The indoor film-viewing experience is on the rise

As we all know, many parts of the world are currently under lockdown measures. That means nobody allowed outside, and a lot of people stuck to their sofas and beds.

As a result, there is obviously a lot more time to kill, and people can get bored very quickly! Luckily, there are a lot of ways to pass time if you just look outside of the box.

Streaming services, like Netflix, Disney +, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, have all seen a boom in popularity over the last year, as more people are forced to experience the world of cinema on the small screen.

Almost 16 million people created Netflix accounts in the first three months of 2020, reflecting the sheer amount of people who were watching more TV. Amazon also posted its biggest profit ever at the height of the pandemic in the U.S., with revenue jumping a massive 40% compared to a year earlier, with $88.9 billion of revenue.

It remains to be seen how long these kinds of trends will continue, as the world starts to come to terms with their routines, and also the end of the pandemic comes closer and things start to return to normal.

For now, it means that those who want to stay up to date with the latest in film have only a small-screen option, which is bad news for movie cinemas. Ever since the lockdowns began, these businesses have not been allowed to open, as the government has made sure that anywhere with lots of people indoors can only open once things are safe again.

Different countries have different timelines for when their entertainment sector will be able to return to some kind of ‘normal’, but for now most people’s best option to subscribe to some kind of streaming service, where they can enjoy quality films and shows from the comfort (and safety) of their home.

Where can you stay up to date with the latest in film?

Films are released both on the big screen (in normal times) and on streaming platforms, every single day. Statistics show that Netflix had at least 13,941 titles across all its international libraries as of April 2020. This can make it quite difficult to keep up with the latest releases, and which ones are worth watching.

Netflix’s platform does give a helping hand, of course, and it’s one of the most advanced of any major tech platform going right now. Everything from the thumbnails you see in your feed to the categories that are suggested to you is based on your unique data built up over time when using the service.

For example, Netflix may cycle through several different types of image for just one film to try and get you to click, and based on the one that you do eventually click, the subsequent thumbnails you’re shown will change based on your preferences.

However, if you’d rather not be at the mercy of the winding algorithms of the world’s big tech platforms, there are also other places where you can keep up to date with the latest film news and reviews.

Total Film magazine

published 13 times a year, and was first launched in 1997 to an audience of hungry film fans. To this day, the publication still features a whole host of the latest film reviews, covering all formats, too, from DVD to blu-ray and more. Take a look for yourself, they also have a great website with content from their writers, and you can subscribe to their digital edition and print edition in a package.

No Majesty

In the last few years, the online magazine No Majesty has become one of the more unique and interesting destinations to receive news about the world of film. Check out their film stories on their website, where they regularly have new content that you won’t see anywhere else. Although the publication has been around for over half a decade now, it’s developed a loyal readership in the last couple of years, and especially on social media the company really engages with their audience.

Social media

Online and physical magazines are great places to find out about the latest film releases and get in-depth information, but you don’t even have to go that far in order to get all that. Just take a trip through your social media feed and you’ll be sure to find out what’s hot right now. Plus, you can set your preferences on your feed – whether you use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or something else – so that you only see information about films, or whatever it is you are trying to get up to date on.

There’s a whole lot of information out there for film-lovers, and however you like to consume content, there is something for you. Happy hunting!

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

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