The Future of Cinema Was Standing in Line for ‘Backrooms’

I went to the movie theater last night to see Backrooms.

I go to the movies every Thursday with my dad. It’s part of our routine. It’s fun. After doing it for years, I’ve developed a pretty good sense of the demographics that show up for different movies. You start to notice trends. You start to notice who’s coming, who’s not, and how audiences change over time.

And I saw something shocking last night. What’s funny is that I didn’t even realize it was missing until I saw it.

Standing in line were groups of kids who looked somewhere between 12 and 18 years old. Middle school kids. High school kids. Groups of friends hanging out and excited to see Backrooms. Not families bringing their kids. Not parents deciding what everyone was going to watch. Actual groups of young people choosing to spend their night at a movie theater.

I haven’t seen that in a long time.

There was a period, maybe five or ten years ago, when teenagers would show up to movies wearing blankets and pajamas and treat moviegoing like a social event. Those kids are all in their twenties now. What I saw last night was different. These were younger kids. The generation that has spent most of its life being taught that movies come to them, not the other way around.

And it made me realize something. The problem facing the movie industry isn’t necessarily today. It’s what’s coming. Because for years we’ve trained audiences to stop going to movie theaters, and we’ve been especially effective at training younger audiences.

The studios and giant media corporations became obsessed with streaming services and subscription models. In the process, they cannibalized their own business and trained an entire generation that movies aren’t events anymore. They’re content. Just wait a few weeks, and it’ll show up on whatever service you’re already paying for.

Think about the message we’ve been sending people. Don’t rush out to see the next big movie because it’ll be available on PVOD or Digital soon. Don’t worry about taking the family to see the next animated film because it’ll hit Disney+ before you know it. We’ve spent years teaching audiences that staying home is the smarter option and then acting surprised when fewer people show up.