Yeah… about that…
All that popcorn I sold for AMC when I was a teenager, and they only raised my pay by one dollar an hour!
Their market cap has increased by 10x this year.
Listen: I am genuinely unironically Beck Bennet as Vin Diesel when it comes to the movies. I love everything about it, even the shitty parts. So I’m not gonna be unbiased here. Suffice it to say there’s only a one in 5000 chance at most of a breakthrough infection, so I’m just gonna pick a seat away from people and vibe. Go ahead and enjoy your home theaters, but I don’t have one and I don’t particularly want one.
This Friend speaks my mind.
the hand dryer is as loud as a choo-choo train!
The garbage can with the hole on top that’s a little too small! Da moovees!!!
People will return to theaters when they feel it’s safe, not because some celebrity told them how much she enjoys movies. Personally, I get more enjoyment out of watching movies at home, and that was before we had hundreds of thousands of people dying of a now super-contagious disease.
idk which is worse, the privileged-ass takes that watching a film at home is somehow less valid (which spits on indies and imports that are harder to see in cinemas), or the utter irresponsibility of promoting cinemas during an ongoing pandemic.Well that was rhetorical, the latter is totally worse, but there can be two things.
The last movie I saw in the theaters was End Game, and the one before that was Infinity War. I think for the most part movies are fine to go to when it’s not a premier/opening weekend. Even before the pandemic, I end up finding times when there’s just hardly anyone there (whether it’s in my 100K hometown of Kenosha, or much more populous Chicago) as I don’t like watching movies with a buncha morons who talk or somehow disturb the movie. There just hasn’t been many movies that have made me get out of the house and spend 10-15 bucks (depending on location) to watch in one sitting. I’m generally not a patient enough person to go through a movie in one sitting unless I know I’ll really like it.I’m not really concerned about Covid and Movie Theaters because as I said above, I made sure to buy tickets only on days/times that it was mostly empty. That minimizes the risk to not more than working in a mostly empty office space, and certainly less than in a restaurant.
this might be awfully cynical of me but I feel like this message would carry more weight if it weren’t delivered by someone who has (1) an extremely vested interest in getting asses back in seats, but (2) is rich enough to not really need it either. Sure, having Joe Cinematographer or Fred Production Assistant asking everyone to return because they actually need that money wouldn’t be as sexy but would probably resonate with me more.
It’s gonna be weird seeing her become more and more alien-like as she continues to age and double down on the procedures.
It’s a straight-up fucking tragedy.
Before the pandemic I would hardly go to theatres because of people practicing bad theatre etiquette, anything from talking too loud or pulling their phones out… really pulls me out of the movie.
I can remember when I was a kid, I got to see The Empire Strikes Back at the original Cine Capri theater in Phoenix – the one with the balcony seating and the huge superwide wraparound screen of a type that doesn’t exist anymore. That was an experience.That was also over 40 years ago. There’s a new Cine Capri in Phoenix but it’s just a bigger version of a standard movie theater. The real palaces of moviegoing are mostly gone now.Today, I own one of those vintage popcorn machine. Bought it on Amazon. Put a cup of popcorn, 1/3 cup of coconut oil, and a teaspoon of Flavacol popcorn salt into the mixer, and the result is better movie theater popcorn for the whole family than I can buy at any theater chain outside of a rural town movie house that still does it the old-school way.I have a big-screen HD wall-mount TV with a surround sound system where I can stream or watch DVD/BluRay movies at my convenience. A half-bathroom sits within 20 feet of my living room – I can hit pause and take care of business at my leisure. I have enough couch space to have a whole group of family and friends watch with me, or we can move the couches and have a picnic on the floor.There is nothing that Nicole Kidman and AMC can offer that will make me prefer going out to a movie theater instead of availing myself of my conveniences – and saving myself at least 50 bucks per showing.To those who respond to me by saying, “But what about the moviegoing experience with other people?” I say, “Have you seen what other people are doing and saying these days?”
Nicole Kidman will buy you popcorn, but she’ll make you eat it with her. Grody!
You first Nicole.
Theatres in Ontario Canada, require masking and capped at 50% capacity and in less than 2 weeks proof of vaccination is required for attendance with an app to come along the way. I don’t know what the Americans are doing but they really need to make vaccination attendance mandatory for indoor events, even Biden said so today. I’ve gone to the movies 3 times this summer. 10 PM Monday show and 1 PM Friday shows, had entire rows to myself and I’ve already been vaxxed (2 weeks after it kicked in was when I went to Black Widow)I don’t quite think that going to a movie theatre is exactly an instant covid sentence like AV Club tends to paint it. I’m still waiting on movie theatre outbreak stories.
This is an interesting choice since Kidman has mostly been acting on TV for a few years.
How is it that people who run a pop culture website can’t manage any affection for cinema? Any article about movie theaters on this site is always dripping with contempt for the idea of going to the theater and seems to suggest we should all be thrilled with home viewing. I don’t follow the music side of the AVC but do we see the same contempt for concerts over there? Should we all be thrilled with enjoying music from home? It’s not that hard to have a nuanced take on the subject. Hell, I’ll do it for you:
As a father of two young girls, I appreciate being able to watch movies at home (Mank did not really need a theater) but I also like the option of seeing movies in a cinema (stoked for Dune!). Obviously there is a health concern with COVID, but data suggests it’s a fairly minor one. Streaming can help independent films reach a larger audience, but also bury good films in an avalanche of releases without giving the movies a chance to really impact the American public.