By Drew Page

A lot of people like movies; that’s pretty obvious, no? And a lot more people have been sat on by last year and all of its…uniqueness. That includes people being quarantined for the majority of the year, restaurants and other eating establishments boarding up shops, and angry, 40-year-old women who need to meltdown in the middle of a Walmart or public place. But personally, the movie theatres closing down was what struck a chord, being a huge fan of the film industry. But one side of the story isn’t the only side. What do other people think about the situation? 

The Spectator began with a somewhat unrelated question: if you had the option, would you prefer the theatre or would you rather use a streaming service at home?

“Movie theatre. Part of the experience is paying for the overpriced goods,” said Noah Canniff. “Movie theatres, because you get a larger screen to watch movies on, along with better surround sound. Also, you can’t beat the popcorn they serve,” said Katelyn Soares. But what about the physical absence of the theatres? What stance would you take?

An obvious view to take was public safety and the stopping of spreading the infamous you-know-what. 

“Once the Coronavirus started spreading, it was the best option to halt it,” said Hannah Zabka. “There are a lot of people who would be close to everything. There would be a higher risk of COVID in these places.” 

Others agreed, but more were interested in the introduction of more streaming services and movies available directly to your home. When asked how often they used to go to movie theatres before the pandemic, the majority said they went about once a month or less. “I prefer to watch in the comfort of my own home,” said Lisa Page.

And when they were asked about the negatives of the situation, many had a lot to say. To paraphrase Noah Canniff, “The death of movie theatres is definitely coming.”. A few had a similar viewpoint. “Destroyed businesses, destroyed careers…way too many horrific consequences to list,” Page said. 

Zabka expressed similar concerns.

“Since so many people used to go to these different areas, it might be hard for a few places to stay open since they aren’t getting people inside,” she said. 

And again, Soares with pressing matters;

“The cons here are that the industries are losing money because they cannot continue to make films…Even people at home struggle because they have fewer things to watch, and that is what people are doing the most these days because of how much time we spend at home each day.”

But what is a debate without opinions? Send what you think to drew.page@bps101.net to let us know your thoughts. Your voice should be heard, right?