There are so many streaming services I can’t afford to go to the cinema anymore!
Australia has had access to a varying amount of online streaming services for over a decade now, but slowly overtime with streaming titans slowly releasing exclusive and original content on their platforms it does bring in the question of how long cinemas will stay relevant. Look I personally love going to the cinemas and seeing the newest release, but now with films having shorter cinema windows and going to streaming services after only a few weeks it’s not looking critical to go to cinemas.
Don’t get me wrong there are still benefits to the theatrical release, if you don’t want films to be spoiled it’s essential you see it fast in theatres. But also, whilst streaming services have seen great success with original tv shows it does appear they’ve not had the same success with films just yet. They’ve definitely released good movies yes, but with all these films locked behind subscription paywalls a lot of people will never see some films unlike the more accessible theatrical release.
But in the post covid era of life being more remote and accessible entirely online/from home it seems a lot of cinemas across the country are still feeling the impact of people choosing to stay home. It was only last year when Queensland Emeralds Cinema Manager Stephen Goddard said that cinemas had “been doing it tough… it’s been very hard, purely and simply because we just can’t get the people through the door”. But hey I get it, the current price for Netflix’s cheapest subscription without ads is $18.99 per month for access to hundreds of films and shows. The average cinema ticket for a single adult is $17.26 (as reported by Screen Australia in 2024), that’s nearly the same price but to just see one film, for one person, once.
When there was only one streaming service it made more sense, buy a subscription and access a huge digital library, but now there are over 30 distinct streaming services in Australia all with unique and exclusive content. Some are free, but most come with a monthly cost. So let’s say you’re a cinephile and need access to all major streaming services to view everything. Owning the cheapest subscription with all major services (services listed below) with and without ads will set you back $110.95 (with ads) or $134.95 (without ads).
(Services included: HBO, Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+, Stan, Prime Video, Binge, Kayo)
All said and done, cinemas as of right now still do exist and I personally think the movie going experience is unparalleled. There will be no beating seeing a film on opening night with a bucket of buttery popcorn and the largest frozen coke the staff are allowed to give me. With the biggest and hottest movies still getting theatrical releases cinemas will continue to survive but I fear that in the coming years we’ll slowly see them close in larger and faster numbers as movies move to streaming platform debuts.
If you don’t want cinemas to die out, the best thing you can do is go to the movies, spend that extra $37.50 on a small popcorn and coke and enjoy a night out with your friends and family.
