Just before the preview screening of "1917," the World War I drama seemingly filmed in one continuous shot, the continuous shooting in the Mideast dramatically ramped up anew.
So those awaiting the war story on the big screen scrolled through a small-screen barrage of missives about a barrage of missiles Iran had shot at U.S. bases in Iraq.
Then, an increasingly unique event happened: Phones were shut off and a shared cultural experience occurred.
"1917" is riveting content regardless of the context of breaking news. But at that moment, many moviegoers were likely comparing present-day communication about combat with the plotline of two Great War-era British soldiers on a mission to deliver a life-or-death message to the trenches.
Today's asymmetric tactics have mostly replaced trench warfare. And except in rare cases, modern militaries are tethered by the technological transformation that has changed everything else in the world — including (inconsequentially, of course, compared to combat) watching movies.
That fact was quantified in December's Golden Globe nominations and Monday's Academy Award nominations. Netflix led both slates, garnering 34 film and TV Golden Globe nods and 24 nominations for the Feb. 9 Oscars, which only honor movies.
While some traditional studios were right behind, Hollywood's plot twist is set: Movie moguls can't just think traditionally as a torrent of streaming services quickly shift film's cultural and commercial models.
Netflix received its first Best Picture nod last year — the sublime "Roma," which lost in an upset to "Green Book." This year it has two: "The Irishman," director Martin Scorsese's latest mob movie, and "Marriage Story," the divorce drama that ran a scant few weeks in theaters, reflecting the breakup of movies' monetary model that dominated for decades.