Since the Lumière brothers made the first projection of a film in 1886, the cinema has been the king of the audiovisual world. However, what Betamax, VHS or DVD could not do at the time, streaming platforms are changing the habits of people and producers.
“I think that the platforms have allowed cinema, as an art, to have a break. The business model generates profits that allow many directors to have the luxury of producing films that would not have been possible in the sometimes short-sighted studio system, as happened with Roma, by Alfonso Cuaron.
Everything indicates that there is an audience for these two alternatives; each of them with its advantages and disadvantages.
In Antioquia (Valle de Aburrá, Rionegro and La Ceja), there are 350 movie screens, while in all of Colombia the figure is 1,217, with almost 160,000 seats.
For its part, 16 streaming platforms have service in the country, including Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney +, Star Plus, Paramount, Apple TV, Pluto TV and Star Play, among the best known, which have a fee monthly that goes between 10.000 and 30.00 pesos.
Together with critics and journalists Diego Agudelo and Jerónimo Rivera, and Juan Carlos Mayungo, financial and production director of Cinemas Procinal, plus the contributions of EL COLOMBIANO users on social networks, we identify the advantages and disadvantages of these two alternatives
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Streaming Platforms
Advantages
The price: For a fixed monthly fee (between 10,000 and 30,000 pesos) you have access to a wide range of movies, documentaries and soap operas. In addition to that they can be repeated as many times as you want. The economy is also represented in the costs of travel and food: everything is at home. In addition, an account can be shared among several people and everyone pays.
Comfort: access a catalog at home and without the inconvenience of standing in line or sharing with noisy people.
Time: You are not limited to a specific time to watch a production, you can stop it at any time and continue later when you lose sleep.
Biosafety: Don’t leave the house and don’t expose yourself, even in times of covid-19.
Plan social: Invite friends to the house to enjoy a movie and a series together and prepare food and drinks together.
Control of experiences: it can counteract heat or cold, plus it can be tailored to your own needs: a sofa, a bed or a chair. Being able to go to the bathroom without missing the movie, just by pressing “pause”.
Freedom: The user chooses what he wants to see. “If it’s bad you change it, if it makes you sleepy you go to sleep”.
Disadvantages
Sound and image:
Neither the best of televisions nor the most modern sound system can replace the experience of watching a production in the cinema, especially now with 4D-type cinemas, which offer sensory experiences.
Distractors: At home there are distractions such as the cell phone, unexpected visits, household routines or external noise that often do not allow a real and permanent connection with the movie or series.
Other platforms: The exclusive content that each streaming service has for its subscribers, which prevents watching some movies or series. It would imply having subscriptions (and paying for them) to all of them to have unlimited access.
3D movies: There are no productions with these characteristics on the platforms, among other things due to the lack of players that allow it.
Premiere times: Despite the fact that HBO and Disney have released films simultaneously in theaters and platforms, in most cases the titles arrive in theaters first and later, almost two months, are available on streaming systems.
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Who
Advantages
Sensory experience: the new cinema formats (VIP, Lounge, 4DX and DBOX, among others) are difficult to replicate in homes, they are immersive technologies that can have some comparison with virtual reality viewers, points out Juan Carlos Mayungo, from Cinemas Procinal.
The screen: Due to its dimensions, it allows a more precise experience of what is behind a story (shots, photography, sequences, visual and sound effects).
Darkness: The lack of light, plus the comfort and location of the seats help make the experience inside the room more immersive, there is more concentration. An unspoken pact is created between the audience and the film. “It’s quite a ritual,” explains the critic, screenwriter and professor Jerónimo Rivera.
Plan social: Leaving home, breaking habits and meeting friends are part of the advantages of going to the movies. It is also a romantic conquest plan, almost always the first dates are in a cinema.
It is an intimate and collective experience at the same time.
Routine changes: It offers the possibility of breaking the hours of a day, the habits, to create a space outside of time.
The crispettes: The sofa or bed can be very intimate spaces, but a microwave or a packet of popcorn doesn’t beat the taste and textures of popcorn sold in theaters.
The promotions: Most exhibitors have special pricing days (Tuesdays and Wednesdays). In addition to the clubs and loyalty cards with which discounts and other benefits are obtained.
Disadvantages
The price: Without a doubt, the value of the tickets (which, although compared to other Latin American countries, is not so high) is a limitation. The biggest complaint is not so much about the tickets, but about the value of popcorn, dogs and soft drinks.
Citizen ignorance: Running into people who talk harshly, who don’t turn off their cell phones, who kick the chairs in front of them or who eat wildly drive many people away from theaters.
The schedules: Limiting yourself to a schedule and certain days precludes easier access.
The dubbing of the movies: While a sector of the public prefers tapes dubbed into Spanish, others look for them in their original language. In Medellin, there are more dubbed films on billboards than subtitled ones.
Lack of independent titles:
Generally, the offer is dominated by commercial tapes, with the Hollywood label. There is little room for alternative cinema.
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