Is great TV like The Walking Dead killing the box office?

Danai Gurira as Michonne, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene, Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler - The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Gallery - Photo Credit: Alan Clarke/AMC
Danai Gurira as Michonne, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene, Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler - The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Gallery - Photo Credit: Alan Clarke/AMC /
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Could the declining summer box office be a result of all the really awesome television shows like The Walking Dead? Given that the box office tanked, it’s possible.

With all of the great television on these days, from The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, to original programming on Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix, and cable shows like HBO’s Game of Thrones there is really no reason to go to the theaters anymore.

Once upon a time there wasn’t anything good on television, especially not in the summer, and so people went to the movies for their entertainment. If news of a dismal 2017 summer box office season is any indication, it looks like theaters took a big hit this year and that means that people were out doing other things this summer. My guess is that watching television is one of those things.

These days the roles have reversed, and people would rather stay home than go to the movies. Almost everyone has a flat screen television that is somewhere around 40 inches, and many of those people have a surround sound system and a comfy couch. Of course not everyone has all of those things, but the point is the same: Why pay all of that money to go to the movies when you can Netflix and chill, right?

With streaming services working directly with Hollywood studios to bring brand new movies directly to consumers at home, circumventing the theaters, it would seem that watching shows and movies from home is the new normal. We’d rather be at home eating our own food, drinking our own drinks and watching with as many people as we wish instead of forking over an arm and leg to go to the theaters, and this wouldn’t be possible without such great television.

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Though Game of Thrones just wrapped its penultimate season, The Walking Dead is right around the corner with its October 22 season premiere. There’s no question that The Walking Dead, and all of the other great programming returning in the fall, will continue to capture fans’ attention, which could continue to contribute to this downward trend at the box office.