PRO
At this point in 2025, I feel like it’s more difficult to find someone who doesn’t use streaming services, rather than someone who does. They have become second nature in American society.
Everyone memorizes the passwords to their Netflix, HBO and Hulu logins like it’s their Social Security Number. If the majority of the population is already subscribed to this new way of living, why shouldn’t production studios change along with the times?
Movie theaters are also a slowly dying business. These days, people prefer to watch what they please from the comfort of their own homes. The troubles of life tend to drift away when we can sit in our pajamas and enjoy a program of our choice. Watching our favorite movie no longer is restricted to a once-a-week occurrence on the weekends, and is now more available from the convenience of one’s own home.
People also have more freedom to choose what they watch on streaming platforms, as movies aren’t the only thing that is offered. Many depend on streaming sites for their favorite television shows as well. Whether it be true crime, reality, comedy or drama, everyone has something to watch. It’s even gone as far as ESPN+ and Tubi offering specific sporting events on their platform.
We are so immersed in using these streaming platforms that many have stopped paying for cable television and instead choose to subscribe to sites like Amazon Prime and Peacock.
Users of streaming sites can also personalize their feeds to the genres they find the most interesting. They can manufacture a feed suited to their specific preferences, and have it at their fingertips whenever they want it.
Streaming services are just easier for consumers to use, so why overly complicate things? Pay the subscription and the world of TV and movies is yours.
bkeatin1@ramapo.edu
CON
America’s first movie theater opened in 1896; today, 1,972 theaters span across the country, and there is a reason for that. To me, movie theaters are not just buildings — they are an experience.
In 1985, my dad saw “Fright Night” at Fort Dix, and it was the last movie he saw in theaters before I convinced him to come see “The First Omen” with me last year — and he was mesmerized. Heated, reclining seats, surround sound and 35 trillion colors! Cinemark says it best themselves: “Any more immersive, and you’d need a helmet.”
Since that day, my dad and I have returned to the theater several times. It is always something I look forward to and something we can do together that isn’t restricted to our home. This is why I think watching movies on streaming services just does not compare.
Yes, I understand that it is easier and sometimes less expensive, but let’s break that down. I went to see “Oppenheimer” — 2024’s best picture — in theaters for about $11. If I wanted to watch it on a streaming service right now, it is free on Amazon Prime Video with a subscription, and $3.99 across the board on YouTube, Fandango at Home, Google Play Movies and Apple TV.
However, an Amazon Prime subscription is $14.99 a month — and an average movie ticket is about $10.78. As for the other services, $3.99 is cheaper, yes, but it’s not immersive.
“Oppenheimer” again, for example, was shot in IMAX. Therefore, seeing it in IMAX would be the best way to engage in the film — and last time I checked, computers and most TV screens don’t offer that. It is so simple to me: big screen vs. little screen.
Do I watch movies on streaming services? Absolutely. But I will always choose the theater for its social experience, sound, large screen and, of course, a blue raspberry ICEE — and you should too.
ajones11@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @Ryan_Rigg, X
