5. In relation to the media area you have studied, discuss the ways audience consumption has changed over time.
Through my AICE Media Studies class this year, we have focused on studying and practicing film. This brings to attention the question of why, and how, audience consumption of film has changed over time. Where people used to pay to view movies live in theaters, they are now staying at home to rent them or to wait to watch on a streaming service like Netflix or Hulu. But why this shift in preference?
The transition from movie theaters to streaming services is one of the most obvious in the industry. In 2018, the highest grossing movie, Black Panther, produced $12 billion. Just one year before, Spider-Man: Homecoming was released, totalling only $880 million. Why the extreme difference in sales between two movies of the same franchise? What Marvel fan paid to see Black Panther that chose not to see Spider-Man: Homecoming? The answer is in not marketing itself, but the actual content of each film.
Movies today, despite there being some representation for certain minorities, have become flooded with repetition. Viewers don’t want to pay for a film that, prior to viewing, could easily be confused with the own shown before or shown after. The energy it takes to visit a theater and pay to see a film is seen as only worth it in certain circumstances to many, and Spider-Man: Homecoming did not check that box for many fans.
Black Panther has a predominately Black cast. This is a welcome change to many Marvel fans, who have long wished for a POC superhero movie. Black fans especially celebrated, evident by the total box office sales, the new representation in film. Major franchises often overlook the importance of this representation, believing that including a single minority character (usually shown in distressing situations, or killed off altogether) counts as progress, but the company seems to have hit the nail on the head with Black Panther.
Spider-Man: Homecoming, while still not featuring an all-white cast, didn’t appeal to many in the way that Black Panther did. It centered on a white teen male, albeit with a supporting cast of minority characters. This was not what the film needed to gain as much popularity as Black Panther did, but it was still massively popular and raked in millions of dollars in box-office sales.
Even with the movies being as popular as they are, though, theaters still see a smaller customer base. Streaming services are now widely affordable and popular among nearly all groups of people. Even before the steady decrease in theater use, it was clear that streaming was on the rise and growing quickly. It likely stems from viewers’ knowing that any movie they can see in theaters will also be available at home eventually, coupled with the belief that their home is more comfortable and snacks are not nearly as expensive as the movie itself. For those on tight budgets, visiting movie theaters is a waste of money and resources that could be better spent on more important items.
In sum, audience consumption of film has undergone a major shift. Not only in expressing a far larger interest in films featuring diverse casts, but also in the way they prefer to view their entertainment. While this may spell an end to the movie theater business as we know it, the film industry as a whole seems willing to evolve with its audience, which will likely provide a new generation of film and viewing options.
