Movie theaters have been a staple since the 1800s, when Émile Reynaud screened the Pantomimes Lumineuses animated movies. Since then, movie theaters exploded in popularity to keep up with the growing motion picture craze. In 1896, the first permanent, dedicated movie theater was opened in Buffalo, New York.
The movie theater industry reached its peak in 2002 when movie attendance was at its highest since 1946. On average, movie theaters were hovering around more than 11 billion dollars in box office revenue by 2016 in the U.S. and Canada. So, what happened?
Movie Theater Industry Stressors
Movie theaters were already on a decline following the inception of Netflix and the company’s continued success. As more and more streamers cropped up, the movie theater industry continued to suffer. With the new convenience of having vast film collections in the home — as well as some projects only being released on streaming — movie theaters started shuttering.
When quarantine for COVID-19 was ordered, many theaters weren’t able to come out the other end. Suddenly, theaters were limiting hours, employees, and showings because they were struggling too much. Additionally, studios weren’t incentivized to bail them out this time around compared to the Spanish Flu epidemic, when the studios were still able to own movie theaters.
Back then, studios owned movie theaters as a way to control all avenues of distribution, and most studios were bought up during the Spanish Flu because prices were down. If a movie theater went under, the studio suffered. After regulations hit the film industry and their monopolies, studios were banned from owning movie theaters, slashing the mutualistic bond theaters and studios had. Therefore, movie theaters were left in the lurch and revenue never recovered. Now, the general public is left wondering: what are the theaters going to do now?
Movie Theater Industry Saviors
Thankfully, the movie theater industry has influential filmmakers and movements behind it, trying and succeeding at increasing revenue. Notably, a new coalition of filmmakers has been formed to focus on creating meaningful cinematic projects for theatrical showings, not streamers. The Filmmaker Leadership Council is led by producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Emma Thomas as chair and vice chair. The body of the council is made up of Sinners director Ryan Coogler, The Incredibles director Brad Bird, Juno director Jason Reitman, and Past Lives director Celine Song.
The Filmmaker Leadership Council is working with Cinema United — the trade association of movie theater owners. Cinema United’s senior consultant Greg Foster will be the executive director of the Filmmaker Leadership Council. They will be focused on addressing the main concerns within the movie theater industry.
This resurgence of moviegoers can also be attributed to Gen Z. In 2025, Gen Z made up almost 40% of the North American moviegoer population. Attendance shot up 25% in the last year because of Gen Z. Many Zoomers have been gravitating towards physical media, bringing back the “third space” concept — spending time at a place that isn’t home or school/work — and increased group outings. Movie theaters are more of the same — a third space that allows for Gen Z to hang out and have fun without spending too much money. This is further incentivized by Letterboxd — the social media reviewing app where Gen Z can log and review films that they’ve watched recently.
How Can You Help Movie Theaters?
Firstly, go see movies.
The movie theater industry needs tangible evidence of your support as a moviegoer. Unfortunately, the only proof that studios will accept when distributing their projects is the monetary value shown. Numbers — attendance, ticket sales, and box office revenue — need to reflect that movie theaters are a viable form of distribution.
However, the support doesn’t end there. Using Letterboxd can be a great way to show support for movie theaters and get others to engage in movie theaters. It makes movies even more of a community experience. It drums up more public intrigue and online interaction with the movie industry. As more and more people use Letterboxd and see their moviegoing friends attend movies’ opening nights, they end up wanting to join in and see the movie as soon as possible. Letterboxd facilitates the feeling of FOMO — the fear of missing out — and uses it to the benefit of the movie theater industry.
Finally, wean off the streamers for films. The television industry is a separate and very different beast compared to movies and theaters. However, more people should move away from watching films on streaming services and should voice their desire for theatrical releases. Recently, people have begged for films to stay in the theater longer — for instance, Project Hail Mary and Sinners were granted extended releases in the theater. This allowed both films to shock the box office with their successes, as word of mouth allowed more people to catch them during the extended window, whereas they would’ve missed it before.
The movie theater industry isn’t dead, but it got close, and now we can still save it. We just have to try.