Why Are Streaming Original Movies So Popular?

There was a time when movies made for the cinema enjoyed a practical monopoly when it came to the production of quality films. While direct-to video and DVD releases have been around since the beginning of their respective mediums, their limited visibility and potential profit margins often relegated them to lower budgets and quality.

While many indie films have bucked this trend, only recently has the popularity of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu opened this world to something entirely new. Now, major motion pictures that sidestep the cinema have the budget and appeal to draw in big names, big talents, and big releases.

With dozens of films to now choose from, original streaming movies are becoming the go-to choice for many … but what is it that has made this not just an alternative for many movie enthusiasts, but a first choice or even a full replacement?

“Netflix Logo” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by theglobalpanorama

The biggest component of this, as it so often is when it comes to entertainment, is owed to convenience. New technologies enable streaming at-home to allow for easy and speedy access without the need for any muss and fuss, and history has shown this to be a considerable draw.

For another example of this, we need only look at the realm of casinos. Traditionally, these required visits to physical locations, whereas new digital tech has allowed similar or even more flexible gambling opportunities at home. So what examples of this are there?

There aren’t many better newcomers than Rolla Casino. This website gives deposit bonuses and free spins, on top of an enormous selection of classic games, and audiences respond to that. Going out is inconvenient, at home you can play experience it how you want, and this is the exact path which films have now followed.

“Empty Cinema” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Simone Lovati

With no noisy theatre-goers, no overly expensive food, and no uncomfortable or forced seating, at-home entertainment has never made so much sense.

Part of this is also due to the increasing quality and decreasing cost of modern television and related systems. Huge screens are now easy to obtain, and easily connected Bluetooth headphones or speaker systems give an experience that mitigates many of the theatre’s potential advantages.

The other big advantage of at-home streamed movies comes from the on-demand nature. Rather than having to wait for specific times, you can watch whatever you choose whenever you want. When you’re done, should you want to watch the film again, you can do so immediately and without additional cost.

Taking all these aspects as a whole, it’s not difficult to see why many are turning from the silver screen and to the living room. While this form of entertainment might not yet be able to reach the upper limits of what Hollywood films can achieve in terms of budget, the gap is rapidly shrinking, and only gets smaller with each passing year.

While some traditional filmmakers see this as a threat and have made moves to block the cultural significance of some of these films, the people have spoken. The modern audience won’t be held back by traditionalism over quality and quantity and, for the first time in ages, we have a serious new contender on the world’s film-viewing stage.

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