Mixed – The Rise of Streaming Services

As digital technology has greatly improved, the rise of streaming services for films was inevitable. Like with any new medium introduced, there are both positives and negatives. On the plus side, streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and the like have provided a new release avenue for films that Hollywood would traditionally turn away. Films that likely would have received limited releases in select theaters are now available to wider audiences. However, the negatives that came with this new technology would be its convenience and the effects on theater attendance as it offered the first real sense of competition to the multiplex. While the fight rages on between theaters and digital streaming services, the current COVID-19 pandemic has seen a shift dramatically in favor of streaming services. The Tom Hanks movie Greyhound (pictured) set a new record when it moved from a theatrical release to Apple TV+, becoming the largest opening weekend release for the streaming service, rivaling that of a theatrical box office release.