The Future of Cinema Lies In Streaming

By: Nadia Commodore

In the past, movie lovers would have to wait at least a year before being able to view big blockbuster films from the comfort of their own homes. In 2025, the culture is beginning to change.

According to the Motion Picture Institute, “The rise of streaming services has revolutionized the way we consume movies and TV shows, leading to a significant impact on the traditional movie industry.”

This sentiment rings true as major streaming platforms such as Peacock and Hulu have made several 2025 Oscar-nominated and winning films available for at-home viewing less than a month after they were recognized by the Academy Awards. Just this past week, Hulu added the 2024 Best Picture winner, The Complete Unknown, starring Timothee Chalamet, to their services. 

Tony Vinciquerra, Sony Pictures Entertainment chief executive, blames the COVID-19 pandemic for this shift in film culture. He stated in an interview with Forbes magazine:

 “It’s really still impacting us, both on the film and the television side. We tried to talk to the unions about what we thought would happen, and now it’s happening – it is pushing production out of the US.”

Vinciquerra is referring to the fact that, according to Forbes, many major American production companies are outsourcing to other countries because producing big-budget films has become too expensive in the US. Vinciquerra attributes this to films not making as much money as they used to.

Zachary “Zach” Ramseur, an HU first-year Strategic Communications major and aspiring filmmaker, shared his opinions on how streaming could impact the future of film production.

 “I think it definitely does negatively impact… the film industry as a whole. I don’t think it takes away from the experience in the theater for the people who are still going, but I think that it can definitely change the public opinion on films,” said Ramseur.

He explained that, in the past, filmmakers made their money from two main revenue streams: the box office sales and viewers buying the film via Blu-Ray DVD. The increase in the popularity of streaming services, Ramseur said, means more people are waiting for an at-home viewing experience, which eventually could “kick back on the consumer because the budget could get smaller [due to] movies making less money.”

Ramseur has a dream that streaming services could put a pause on.

 “The ultimate goal is definitely seeing [my film] in a theater,” he said. 

Newer filmmakers, like Ramseur, rely on film festivals, much like HU’s Student Film Organization’s Annual Short Film Festival, to showcase their new films. According to Reuters News, however, streaming services are using film festivals to scout new material and buy films for their services. Because of this shift, filmmakers are “choosing to release their movies straight to streaming services, skipping theatrical release altogether,” according to Reuters.