Since the pandemic started, many businesses in the entertainment industry have shut down such as concert venues and festivals, but one of the most impactful things to shut down has been  movie theaters. Going to the movies bring joy to many and also provides a great source of family entertainment, but because of the shutdown,many films have been pushed back such as Disney’s Wonder Woman 1984, and Marvel’s Black Widow. Others, like Disney’s Mulan and the Tom Hanks thriller Greyhound, have changed course and were released on streaming services instead. 

The effects of this will be felt well into 2021 and possibly even for years after with movies such as the Avatar Sequels along with the next few Star Wars movies being delayed. The question is will this forever change the way movies will be released?

As previously stated, many movies have been released only on streaming platforms. Junior Kyah Hammernik enjoyed Hubie Halloween which was released on Netflix. “I think it’s sad that movie theaters aren’t open, but I like that they are still releasing movies on Netflix and Disney Plus. I thought Hubie Halloween was a great movie and I hope they keep releasing movies.”

With teenagers growing up with countless hours of movies and TV shows at their fingertips there’s the possibility that these streaming platforms could take over the movie industry and put movie theaters out of business. 

But junior Emma Zurstadt thinks that going to the movies will never get old. “Going to the movies will never get old. I love the vibe of everyone sitting down and watching a movie together. Not to mention it’s a great place to go on dates and stuff,” she said.

One of the movies that got pushed back was Wonder Woman. It was originally supposed to come out June 5 but since many theaters were not open at the time the movie’s release was pushed back to be released Dec. 25. “I’m sad that the Wonder Woman movie got pushed back because the trailers looked really good, plus I’ve always been a fan of Wonder Woman,” junior Chloe Farrington said.

Some students have already been back to the theaters since they re-opened. “I’ve only been to the movies once since they have reopened,” said junior Nick Crisp. “I saw the National Lampoon’s Vacation and the vibe of the theater just wasn’t the same as it used to be.”

Film teacher Kate Wagner thinks that the steaming services have gotten a big boost from the pandemic. “This is an opportunity for Netflix and other streaming services to come to the forefront since theaters can’t,” she said. “Are the films for this year’s Oscars going to be as good as in year’s past? I would guess not. Streaming services have already trumped most televised shows as far as quality – look at the Emmy and Golden Globe nomination and they are mainly dominated by streaming services and not the national networks.”