Hollywood v streaming: a disaster movie or could there be a happy ending?

Television, video, DVD ‒ the big screen giants have adapted and survived many times before, but the rapid rise of streaming combined with enforced closure of cinemas is posing the biggest threat yet. Collaboration may be the key to survival, writes Amit Joshi.

Adapt or perish is a mantra that Hollywood has become all too familiar with in recent decades. First it was TV and video that threatened to eat its lunch. Then along came DVDs, promisinga viewing experience that was capable of bringing the immersiveness of cinema into the home. To Hollywood’s credit (or perhaps good fortune) home viewing has never been able to quite replicate the appeal of the movies.

After all, its attraction cannot just be distilled into its constituent parts: the screen size, the sharpness of the image or the all-encompassing nature of the sound, where everything from a gentle murmur to a ferocious blast enlivens the senses. All play a significant role in the medium’s appeal, but cinemas are…