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[BertramCooper]

Christopher Nolan's quote sounds like it's from someone who hasn't actually seen a movie at a multiplex in a very long time.

It's not always a great experience, but I think it's categorically false that theaters haven't innovated at all in recent years.

 

[Dabanton]

Nothing beats watching a good movie at the cinema with some strangers. I think its the most 'pure' film experience you can have.

 

[hiredhand]

A great theater experience is still better than anything at home... but a great theater experience is becoming so rare nowadays. And for me, has nothing to do with the price (though it is absurd; $65 for 3 IMAX tickets to The Walk?!), or digital projection, and everything to do with the fucking horrible crowds. There's always a problem person in every theater, whether it's being on their phone, talking too fucking loud and often, or getting drunk in the seat behind me.

Is behaving like an ass at the cinema some weird American thing because it seems to be a very common complaint on these forums.

I have seen literally hundreds of films at the cinema in many different cities in Finland. Times the crowd has caused any nuisance whatsoever can be counted on the fingers of one hand. I have never had to complain about anyone to the staff and have never gotten a refund because of bad behavior.

 

[squall23]

I'm old fashion when it comes to stuff like this. I would never watch a TV show let alone a movie on my phone, I sometimes marathon TV shows on my ipad during commutes (would still prefer doing this on a TV), I go out of my way to setup anime on my TV instead of just watching it on a computer, and I watch cheap Tuesday movies in theatres.

 

[-tetsuo-]

Not at all.

 

[bananafactory]

Movie theatre crowds can be shit at times but nothing beats the experience of watching a special film on the giant screen and laughing, crying, and celebrating with hundreds of other people

I think it will be around for a long time

 

[Willectro]

It's not the cost, it's the ignorance of the other patrons that ruins the experience for me. Morons can't not talk or fuck around with phones for an hour or 2.

 

[ApharmdX]

Is behaving like an ass at the cinema some weird American thing because it seems to be a very common complaint on these forums.

I have seen literally hundreds of films at the cinema in many different cities in Finland. Times the crowd has caused any nuisance whatsoever can be counted on the fingers of one hand. I have never had to complain about anyone to the staff and have never gotten a refund because of bad behavior.

I don't go to as many movies as I used to, but yes, people act abysmal at them. Up to and including shooting each other. It's a bad experience, most of the time. That said, there's a little cinema near where I live which has "VIP" theaters where there's recliner seating and there's lot of room between seats, and mostly adults choose this option because it costs more. I've not had a bad experience in this theater yet.

 

[TheAbsolution]

Is behaving like an ass at the cinema some weird American thing because it seems to be a very common complaint on these forums.

I have seen literally hundreds of films at the cinema in many different cities in Finland. Times the crowd has caused any nuisance whatsoever can be counted on the fingers of one hand. I have never had to complain about anyone to the staff and have never gotten a refund because of bad behavior.

I like in America and I can also count the amount of times that I've had bad experiences from other people on one hand within the past year and I go pretty much every week.

 

[Ronin Ray]

I hope not I love going to the movies. It makes for a nice escape and there are plenty of cheap options around me

 

[RiccochetJ]

I'm so happy that there's a Alamo Drafthouse here in Colorado. They don't put up with rude people and will kick their ass out.

 

[Jeffolation]

I do hate the 3D bullshit being shoved down our throats, I hate the introduction of premium seating. I hate that a bottle of vitamin water is five dollars. But the experience of going out with friends and taking in a movie on the big screen is something I love to death. Even with the price of tickets being what they are, if there's anything at all to check out I go to the theatre two or three times a month.

 

[Toothless]

Nope, for about $6, I can go see a movie with superior sound and visual quality than I have at home.
That's worth it to me.
I go see a new movie on average once a week.

I'm with this guy. $4.50 if you go before noon on a weekend or a Tuesday? Great deal for me.

 

[lunchtoast]

My girlfriend lives near an Alamo and I try to go as often as possible. Nice seats, you get a table and they have good food at reasonable prices which makes you more likely to order. Plus she has a small stack of "buy large soda, get free popcorn." coupons.

 

[Polioliolio]

I love going out for a movie... Provided it doesn't cost 15 dollars.

There's a theater about a half hour away that plays movies that are a few months old, but the cost for admission is seriously like 2 dollars.. One day a week it's one dollar... One dollar!!

What I'm saying is, at 5 bucks or less, I'll go often, but at 12-15 dollars, I will go maybe once or twice a year.

 

[The Technomancer]

No, as I get older I go to the theater more and more often, I appreciate how different the experience is compared to home and its a great social occasion if you follow it with drinks

 

[davepoobond]

its more about the event at this point than the movie.

there definitely is a point to watching in a theater, though, other than it being an event

 

[wenis]

Fuuuuuuuck no. I can't fit a slighter smaller than IMAX screen in my home or fit 12.1 surround sound.

 

[bitizenbon]

Multiplex cinemas are bleh. It is all about smaller theaters that serve reasonably priced snacks and beer for me

For the price of just two multiplex tickets, I can get two tickets, two slices of pizza and a mini pitcher of beer at my local theater.

$26 dollars for two tickets, two slices of pizza and a mini pitcher of beer? That's too good to be true.

 

[YoungHav]

The price keeps me away. A decade ago I paid $5 in college, in NYC I think it's near $20 now. I see a movie at the theater maybe once every 1-2yrs.

 

[Chezzymann]

the price inflation is ridiculous. I hate 3D so much because it basically dramatically increased ticket prices. I would chose 2D but there's so little 2D times compared to 3D latley

 

[entremet]

I will always love the cinema. Nothing like it. You can have the best movie room, but that will never replicate a hyped opening night crowd.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

I find it astonishing that so many people claim to have constant issues with crowds at movie theaters.

I can't even remember the last time I encountered a truly disruptive fellow moviegoer at a multiplex. I can't even remember the last time someone's phone went off during a movie.

And I go to the movies quite a lot.

Both of the theaters I go to are in college towns. And, yeah, fucking ass holes checking out their cell phones is a constant thing. When I saw Mad Max it was actually an older guy, probably in his 50s, who kept checking it. He actually left twice to go attend to whatever was going on. Fucking infuriating.

Outside of that, one of the two theaters around here plays 25 minutes worth of commercials and previews before the movie, also fucking infuriating. They also have tiny, shitty, uncomfortable chairs. They also have a screen that is way smaller than the rest that they put smaller draws on. That gets fucking annoying 'cause they don't tell you that you're going to be on the small shitty screen, and of course you pay the full price. Fuck that theater so hard.

 

[ScatheZombie]

I only go see movies at luxury theaters nowadays. I'm not paying $12 a person to sit in an uncomfortable seat on a sticky floor elbow-to-elbow with a family of little kids that absolutely shouldn't be seeing Mad Max at 11:30 pm on a weeknight. So I pay a little more to avoid all of that, and get some great food along with it.

But when I combine that with having a pretty good sound system and a 120" projector at home, my wife and I rarely go to the movie theater anymore. We're down to only going maybe once every 3 months for a big blockbuster we both want to see.

It's not really expensive, but it's definitely become more of a novelty.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

An Alamo Drafthouse just opened up nearby which I will proceed to give all my business to, so no, it's not a relic of the past. If anything, it's just getting better.

 

[disappeared]

Seeing Gravity in the theater made me hope they stick around in some capacity. Some movies are made for the big screen.

 

[Retsudo]

I go to the cinema almost every tuesday. One of the multiplexes near me, has the tuesday ticket for 3 euros if you are a customer of Vodafone. For 3 more euros you get popcorn and a drink. And you can bring food from outside, because the employees receive such lousy wages, that they don't give a fuck.

Other than that, i barely go because the price gouging is absurd.

Here in Portugal, unless its a blockbuster, or there's some kind of promotion price related most people won't go to the movies. Its a shame, but the cinemas seem to be able to survive, so i dont think they'll go anywhere any time soon.

 

[outunderthestars]

I see maybe one movie a year in actually theaters. Couldn't care less about the cost, but just got tired of people turning their phones on every 5 minutes.

 

[markofhavoc]

They realised that people are not going to the movies as frequently as they have before, so they moved away from the cheap matinee movie experience, and turned it into a more expensive date night experience. Personally? I think it is a great movie, I know I prefer to stay at home and watch stuff, so I might as well make the movie experience an event rather than a destination

 

[TAJ]

Fuuuuuuuck no. I can't fit a slighter smaller than IMAX screen in my home or fit 12.1 surround sound.

Eh? Atmos doesn't take up any more room than 5.1 and home projectors can handle screens that will push the limits of your peripheral vision.

 

[Abstruse Moose]

VR cinemas will be the end of most theaters.

 

[LCGeek]

Multiplex cinemas are bleh. It is all about smaller theaters that serve reasonably priced snacks and beer for me

For the price of just two multiplex tickets, I can get two tickets, two slices of pizza and a mini pitcher of beer at my local theater.

These are the only theaters I go to now and I know about one near the milwaukee area that's worth it to me. Even worse when I go to another place I live at in Iowa.

 

[Darth Karja]

If I could watch new movies at home I would do it 95% of the time. It's cheaper, more comfortable, and I don't have to smuggle food/drinks into my house like I do a theater.

 

[dity]

They're becoming an event for me, rather than just a casual occurance. It's at the point where I only see things I definitely want to see.

Two tickets with snacks usually ends up being around $50-60. It'll be even more after I stop being a student. And then there's the cost of parking, too.

 

[TheXbox]

Apparently not, since a lot of people still go to them. They aren't ideal for every film, but for big "event" movies the theater is always the best experience, imo. Can't imagine seeing Star Wars anywhere but inside a movie theater for the first time.

 

[TAJ]

If I could watch new movies at home I would do it 95% of the time. It's cheaper, more comfortable, and I don't have to smuggle food/drinks into my house like I do a theater.

You can but it costs $500 a pop and if you bump the player the Army will show up at your house.

 

[Frankenstrat]

Unless it's some visual tour de force of a film, yes. However, having seen Fury Road in theaters I think there's still a case for them.

 

[GamerJM]

No. Though I might be biased because I really love the theater experience. I go dozens of times a year and I'm bewildered by people who mostly just watch movies at home.

 

[Alchemy]

It's not the cost, it's the ignorance of the other patrons that ruins the experience for me. Morons can't not talk or fuck around with phones for an hour or 2.

Basically this. Can't deal with kids either.

 

[Aztechnology]

Not if you go to the right theatre. While I was down in Redmond I went to a theatre chain called Ipic (uninspired, and horrible name I know). The theatre provided one of the best movie watching experiences I've ever had. The seats in front (Tan) cost around $15 they have tray tables and are basically comfortable recliner chairs. You can eat food in the theatre from their restaurant whose food is a slightly upscaled version of something like Chili's for around the same price. Or simply order Popcorn and Soda as per the norm. This I found to be cheaper than most standard theatres like Regal or AMC. I believe popcorn was $5 or so with sodas being ~$2-3.

At $19 you get the fully reclining chairs with tables, a pillow and blanket. it includes popcorn and you are waited on before and during the film by incredibly curteous staff.

Before you ask, no I'm not a wealthy person. Im a student with loans who works at Best Buy right now trying to figure out how I can eventually afford to attend Digipen, the school I was in Redmond to see. Regardless I would rather go to the movies half as often in order to get that experience again. It was awesome.

P.S The pacific northwest is the best

 

[Barkley's Justice]

I feel like independent theaters will always be around if only for the novelty. Same with theaters that show old films.

They're unfortunately the ones most likely to disappear first.

If they haven't already, converting to digital is expensive. Fewer studios are shipping film. It's literally adapt or die for these smaller theaters.

 

[hamchan]

It is incredibly expensive to go watch a movie at the cinema these days. Around $20-25 for an adult ticket here in Australia. Comparatively a Netflix sub is only $12 a month. Between those two most of the time I choose to stay in the comfort of my own home and watch stuff on the couch, on a 60 inch screen. It's just cheaper and the experience might even be nicer.

 

[Metalmarc]

VR cinemas will be the end of most theaters.

I hope not.

 

[SuperRaddy]

IMAX or bust for me these days that is what takes me to the cinemas (the Martian was an exception though)

They are crazy priced now though. Taking the wife to see spectre here in uk at th odeon in their nice leather gallery sofa seats and its £48 for us both....

 

[M.W.]

Give me the experience of a lifetime or fuck off. Talking idiots and uncomfortable seats with insane prices isn't really appealing anymore.

 

[IAmRandom31]

Not even close. We had multiple billion dollar movies just this year.

It takes thousands of dollars to recreate a true movie going experience at home. Well. Like 1200 or so I'd say for the tower speakers and big bookshelf back speakers and receiver and cabling and such. So nah. Would much rather go see it at the theatre.

I think smaller movies are a dying breed. But the big blockbusters will always do very well

 

[swearing-circle]

The cinemas near me dropped all their tickets to £4 where it used to be £9 so it's all great for me.

 

[Gnome]

No. I go once or twice a week during this time of year.

 

[Necromanti]

Not if you go to the right theatre. While I was down in Redmond I went to a theatre chain called Ipic (uninspired, and horrible name I know). The theatre provided one of the best movie watching experiences I've ever had. The seats in front (Tan) cost around $15 they have tray tables and are basically comfortable recliner chairs.

At $19 you get the fully reclining chairs with tables, a pillow and blanket. it includes popcorn and you are waited on before and during the film by incredibly curteous staff.

It seems that tickets go for $18.50 and $27 there now, respectively. I would hope those prices included the sales tax.

 

[Osahi]

Nothing beats watching a good movie at the cinema with some strangers. I think its the most 'pure' film experience you can have.

This.

They are calling the death of cinema for years now. Won't happen. There is something really attractive about the big screen that a tv can't beat.

Smaller cinema's are dying though, at least here in Belgium. I am so glad we have two of those in Ghent