this post was submitted on 02 Nov 2024
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Movies

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[–] [email protected] 50 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I’d be more concerned that there aren’t going to be any movie theaters left at this rate. The studios own all the streaming channels now — they’re going to cut out the middle man.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago

They tried that during the pandemic and didn't like it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

This. There's little point in seeing most films in a theater when they will be streaming a few months later.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

That’s not too different from renting a movie a few months later. Theaters have always been more fun to go to for a movie you actually care about.

The problem I have with theaters is that the time and money sink is a terrible value these days. For my wife and I it’s always somehow shy of $70 and takes up most the night.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (4 children)

The problem I have with theaters is that the time and money sink is a terrible value these days. For my wife and I it’s always somehow shy of $70 and takes up most the night.

The money is bad, yes, but the deal breaker for me is....other movie-goers.

For 90 minutes, modern movie-goers simply:

  • can't keep their bright phones in their pockets
  • can't stop talking to each other above an occasional whisper
  • can't consistently keep their food and drink off other movie-goers
  • can't level their infants or small children at home during non-family movies
  • can't quietly not do any of the above when someone challenges them on it

Paying for a movie is expensive, but when its regularly ruined by others in the theater it simply stops being worth trying to go anymore. I'll watch it at home when it comes there.

edit: After checking on responses overnight I see I have 3 downvotes. I can only assume that these are the movie-goers I'm talking about in my list above. To those folks, why are you upset with my post? You won. You have the whole theater to yourself because I'm certainly not going to be in the same room watching a movie with you. Enjoy your theaters. I hope there are enough of you and you don't annoy each other enough to drive each other off that movie theaters don't go out of business.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago

This. Its like people have no sense of decorum anymore. There was a couple chit chatting through every other scene in a movie I watched a while back like they had the whole cinema to themselves. Super distracting.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I went to see Venom and there was a group of people in the row in front of me - almost 10 people, all adults. They brought a toddler that screamed any time a symbiote was on screen. Which was a lot.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I've gotten parents kicked out of movies for that before. I've got a kid of my own so I get it, but goddamn, pay for a fuckin sitter like the rest of us.

I paid for the movie too, so I either get to enjoy it in (relative) peace, or I get my money back.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

I'm lucky enough to have an Alamo Drafthouse theater nearby. Those issues aren't a problem. Plus, the clarified butter for popcorn makes it the best I've ever had at the movies.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Other than the bright screens, all of the other points have been true since I was a kid in the 80s. We just didn't have the affordable giant screens at home as an option back then.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Holy shit. I live in a prominent city in the Midwest and tickets are only $11 to $12.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Just threw two tickets in for a local theater and it’s $38 for two tickets after the $6 convenience fee and taxes.

$20 for snacks and drinks not including tax

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Get pants with big pockets or a kangaroo pouch hoodie and cut your movie drink/snack expenditure drastically.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I get a lot of enjoyment from the giant tub of oil drenched popcorn and my wife likes her 1 liter of Diet Coke. At this point it’s just a cost you account for like tipping if you’re going out to eat.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I guess that's where we differ, I enjoy the thrill of sneaking stuff in and not paying highway robbery prices for sugar water or candy. Getting the popcorn is legit tho.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

So you're the guy that smuggled in the All You Can Eat Fajitas from Chili's into my theater last week.

You could have at least shared.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

$6 convenience fee

I guess the fee is convenient for the theater.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Kill the ads for sure, but go ahead and give me movie trailers before the start, but with some limitations in place:

  1. None of this "THE. TRAILER. STARTS. NOW" before the trailer starts
  2. The trailer must have a maximum length so it doesn't go on too long
  3. The trailer shouldn't give the entire plot away
[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

The trailer shouldn’t give the entire plot away

Someone once told me that once you decide to watch a movie you should no longer watch trailers for it. My experience has been that it was a good piece of advice. It's INSANE how much of the plot some trailers give away. I remember people put together the entire plot of Prometheus before it was released just from all the spoilers in the trailers, and that's not even the worst offender.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

This is what I have always done. I have a very good memory, and I've lost count how many times I've been let down by a film purely because of the trailer(s) beforehand just exposing all elements.

[–] AXLplosion 2 points 3 weeks ago

I've been doing this with games and movies for years. It's so much fun to go into something blind with zero expectations, makes the whole experience a lot more exciting.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

On the flip side, it big sucks when a trailer shows all of the cool parts, and it turns out those couple of moments were the only good parts of the movie.

The trailer is about ~2 minutes of different action scenes that looks fantastic. Then when you see the movie it's a snooze fest minus the few minutes of action, all of which were shown in the trailer.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

None of this "THE. TRAILER. STARTS. NOW" before the trailer starts

Trailers played in movie theaters do not include this. That is only used for online ads, because sometimes the trailer will play as a pre-roll ad and they don't want people to skip it.

The trailer shouldn't give the entire plot away

There's a reason studios do this. They run focus groups for trailers, and studies have shown that the more plot they reveal, the more likely audiences will buy a ticket to see the movie.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

I've actually seen trailers play in the theater that say that whole "TRAILER STARTS NOW" thing. It's like the studios didn't want to pay for another trailer so they just used the Internet version.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

Ive never seen either, is it a new phenomenon?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago

I'm lucky enough to have a theater nearby where I can pre-purchase a particular seat. Once the seat's bought, I just show up 25 min after the "start time" and skip the ads.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

With the Advent of reserved seating I don't get why this is an issue anymore. Buy the seat you want, let the companies buying ads subsidize your ticket price, and show up after they've played. There's no reason anymore to be stuck in your seat for 20 minutes before show time.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Because you dodn't actually know when "showtime" is. I've never seen a ticket that listed the amount of time the commercials were going to take so I'd know when to be there. Ticket says 5:00, but actual movie didn't start until 5:37.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

My local theater: Ticket window opens 10 minutes before the start time. Cash only. No reserved seating. No commercials. It's a blank screen until the trailers start.

We get two new first run movies a week to choose from.

I think the regular ticket price is $7. We always go during matinee so it's only $5.

Going to my local theater is like walking into the past where everything except the movie showing is a throwback to the 80s.

Don't assume all theaters have reserved seating or any other modem thing.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Ok, but you also didn't mention ads.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I thought that was covered under "No commercials."

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

The how is your anecdote even relevant? By your own admission there are no ads.