If cinemas are forced to close, we will lose one of life’s greatest joys

Is Covid killing one of life’s great pleasures – a night at the movies? Warner Brothers studios has just announced that its entire roster for 2021 will be placed online a day after theatrical release, effectively hastening the demise of movie-going.  

On 10 December, Disney is expected to follow suit, having already declared that three new releases – Cruella, Pinocchio and Peter Pan and Wendy – will be aired first on its streaming service, Disney+.

The world’s largest cinema chain, AMC, is outraged, but what can it do? Cinema already agreed that Wonder Woman 1984, could be released on Warners subscription service HBO Max – as a “one off” because of Covid, but that exception seems likely to be the pattern for the future. Warner blockbusters available for home viewing next year include Mortal Kombat, Godzilla v Kong, The Suicide Squad and The Matrix 4 –  none of which would have been top of my list.  

These action and superhero films are primarily aimed at the young, whereas I enjoy independent movies and more cerebral fare. But I’m not a cinema snob. I want movie theatres to survive, for everyone, no matter what their age and their taste. Movies on television, no matter how big your home screen, are no substitute for the shared experience of being scared, enraptured, or repulsed together.

Just before lockdown I enjoyed Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite (at the Curzon in Canterbury), an outrageous, strangely moving 132 minutes, which I defy anyone to say can be replicated at home. The sheer hugeness of the assault on your senses as you sit in the dark without the dog whining or your partner noisily eating a bar of Dairy Milk is, according to critic Mark Kermode, “what makes movie-going such a joy”.  

Communal experiences like this are what I’ve missed most this year – going to a concert, the cinema, or a gallery, and then discussing it with my friends. Now, we are reduced to chatting about box sets on WhatsApp, studiously editing our conversations to avoid spoilers, or bingeing on hour after hour of The Crown and then not being able to remember what exactly happened.  

When it comes to most new series (The Crown excepted), does quantity mean quality? Cinemas rely on new releases and 50 per cent audiences for survival, and as they are expected to continue operating at reduced capacity throughout 2021, the film industry seems to be dealing the cinema industry a cruel blow. And what are the long-term economics of releasing a multimillion-dollar movie for a relatively small subscription or one-off fee, which will be watched by a houseful of people, versus all those individual tickets? Opening weekends used to be exciting events we made a date for – not any more.

Covid has already seen the world’s second-largest chain, Cineworld, close its doors. After a battle with AMC (which owns Odeon and UCI cinemas in the UK), Universal agreed a 17-day cinema window for its movies, after which they will be available on demand or video. Earlier this year, cinemas were forced to close for four months and film production was halted. Now, studios are working again, with strict safety guidelines, and some cinemas reopened in August. But the disappointing performance of the first blockbuster to be released theatrically post-lockdown (Christopher Nolan’s Tenet in early September) means other producers are reluctant to take the risk. Not surprisingly, the new Bond film, No Time to Die, has been postponed from April to November and now April 2021. As the last two Bonds grossed an astonishing $2bn worldwide, don’t be surprised if the release date is postponed once again.  

My movie-going habit started young. Aged 10, I was a proud ABC Minor, spending every Saturday morning at the Regal in Fulham Broadway. My teenage years saw me turning into a new wave snob, enjoying Jean-Luc Goddard and Federico Fellini at the Coronet in Notting Hill Gate, and later at the Cameo (now beautifully restored) in Regent Street. As tier restrictions continue to fluctuate from month to month, how can small cinemas and art houses like these – let alone the chains – survive? The excellent Curzon chain offers home rental, but nothing equals a real night out.  

We are swamped with choice from the streaming services, which are taking advantage of our enforced imprisonment. But how much of this so-called “golden era” would we pay to see in the cinema? The Undoing on Sky Atlantic is a classic example of the overhyped fare currently on offer. Six hours of my life wasted on a glossy piece of froth that could have been better told in 90 minutes in the cinema. Padded out with endless shots of Nicole Kidman’s hair and the New York skyline.  

I don’t mourn the demise of Debenhams or Topshop but if cinemas are forced to close then we will be losing something irreplaceable. One of life’s greatest joys is going to a movie alone and feeling part of a special club.