So who does like going to the movies?

Every few days on the Dope, we seem to have a post where people say they never go to the movies anymore because of high prices/rude customers/filthy theaters. Yet overall movie attendance, if not rising, still remains at a very high level. What Dopers still love going to the movies? How often? Do you think the objections of many Dopers to theaters is accurate?

I do, but I’m picky about the theaters I attend. My preferred theater is very clean and staffed with what seems to be 200 employees. You purchase seats rather than general admission, there are ushers in each isle helping people find seats and reminding them to turn off phones. The place is sparkling clean. It costs about 15% more than other places in my area but it is worth it. Maybe the cost or the area or the way it is run keeps the riff-raff ratio low, but I’m almost never annoyed by bad patrons there.

I like to go to movies because the big screen and big sound is still way better than my home theater, and I like to certain movies early and be part of cultural discussions.

I still like going to the movies. I do think that some of other Dopers’ objections are valid.

Theaters are often dirty and/or noisy. People are sometimes rude. We make a point to only go to certain theaters, particularly ones where we feel we’re unlikely to run into groups of unsupervised teens, who tend to be noisy. The theater near our house is a little run down, but the audience is mixed - lots of adults to keep the teens and preteens in check. We also tend to avoid late evening showings, because the theaters have had a chance to get dirtier by 8pm.

We will go to one of the noisier theaters for certain movies, ones where a more involved audience adds to the experience, like Hot Tub Time Machine. Plus they serve beer & wine.

I go to the movies 2 or 3 times a week. They are one of my main forms of entertainment. I’m not that picky about the theaters I go to. When I’m in there, it’s dark anyway, and all I’m looking at is the screen.

J.

I love it. Can’t go as often as I want. I agree with the above poster in that being a little picky with the theatre you go to helps.

Cost? My fave has a $60 card good for 10 films. And- buy six “large” treats and get the next free.

I do!

I feel confident that most of the complainers - who always inflate the cost of the theater experience to include 3D glasses, a large popcorn and soda for every member of their extensive family and valet parking for their two cars - are going to see a blockbuster on the opening weekend.

Your experienced moviegoer knows better than to see popular films then! That’s the evening to see obscure art movies. See the popular thing either later in the run, or on a weekday afternoon.

That said, there is something wonderful about seeing a highly anticipated film with an eager crowd, but then that’s why you sign up for as many free movie passes as you can, so you know that everyone in the theater is there to see that same film. Usually that works out well (waiting in line for The Phantom Menace was more entertaining than the movie.)

The other thing is that ticket prices can be mitigated. For instance, one of my and my wife’s favorite theaters is AMC’s River East 21. As it is in a tourist trap area, it has a high price of $12 for adults. We buy movie passes at CostCo that takes it down to $8.50. But the first showing of the day is $7.

Mememe! I love going to the show. And everyone makes fun of me for calling it “the show” instead of “the movies.” I guess to most people, only tv shows get to be called shows? Whatever. Love me some salty, buttery popcorn and coke. And sno-caps. :slight_smile:

For some reason, when I have a lot of grading to do, I have to go to a movie at some point. By myself. Not just watch something at home: go to the theater and buy a drink and popcorn and just sit in the dark in front of the big screen. Since I frequently have a lot of grading to do, I hit the theater pretty often.

I also enjoy moviegoing in groups, but it’s not the same sort of mandatory therapy.

I agree that sparsely attended movies are a more relaxing experience, though I also like a massively packed opening-night excursion now and then. I saw Avatar, Skyfall and The Hobbit in packed theaters, and though I thought the movies were fine, what I remember most affectionately about them is the crowd and the shared anticipation.

Yeah, other moviegoers can be pains in the ass sometimes, but generally speaking I don’t have difficulty ignoring them (and I also go to a lot of movies that jerkish or immature theatergoers apparently consider too boring for them).

The money’s not really an issue; ten bucks plus optional refreshments is pretty cheap for an evening’s entertainment. (Especially now that many mainstream movies are routinely screening at over two hours’ runtime again, I really don’t blink at the price. Sure, I know it’s quality that counts, not quantity, but shelling out a sawbuck for something that barely cracks 80 minutes feels more extravagant.)

I do loathe and despise pre-preview commercials/infotainment with soundtracks, though. (European movie theaters seem to be worse in this regard than American ones, in my limited experience.) I don’t mind if you want to display some advertising images up on the screen, but FFS spare me the annoying distraction of actual commercials, especially ones that run on loop!

I love it.

Austin is where the Alamo Drafthouse chain was born, and one of their newest locations is ten minutes from my house. The food is pretty good – the chicken shawarma they put on the menu for Iron Man 3 is actually fantastic; be told – and there’s assigned seating, the patrons are quiet and well-behaved, they do all kinds of awesome special events, and… yeah, if I’m going to a movie, it will be at a Drafthouse.

Tomorrow night, I’m going to the 9 pm Star Trek premiere – they’re showing the first J. J. Abrams Star Trek just beforehand.

Me, insanely so. I saw 357 movies in the theater in 2012 (down from 366 the year before), and still I miss more than I see. I’m an expert at seeking out bargains (matinees, discount theaters, discount nights, memberships, bargains such as the Costco thing mentioned by gaffa, so it doesn’t cost that much.

I’d expand but I’m at Starbucks using their WiFi while waiting to see if I can get into a free screening of the new Star Trek!

LOVE going to the movies! I only go maybe once a month on average, but it’s because I don’t have the time or money to go more often. But there is nothing like sitting there enveloped in the darkness, watching that huge screen, surrounded by the sound! Great way to escape.

i still like going. +1 or +2 or whatever on enjoying sharing the experience with the audience. i’ve actually found that going to midnight/early showings of the blockbusters can be good sometimes, especially something with an established fanbase like harry potter because most of the people in there want to see it as badly as you do and know when they can make comments and when to shut the fuck up. (you could hear a pin drop during certain scenes of deathly hallows part 2, maybe because a lot of us were doubled over and weeping into our popcorn.)

on the other hand, if i’m seeing something like les mis, the audience doesn’t figure as much into my enjoyment. i saw les mis in a section of my local theater that’s 21+ only, which was nice and everyone was quiet. however, if i’m seeing something like paranormal activity i want to go with the peanut gallery cause the jokes break the occasional tension.

so it basically boils down to picking the time and the venue right, and what you enjoy taking away from the theater experience.

I like going to the movies a lot, although I go less now than I used to. I like going to the nice theaters to see movies I’m actually interested in, but my favorite thing is to go to a run-down theater weeks after a bad movie’s release and bring a bottle of vodka. I go with a small group of friends, and we are always the only people in the room. We get drunk and make fun of the movie. It’s a really good time!

In 2008, we moved to NYC and got a home theater system so between the two we never go to the movies (HD projector, big ass speakers, dolby surround, screen about 9ft x 5ft). However we live right near a movie theater and its busy enough. There was a big line for The Great Gatsby, and they ran a Twilight Marathon when the third movie came out, and it was nuts.

I don’t really have any problem with the theater experience itself and used to go all the time in Michigan. We had a nice stadium-seating place, away from the main student area, that we liked very much (Quality 16 of Ann Arbor, represent!) But now, with the kickass home theater setup and the price of movies in NYC, it’s hard to justify spending the money most of the time.

I’m a big moviegoer, usually at least twice a week. It’s definitely my favorite form of entertainment. I always go to matinees (haven’t seen a night show in years), so I almost never have problems with rude customers, since the movies are much more sparsely attended during the day. Plus, I’d say at least 90% of the movies I see are small independents, rather than blockbusters, so the crowds tend to be older and more well-behaved. The most frequent problem that I encounter in terms of audience is an old person falling asleep and lightly snoring or making funny sounds in their sleep, but a good loud throat-clearing usually stops that. There’s also the rare comment from the hard-of-hearing. (“FRANK, WHAT DID SHE SAY? SOMETHING ABOUT A GOAT?”)

Tickets are a little pricey where I live, but I’ve been able to save at least thirty bucks a month since I got a Moviepass. I know at least one Doper is not a fan of the concept, but I love it.

Whenever we can Madame Pepperwinkle and I head on down. Unfortunately, what with budgets and such, that’s only 2-3 times a year, but, yes, we love 'em. We even love snarking our way through a bad one.

I go to some of the free previews at the base theatre, but that’s about it. Last year I actually went to see four movies (one of them twice!)* - can’t remember the last time I made that many trips to a movie theatre in one year.

  • Free shows of John Carter, Battleship and The Avengers, plus Les Miserables twice at theatres out in town.

I like going to the movies, but it’s expensive and I dislike crowds so I don’t go that much.

When possible I go to weekday afternoon matinees, otherwise I prefer to wait about 3 weeks after a movie is out so presumably the majority of people who were clamoring for a particular film will have already seen it and I can watch in relative peace.

I love going to the movies, and usually go at least once a month. During the summer we’ll go more. We live in Austin and the Drafthouse is our go-to theater but even if I’m in my hometown or a move isn’t showing at the Drafthouse I’ll see it at a regular theater. If I’m home, I’m usually reading or online. Going out to see a movie focuses my attention on it.

I not only like going to see movies in the theater, but I also like going on opening night to some blockbusters. I find the entire experience enjoyable. It’s usually a bunch of friends, we meet up really early, grab dinner, and wait in line hanging out.