Now Playing, On a TV Near You

What does twenty bucks buy in the COVID-19 economy? Well, it can buy 23.8 rolls of toilet paper. While it’s probably smart to stock up on those, another Andrew Jackson can be used to stream one of several major motion pictures - still in theaters - at home.

Amazon’s “Prime Video Cinema” feature allows streamers access to films currently in theaters. “Buy Movie HD 19.99,” boasts the yellow-highlighted button before a purchase. With a halt on businesses that has left many unemployed for the foreseeable future, the value of these flicks is to be determined by viewers themselves.

"I feel in a way it's worth it, because you are spending way more money at the movies than to see it at home," says Maria Rivas, SMC child development major. Rivas said she would spend the money for Disney's "Onward". A standard Netflix membership costs $9.99, and a premium membership, which allows members to stream on up to 4 screens in HD or Ultra HD, comes in at $16.99. An Amazon Prime membership is $12.99 for its pay-per-month option and $6.49 monthly for students, while Business Insider states Hulu’s premium caps at $11.99.

The three main streaming giants offer viewers more options than a person could viably watch- even in a self-quarantine.

For double the cost of a subscription, at-home movie goers have a choice of one of just seven titles, including “Birds of Prey”, “Bloodshot” and the premiere of “The Invisible Man”. Autumn De Wilde’s 2020 version of Jane Austen’s “Emma” is also available for home viewing. This is the first time Prime is offering such a service, so whether audiences will drop the dough for the at-home cinematic experience remains to be seen.

The competition between top streaming services lies in which app offers which titles. With their standard subscription, Hulu members have access to award-winning dramas like “Love and Mercy” and “50/50” as well as “Fun with Dick and Jane”. According to Cinema Blend, Hulu subscribers can mark April 1 on their calendars for the arrival of both “Kill Bill” films, “Paranormal Activity” and many more, while films like “Dude, Where’s My Car”, “Diana” and “Finding Steve McQueen” will be available for those who drop the dough for a Starz premium add-on.

Including its own plethora of originals, Netflix is currently home to a wild list of trending shows and films. Holding down the number one spot is “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness.” For less tiger-filled options, Netflix Original limited series “Self Made” and “Pandemic” are also available. According to Den of Geek, while Netflix isn’t currently enjoying a show-craze like it has in the past with series like “Stranger Things”, offering every season of shows like “Community” and each movie in big franchises like “Lethal Weapon” starting April 1, leave viewers with plenty of options.

Amazon Prime, in addition to its Prime Video Cinema, continues to offer classic series in their entirety like “Sex and the City” and their own successful original series such as “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Current fun movie classics include “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and “Pretty in Pink”, while viewers can look forward to both “Carrie” movies and “Wayne’s World 2” starting April 1.

According to “Variety”, patrons very well may see opening restrictions and health and safety measures pushed into the movie-going experience upon the re-opening of movie theatres. What remains to be seen is how this will affect the flow of streaming.