Don’t give up on ‘the pictures’ just yet
ATRIP to the cinema was most definitely a favourite of mine when I was growing up. From the smell of the popcorn in the foyer to the darkness of the cinema that cut out everything but the story on the massive screen in front of you, there was something almost magical about being taken to the pictures.
I was lucky to have been taken to some of the classic films of the 80s, from Back to the Future to Ghostbusters, the early Superman films and even The Neverending Story.
They were glory days for cinema, escapism during a time of heightened tension over global affairs.
That tension over global affairs is back in the air right now, albeit with a virus instead of the threat of nuclear annihilation which formed the basis of the Cold War.
So the fact that the cinema is facing somewhat of a crisis is almost a head-scratcher.
The chance to remove ourselves from the everyday worries of our ‘new normal’ with a blockbuster film and a bucket of popcorn would seem like something we should all relish. Apparently not.
Cineworld and its offshoot Picturehouse Cinemas yesterday announced the closure of all venues and screens for an indefinite period.
The lack of compelling films has been blamed in part for the lack of bums on seats in cinemas, but the factors are much more complex.
The prospect of sitting in a room with a load of strangers during a pandemic is an obvious place to start, and unlikely to lure too many families out of their homes and into cinemas, especially with facemasks required (unless you’re eating or drinking).
Yet it is the rise of streaming services such as Netflix which can also be said to have dealt a huge blow to the cinema industry in recent years.
The likes of Netflix offer a vast array of films and TV programmes at the touch of a button for a monthly fee that probably equates with a couple of cinema tickets.
The popularity of such streaming services is so high that Netflix has its own production company which makes films specifically for the smaller screen, cutting out the ability of the likes of Universal to make sure cinema gets the first screenings.
It’s not the same as when you had to trudge to the video rental shop and pick out a film to play on your VHS machine. There are plenty of younger people who haven’t even heard of Blockbuster or realise how annoying it was to find that the last person to have watched it had not rewound the tape.
But that’s another story altogether. The fact is that in busy times, when our entertainment budget has to stretch as far as possible, it is far easier to pick out a film from Netflix or its ilk than it is to venture out to the cinema.
Yet there are still cinemas in operation – independent cinemas, the huge Vue chain, and others which will be tearing their hair out at pieces like this declaring that they are almost dead.
Well, they’re not yet. And it needs to be pointed out that staying at home is a poor substitute for the real pleasure of the cinema.
You have to put away your smartphone for a start, taking away the distraction which prevents you from really getting lost in a good tale.
The sound system, picture quality and sheer size of the screen, too, are not going to be met by your own system, unless you’ve had your own cinema installed in your house.
Even then, that popcorn smell is something that still takes me all the way back to when my dad would take me along to the nearest cinema and treat me to two hours of sheer escapism – while getting a rest himself.
So don’t give up on the cinema yet.
Staying at home is a poor substitute for the real pleasure of the cinema