Corona rolled out the red carpet. Streaming replaces cinema – that’s how we watch movies today. Is this an evolution or just a trend?

The streaming boom was already present before Corona. But the pandemic accelerated it greatly. Of course, when the big movie chains and provincial movie houses closed, the alternative was obvious, or rather on the remote control.

But is the principle of “streaming instead of cinema” sustainable? After all, man is supposed to be an animal of habit.

The increase in numbers of Netflix and other leading streaming services has been the subject of many articles. The fact that the market is almost exploding is also evidenced by new or expanding providers.

And what about behind the curtain of the movie theaters? According to Statista, the number of German moviegoers who go to the cinema about once a month has fallen from 5.26 million (before the pandemic) to 4.21 million in 2021. The company is referring here to data from consumer and media analysis.

If more people use streaming offers instead of going to the cinema, the turnover also decreases. It is therefore logical that the cash registers of cinemas ring significantly less often. German cinemas only made 318 million euros in 2020, compared to more than 1 billion euros in 2019.

Globally, cinema revenues have also fallen drastically: about twelve billion US dollars instead of 42.3 billion US dollars, a considerable difference that has plunged the sector into a deep crisis.

Streaming instead of cinema

A crisis can be overcome. The only question is what happens during it. In accordance with human nature, everything to defend its own interests. And unfortunately, the Corona crisis has lasted so long that the streaming market has had enough time to seize its chance.

To be clear, some production companies are releasing their new films directly to streaming, a prominent example is the animated film “Soul” from the Pixar forge. Due to the pandemic developments, the planned theatrical release was cancelled. Instead, the film landed directly in the schedule of the Disney Plus streaming portal.

The same happened with “Mulan” Disney Plus offered it only in streaming and even at special conditions. This is not uncommon either: today, streaming titles often cost more than a movie ticket.