With vaccines in play and a better understanding of air ventilation, theaters were supposed to open their doors again. And they did... sort of. Ticket sales in 2021 outpaced 2020. But were still nearly 70 percent behind the haul from 2019. A lot of that is the pandemic, but moviegoers have been gravitating away from theaters for years now. In a world where reboots and franchises dominate the box office (and even they aren't doing pre-pandemic numbers), how can other films compete? And what does that mean for the future of American cinema? Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.