# So who does like going to the movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-does-like-going-to-the-movies/658355 "2013-05-14T23:06:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-does-like-going-to-the-movies/658355/41 "2013-05-15T15:02:12Z")
I enjoy going to the movies, and do once a month or so. I don’t like paying the higher prices though so I tend to go when before noon, when I can see a movie for $6, or after work when I can get in to some movie theaters for $8. I don’t feel most movies are worth the $12 or so it costs now to get in to see them. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-does-like-going-to-the-movies/658355/42 "2013-05-15T15:57:04Z")
SO and I love going to actual movie theaters to see movies. We are lucky to be living in Las Vegas - many locals’ casinos have multiplex theaters and way cheaper prices if you go before 4:00 PM…and considering I have Fridays off, we usually go to an early showing of a new film about 1:00 PM on a Friday. Rarely is the theater even 1/3 full at that time of day on a Friday, even for opening day of blockbusters…and the theaters are all relatively new and quite comfortable with great sound systems and large screens. We have a Regal card - and simply by swiping it every time we see a film or buy popcorn and drink, we get occasional little perks - a free movie ticket, free popcorn, free drink…so in the grand scheme of things, it is a cheap form of entertainment. You might be surprised to know there are LOTS of older people at many of these “youth oriented” blockbusters at the first screenings of these films! I would guess that in the last 10 years, we have not encountered a single rude or obnoxious movie goer at that time of day…the biggest snafu came a few years ago when the electricity went out and the theater emergency lights went on and, on the way out, they gave everybody a free ticket to come back to see any movie at any time. That said, we haven’t been to a movie in about three weeks - stuff got in the way - but hope to start catching up soon. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-does-like-going-to-the-movies/658355/43 "2013-05-21T04:46:31Z")
> [@TheFaerie](#): > > There is an Alamo Drafthouse in KC and I love going there. it’s only 15 min. from the house, the food is good, the drinks are just fine, the seats are spacious and comfortable and if you don’t mind walking a block or two, there is free parking nearby. I prefer it to the AMC 30 Fork and Screen at the other end of town. I’ve not been there since it changed hands, but when it was the AMC Mainstreet, it was the most technically advanced theater I’ve ever been in - astonishing projection, great seats, 11 channel sound and… > [@Icarus](#): > > I have been on record on the SDMB chastising people for saying, “What’s the big deal about (some movie)? I saw it (at home, DVD, on cable) and wasn’t impressed!” Most movies are specifically designed to be viewed on the big screen (frame composition, lighting, focus plane, etc. is different than TV shows), so seeing them at home, even on a nice system, is just not the same experience. …bass shakers under every seat. I saw _The Hurt Locker_ there. Anyone who saw _The Hurt Locker_ at home did **not** see the film I saw. The fully immerse surround sound coupled with the bass shakers brought me, as much as possible, into the world of the bomb disposal techs. I walked out of that theater _stunned_ by a great movie, and I believe if everyone had the same experience I did, they would share my impression of the film. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky\_the\_Wonder\_Spirit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Sparky\_the\_Wonder\_Spirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky_the_Wonder_Spirit)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-does-like-going-to-the-movies/658355/44 "2013-05-21T05:16:14Z")
I love going to the movies - especially for the big, effects-driven blockbuster types that are at their best on a giant screen with digital surround sound. (I go more for “fun”, than “good” in my movie choices.) I don’t know if I’ve just been lucky, or if I’m not the type to be easily distracted, but I don’t remember more than a handful of times where my movie-going experience has been marred by other patrons, and none of the annoyances ever remotely rose to the level of ruining my good time. And I don’t really think that $10-12 is an unreasonable price to pay. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-does-like-going-to-the-movies/658355/45 "2013-05-21T07:05:06Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > 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. 🙂 To me going to “the show” would imply going to a play. But I still sometimes use that phrase. I guess it is a shorten version of “picture show”. I love going to the movies. They are getting a bit pricey for me but I do love it. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-does-like-going-to-the-movies/658355/46 "2013-05-21T15:08:06Z")
I love going to the movies. I have a large TV but seeing movies on a big screen is preferred. I mean movies that are spectacles. Comedies and straight forward dramas I usually wait until Home Video but big movies I will see in a theater. I almost always go in the morning or the early afternoon. I don’t want teh theater to be empty but I had big crowds so those times usually work perfect. As an aside, I only see out of one eye so 3D is lost on me and I would be a very Sad Panda if that becomes the norm for movies in theaters (seems unlikely but thought I would mention it). ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-does-like-going-to-the-movies/658355/47 "2013-05-21T15:27:20Z")
I love going to the movies, and always have. When I was single, I went to movies all the time, often on the spur of the moment. Once I got married, I couldn’t do that. I only went to movies that my wife and I both wanted to see (or that ONE of us really wanted to see, and the other could tolerate). So, I went to far fewer moves (and far more romantic comedies) after getting married. Since having a kid, I see FAR fewer movies, and the ones I see tend to be animated. I STILL love going when I get the chance. The complaints about ticket and food prices are very valid, but I still get a thrill from going. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-does-like-going-to-the-movies/658355/48 "2013-05-21T23:05:23Z")
I love the popcorn, the huge screen and the comfy seats. Really don’t care for the previews though. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-does-like-going-to-the-movies/658355/49 "2013-05-21T23:45:47Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > 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. When I was growing up popcorn and a soda were part and parcel of the movie going experience. You’ve got your big screen, an incredible sound system, a big dark cool room and your popcorn & soda pop. All of these things separated going to the movies from just watching a movie at home. The last time I thought about getting a soda and popcorn at the movies was in Dallas when I went to see _The Watchman._ I told myself I wasn’t going to look at the price when I got in line. Unfortunately I look up and figured out that the large popcorn and drink were going to cost me $13.50 plus tax. No thanks. I don’t go to the movies very often but I still enjoy to go once in a while. I just saw Iron Man 3 last week. I go on weekdays and I cannot remember the last time I saw a movie on opening night. Tickets here only cost $5 each on a weekday. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-does-like-going-to-the-movies/658355/50 "2013-05-22T01:34:39Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > When I was growing up popcorn and a soda were part and parcel of the movie going experience. You’ve got your big screen, an incredible sound system, a big dark cool room and your popcorn & soda pop. All of these things separated going to the movies from just watching a movie at home. The last time I thought about getting a soda and popcorn at the movies was in Dallas when I went to see _The Watchman._ I told myself I wasn’t going to look at the price when I got in line. Unfortunately I look up and figured out that the large popcorn and drink were going to cost me $13.50 plus tax. No thanks. I guess that, in addition to weekday attendance, “twilight” priced tickets and discount tickets from CostCo (2 AMC passes for $16.50, good any time), one last distinguishing feature of your “professional” moviegoer is the backpack with a small soft-sided cooler filled with drinks and snacks.\* My wife and I always each have a backpack, and we never get stopped. - Yes, yes I know the thing about how theaters only make money on the concessions but all they offer is cheap, empty carbs, and are not on my diet. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-does-like-going-to-the-movies/658355/51 "2013-05-22T01:40:04Z")
I haven’t been to a movie theater for decades. Do they still use actual film, or are they all digital video projectors now? ---
**Author:** ![Sparky\_the\_Wonder\_Spirit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Sparky\_the\_Wonder\_Spirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky_the_Wonder_Spirit)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-does-like-going-to-the-movies/658355/52 "2013-05-22T02:00:28Z")
> [@Neidhart](#): > > I love the popcorn, the huge screen and the comfy seats. Really don’t care for the previews though. Oh, man, I love previews. I could do without the 15-20 minutes of ads for the newest show on ABC Family or TBS or whatever, though. > [@Musicat](#): > > I haven’t been to a movie theater for decades. Do they still use actual film, or are they all digital video projectors now? Depends on the theater. In my town, the big multiplexes are mostly digital, but there are a few small theaters that still show movies on film. It’s one of those things you don’t really notice going from old to new, but it’s really noticeable when you go back to the older version. (Kind of like HDTV. You know, if you watch TV.) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-does-like-going-to-the-movies/658355/53 "2013-05-22T03:02:24Z")
The wife and I go almost every week, sometimes twice in one day. Our favorite theater here – the Scala, in Siam Square – is a big old-style cinema and still charges only 100 baht for tickets. That’s about 3-1/2 bucks American. But even the fancier modern places will top out at the equivalent of $7 or $8. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-does-like-going-to-the-movies/658355.md?page=2)