Isabella Tyulyayev, junior, went to see “Five Nights at Freddy’s” (“FNAF”) with her friends and said she rates the movie a 7/10.
“FNAF” is a horror movie adaptation of the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” Video Games. In this, the player works the night shift at a restaurant in which animatronics try to attack the player, and the goal is to survive the night.
“The actual story telling part of the movie wasn’t all too great,” Tyulyayev said. “It felt like a generic ‘horror’ film but I rated it a little higher because it’s from a notorious video game franchise and the lore implications from the games into the movie were also a huge bonus.”
Tyulyayev would describe herself as a movie-goer, as she attends the movies about two to three times each month.
“I think theaters are more immersive than the at home approach because there’s built in surround sound and the screen is also huge,” Tyulyayev said. “You really get sucked into the story because of these things.”
Especially with the recent success of blockbuster movies like “Avatar: The Way of Water”, “Barbie”, and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”, more people and students have been attending the theaters. According to The Numbers “Avatar: The Way of Water” is the third highest performing film in the box offices of all time, “Barbie” is in 14th, and “The Super Mario Bros Movie” in 16th. Those movies are all from 2022 and on.
According to The Numbers, ticket sales across the globe may be climbing to pre-COVID levels.
Trent Belpulsi, Senior Assistant Manager at Marcus Des Peres and Class of ‘20, said that “Top Gun: Maverick” was the turning point for movie theater attendance since COVID, but he still sees a slight lull.
“I think the public is still cautious of theaters,” Belpulsi said. “The pandemic and the rise of streaming content are a cause for many to not go to theaters. But I see more people returning to theaters and enjoying everything we have to offer.”
Belpulsi said there is still hope for movies coming back despite challenges with streaming services and COVID “which the success of recent films has hinted to.”
“Experiencing a movie on the big screen compared to streaming at home makes a huge difference,” Belpulsi said. “Films like ‘Oppenheimer’ or ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ wouldn’t feel the same if you only watched them at home.”
Alex Rafi, Assistant Professor of Media Production at St. Louis University, said that movie-going has always been a collective experience to connect with others.
“There’s nothing like seeing a movie with a bunch of different people,” Rafi said. “Even though you can have that kind of experience at home or online, there’s something about being with other people in the flesh where you’re reacting to the same moments in real time that can’t be replicated.”
Streaming services have changed the nature of films as well, Rafi said, leading to less low-budget and fun films that could have achieved cult classic status from being made.
“I would say that we are going through a transformational moment because of the influence of streaming,” Rafi said.
He said COVID has influenced films by producing more big-budget, culturally impactful films that bring in younger audiences.
