• How are we really watching movies now? 

It’s no secret that streaming has slowly taken over our screens, our habits, and, if we are being honest, our lives. But Netflix’s recent move to acquire Warner Bros., one of Hollywood’s most historic and influential studios, feels like a turning point. 

Suddenly, the home of ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Barbie,’ ‘Friends,’ ‘Game of Thrones,’ and the entire DC Universe is no longer tied to a cinema or a television network, it’s on Netflix. And naturally, this raises the question many movie lovers have been whispering for years: are we witnessing the beginning of the end of the traditional movie-going experience?

For a long time now, people around the world have already been choosing comfort over cinematic spectacle. Streaming platforms release films faster than cinemas, offer unlimited variety, and allow you to watch anything you want from your sofa, in your pyjamas, with snacks that don’t cost as much as the ticket itself. Combine this with rising cinema prices, stricter rules about food, and the ease of bingeing an entire series in one sitting, and waiting for a theatrical release suddenly feels almost outdated.

With Netflix now becoming a full-fledged Hollywood powerhouse with a library bigger than almost any studio in the world, does this mean more blockbusters will skip theatres entirely? Will cinemas have fewer big titles to screen? And could we eventually end up watching even the most spectacular action movies on our phones instead of in front of a giant screen?

This shift feels especially relevant here in Sri Lanka, where streaming has become more accessible than ever. Shared accounts, VPNs, regional bundles, and lower-cost subscriptions have helped platforms regain popularity locally. 

At the same time, cinemas here often show only a small selection of Hollywood titles, some of which may arrive weeks late. Sinhala and Tamil films operate within their own ecosystems, leaving audiences to navigate limited choice and rising costs. 

To understand how Sri Lankans are adapting to this reality, The Sunday Morning Brunch reached out to several moviegoers to hear how they decide between going to the cinema or simply waiting for a film to become available online.

An uneconomical experience 

One of them, Jason Anthony, a long-time film enthusiast, admitted that even he had changed with the times. “I honestly never thought the day would come when I would say this,” he said. “When I was younger, I always went to the theatre. I was not a DVD person, I wasn’t watching movies on my computer, I always chose the big screen.” 

But rising prices have forced him to reassess. “It has become really uneconomical. It’s not good for my pocket to go to the theatre too often,” he explained. “Now I seriously choose which films I go to see. And it’s unfortunate because I really love cinema.”

For Jason, the cinema is now reserved for films that truly demand the theatre experience. “I’ll think, ‘Is this worth watching in the cinema? Do I need that big blockbuster feel?’” he said. “If it’s something like ‘F1’ or ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ then yes, I’ll go to Imax. Recently I wanted to watch ‘Zootopia 2,’ but honestly, what’s the point of going to the cinema for that? I know it’s on Disney+, so why would I go?” 

He added that although he loved the magic of cinema, costs and convenience won most of the time. “I don’t want cinema to die,” he said. “But everything is too expensive. It’s just not worth it anymore.”

Something special 

Mahen Thapa shared a similar experience, noting how cinema outings had shifted from casual entertainment to something more special. 

“Honestly, going to the cinema is kind of a big event now,” he said. “We only go when it’s someone’s birthday or we are celebrating something. We used to go just to kill time; Colombo famously has nothing to do and watching a movie was a good way to spend a couple of hours. But now it’s so pricey.” 

He pointed out that the cost went far beyond the ticket: “If you add food from the theatre plus the tickets, it’s just so expensive.”

Yet Mahen still makes an exception for Sinhala films. “There’s no reliable streaming platform where I know for sure I can find new Sinhala films,” he explained. “Some of them really are lost to time. If I don’t catch them in the theatre, I’ll never get to watch them.” 

Since he doesn’t watch television and can’t tolerate the advertisements, the cinema becomes the only guaranteed way to see local releases. Still, he admitted that major Sinhala films were rare. “How often do you come across a really, really good Sinhala film that you don’t want to miss?” he laughed. “There are only a few big ones each year.”

Shrinking options 

Meera Chellaraja, who views cinema through a completely different lens, also shared her thoughts with Brunch. For her, going to the movies is a tradition, a ritual, a passion. 

“I will always go to the movies if it’s a highly anticipated film I’ve been waiting for,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it needs the big screen, I just love the experience.” But she, too, feels the limitations of Sri Lankan cinema. “I’d love to watch A24 films in a theatre, but we don’t bring those down. The lack of choice is unfortunate.”

Whenever Meera travels abroad, she makes it a point to catch a film. “It’s part of the trip for me,” she said. “I find a theatre in whatever city I’m in. But here at home, the options are shrinking.” 

That said, event screenings still excite her. “They’re bringing back ‘The Lord of the Rings’ for its 25th anniversary – I will definitely go watch that,” she said. She loves double features, concert films, and anything that gives cinema its sense of communal thrill. “The energy is electric,” she said. “People sing along, cheer, it feels like a real concert. I think audiences need that joy again.”

Even so, she recognises the challenges. “Cinema is very expensive,” she said. “Honestly, I’m only subscribed to Netflix. And even then, if I am on Netflix I spend more time watching trailers than actually watching anything,” she said.

No longer the default 

So where does all this leave us? The debate isn’t as simple as ‘cinema is dying’ or ‘streaming is taking over.’ People are navigating a shifting landscape, balancing cost, convenience, availability, and the emotional connection that only a cinema can offer. 

Streaming is undeniably winning the day-to-day battle. It’s cheaper, easier, and has more variety. But cinema isn’t disappearing, it’s evolving. It’s becoming the treat, the event, the experience that people choose with intention.

Blockbusters, nostalgic re-releases, concert films, big-screen spectacles, these still pull people in. Cinemas win when they offer something unique, something that simply cannot be replicated at home. 

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s limited film choices remain a real issue. Without access to more diverse Hollywood releases, international festival films, Tamil and Sinhala films, or indie titles, cinemas may struggle to compete, no matter how magical the experience is.

Ultimately, the rise of streaming has changed why people go to the cinema, not whether they go. It’s no longer the default, it’s the exception. But hopefully, as long as people crave stories, connection, and moments worth showing up for, the cinema will continue to survive, just as it has survived every technological shift before this one.