The Value of Theaters

With the movie not being released for another week, viewers can only trust the opinions of the few who have seen it, who claim the movie turned out pretty well. It’s a terrible strategy for Warner Bros. to dump the movie on Max. The provided reason for the move was the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, which caused a delay in production on several series, leaving Warner Bros. needing content for Max. However, this move only leaves money on the table for the studio.

A prime reason for Salem’s Lot to go to theaters is that theatrical runs only heighten the value of a movie. When a movie debuts in theaters, more money is given to marketing, thus making more people aware of the movie. If the movie turns out to flop during its theatrical run, the movie will still have better streaming numbers than those movies going straight to streaming. For example, the 2023 Nielsen report about the most streamed movies of the year charted nine of the top ten being theatrically released movies. The one direct-to-streaming movie that made the list was Glass Onion: A Knives-Out Mystery from Netflix, which did receive a brief theatrical release and is a sequel to a previously released in-theater movie. The influx of people viewing theatrical release movies over straight-to-streaming can be debated, but the fact is people watch those types of films more. There’s a reason Apple and Amazon Prime have begun to give their movies theatrical runs first before debuting on their services. Thus, if Warner Bros. wants to elevate Salem’s Lot’s profile on its streaming platform, giving it a theatrical run will only help. 

Horror in the Theaters

Audiences love to watch horror movies in theaters. On average, they perform better at the box office, accounting for over $1 billion and averaging over 10% of ticket sales alone. There’s something about the theatrical experience of being in a packed theater and getting scared with other audience members that draws viewers in. While no movie is ever guaranteed to turn a profit for a studio, some are more likely to perform better, and given the history of the genre, Salem’s Lot likely would have been a safe gamble for Warner Bros. 

Lastly, Salem’s Lot should have gone to theaters for the same reason all films should. Despite all of the different home theater equipment that can enhance an at-home experience, theaters remain the best. With their large screens and immersive sounds, they can plunge audiences into the world of the film. Movies are also social experiences, works of art that (at their best) speak to the human experience. They’re likely the only place in the world where people are able to laugh and cry together, feel excited and thrilled together, and, most importantly for Salem’s Lot, be frightened as a group. There’s a collective energy in the auditorium that simply isn’t recreated when viewing a movie at home. Salem’s Lot likely won’t be honored with being one of the greatest horror movies of all time (who knows, maybe it will), but it’s another film that tragically was sacrificed at the altar of streaming services. It isn’t the first movie to be tossed away by the studio, and sadly for audiences and everyone who works hard making movies, it won’t be the last. 

Watch Salem’s Lot, scheduled to release on Max on October 3rd!