In an era that's now seeing the exponential rise in the popularity of online streaming services (like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon), movie theaters are suddenly seeing less and less of a regular turnout. So what's going on? It appears that people would rather watch a TV-show or movie from their living room instead of paying money and going to a movie theater, but is that really the case? Why is this sudden shift happening, and is perception actually reality in this scenario?

Netflix has quite a stranglehold on our culture, no one is denying that. Most people, whether they are kids in high school, college, or even adults with families, use Netflix. Now that Netflix is creating their own original content and signing deals for more movies and TV-shows to stream, their number of subscribers may continue to gradually climb. However, it costs money to make content, and there’s no way I can see them forking out $150 million to filmmakers to create a big-budget movie that can make their money back anytime soon – especially since other streaming services, like Hulu and Amazon, are now closely competing with them.

Netflix might be trying to dethrone movie theaters, which overtook drive-ins (209 movie theaters in Minnesota and six drive-ins), but one thing that is important to note is that even though box office numbers have been slightly less overall this year, big-budget, event-style movies have gotten people into the movie theaters regardless. For example, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens came into theaters last December and is now the 2nd highest grossing movie of all-time behind Avatar. Other films have made serious bank at the box office this year as well, like Captain America: Civil War and Finding Dory, which is great to see. It’s also worth noting that 2015 broke the record for summer box office, so it shouldn’t be unusual to see a little decline this year.

So are these the only kinds of movies that people are willing to spend money on and go see? I wish it weren't the case, but it's becoming more and more of a reality. I love seeing the big-budget, action films on the big-screen, I really do, but it's nice to change it up too. I went to go see Daddy's Home with one of my best friends this past winter, and it was hilarious (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, enough said). Many films are also tailored to be released with certain events going on in our culture. For instance, the Nicholas Sparks romance-adaptation The Choice (starring one of my favorite actors, Tom Welling) was released in theaters just before Valentine's Day, while October is usually the scary month (and the beginning of Oscar season), and Christmas time is typically when family films get released.

Collider.com published an article, which has been reiterated by their Director of Development and Schmoes Know co-creator Kristian Harloff multiple times, discussing the downward trend this summer for movie theaters domestically-speaking. The article stated how part of the problem is due to the lack of quality in the most-anticipated films that have been released this summer. Collider Video uploaded a YouTube video soon after the article's publication stating how movie ticket prices have reportedly hit an all-time high. Could the high ticket prices also be affecting movie theater chains? Are the insane budgets of movies causing prices to rise? It might not be affecting us here in rural Minnesota just yet, but if both these articles are to be perceived as a trend, I’m a little concerned for the future of movie theaters. Most people also don’t realize that the money you pay to see a movie goes directly to the movie studio, while the money you pay at the concession stand is how theaters keep the lights on and pay employees, so theaters have it worse.

What do we take away from all this? I think it’s safe to say that in the end, sure, streaming services and high ticket prices might be shying away some people, but it won’t destroy the greatness or integrity of the movie-going experience. As Star Wars typically reminds us, if there’s a good movie coming to theaters and there’s buzz about it, people will go see it. Don’t you want the experience of eating popcorn while enjoying a few hours surrounded by friends and/or family while being entertained? I want my future kids to enjoy a fun night at the movie theater. One could also argue that films have a profound impact on pop culture and society, but that's a topic for another day. As it stands, movie theaters still matter - and it’s important we keep it that way.