Man, I wonder what happened in 2020- Ohhhh. That’s right. I remember what happened.
This makes me realize that Thursday is the day to go to the movies.
Pandemic sped up the death of movie theaters. TV’s and Sound systems get cheaper while US movie theaters remain an uncomfortable and expensive experience. Add in the fact that streaming shows have movie budgets now and I get why the theater is unappealing.
Personally, I love going to the movies and have the regal unlimited pass but I get why others don’t. I hope that the box office survives in some way but I think theaters are going to start to shrink from the big 10-16 plex theaters in favor of 1-4 screens focusing on quality of experience and varied viewing options as well. I think the [Living Room Theater](https://pdx.livingroomtheaters.com) in Portland is a good concept as well as single screen theaters that focus on the biggest blockbuster out plus indy films and events.
What’s with the particularly bad selling second Sunday in early February both 2024 and 2025? Super Bowl?
On top of 2020 killing theatres, it’s also hard to beat the amount of blockbusters that were coming out in 2010s. Disney in particular had one hell of a run that mostly came to an end in 2019
Theaters need to get kids and teens in on the weeknights. Turn those goofy ass bars and lounges that no adults actually use into study halls with a few decent tutors employed by the theaters, and make the kids finish their homework in order to watch a free or discounted movie.
Then parents can just drop their kids off at the theater right after school and know they’ll get their homework done, be able to socialize, and be entertained basically until bedtime.
This would also encourage theaters to pivot away from serving only 7-11 quality junk food at stadium prices toward some kind of mall food court concept with decent meal options (for the kids’ dinners).
Bing bang boom, now kids are getting homework done, socializing IRL, and rediscovering the magic of the silver screen; parents have more time to finish their workdays and do errands and whatnot; and theaters go from being a dying, obsolete industry to a cornerstone of mainstream family life.
I think an underappreciated part of the problem is that Hollywood simply isn’t releasing all that many good movies with mass appeal. And then, in addition to streaming directly taking business, it also means that many consumers aren’t getting bombarded with ads for new movies like we all used to on linear TV.
![Domestic daily box office, inflation adjusted, 2004-2025 [OC]](https://www.europesays.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/a7u2zyn6dsag1-1010x1024.png)
8 comments
Data from [boxofficemojo.com](http://boxofficemojo.com) . Figure made in R, with [ggTimeSeries](https://github.com/AtherEnergy/ggTimeSeries).
Man, I wonder what happened in 2020- Ohhhh. That’s right. I remember what happened.
This makes me realize that Thursday is the day to go to the movies.
Pandemic sped up the death of movie theaters. TV’s and Sound systems get cheaper while US movie theaters remain an uncomfortable and expensive experience. Add in the fact that streaming shows have movie budgets now and I get why the theater is unappealing.
Personally, I love going to the movies and have the regal unlimited pass but I get why others don’t. I hope that the box office survives in some way but I think theaters are going to start to shrink from the big 10-16 plex theaters in favor of 1-4 screens focusing on quality of experience and varied viewing options as well. I think the [Living Room Theater](https://pdx.livingroomtheaters.com) in Portland is a good concept as well as single screen theaters that focus on the biggest blockbuster out plus indy films and events.
What’s with the particularly bad selling second Sunday in early February both 2024 and 2025? Super Bowl?
On top of 2020 killing theatres, it’s also hard to beat the amount of blockbusters that were coming out in 2010s. Disney in particular had one hell of a run that mostly came to an end in 2019
Theaters need to get kids and teens in on the weeknights. Turn those goofy ass bars and lounges that no adults actually use into study halls with a few decent tutors employed by the theaters, and make the kids finish their homework in order to watch a free or discounted movie.
Then parents can just drop their kids off at the theater right after school and know they’ll get their homework done, be able to socialize, and be entertained basically until bedtime.
This would also encourage theaters to pivot away from serving only 7-11 quality junk food at stadium prices toward some kind of mall food court concept with decent meal options (for the kids’ dinners).
Bing bang boom, now kids are getting homework done, socializing IRL, and rediscovering the magic of the silver screen; parents have more time to finish their workdays and do errands and whatnot; and theaters go from being a dying, obsolete industry to a cornerstone of mainstream family life.
I think an underappreciated part of the problem is that Hollywood simply isn’t releasing all that many good movies with mass appeal. And then, in addition to streaming directly taking business, it also means that many consumers aren’t getting bombarded with ads for new movies like we all used to on linear TV.
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