Death of the Drive-in? Why Cinema Still Matters (or doesn’t)

By Aoibhe McDaid-Nelis 

For over a century, from drive-ins to 4K surround sound, cinema has been a cultural ritual. 

Last Saturday night, after spending an eternity wondering what to do that was both a) Cheap, and b) Preferably not accompanied by a hangover. Finally, my friend and I decided too to the cinema. It felt perfect – a night out that was relatively affordable and one thing that we hadn’t done in a while. 

Two hours later, and 17.90 lighter after watching a film neither of us particularly enjoyed, we began to question our decision.  

For younger people, the way we watch films has changed drastically over the past few years. The big screen used to be the only way to watch the newest movies, as well as a chance to mark down which trailers piqued our interest the most.  Now, the cinema, once the heart of movie culture, is no longer the default destination for new releases. 

Today, movies are a dragged-out series of multiple trailers featuring practically the entire plot of the film, culminating in the anti-climactic release on a streaming platform. Look no further than Guillermo Del Toro’s newest gothic reimagining of Frankenstein on Netflix to see this modern formula for Hollywood.  Although the movie was shown in certain cinemas across the UK (Gonet, 2025), it earned 29 million views within the first three days of its release on the streaming platform (Ruimy, 2025), prompting the question of how much the movie could have earned had it been given a proper theatrical release.  

For Gen Z, raised on YouTube and TikTok, watching films at home feels completely natural. The art of cinematic immersion, which was once defined by surround sound and vast technicolour filled screens, has been replaced by Netflix’s signature intro ding and endless scrolling through titles like we’re flicking through an appliance manual.  

At the core of this shift is convenience. Streaming offers instant access to thousands of titles from virtually anywhere, a comfort that cinemas can’t easily compete with. For a generation used to on-demand everything, the idea of sitting through a two-plus hour movie without the ability to pause or rewind feels outdated. Our rapid culture of consumption and instant gratification has changed how we consume movies, and the effect is clear on younger cinema goers.  

Then, like everything nowadays, there is the cost. A standard Netflix subscription costs £5.99 a month with ads (Netflix, 2025), while a single cinema ticket can be up to £9.95 in the North of Ireland, and that’s before snacks or transport. For students and young people on tight budgets, that difference matters. 

“I love going to the cinema — the experience of seeing a movie — but it’s unrealistic for students on a budget to go to every film they want to see,” says Abbie Williamson, an undergraduate student at Queen’s University Belfast. 

The reasons are clear: the rising cost of living, the convenience of streaming, and a culture built on instant access. The ability to multitask appeals as well – we can pause, rewind, text, or even finish a last-minute assignment, luxuries impossible once the lights go down in a theatre. 

Yet for all that convenience, it feels like something is missing. The cinema experience is hard to replicate. There’s a collective emotion when an audience experiences key moments of a movie together – ask anyone who went to see Return of the Jedi when Darth Vader uttered the line “I am your father” or ask the die-hard Twilight fans who watched their beloved characters battle in the twist ending of Breaking Dawn Part 2. Personally, one of my summer highlights in 2023 was getting ‘dolled up’ to go watch the Barbie movie with my friends. Part of watching a movie is sharing the experience with other people, something lost with the rise of streaming’s to-go blockbusters.  

Even legendary director Martin Scorsese has spoken about the importance of this shared feeling. In an interview with Express (2019), he said: 

“Something that should always be protected, as much as possible, is the communal experience, and I think that’s best in a theatre.” 

Independent cinemas are finding creative ways to stay relevant. Many host retro screenings of classics like Back to the Future, themed nights, or live-streamed concerts and gaming events. Others, such as our own Queen’s Film Theatre, have evolved into social spaces, offering student discounts and a bar to socialise with fellow film lovers before or after a film. 

In the end, the debate over cinema’s ‘relevance’ might be missing the point. It’s not about one format replacing another, but about how our viewing choices reflect the kind of culture we want to build. Do we crave convenience, or connection? 

So overall, despite the disappointing film and the not-so-cheap tickets, that Saturday night reminded me that sometimes the value of cinema isn’t in the movie at all, but in the shared moment of being able to experience a story with someone else. 

References 

Gonet, Adam. 2025. “Netflix Confirms Theatrical Release Date for Guillermo Del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ – the Arts Shelf.” The Arts Shelf. August 18, 2025. https://theartsshelf.com/2025/08/18/netflix-confirms-theatrical-release-date-for-guillermo-del-toros-frankenstein/. 

Ruimy, J. (2025, November 12). World of Reel. World of Reel. https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2025/11/11/frankenstein 

“Netflix.” 2015. Netflix.com. 2015. https://www.netflix.com/signup?serverState=%7B%22realm%22%3A%22growth%22%2C%22name%22%3A%22PLAN_SELECTION%22%2C%22clcsSessionId%22%3A%22707c0741-0b6a-4961-ae74-84855e5f5ff8%22%2C%22sessionContext%22%3A%7B%22session-breadcrumbs%22%3A%7B%22funnel_name%22%3A%22signupSimplicity%22%7D%7D%7D. 

Desborough, Jenny. 2019. “Martin Scorsese: The Irishman Director Speaks out on Netflix and Why TV ‘Is Not Cinema.’” Express.co.uk. November 27, 2019. https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/1190581/martin-scorsese-director-netflix-tv-cinema-the-irishman-marvel.