Going to the movies used to be attending in plain clothes, buying tickets at the box office, sitting in a dark theater, and enjoying a film of your choice; but after the pandemic, ‘going to the movies’ looks a whole lot different.
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 18: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande attend the European Premiere of “Wicked: Part One” at The Royal Festival Hall on November 18, 2024, in London, England. (Photo by Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/WireImage)
Maliyah Simone, CRDN
January 17, 2025
The movie industry has faced many lows and few highs since theaters closed at the start of the COVID19 Pandemic of 2020. Countless theaters– most independently owned and operated– shut their doors for the last time as a result of the box office slump caused by the global pandemic. It has taken years for movie theaters to regain patronage, yet even so the numbers are still down drastically from what they were in 2019. The year before COVID brought 1.244 billion people into movie theaters, while 2020 only brought a formidable 200 million tickets sold.
This massive slump can be directly attributed to the threat and risk of infection theaters bring; however, another factor to consider is how few movies continued in production and release throughout the years following the pandemic. In 2020 only 332 movies were released across the US and Canada, and while 2021 and 2022 did see an increase in movie releases, the industry itself did not see a drastic difference in both attendance and releases until 2023 and 2024. Another cause of this slump was the fact that many movies, which had been in production before the pandemic, had been forced to halt production as the world put quarantines and work restrictions in place in hopes to stop the spread of COVID. The result of countless halted productions was a drastic number of films simply being cancelled all together.
The New Era of ‘Going to the Movies’
Despite the polls and the money saved, in 2023 and 2024 the box office began to finally feel some relief as movie goers gradually walked back into theaters. However, something about the attitudes and behaviors of their patrons had changed in 2019. Where ‘going to the movies’ used to be a lighthearted and low-stakes event for the majority of those attending, new trends have seen movie goers turning the event into extravagant ‘moments’ of entertainment.
Costumes, makeup, props, and attending with massive groups of people have begun to shape the new era for movie goers. A once simple night out has become a momentous event for those looking forward to new premieres. A perfect example of this was the day Wicked hit the big screen on November 22, 2024. This was the movie that both musical theatre kids and movie buffs alike were looking forward to after its first trailer was teased February 11th that same year during the Superbowl. This two-part stage-to-screen adaptation of Broadway’s hit show drew multitudes of fans to the box office. Ticket reservations for the premier and the days following boasted packed out theaters, some of which were booked out by a single group or organization. The movie broke multiple box office records including surpassing Grease as the highest grossing adaptation to film of a Broadway musical.
Pink ballgowns, broomsticks, crowns, and green facepaint were donned by the patrons of movie theaters across the world as they likened their appearances to Glinda and Elphaba– the movie’s two leads. The trend of dressing up for the movie spread like wildfire across the internet via TikTok, Instagram, and various other social media platforms. Movie theaters, in anticipation of the ‘new way’ of attending the movies, prepared for guests with photo ops in the form of backdrops featuring the characters; some theaters even provided movie goers with Wicked themed props such as broomsticks and witch hats. The Wicked trend was preceded by movies like Barbie and the Minions.
Whether it be a highly anticipated Blockbuster or a stage-to-screen adaptation, one thing is for certain: movie theater attendance seems to be recovering well from the woes of COVID. Despite a large population opting to wait for at-home premieres– the changes which the theater industry is undergoing is a promising reflection of a new generation’s willingness to give the box office another shot.