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babylonsister

(172,716 posts) Wed Dec 24, 2025, 10:51 AM Dec 24

Why There Will Be Almost No Movie Theaters in 5 Years [View all]

If true, how about transforming them into housing for the homeless? Or, bulldoze them and build condos.

Why There Will Be Almost No Movie Theaters in 5 Years
by Miles Mogulescu | December 24, 2025 - 6:02am

Whether Netflix or Paramount wins the battle of mega-corporations to merge with the fabled Warner Bros. movie studio, the economics of the film industry no longer support the production of enough feature films for most movie theaters to still be viable businesses. Within a few years, the theatrical feature film will be all but dead with devastating cultural, social, political, and economic impact.

snip//

A large portion of the public rightly figures that there’s no point in rushing out to theater to see a new feature for $15 or more a ticket plus parking and popcorn when they can see it at home at in a few weeks. Most theatrical films no longer pencil out.

While there were recently six major studios (plus mini majors), after Warner Bros. is sold (following other recent anti-competitive mergers like Disney buying Fox) there will only be four left.

With the collapsed distribution windows, it’s no longer feasible for those four studios to produce enough theatrical features to keep movie theaters in business. In 2025 over 100 films received a major theatrical release with inflation-adjusted box office revenues of over $15 billion while in 2024 they crashed to only 62 films with box office revenues of about $8.6 billions. Over 5,000 movie theaters have already closed their doors in the last couple of years.

snip//

Art is now called “content” and is treated as an asset class to be bought and sold by mega-corporations like they’re real estate towers or meme coins. Roughly 2-hour dramas in 3 acts have been inspiring communal audiences for about 2500 years since the Greeks but they’re about to largely disappear from theaters, to the detriment of the entire culture. This is ushering in an age with little originality or surprise and general cultural stagnation. The sale of Warners will only accelerate this trend.

As James Cameron, director of “Titanic” and “Avatar” recently said, it will be a “disaster.”

more...

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/miles-mogulescu/115772/why-there-will-be-almost-no-movie-theaters-in-5-years

58 replies

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Highlight:

Why There Will Be Almost No Movie Theaters in 5 Years [View all] babylonsister Dec 24 OP

Kick dalton99a Dec 24 #1

So sad. FalloutShelter Dec 24 #2

Fortunately Miles is Completely Wrong GreatGazoo Dec 24 #3

The huge theater in my hood closed down this past summer fwiw. babylonsister Dec 24 #4

That sounds like a terrible experience GreatGazoo Dec 24 #7

I recently went to see Nuremberg, ... aggiesal Dec 24 #23

Was this at a chain like AMC or Cinemark? GreatGazoo Dec 24 #48

Regal Theaters ... aggiesal Dec 24 #54

The old theatre in my home town, smaller one, is now run by a non-profit and shows Bev54 Dec 24 #43

I doubt he is wrong lonely bird Dec 24 #14

my point was that "movies are dying" has been said many times in the past with even better reasons GreatGazoo Dec 24 #49

Not sure he's wrong this time... hlthe2b Dec 24 #18

I'll add one gay texan Dec 24 #26

Yeah, That Didn't Work For Me Either ProfessorGAC Dec 24 #41

LOL "the failure of Ishtar" LearnedHand Dec 25 #55

theaters won't be gone but they certainly won't be anything like they are now Javaman Dec 24 #5

That's already happening or happened newdeal2 Dec 24 #8

Here in Tucson ChazInAz Dec 24 #34

Change happens ... Auggie Dec 24 #6

This message was self-deleted by its author CrispyQ Dec 24 #29

Drive-in movies, AM hits, and vinyl records ! Pluvious Dec 24 #37

Hope drive-ins are the last to go. KS Toronado Dec 24 #9

There are very few drive-in theatres left in Canada. Hard to get people in winter and only run Bev54 Dec 24 #44

Every Saturday growing up was the drive-in KS Toronado Dec 24 #47

Drive-Ins are making a small comeback IbogaProject Dec 24 #45

Alamo Drafthouse will probably survive. . . DinahMoeHum Dec 24 #10

Are the years 2025 and 2024 flipped in the fourth paragraph? Hugin Dec 24 #11

Trying to figure that out myself.... Ol Janx Spirit Dec 24 #19

I have to admit... Hugin Dec 24 #25

This is a creative commons article copied from another site. hunter Dec 24 #33

The indies will survive, AMC on the other chains can go down into the toilet as far as I'm concerned. Crowman2009 Dec 24 #12

The ticket prices are ridiculous. milestogo Dec 24 #13

Doom and gloom predictions are often misguided PJMcK Dec 24 #15

We've been buried in so much shitty "content" we hardly recognize the good stuff any more. hunter Dec 24 #16

Went to a movie in a theater. Other audience members ruined it. gulliver Dec 24 #17

They probably said that about the iceman when the electric refrigerator came out - and they were right. Wonder Why Dec 24 #20

Do you remember the shorts? Zackzzzz Dec 24 #30

I remember a lot further than that Wonder Why Dec 24 #50

The redheaded weirdo incel in Colorado dampened my desire to go to a theater wolfie001 Dec 24 #21

I hope this is wrong Omaha Steve Dec 24 #22

The last time I went to a movie, Zackzzzz Dec 24 #24

I've been to movies twice since covid moonshinegnomie Dec 24 #27

They've warped our minds long enough bucolic_frolic Dec 24 #28

But where will I get my $12 popcorn? Sneederbunk Dec 24 #31

you can't turn theaters into housing for the homeless... ret5hd Dec 24 #32

One of the theaters near me turned into a MAGA church. Initech Dec 24 #38

Fine with me. The last time I saw a movie in the theaters, it was a disaster. Aristus Dec 24 #35

I watched Wake Up Dead Man last night. Initech Dec 24 #36

Wow, different strokes. I babylonsister Dec 24 #52

"This is ushering in an age with little originality or surprise and general cultural stagnation." J_William_Ryan Dec 24 #39

Rapacious corporate greed Hey Joe Dec 24 #40

I have to wear earplugs in theaters. AllyCat Dec 24 #42

It's also the cost to go to a feature film today. Not all theaters flvegan Dec 24 #46

Seems a bit overblown if you ask me MichMan Dec 24 #51

The last current release I viewed in a movie theater was the anti-Bush movie Jack Valentino Dec 24 #53

The worst thing about seeing movies in theaters ... Intractable Dec 25 #56

The last fun movie I saw in the USA was Don't Look Up DFW Dec 25 #57

Overblown fujiyamasan Dec 25 #58