Movie theaters have not had an easy go of it. In 2020, when the pandemic had everyone sheltering in place, moviegoers quickly grew accustomed to the convenience of at-home streaming. Last year’s Hollywood strikes complicated the issue, as the strikes stalled or halted many anticipated film productions and left holes in the box office schedule. Plenty of movie theaters have since shuttered, and as of 2023, “ticket sales were still one-third lower than in 2019,” said Marketplace.
Despite this, the big screen remains the best place to appreciate a film’s sound and visuals, and the communal aspect of a theater cannot be replicated at home. We are social creatures, after all, and studies show that people have more fun watching movies in theaters. This is perhaps especially true of comedies, as laughter is (scientifically) contagious.
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