It used to be very different.

You heard about a movie by your favorite director being filmed. You waited patiently for the theatrical release, bought tickets, got dressed, and enjoyed a movie night with friends. It was a planned outing, devoted entirely to watching the film.

Now, it’s a stay-at-home night, a movie on a flat screen, speakers that hardly deserve mentioning, and countless distractions. These are completely different movie-watching experiences.

About 75% of U.S. adults watched a newly released movie via streaming instead of in the theater at least once in 2024, according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.  

About three in 10 respondents said they watch new movies on streaming platforms at least once a month. The data suggest that most American cinema fans are now more likely to stream a movie than see it in theaters, a trend that accelerated during and after the Covid pandemic.

Convenience and cost are the two main drivers behind this shift.

The new trend amid filmgoers has dire consequences, and actor Matt Damon recently highlighted one of them.  

Matt Damon says that with the home viewing experience in mind, Netflix structures movies differently than typical big-screen versions.

Image source: Shutterstock

Matt Damon says going to the theater to watch a movie is “like going to church” 

Matt Damon and his longtime friend and movie collaborator, Ben Affleck, appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Jan. 16 to talk and promote their new Netflix movie “The Rip.” 

Early in the conversation, the pair reflected on the growing challenge of getting audiences back into theaters, emphasizing that the theatrical experience remains unmatched.

Affleck pointed to the financial risk involved in releasing a movie theatrically.

“So to make a $25 million movie to break in, you got to make $100 million,” Affleck said. 

Damon followed up, explaining that it is difficult to get people to theaters these days, amid so much noise in the entertainment space. That’s why not many moviemakers are willing to invest and risk their money, and it’s also why streamers have stepped in. 

Affleck also highlighted that it is very expensive for many people to go to the movies with their families, versus monthly subscription services that enable them to watch many titles. 

Industry data reflect that shift. Global box office revenue rebounded to about $42 billion in 2024, streaming platforms now generate roughly 48% of total film revenue, a significant rise from 32% in 2020. This highlights how digital viewing has reshaped the economics of film distribution, according to data from ReelMind. 

Rogan then pointed out that the two ways of watching a movie are fundamentally different experiences, because seeing it with a crowd is “like a shared experience.” 

Damon followed up with his personal experience of seeing “One Battle After Another” in an IMAX theater, saying, “There’s nothing like that feeling.” 

“I always say it’s more like going to church. You show up at an appointed time. It doesn’t wait for you,” Damon said.

He contrasted this with watching a movie at home, highlighting how you view it in a room, with the lights on and other things going on in the background, such as the kids or the dogs running around. 

“It’s just a very different level of attention that you’re willing, or that you are able to give to it. And that has a big effect. And it also ends up having an effect or starting to have an effect on how you make movies,” Damon said. 

Netflix wants movie plots “reiterated” for distracted home viewers

“Bourne Identity” and “Good Will Hunting” star Damon added that the standard way to make an action movie that he and Affleck previously learned is to have three set pieces, one in the first, one in the second, and one in the third act. 

The big one with all the explosions and the one you spend the most money on is usually in the third act, because that’s a finale. 

Now, he said, streamers often want the biggest moment upfront, to hook viewers immediately.

“And, it wouldn’t be terrible if you reiterated the plot three or four times in the dialogue, because people are on their phones, while they’re watching.” 

Affleck pushed back, arguing that repetition isn’t the only path to success on streaming platforms. He pointed to Netflix’s limited series “Adolescence” as proof.

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“But then you look at ‘Adolescence,’ and it didn’t do any of that s**t,” Affleck said. “And it’s f**king great. And it’s dark, too. It’s tragic and intense. [It’s about] this guy who finds out his kid is accused of murder. There are long shots of the back of their heads. They get in the car; nobody says anything.”

The show, he noted, relies on long silences and subtle storytelling, rather than constant exposition.

Damon agreed that “Adolescence” works precisely because of how masterfully it’s made, but suggested it may be the exception rather than the rule.

The series demonstrated that “you don’t need to do any of that s**t to get the people,” Affleck concluded. 

So what do film fans and Netflix subscribers think about all of this?

Reddit users critique streaming trends 

Damon’s comments quickly spread online, particularly on Reddit, where a thread discussing his remarks gained roughly 1,300 upvotes and more than 230 comments.

Overall, the sentiment is overwhelmingly critical of the streaming model, and while many users admit they are part of the problem, another significant group argues Netflix is to blame. 

One user pointed out a vicious cycle. 

“It’s also kind of a vicious cycle — making a show/movie for an unengaged audience by restating the plot just means you’re writing worse dialogue, which makes me want to pay attention even less,” user CaptainStack wrote. 

CaptainStack’s comment got 2.2k views, suggesting many people agree that poor, repetitive writing makes them pick up their phones, which in turn makes Netflix think they need more repetitive writing. 

Others agreed, also blaming the quality of the content. User used-can-6979 wrote: “It’s funny though because I find myself on my phone when I watch their content because it’s not good.” 

Some users pointed out that Netflix’s subscription model is not suited for film fans. User distance_33 wrote: “They make movies for people who don’t watch movies. Netflix makes what I call ‘laundry movies.’ If I have a lot of laundry to fold I’ll throw on a movie that requires minimal effort and get to work. Netflix has no shortage of this type of content.”  

Others followed up expressing the nostalgia for the “mid-budget” movie, arguing that Netflix has replaced the art of filmmaking with a high-budget version of background noise. 

User TrueFilm wrote, “Netflix is slowing removing the ‘art’ aspect of movies/film and are essentially making high budget YouTube videos with everyone’s favorite actors.”

While the majority of users agree that the streaming services have given up on cinema and are intentionally producing audio-visual wallpapers, some also acknowledged that subscribers are also a part of the problem of being addicted to their phones. 

User bamfsalad wrote, “IMO if you aren’t going to focus then don’t watch.”

One user argued that the solution to this problem might be that subscribers react. 

“If you want better quality content, then stop watching the crap Netflix s**ts out. Support shows like AMC‘s ‘Interview with the Vampire’ or AppleTV’s ‘Pluribus’ & ‘Slow Horses.’ Because as long [as] Netflix gets views, that’s all they care about. Articles and reviews s**t talking their content does nothing. Money talks,” wrote user Paul_MuadDib. 

Related: Major streamers fight churn with limited-time offers as prices rise