It stated that this studio system was in violation of the nation’s antitrust law, and was therefore illegal. This resulted in the movie studios no longer owning — either partially or fully — their cinemas. Not only that, but television was on the rise, so ticket sales were also falling. So while it broke up what was essentially a monopoly, it also put the studios in a financial tight spot.

But it wasn’t just the cinemas, as the court decision also brought about changes to the way the Big Five made films. For example: actors would no longer be held hostage by contracts or salaries (though contracts would still be a thing, just with fewer restrictions).

This was pretty great for major actors who could earn hundreds of thousands per movie, but it also meant less stable revenue for others. In the interim, the Hollywood studio system now had to figure out how to get people back in the theaters. TV was the hottest thing in town, but limited theater events like Cinerama and CinemaScope gave the studios an unprecedented idea to change the way movies looked.

By introducing new widescreen films, with CinemaScope, VistaVision and others, the classical Hollywood system was able to find a way to make going to the movies attractive again. While it wasn’t perfect, it did help them out and ended up having a permanent impact on the way we literally look at movies.