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Watch on the big screen or wait for a digital release at home?

Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, every week, at least once, we’d go to the movies. Regardless of what was showing, if we’re unsure of the choices, we’d try and pick the safest one, quality-wise.

Going back to the norm after Covid-19

Since the pandemic, we’ve barely set foot inside the cinema. If it weren’t for our daughter wanting to watch Disney live action remakes or new releases of animation films such as Migration and The Wild Robot, we’d be at home, waiting for a digital streaming release.

Switching from cinemas to digital release

Speaking of digital release, I wasn’t always a fan of Netflix, Disney+ and the like. My opinion of it before the pandemic was that it was an added financial burden. Aside from paying the monthly bills of water, electricity, and post paid mobile accounts, to be honest, I didn’t see the use of it really. But now, after being in house arrest and the cinema shutting down for around 2-3 years, almost every household has that one streaming app, whether it be Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max or some Chinese illegal streaming application.

Even when you go to a coffee shop, there is always one person, watching a movie on their laptop, tablet, or smart phones.

I’m torn to be honest about these streaming applications. It sort of kills the “cultural activity” (bit of a stretch) that is movie going.

Why I like going to the movies

What I like about going into the movies is you get to go in with people of different backgrounds, different lifestyles and different personalities, and you’d see their excitement before going in, and how it changes once the movie was over. The subtle sighs you’d hear drowned by the volume of the film, the Oohs and Ahhs. The giggles of little children while watching an animation of sorts. Aside from these, above all else, its spending that time with the family.

Even if sometimes other people can be annoying, like kicking your chair from behind, opening up the phone and it’ll catch your attention, whispering gossips, or worse, spoiling the movie because the other person watched it already. But it’s that human connection that makes going to the movies all that more exciting.

Is the age of cinematic experience?

Ever since Covid-19 hit, cinema floors have died down in terms of people casually walking by, looking at posters of “coming soon”, or children watching a trailer of an upcoming Disney film. It’s sad to see some malls have closed off their cinemas entirely, other malls have lowered down the numbers of active cinemas.

But there’s still hope, Greenhills (a mall in the Philippines) have kept theirs and even made new modern ones. Ortigas Cinemas Also, the first-ever luxurious bed-cinema at Uptown Mall in Taguig City, also known as “Tempur Cinema“. Let’s just hope it continues and the younger generation would still want to go to the movies.

Let’s keep those double doors swinging and those popcorn popping!

What are you going to watch next?