Great article.

I am a purist. I absolutely refuse to do streaming. I go to the cinema at least two or three times a week, and if I like the film, I later pick up a copy on DVD or Blu Ray (strictly physical media only for me, and that includes books, music, etc). And yes - film festivals are great fun for all the reasons you outline here.

What I will add is that there are ways to avoid disruptive cinema audiences. Here's a link that offers some advice, if you're interested. :)

https://fanfare.pub/the-science-of-avoiding-disruptive-movie-audiences-67e38d60c85a