Rising ticket prices, changing viewing habits, and the dominance of streaming platforms have transformed cinema from a weekly pastime into an occasional treat, writes Francesca O’Callaghan of Film News Blitz.
The cinema industry is not simply disappearing. We just need a bigger boat!
It has become increasingly divided between film audiences who band together like the Avengers to take on their next adventure and those who prefer to watch from the comfort of their own home.
That shift is clear on both sides of the Atlantic.
In the United States, an AP-NORC poll found that 46% of adults preferred watching films at home through streaming services, while only 15% preferred seeing them in cinemas.
In the UK, meanwhile, streaming subscriptions have become ingrained in everyday life.
Less than 5% of Brits subscribed to Netflix in 2014.
By late 2023, around three in five households had access to the platform.
Why have cinemas struggled against streaming?
Viewers can press play instantly, pause at will and fit entertainment around increasingly busy schedules.
According to GlobalWebIndex, consumers spend an average of one hour and 22 minutes each day streaming or watching online TV.
In some cases, films now appear on streaming services just 40 days after their cinema release, meaning that unless a film delivers spectacle difficult to recreate at home, many viewers simply choose to wait.
Show me the money!
The average cinema ticket has risen sharply over the past two decades in the UK, with London prices often exceeding £15 before food or travel are even taken into consideration.
Streaming, by contrast, feels better value for money for many viewers, with a monthly subscription rather than a one-off expense.
Attention spans have shifted too.
Ofcom data shows 16–24-year-olds now watch under an hour of broadcast TV daily, while platforms like TikTok and Instagram dominate younger audiences, reducing cinema excitement through immersive scrolling and “spoiler culture”.
In 2023 alone, 76% of people aged 13–39 used TikTok, contributing to a shift toward short-form, personalised entertainment consumed in short bursts rather than uninterrupted feature-length films.
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Why are blockbuster films still succeeding?
On 4 January 2026, Disney announced that Avatar: Fire and Ash had surpassed $1bn globally, indicating that audiences have not abandoned cinemas altogether.
Studios now devote enormous financial, technical, and creative resources to superhero films and sequels because they are seen as safer bets in a more competitive entertainment market.
Martin Scorsese, director of movies like Goodfellas and Gangs of New York, remarks that “the industry is over”, reflecting the need to make films that audiences can’t refuse.
What is happening to the UK film industry?
Britain remains one of the world’s largest distributors of television and film content, with the sector contributing more than £17bn in gross value added to the economy in 2021.
Around 300,000 people work in production-related roles, while studio expansion has skyrocketed.
Sky’s new Elstree complex and Warner Bros’ expansion at Leavesden highlight continued assurance in Britain’s production infrastructure.
Yet beneath those headline figures, pressures across the industry have intensified.
The British Film Institute reported that UK film and television production spending fell 32% to £1.36 billion in 2023 from approximately £1.97 billion in 2022
Houston, we have a problem!
Independent studios have been hit particularly hard by rising borrowing costs, inflation and reduced commissioning budgets.
Established production companies, including Euston Films, RDF and Label 1, have either downsized or closed altogether, while survey data suggests that more than 70% of independent producers risk closure if conditions fail to improve – pressures to which streaming platforms themselves have also contributed.
Will cinemas recover in 2026?
According to Gower Street Analytics, the global box office is expected to reach around $35bn in 2026, marking a second consecutive year of growth.
Films such as Toy Story 5, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu are expected to drive much of this year’s box office traffic.
This indicates that cinemas are surviving not by direct rivalry with streaming services but by offering something fundamentally different from them.
The Las Vegas Sphere proves this, with its wraparound visuals and immersive sound generating $2 million in ticket revenue by transforming screen entertainment into an extravaganza.
The question now facing studios, cinemas and streaming platforms alike is no longer whether audiences still watch films.
It is which films do people still believe are worth leaving the comfort of the sofa to see?
As Ferris Bueller said in 1986, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”.
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