As the 21st century has continued to progress, streaming services have grown in popularity and the entertainment industry has had to change as a result. Services like Netflix, Disney Plus and Hulu have begun to stream thousands of movies and shows before they even hit theaters.

In 2020 when the pandemic struck the world and live entertainment came to a halt as Covid-19 protocols were put in place, the entertainment industry alternative options were created in order to keep entertainment alive in a changing environment. Since people were unable to go out to movie theaters and shows due to the lockdowns, the entertainment industry took their productions to these streaming services. The streaming industry grew during this period of time as people began to rely and depend on streaming to entertain themselves.

Even as lockdowns came to end, people still preferred to entertain themselves from the comfort of their own homes and they chose to watch the newest movies while sprawled across their couch. 

Unfortunately, this preference has caused lived entertainment to suffer as they are losing consistent customers and money as a result. Movie theater numbers have nearly been cut in half in the last 4 years and they aren’t expected to improve any time soon. This drastic change has made many question whether there is a place for live entertainment, like movie theaters, in the future. 

A local movie theater is feeling the effects of the growth of streaming services as they have noticed a significant decrease in the number of people they have coming in, even during season. One employee of the theater expressed how. “Times when we were the busiest two years ago are now our slowest months. It’s sad to see the struggles so many companies are going through just to stay open.” Experiences like these are becoming more and more evident all over the country.

The future of entertainment is still on the table as it battles streaming services in the ongoing entertainment war. Little change has occurred in regards to movie theater and live entertainment businesses and it’s not looking bright for any change to happen anytime soon.