Poll Suggestion: Cinema vs Netflix: Which Do You Prefer?

@Scholle2008​ I don't think it's that simple. Nowadays, concepts are changing, and the widespread popularity of Netflix is an example of this shift. When many people enjoy watching films at home more than in cinemas, we should respect their choice as well.

@NYVKE​ I mostly agree with you. Truly great films are made less often nowadays, even by directors who have created outstanding works in the past. Sometimes I feel that the goals of many people in cinema are different, such as making money or highlighting a particular topic.

@RezaKJoi​ 

My favourite film of 2025 is Knives Out 3. It had a brief cinematic release and then went to Netflix.

My 3rd favourite film of 2025 is Straw, Netflix original, direct to streaming.

(#2 is Fantastic Four First Steps - the kind of film one would want to see on the big screen)

@NYVKE​ I don’t think I’ve seen any films from 2025. Usually, movies go on my future watchlist, and it takes a while before it’s their turn.

@Pencho15​ Thank you for sharing your opinion. Your view is valid and completely respectable. Personally, I prefer following films through streaming, mainly because I find it difficult to tolerate noise and other audience behavior during screenings. I usually watch films in a quiet, dark room and focus on all the details. That said, I see no reason for cinema to disappear

@Breumaster​ Thank you for the reminder.

Personally, for several years now, I have not only stopped using physical formats (DVDs, Blu-rays, and others), but I also no longer see anyone around me owning them. It could be said that the world of digital distribution has pushed aside all other formats, leaving only cinema itself. A confrontation between these two.

@RezaKJoi​ 

That’s happened to me before as well, no big deal. I was then informed that the idea had already been turned into a poll. If it was eight or ten years ago, you could definitely argue that a lot of time has passed, that new users might notice it now, and that the opinions of people who voted back then may well have changed over such a long period. But three years seems like too short a timeframe to me. In the end, the admins have the final say and make the decision.

As a former hobby photographer with experience in the b/w darkroom, my vote would be for the cinema, if I could still afford it. But everything is getting more expensive, and audiences often behave pretty badly. So I’d reluctantly vote for Netflix. :D

@Breumaster

I could afford to watch more films in the cinema in my high school / college / young adult years than I can in my 40s.

It's become gratuitously expensive.

And you're right, as one gets older, being around humans gets annoying.

Superhero and Mission Impossible type blockbusters - assuming the story is good - are worth watching in the full immersive environment of the cinema.

But a more low key thriller, popcorn horror or action film, "serious Drama", comedy etc - stream it at home.

@NYVKE​ 

It's not that people annoy me in general, but they do things we didn't when we were young. I get frequently photographed during the presentation - with flashlight.

Some talk and talk and talk and therewith show off their personal problems about the movie. They have to make loudly jokes on it too proof how cool they are.

Sometime I have a sea of bright cell phone screens in front of me, which distract me from the cinema's screen. I f I correct them about, they rant at me and things like that. 

That all destroys a presentation that costs 32 Euros (2seats), which is much money for me to spend it for that! 

In one of the last movie shows, there was a boy talking to his father throughout the whole movie. I guess he translated for him. The main problem I had with it was that the boy had an itchi voice and brabbled Turkish. And Turkish language is basically loud and with that whimpy voice I nearly got mad. They should have better gone to a cafe to talk with each other. 

I best only go to arthouse movies. There the audience is mostly better.

@indiefilmguy​ I agree with you. I don’t think people should be forced into using only one option.

This idea is just like a part of the other.

@Breumaster​ Of course, I hadn’t seen your idea beforehand. I usually check to make sure a poll isn’t similar to an existing one, but sometimes it’s hard to tell.

If you and other users feel that this poll doesn’t need to be turned into a live poll, it can remain just a suggestion, nothing more.