Has the Movie Theatre Experience Succumbed to Virtual Screenings?

Nearly two years into the COVID-19 global pandemic, it’s fair to say that the world has seen numerous shifts in the technological sector—revolutionized technology has since facilitated corresponding changes in patterns in human culture and human interaction. The movie theatre industry exists as just one trend that has been silently boiling down for the past decade, only speeding up and brought to light due to the restrictions brought on by the pandemic.

According to Forbes, “The $2.2 billion in box office receipts in 2020 marked a 40-year low in domestic box office.” MPAA trends dating back from 2002 onwards reveal a steady decline in annual ticket sales, with 2020 marking a drop of over 80% since 2019. The Numbers additionally reveals that 2020 marks an all-time high in movie ticket pricing, averaging at $9.16 compared to $7.93 in 2011, and $5.66 in 2001. The item to note here is that global movie consumption itself hasn’t gone down— rather, the content source has since migrated. While much of this decline can be attributed to price point and the cost of home-viewing versus the theatre experience, content consumption has arguably changed from a group experience into a solo experience with the development of new video streaming platforms and cultural changes. “Bingeing” new shows and movie marathons from the comfort of one’s home has become the new standardized form of entertainment consumption. But does it have to be? Can we bring back the good old communal movie-watching experience and do so from the comfort of our homes? Absolutely.

As film watching has become a solo experience, Cya Live’s mission is to make content consumption a shared experience once again—but this time, even better. A live events platform that delivers high, 4K production value for virtual and hybrid events, Cya Live has redesigned the content consumption experience to allow audiences to interact with live content, other users, and even stars through video or text chat—all in complete synchronicity. In recognizing the decline in movie theatre popularity even before the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed our industry-leading technology for the sole purpose of unifying people through a combined love for movies. By combining both the bests of the at-home and in-theatre experiences into a single platform, Cya Live has transformed the movie-watching experience for its users. Don’t believe us? See for yourself.