Over the past year, as the world has adapted to a new normal, the entertainment industry has seen countless changes and setbacks. The pandemic has completely rerouted filmmaking, affecting everything from when filming begins to when the film is released to viewers.

Streaming services are the clear winners of this new age of movie and television production. With countries on lockdown and restrictions placed on theaters, there has been an extreme influx of subscriptions to these services.

“Throughout Covid I’ve become really dependent on streaming services,” Lillian Dennis, 12, said. “I like that there’s a lot of options available and you can binge-watch things easily.”

One of Hollywood’s leading media conglomerates, Warner Bros. Entertainment, shocked moviegoers when the company announced its plans for 2021 movie releases. All films produced by Warner Bros. will be available to stream on HBO Max on the same day they are released in theaters that remain open. Some of the most anticipated releases under this deal include Godzilla v. Kong and the fourth installment of The Matrix.

As production companies continue to release their films on rapidly growing streaming services, theaters are pushed further into the dirt. Movies take a route directly to viewers’ homes, and even those with access to theaters opt to stay home. AMC is just one of many entertainment chains that came close to bankruptcy, and it was only able to stay afloat with investor donations (CNBC).

“I am looking forward to some streaming releases this year, but I find the experience of going to a theater and being surrounded by like-minded people enjoying the same movie as you to be better,” Delilah Rosales, 12, said.

Hollywood professionals have also adopted strong opinions on the current direction of the film industry. Prominent action-blockbuster director Christopher Nolan has expressed his discontent with the idea of movies going directly from production to streaming in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

 “It’s [very] messy… I think all of the studios know that the movie theater experience will bounce back and be a very important part of the ecosystem long-term,” Nolan said. “People love going to the movies and they’re going to get to go again.”