It was very totally different.
You heard a few film by your favourite director being filmed. You waited patiently for the theatrical launch, purchased tickets, received dressed, and loved a film night time with pals. It was a deliberate outing, devoted completely to watching the movie.
Now, it’s a stay-at-home night time, a film on a flat display screen, audio system that hardly deserve mentioning, and numerous distractions. These are fully totally different movie-watching experiences.
About 75% of U.S. adults watched a newly launched film by way of streaming as an alternative of within the theater at the least as soon as in 2024, in response to a survey from The Related Press-NORC Heart for Public Affairs Analysis.
About three in 10 respondents mentioned they watch new films on streaming platforms at the least as soon as a month. The info counsel that almost all American cinema followers at the moment are extra prone to stream a film than see it in theaters, a development that accelerated throughout and after the Covid pandemic.
Comfort and price are the 2 foremost drivers behind this shift.
The brand new development amid filmgoers has dire penalties, and actor Matt Damon just lately highlighted one in every of them.
Matt Damon says that with the house viewing expertise in thoughts, Netflix constructions films otherwise than typical big-screen variations.
Picture supply: Shutterstock
Matt Damon says going to the theater to observe a film is “like going to church”
Matt Damon and his longtime good friend and film collaborator, Ben Affleck, appeared on the Joe Rogan Expertise podcast on Jan. 16 to speak and promote their new Netflix film “The Rip.”
Early within the dialog, the pair mirrored on the rising problem of getting audiences again into theaters, emphasizing that the theatrical expertise stays unmatched.
Affleck pointed to the monetary danger concerned in releasing a film theatrically.
“So to make a $25 million movie to break in, you got to make $100 million,” Affleck mentioned.
Damon adopted up, explaining that it’s tough to get folks to theaters today, amid a lot noise within the leisure area. That’s why not many moviemakers are prepared to speculate and danger their cash, and it is also why streamers have stepped in.
Affleck additionally highlighted that it is rather costly for many individuals to go to the flicks with their households, versus month-to-month subscription providers that allow them to observe many titles.
Trade knowledge replicate that shift. World field workplace income rebounded to about $42 billion in 2024, streaming platforms now generate roughly 48% of complete movie income, a major rise from 32% in 2020. This highlights how digital viewing has reshaped the economics of movie distribution, in response to knowledge from ReelMind.
Rogan then identified that the 2 methods of watching a film are essentially totally different experiences, as a result of seeing it with a crowd is “like a shared experience.”
Damon followed up with his personal experience of seeing “One Battle After One other” in an IMAX theater, saying, “There’s nothing like that feeling.”
“I always say it’s more like going to church. You show up at an appointed time. It doesn’t wait for you,” Damon said.
He contrasted this with watching a movie at home, highlighting how you view it in a room, with the lights on and other things going on in the background, such as the kids or the dogs running around.
“It’s just a very different level of attention that you’re willing, or that you are able to give to it. And that has a big effect. And it also ends up having an effect or starting to have an effect on how you make movies,” Damon said.
Netflix wants movie plots “reiterated” for distracted home viewers
“Bourne Identification” and “Good Will Searching” star Damon added that the standard way to make an action movie that he and Affleck previously learned is to have three set pieces, one in the first, one in the second, and one in the third act.
The big one with all the explosions and the one you spend the most money on is usually in the third act, because that’s a finale.
Now, he said, streamers often want the biggest moment upfront, to hook viewers immediately.
“And, it wouldn’t be terrible if you reiterated the plot three or four times in the dialogue, because people are on their phones, while they’re watching.”
Affleck pushed back, arguing that repetition isn’t the only path to success on streaming platforms. He pointed to Netflix’s limited series “Adolescence” as proof.
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“But then you look at ‘Adolescence,’ and it didn’t do any of that s**t,” Affleck said. “And it’s f**king great. And it’s dark, too. It’s tragic and intense. [It’s about] this guy who finds out his kid is accused of murder. There are long shots of the back of their heads. They get in the car; nobody says anything.”
The show, he noted, relies on long silences and subtle storytelling, rather than constant exposition.
Damon agreed that “Adolescence” works precisely because of how masterfully it’s made, but suggested it may be the exception rather than the rule.
The series demonstrated that “you don’t need to do any of that s**t to get the people,” Affleck concluded.
So what do film fans and Netflix subscribers think about all of this?
Reddit users critique streaming trends
Damon’s comments quickly spread online, particularly on Reddit, where a thread discussing his remarks gained roughly 1,300 upvotes and more than 230 comments.
Overall, the sentiment is overwhelmingly critical of the streaming model, and while many users admit they are part of the problem, another significant group argues Netflix is to blame.
One user pointed out a vicious cycle.
“It’s also kind of a vicious cycle — making a show/movie for an unengaged audience by restating the plot just means you’re writing worse dialogue, which makes me want to pay attention even less,” user CaptainStack wrote.
CaptainStack’s comment got 2.2k views, suggesting many people agree that poor, repetitive writing makes them pick up their phones, which in turn makes Netflix think they need more repetitive writing.
Others agreed, also blaming the quality of the content. User used-can-6979 wrote: “It is humorous although as a result of I discover myself on my telephone after I watch their content material as a result of it isn’t good.”
Some users pointed out that Netflix’s subscription model is not suited for film fans. User distance_33 wrote: “They make films for individuals who do not watch films. Netflix makes what I name ‘laundry films.’ If I’ve a variety of laundry to fold I am going to throw on a film that requires minimal effort and get to work. Netflix has no scarcity of this sort of content material.”
Others followed up expressing the nostalgia for the “mid-budget” movie, arguing that Netflix has replaced the art of filmmaking with a high-budget version of background noise.
User TrueFilm wrote, “Netflix is slowing removing the ‘art’ aspect of movies/film and are essentially making high budget YouTube videos with everyone’s favorite actors.”
While the majority of users agree that the streaming services have given up on cinema and are intentionally producing audio-visual wallpapers, some also acknowledged that subscribers are also a part of the problem of being addicted to their phones.
User bamfsalad wrote, “IMO should you aren’t going to focus then do not watch.”
One consumer argued that the answer to this downside is perhaps that subscribers react.
“If you want better quality content, then stop watching the crap Netflix s**ts out. Support shows like AMC’s ‘Interview with the Vampire’ or AppleTV’s ‘Pluribus’ & ‘Slow Horses.’ Because as long [as] Netflix gets views, that’s all they care about. Articles and reviews s**t talking their content does nothing. Money talks,” wrote consumer Paul_MuadDib.
Associated: Main streamers combat churn with limited-time provides as costs rise
