> I don't think price is really the answer. It's convenience. Is a movie worth going to see in a cinema or should I just wait to see it via streaming.

Not really different than waiting for the DVD, though, is it?

I think price is definitely part of the equation. Going to the theater is a nice way to get out of the house. That argument gets worse and worse as you realize you're paying $20 for popcorn and an extra $10 for a drink. Add in the ticket costs and a family of 4, and it just becomes prohibitively expensive for what you're getting.

The theatre is fun and people would do it if it didn't break the bank.

Movies are hitting streaming a month or less after hitting theaters nowadays, DVD's used to take a lot lot longer than that to come out after the theatrical run.

So yes, it is different.

People have been complaining about the cost of going to the cinema for years, it's not a new complaint, I don't think it explains why behavior suddenly changed this year. I think Streaming with its massive quantity of content does, you won't have to wait long for a movie you're kind of interested to be available and there's plenty to watch in the meantime.

A lot of things survive on inertia alone. Covid created a break in the routine, and now the new inertia is streaming. With large-screen TVs commonplace, the cinema doesn't necessarily offer a better experience any more, and there is still lingering concern about Covid and its new variants, plus the unsustainable trend of ever-rising ticket prices.

Top Gun Maverick only recently became available to stream, similar to the amount of time it would take for a DVD. It also did INCREDIBLY well in theaters. This will likely be the model given it's success for the big players.

There is nothing forcing streaming platforms to release movies right away. Now that the pandemic is over, you're going to see streaming platforms claw back where they can. They're already starting - banning multi-logins, forcing more ads, etc.

> People have been complaining about the cost of going to the cinema for years, it's not a new complaint, I don't think it explains why behavior suddenly changed this year. I think Streaming with its massive quantity of content does, you won't have to wait long for a movie you're kind of interested to be available and there's plenty to watch in the meantime.

Behavior changed because of the pandemic. Now that it's over people are going to the cinema for good movies - again, see top gun maverick, or spiderman no way home. But they're not going to go for just anything. It's too expensive to go all the time. So for a B movie, yea, why bother when it's on netflix? But the cost is too high to go see that movie in theaters.