A&E: Finding Entertainment in Quarantine

FINDING ENTERTAINMENT IN QUARANTINE

Molly Gray, Incoming Arts and Entertainment Editor

Published June 17, 2020

Do you remember the last time you sat down in a movie theater? Got a large popcorn for you and your friends to split and pass around while you watched whatever you had chosen to see on the big-screen that night? Emptied your pockets that you stuffed with candy you snuck in to avoid paying those ridiculous prices?

Movie theaters across N.J. have been closed since March 14. Nobody has gotten a ticket for any film, and because of this, the industry is suffering. In a Los Angeles Times article on how Hollywood and the film industry will deal with a tough summer season, they stated, “The number of actual tickets sold this summer paints a bleaker picture, with total admissions likely to clock in at about 425 million, the lowest level since 1992.”

“It keeps [her and her friends] close and [they] can discover new movies [and] shows together.”

While the industry is suffering, so are its fans. Social isolation has turned many people’s lives upside down, and not being able to enjoy a day out at the theater with friends or family is adding to stress and sadness during this confusing time. While you can’t go to AMC or Bow Tie Cinemas, or even invite a friend over to binge watch Netflix shows in your basement, people have found ways to stay connected and continue to enjoy films and television with loved ones from a distance. The extension “Netflix Party” on Google Chrome allows the host to create a link that others can click on to view the host's computer screen. Every screen is synced up, so no one is ahead or behind when watching the movie. In addition to this, there is also a chatroom, where each person watching can add their commentary to what’s happening and converse with fellow viewers. Sia Bangia, ‘21, uses Netflix Party weekly. She said, “I think it’s been a really useful tool to keep me connected to my friends.” Even though she is happy to have found a way to continue movie nights with friends, Bangia admits that it “obviously [is] not the same as being with people in real life,” but that “it keeps [her and her friends] close and [they] can discover new movies [and] shows together.”

Phoebe Holt-Reiss, ‘21, has turned to apps like Zoom as well as Netflix Party to keep up with friends. She utilized these apps to plan a surprise birthday party for one of her friends, which included a movie on Netflix. She stated, “It’s been great having that technology to use, and I’m really glad I found out about it.” Like Bangia, Holt-Reiss recognized that it’s definitely a different experience, and said, “It’s a bit hard to type what you would normally just comment out loud, [but] I still think it’s better than nothing at all.” Josie Schwartzberg, ‘20, also had a difficult experience, and explained, “I didn’t like it. It was too hard to type my reactions to things I was watching and watch at the same time. I felt rushed to say what I wanted to say before the moment in the show ended. It would have been better if I could talk to my friends while I was watching and not type.”

Since movies are not being released in theaters at this time, companies are instead having their films put out on different streaming services. Not only are movies being released on Youtube, Amazon and Verizon On Demand, but they are also coming out earlier than planned. An article from TechHive detailed a variety of productions that have been affected by quarantine. Ben Patterson, the author of the article, wrote, “Big summer movies as Judd Apatow’s ‘The King of Staten Island’ and the animated ‘Scoob!’ are skipping theatrical releases altogether and going straight to digital.”

As of right now, there is no schedule that has been released as to when or how N.J. movie theaters will reopen. As people anxiously wait to hear if they’ll get to chill inside theaters with friends this summer, they know that they can always turn to technology that is continuing to be developed to make it easier to enjoy film and television with each other during these uncertain times.

Designer: I. Weber