Video might have killed the radio star, but cinemas insist the digital streamers won’t spell the same fate for the Boxing Day film tradition.
Global box office totals in 2025 are expected to be significantly down on the pre-COVID era as people opt for on-demand offerings at home over the big screen.
“Boxing Day, and the whole period between Christmas and New Year, has historically always been a bumper time for film-going and for cinemas,” Swinburne University cinema and media expert Liam Burke said.
“In the last 10 years or so, the tradition and habit of going to the cinema has been eroded by streaming services and the pandemic really hastened that decline.”
However, Boxing Day movies were somewhat immune from the broader trend because people still wanted to do things with their families and friends, Dr Burke told AAP.
Cinema Nova boss Kristian Connelly, who has run his independent business for more than 20 years, said profits had been up in the past 12 months, citing success with the 2024 Boxing Day release of romantic comedy-drama Anora.
“Cinemas continue to find the Boxing Day releases and the window immediately after, which is traditionally New Year’s Day, easily among the most popular movie-going weeks of the year,” he said.
The introduction of streaming services meant people had more choice at home and could choose not to go out, but theatrical releases still fared well even when the same movies ran on digital platforms, Mr Connelly added.
“People want a third place, they want to be somewhere other than home and work,” he said.
The percentage of Australians attending the cinema at least once per year dropped from 68 per cent in 2019 to 59 per cent in 2024, with the average number of visits per person dropping from 6.3 to 4.6 annually, according to Screen Australia statistics.
Meanwhile streaming services continue to build, with people spending more to support multiple subscriptions in 2025, according to technology analysts Telsyte.
Netflix boasted 6.4 million subscriptions, up three per cent from 2024, followed by Amazon Prime with 5.1 million, up two per cent, and 3.3 million subscribers for Disney+, up six per cent.
Despite the streaming surge, movie-going remained the nation’s most popular cultural activity, Cinema Association Australasia executive director Cameron Mitchell said.
A 2026 season with major exclusive theatrical releases, including instalments in the Toy Story, Super Mario, Hunger Games and Avengers franchises would mark a bumper year for cinema operators, he added.
More than 50 million movie tickets were expected to be sold in 2025 as families looked to enjoy a shared cinema experience that couldn’t be replicated at home on the couch, Mr Mitchell said.
Dr Burke said movie studios had relied on tentpole releases post-pandemic, such as big-budget action adventure films or family musicals like Wicked.
In contrast, mid-budget films such as romantic comedies and dramas had been lost to streamers.
“This year, unless you want to see Zootopia or Avatar, there’s not the same wealth of options you would get on a (streaming service),” the expert said.
Generation Alpha, made up of children aged 14 and under, craved the novelty of the multiplex, Dr Burke noted, pointing to 2025 film successes A Minecraft Movie, Taylor Swift’s concert films and KPop Demon Hunters.
“That communal experience, the opportunity to sing, laugh and cry together in this form remains somewhat unmatched, no matter how many streaming services you have at home,” he said.