It’s movie night with the family. After what seems like months of planning to get everyone together for this one night of entertainment, plans have finally fallen into place. With everyone in their respective spots on the couch and the popcorn popped, all that is left is to pick a movie.

     Yet a familiar scene starts to play out—no one can decide on which film to watch even after rummaging through various streaming platforms. No matter the genre, the movies available have already been seen a million times or are so old that no one wants to bother.

     This scenario is beginning to frequent in several households because of the ongoing pandemic-related restrictions. With nowhere left to go, movie nights are often the last resort for those looking to allay their boredom during this time of precaution. This increase in demand for in-house entertainment has led companies to devise creative solutions to their consumers’ problems. Netflix is one of the leading streaming platforms to do so, promising their viewers a new movie release every week throughout the year 2021. Although movie theaters have faltered in this period of extended time at home, Netflix is still looking to provide new content to movie-goers worldwide through this ambitious initiative. According to statitsta.com, Netflix has 73.94 million monthly active users whereas 46% of individuals stated that they went to the movie theater once or year or less.

     The projects Netflix are releasing span across genres from psychological thrillers to family animation. 71 new titles will exist on the platform by the end of the year, as teased last October through commercials that reached audiences nationwide. This slate is composed of both Netflix originals and other studio acquisitions. Notable films on the list include sequels to homegrown franchises like To All The Boys: Always and Forever and The Kissing Booth 3, while others are set to star big names such as Leonardo DiCaprio in Don’t Look Up and Amy Adams in The Woman in the Window.

     Many of Netflix’s subscribers welcome the idea of a new movie release every week, including Foran alum, Leandra Fernandez.

     She states, “I think it’s a good idea, especially for people who work a lot during the week and look forward to relaxing on a day off. These movies provide an opportunity for families to sit and spend time together.”

     On the other hand, critics mention that the option to view a new movie weekly on Netflix may put off users as this addition of movies could come across as an unnecessary abundance. 

     Senior Hallie Riggott, however, sees no problem with the strategy and says, “Of course some people won’t be able to or won’t want to watch all of them, but they’re adding more content at no additional cost so I don’t see any downsides.”

     Netflix is not the only company to currently act as a substitute for traditional movie theaters, where competitor HBO Max has already released blockbuster movies on their own streaming service; including Wonder Woman 1984 and Judas and the Black Messiah. HBO Max has reached 37.7 million subscribers as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, still trailing behind Netflix’s numbers. This poses the question of whether or not traditional movie theaters will continue to be the ones to exclusively release films first in the future. With the ease of watching movies safely at home through these streaming platforms, many ask: Why put in the effort to go back to the movie theater?

     Math teacher, Mr. Peters gives his own answer to this question by sharing how spending time at the movie theater has been special for him over the years.

     He states, “Speaking for myself, as an extrovert, I miss human interaction outside my house. Seeing scary movies, exciting movies, or big releases in a huge darkened theater with over a hundred other people is fun for me. In recent years, seeing the new Star Wars movies or the latest Marvel movies in an environment like that stands out as a wholly unique experience.”

     Although Netflix and several others aim to become the new normal for movie goers everywhere, many still argue that there is worth in visiting the movie theater when it is safe to do so again. 

     As Mr. Peters puts it, “I don’t think the traditional movie theater experience will ever be completely gone for the same reason that people miss big football games, live concerts, and more. I believe people need to connect with people more than they need to be given entertainment.”