Movie theaters may be in trouble. In recent weeks, all major movie theater chains in the United States have closed due to the coronavirus, Covid-19. As a result, movie studios have moved to releasing their films that were in theaters direct to digital, as a way to try and make some profit while most of the United States has been told to stay in their homes as much as possible. And, this move by the studios is what will put movie theaters in jeopardy.

What the big studios are about to find out is that a lot more people will see their new films from the comfort of their own home, paying one overall price, rather than take the entire family, spend money on tickets, food, and drinks, and sit in a movie theater with other people who may or may not watch a film the same way they do.

This worries me solely because I love watching movies in movie theaters. I love almost everything about it. But, I do think that, should business not pick up soon after movie theaters reopen, they will need to restructure.

Whoever was on the team for AMC’s app was already thinking about this possibility. AMC has an option for AMC On Demand. These are all newer films on digital that you can view directly through the theater company’s app. And, I hate to say it, but this could very well be the restructuring that movie theaters may need.

If you are a film lover like myself, do me a favor and go to movies when this horrible episode of The Twilight Zone is finally over and we can all leave our homes again. Support them. Or it may be the end of movie theaters as we know them.