What happened to the fun movies?

As our parents often remind us, “back then” people had to buy copies of movies and TV shows in stores or rent them from chains like Blockbuster. Today, our main source of entertainment comes from streaming platforms. 

Whether we’re watching movies on Netflix or a new TV show on Hulu, it has become rare to own a physical copy of entertainment. 

People love to revisit movies from the 80s, such as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Breakfast Club and When Harry Met Sally, because of their casual feel. None of these movies had a large budget, yet they were extremely successful and are still watched even today. 

In this era of entertainment, movie producers were able to make casual movies because they didn’t need to rely on theater success alone. They knew the sale of physical copies would make them plenty of money after the release. 

Today, movies are being produced at a slower rate and a higher budget because of the decrease of physical copy sales. When a movie hits theaters, the producers have to make sure that most of the success happens there. Therefore, they make these movies big in an attempt to create a blockbuster. As a result, we are seeing a major decrease in “fun” and casual movies.

In the early 2000s, TV shows with 20 episode seasons were at their peak. Viewers would watch their favorite show weekly on cable. Now, the only way we view TV shows is through binge watching on streaming services. The producers of these shows will take years to release a season with 8-12 episodes that people end up watching over the span of three days. The excitement of catching your favorite show on live TV weekly is a thing of the past.

Although streaming is more efficient, we have seen its consequences in entertainment in the past couple of years. People miss the fun movies and TV shows from years past, but for now, we can still embrace the nostalgia and rewatch the films we love.