Be not afraid - we shall see collective VOD screenings more and more - The Fact do this on occasion and whilst the licencing of Netflix for collective viewing(s) is still in its infancy, Netflix are rolling out something in the U.S whereby you pay a fee and can see Netflix shows on the silver screen.
It will happen - if Netflix can essentially take down Blockbuster, the big cinemas will not deny them from licencing their wares for their cinemas.
I've spoke about this loads mate - one day we will see the crossover of film and TV serials (with regard to viewing habits), and the dynamics of viewing habits will go all North is South and South is North; can literally see a future with a return to the old serials and I think Netflix will be one of the forerunners in this. More and more good independent producers (like Garland, Wheatley and co), turning to Netflix to get more creative control and less constraints on budgets.
The question at-hand is - why would people want to go to the cinema to see stuff, when they can do it in their own homes?
True, it goes against their inherent model and may prove fruitless - but Netflix have the power and resources to somehow make it work. 
It does seem to be going that way, I agree. Outside of the big Marvel, DC and Star Wars type franchises, it's becoming increasingly obvious that cinemas don't want to bother about smaller, more obscure productions. They enter the theatre, and if they don't bank on the first weekend, it's cheerio within a matter of a week or maybe slightly more. Maybe not all the time, but it is seriously frustrating, as some films need time to breath once the cork is popped on them as they gather a collective crowd over word of mouth, but by then it's too late. I remember reading Tarantino's disdain for Star Wars because of this, and his past experiences with (I think it was Hateful 8?) one of his films being removed from a branch of theatres to make way for the latest Disney juggernaut. I suppose it's all about whatever makes the green more, but even at that, the likes of Netflix should not be viewed as some kind of savior to independent, art house style productions whenever you see some of the shit they're buying into (let's not forget their hard on for Marvel too). I mean, we've got a certain Mr Smith popping up on there pretty soon in something that looks like it was written by a GCSE student who's into Lord of the Rings and computer games. Hardly high art, but sure, whatever gets the publicity, and Will Smith in your production is marketing gold dust. Even if it's gold dust sprinkled on a turd.
The question at-hand is - why would people want to go to the cinema to see stuff, when they can do it in their own homes?
It's always been the question, hasn't it? I don't think the rise of VOD or Netflix type services has altered that question in any way, or at least the answer to it. It was as true in the 80's with Betamax and VHS, and in the 90's with DVD as it is now. It's just another format, but one put in it's own place by the convenience of use. It's about the experience. Sadly, though, as you say, the whole experience of going to a Blockbuster, or another rental type store, where you walked in, browsed the empty boxes, and picked a film based off of the cover art and hoped you picked a winner, or got lucky enough for it to be in shop if it was a new release, are long gone. These things might seem an inconvenience to us now, but it was all about that anticipation and experience that was often better than the films themselves. Going to the cinema is the same thing. The last film I watched was Blade Runner 2049, and as an example for that, there is no way just picking that film off a screen in your living room and watching it on a 42" screen or whatever, would do that film any kind of justice. On viewing it in a theatre, it was clearly obvious it was a film built specifically for that. The soundtrack coupled with the visuals alone, fucking hell, it was an immense experience and one that I won't forget. The seat I was sitting in was literally vibrating from the bass and it was probably the best I've had watching a film on the big screen, with LoTR's trilogy being a close second. If you missed that on the big screen, you missed out in a big way. I would have loved to have given it a second go, but sure enough, Justice League came along, and it had to skooch over and make way for that lump of lard, and as it turned out, I went to the very last showing of it that I could find locally...on a weekday...in the afternoon.
