I average about one or two movies in the theater a year. In 2009 I saw one movie in the theater. So far this year, I’ve been to two movies in the theater, but both were with the same friends who are big moviegoers. They suggested hanging out and when none of us had any brilliant ideas for activities, they decided we should go to the movies. It wouldn’t have occurred to me on my own.
I think I’d be more in step with the people who say “I’d rather stay home and watch a movie in comfy clothes, with the ability to pause when I want” if I didn’t have two people at home to take care of! I have a 10YO daughter and a cancer-patient sister for whom I am the care provider. When hubby and I go to the movies, it is understood: you don’t call me on the cell phone unless someone is bleeding profusely or the house is on fire. And yet, somehow, if I’m watching a movie at home, they instantly assume I’m available. That’s where the ability to pause is a double-edged sword. They are thinking “Well, she can pause it, or stop it all together and get back to it later, or whatever”.
I never said it never happens. Obviously it happens. To other people. It never happens to me.
I’d type more but the first of the two movies I’m seeing tonight is about to start.
This is sort of like saying that rush hour traffic isn’t a problem at all because you can just drive during other times of day.
Haven’t been to a theatre since joining Netflix six or seven years ago.
For what one month of NF costs me (for eight movies per month), I could see exactly one theater film. And no subtitles, or pausing for bathroom visits, etc. And the last several times I did go the the theater I took ear protectors along to wear during the coming attractions (must have been played at at least 110 decibels).
I’ve got a very reasonable sized HDTV, with a surround sound system. No contest here.
No comparison.
We always sit way down front in Thailand, because Thais are notorious for chatting, phoning and even reading the subtitles out loud during the movie.
But once during a visit to Texas when my father was still alive, we went to see a movie with him, and he had to tell people near us to shut up. Then 5-1/2 years ago on a trip to Hawaii, we watched Sin City, and there were a couple of apparent fans of the graphic novel in the audience, commenting on every aspect. Way back when I lived in Albuquerque, it happened too. I don’t think it’s regional, just the luck of the draw. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t.
I wish there were more movies I wanted to see in theaters, and more good theaters to see them in. I love a great movie in a great theater, wish I could see more of them.
And? Every major chain theater shows films every day of the week (there are a handful of independent and art theaters that only show on the weekend). If you can see a film on Friday night, in all likelihood you can see the same film on Thursday night, or Sunday night. Most films are around two hours, and most folks have that amount of time most weekday evenings. There are theaters all over the place, most of which are showing the same films. If you grab a quick dinner after work, head to a nearby theater, see a movie and be home in bed at your regular time. You might have to give up vegetating in front of the TV for those couple of hours, but you will have a very pleasant movie-going experience instead.
People crunching on popcorn, slurping drinks, and crinkling wrappers are all deal-breakers for me. Yes, I’m too easily irritated by that stuff. So? It makes me crazy, I can’t help it, and it’s unreasonable. I know this, so I just stay away.
Rarely, I’ll venture out for a late show on a Wednesday night. The last time was for Avatar, just so I could see the 3D experience and say I saw it, though I knew it would be all flash and no substance. I was pleasantly surprised at the audience’s behavior. After the first hour of putting up with all the eating noises, the following 2 hours were fine, since everybody ran out of food! Since it was a 10:30 showing of a 3 hour movie on a weeknight, it was all adults and no one even pulled out a phone to check the time that I noticed.
I truly prefer home for movie watching. I don’t have to be there at any particular time, I don’t have to be dressed, and I can make much preferred stove-top popcorn, or pause to make something more elaborate to eat, and even go to the bathroom twice if I need to because I drank too much tea at the beginning! If I had other people at home to bother me, I may have a completely different answer, but I don’t and it’s nice to do things on my own schedule.
Haha! I’m not one of those; I have TVs, but the kids monopolize them.
I just happen to think movies (mainstream) are a huge ripoff, IMHO, and usually beyond my threshold of suspension of belief. I don’t enjoy things like that. Just my opinion; I know it’s not popular and perhaps a tad irrational.
I guess I have terrible luck then, as I almost never went to any theaters on weekends, day or evening. I’d usually watch a movie on a weekday afternoon or evening, and I’d still have people talking and taking calls. And even if I’m the only one in that particular filming room, there’s still the problem of thundering music and inaudible speech from the movie itself.
I generally don’t want to see “massively popular” films, either. I haven’t seen Titanic yet, for instance. Haven’t seen any of the Twilight movies, and I’ve only seen part of one Harry Potter flick (my husband loves the Harry Potter films, and will watch them whenever they’re on TV).
While this is true, you feel like you are watching the movie in a forest during a drought, I like having an audience around. So I often choose cinemas and sessions where I think the audience will be fun. Teen flicks I attend when teens will be there, I saw Bend it Like Beckham in a cinema full of Indian girls, who laughed at things that made no sense to me. For instance it would be great to catch one of the downbeat Boston movies in downbeat Boston.
If my finances were less precarious I would go a lot more often, around once a week I suspect. I’ve done that in the past. For most of my work life I’ve had a weekday as my day off. I love a matinee in a not very crowded theatre.
My sister and her husband go most weekends.
Once the economy corrects itself, or I win the lottery I’d enjoy a weekly movie date with my husband. There’s something about the collective experience that I value more than I value the advantages of home viewing.
I used to go more often, but now with the prices higher and so few of the movies actually catching my interest enough, it’s a rare occurrence. I have Netflix and a big TV, and for most movies I really don’t mind waiting several months to see them at home. Romantic comedies, cartoons, and dramas aren’t worth theater prices, for me. I’ll wait. Some action movies warrant the extra effort, and I’ll see them on the big screen.
The last one I saw at the theater was Avatar (in 3D) when they re-released it. Before that was Star Trek. I’ll probably see the Harry Potter movie in a couple of weeks, partly because it’s a big show-offy movie that will look good on a big screen, and partly because everyone I know will go see it and be talking about it, and I don’t want to be the odd one out.
I have another problem with the theater experience: the noise. Not the people talking or playing with phones, I’ve never had that happen enough to notice. But the sound is always so painfully loud that it either hurts my ears or triggers a panic attack that I have to fight off to enjoy the film. So I save the “going to the movies” moments for the movies I really, really want to see.
It seems irrational to me. To me, somebody dismissing all movies in a sweeping judgement is no different that somebody making a sweeping judgement about all books or all music.
I’ve gone twice in 20 years. The first was American Beauty. I can’t recall the most recent one. I just don’t care for sitting in a big dark room with strangers to watch a movie when I can sit in my comfy home and pause whenever I darn well please.
For those who are saying that if we hear people talking during the film then we must be going on a busy weekend night, sorry no. I never see movies at night, as AMC theatres have a deal that all shows before noon are $6, and I still get the teens yapping to each other, people taking (and *making *phone calls) and just general asshattery. No it’s not every time, and no it’s probably not even a majority of the time, but it certainly happens often enough to be a recurring and noticeable problem.
And while not every showing has people *talking *on their phones, I don’t believe I have ever (unless I was one of maybe 4 people in the theater) seen a movie in the past 4-5 years where someone did not open up their cell phone, causing an annoying bright flash of blue-tinged light.
I see 4 or 5 per year. Just saw Red, earlier in the year saw Resident Evil (whatever), A-Team and Grown-Ups (drive-in double feature) and Avatar.
My mom has some kind of supersonic hearing ability and used to have the same issue with loud movies in the theater. She bought a cheap pair of those foam ear plugs. They reduce noise by about 20db, and made her experience so much more pleasant! Really, any drug store has them and they’re very cheap and re-usable!
Never. It’s not worth the all-around asshattery. I worked at home for about 4 years and I’d go once in the summer, on a Wednesday, to the first show.
Last one I saw in the theater was The Departed. Last one before that was the first 20 mins of Mr. Bean.
I don’t go to baseball games anymore for the same reason. Hardly anybody’s paying attention to the putative reason they’re there.
If I lived closer to Cambridge, I’d probably get to the Brattle once a month or so.
Netflix is starting to get on my nerves; I’ve got 40 things in my queue that Netfix let me add and are in stock at Amazon, but Netflix doesn’t have any copies. Assholes.