Resuscitating Cinema-Going
The cinema's place in a world of streaming
We lost the fight for the New Picture House — our ninety-three-year-old cinema closed its doors on 19 September. It will soon undergo a major transformation into a "premium sports and entertainment gastropub," expected to open by summer 2025. Though a small cinema room will remain within the new venue, ensuring its survival, the NPH will be a shadow of its former self. This is a significant event, not only for the St Andrews student community but as part of a larger cultural phenomenon that’s affecting all of our cinemas. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, many cinema theatres across the world have closed their doors. The convenience of streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ has taken over, making it easier than ever to watch films from the comfort of our homes. While this ease and affordability are undeniably appealing, we are on the verge of losing an invaluable tradition — that of cinema-going. Beyond just the joy of watching our movies, why should we aspire to watch them at the cinema theatre and not on our computers at home?
Cinemas are designed to immerse us in a way that streaming cannot replicate. The darkened room hinders our peripheral vision, the massive screen takes up our entire field of vision, and we are plunged into the world of the film. This immersion becomes complete as soon as we look up at the screen. That simple act of gazing up creates a sense of grandeur. We all become children listening to a story, as Scorsese once said, looking up at something greater, surrendering ourselves to the filmmaker’s vision. When streaming a movie at home, we look down at our screens, often on a laptop or TV that gets lost among the objects in our rooms. The film can’t command our full attention, it competes with distractions and often becomes background noise. The dynamic changes completely.
Perhaps the heart of what makes cinema-going irreplaceable is the communal experience it offers. When sitting in a packed theatre, emotions are amplified. Laughter, gasps, tears — they are all heightened when shared with an audience. The energy in the room enhances our own emotions, making us feel more connected not just to the movie but to the people around us sharing a common experience. It’s like with music — we can listen to songs on Spotify, but attending a concert, and sharing that song with hundreds of others, turns it into something extraordinary. That same collective energy is present in the cinema. It transforms a film into a shared cultural event.
I believe that cinema-going is what acknowledges film as an art, instead of simple entertainment. At the cinema, the film stands on its own, commanding our attention and respect. It’s a moment removed from our day-to-day life. The grandeur of the big screen, the focused attention, and the collective response of the audience — all these elements elevate cinema into an art form.
As we move further into the era of streaming, we must recognize what we risk losing. Cinema-going is about participating in art, sharing an experience with others, and immersing ourselves fully in a film. The cinema demands more from us, and in return, it gives us something more profound. What gives me hope for the future is looking back upon the history of cinema, to 1927 when sound was first added to moving pictures. Great directors like George Lucas believed that cinema died when we added sound. Looking back now, we can confirm that cinema has not in fact died; rather, it developed into something different. Sound started a new age for cinema that, unexpectedly, has lasted and evolved for ninety-seven years. This leads us to develop an optimistic approach to the situation: the acceptance of facing moments where we feel something is ending, that will bring about a new beginning. In future, we must continue to protect and support our art before more ‘luxury pubs’ and elite bars take it from us like they did with the New Picture House. We didn’t need another bar, we needed our cinema.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
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