The scent of popcorn and overpriced candy reminds almost anyone of the movie theater but this view of traditional entertainment may be diminishing in popularity due to the rising usage of streaming services. Along with COVID and the natural fascination with streaming, fewer and fewer movie watchers are choosing to leave their homes in search of a movie.

Instead of being strictly released into the movie theaters, most movies are released on streaming services simultaneously as well. Streaming services beat movie theaters in many things including price, comfort, and practicality. However, theaters offer their customers an experience that is unique to theaters and something different to do outside the house for an afternoon. 

A Netflix subscription is at a minimum of $10 and at a maximum of $20 a month compared to the average theater cost of $16 per movie. This may seem inconsequential but theaters only offer one movie for this cost while streaming services offer most movies and shows on their platform for this monthly price. Netflix alone carries more than 1,800 shows and 3,600 movies while theaters offer less than ten movies at a time and each one has a different price tag attached. 

Streaming services provide users with a more comfortable experience compared to lumpy theater chairs and armrests too small for the average person. Without leaving the comfort of home, streaming services offer an array of options at an affordable price. Therefore, it is no wonder that with a revenue of almost 30 billion dollars worldwide Netflix is the most popular streaming service and dominates the entertainment industry.

At the moment, streaming services are making theaters unnecessary and while they will remain a source of entertainment most people prefer streaming from their homes. Theaters will always be beloved by fans of movies and the big screen but they will not remain the top source of movie watching for the general public any longer.