Roger Ebert will tell you why B.O. is dropping

[MagickMan]

Oh, and we went to the second highest rated theater in our state. It's the one I always attend, because the picture and sound are so good. I can only imagine how crappy the lesser ones are.

 

[JSt0rm]

I really wish theaters in the States would start doing assigned seating. My aunt the other day bought tickets online for her local theater. She paid a $1 convenience fee and still had to pick up the tickets at the box office and she had to show up early to get a good seat. What's the damn point? At least in Hong Kong you picked your assigned seat when you bought your tickets so that you could get a good seat ahead of time.

Whats even better about that theater is if you are late they wont let you in. They have ushers flanked in the theater to stop people from being on the phone or any other number of things.

 

[jhansman]

Every time I go to our local major release studio, I come home swearing it will be my last time. $10 to get in, another $8 for popcorn and a drink, and then sitting thought 5 or 6 trailers that overwhelm you with sound and action, and then finally, the feature-another POS Hollywood extravaganza. Now I am getting cravings for Tom Cruise's latest thrill fest, because it seems to be getting such good reviews. Help me!

 

[JSt0rm]

I saw mi4 at the dome 2 times. Very good!

 

[gorb]

MI4 was great. See it at an imax

 

[Claudius-07]

I was 12 when I went to see Raiders of the Lost Ark at a dinky theatre in my home town. I stood in line for hours many years later to see Last Crusade.
Star Wars was magical and the Star Trek movies as well. I snuck in to see Predator and crapped my pants hoping not to be burned.
waiting in line was part of the experience -- Indie hats and whips, Vulcan ears etc. I never seemed to mind sitting in crowded theatres with my friends and their bloody elbows all over the place.
Waiting for a new movie to come out was anguish. The trailer you would see only in the theatre was half the experience. People cheering and clapping at the hint of a new Arnie movie.
Everything has changed. Movies at theatres come out in rapid fire. They stay at the theatre for a short time, and are on DVD/stream in no time. Some assholes in Hollywood just assume all it takes is some big explosions, some retard special effects and some hot chicks, and they have yet an other cookie cutter movie. All for the production cost of 150 million with absolutely no soul, no story and life long memories.
No wonder the rare, quiet, at time foreign low budget movie sneaks in and becomes the sleeper hit of the year.

There are a million other reasons as others have said, the prices, the annoying rude people with cell phones, and the advent of fantastic home theaters, but honestly, the macig that was there years ago is simply gone. However the never ending deluge of animated movies targeted for kids and dragging the parents to bring them has seriously worked - who knows maybe the kids will remember it magically... I doubt it.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

I rarely see offending cell phone use to be honest.

Main reasons for me are:
1) Tickets are expensive and when combined with food egregious
2) Movie will be on DVD in no time or stream
3) I have a decent setup at home to watch moviesDamn, that is like salt on a cut.

Yeah IMO it's not really that the theater experience has gotten worse, but that it's gotten more expensive and the home experience has gotten orders of magnitude better.

 

[JWMiddleton]

....I remember when it was 8 bucks, I want it back

Being a senior I can still get $8 tickets at most theaters. We have a place locally that let's you in between 4 - 5:30 PM for $5.50. But, when I was a kid you could see the a weekly serial (like The Shadow), a cartoon and a movie for 25 cents. Popcorn was a dime.

We go to a lot of movies, but it seems to be harder to find one I want to spend my money on. The other day my wife and I saw "We Bought a Zoo." It was sappy and predictible, but was still fun.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I don't go that often because the projector operator doesn't seem to appreciate it when I ask him to pause the movie so I can go to the bathroom.

The audacity!

That is actually an important one to me. If you do have to go during the film, it really kills the whole experience. First, you stop being immersed because you are now thinking about when you can make the run without missing something good and/or important to the story. Then, your bladder pressure takes you completely out of the zone. So, you go, come back and sit down, and the stoke is completely gone. Because, your S.O. says "you missed it!". Or, you spend undo time trying to become immersed again, because you are determining what has already transpired during your absence. And thinking about how you can just press pause at home.

The rest is all on my list too. Going to the movies should not result in my leaning toward becoming a full time misanthrope. The traffic on the way there, is enough to do that.

 

[Aikouka]

That is actually an important one to me. If you do have to go during the film, it really kills the whole experience.

I actually have a rule when I see a movie, I never drink anything from an hour before a movie starts. If I was going to eat, I would do it after the movie. That way, I'm almost always in the clear, and for the longest time, I was able to say that I never got up during a movie. Although, this one time last year... I was with a lady and we reversed the order!

I felt so ashamed having to get up after drinking a ridonkulous amount during dinner. :'(

 

[alkemyst]

Who would pay to sit in a theater and just text for almost 3 hours?

Chances are they didn't pay.

Same as those that come and go in groups during the movies.

Until the ushers crack down and the theatres ban these types then they will be there each week.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I felt so ashamed having to get up after drinking a ridonkulous amount during dinner. :'(

That's my problem. We almost invariably eat before the movie, so I may or may not make it through a movie before needing to make water.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I never notice people texting. Lucky I guess.

But am I the only one that seeks out 3D movies being shown in 2D?

 

[QuantumPion]

The message I get is that Americans love the movies as much as ever. It's the theaters that are losing their charm. Proof: theaters thrive that police their audiences, show a variety of titles and emphasize value-added features. The rest of the industry can't depend forever on blockbusters to bail it out.

This by Ebert is dead on IMO. I hardly ever go to the theater any more but when I do go to CineBistro.

 

[Shadowknight]

I stopped going as because as time has passed, the movies have gotten louder and louder. Even with earplugs rated at 33db, the movies have gotten two loud for me. Star Trek was the last flick I saw in theater.

 

[JSt0rm]

I stopped going as because as time has passed, the movies have gotten louder and louder. Even with earplugs rated at 33db, the movies have gotten two loud for me. Star Trek was the last flick I saw in theater.

Hmmm. You may want to get your hearing checked. Every movie sits within a certain dynamic range. The industry adopted a standard long ago. Things can and do get loud but you dont have the volume variations you find in music.

That said things have gotten a bit louder then say 20 years ago or possibly some indie film mixed lower by accident but if you drop blurays from all of the top movies of the year in your home theater you should not have to adjust the volume at all.

 

[Doppel]

I stopped going as because as time has passed, the movies have gotten louder and louder. Even with earplugs rated at 33db, the movies have gotten two loud for me. Star Trek was the last flick I saw in theater.

Maybe your ears are improving as you age. Really though at times the bass is too loud and I can basically hear the cracking in the speakers, it just sounds like bad quality noise. 300 dollar hom surround system can give a better audio experience, not in small part because volume can be locked.

 

[JSt0rm]

Maybe your ears are improving as you age. Really though at times the bass is too loud and I can basically hear the cracking in the speakers, it just sounds like bad quality noise. 300 dollar hom surround system can give a better audio experience, not in small part because volume can be locked.

Actually you can have pain at certain spl and frequencies if there is a problem with your hearing. I wouldnt fuck around but I use mine to make my living so whatever.

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

>I tend to agree with all his points. What do you think?

Hmm. If I were still single, it might be a tossup, or even in the theater's favor when comparing the movies to at home watching on my projector.

I go to the local theater which shows $3 movies. I eat popcorn at home before going, or eat a meal so that I'm full, and not tempted to get the overpriced snacks. I'm tempted to watch 2 or 3 movies a month at the theater, so that would be $9 a month for me, or $108 a year. That would be $324 over 3 years.

The reason I came up with that number is because I paid $300 for my Optoma DLP projector, which has lasted just over 3 years. Now it has white spot syndrome, and I'll need to spend another $350 or so if I want to stick with 800x600, or $450+ if I want to upgrade to XGA or better. I don't like the thought of paying over $100 a year for my projector. However, I guess that is about what I'd be paying for going to the movies.

Now to be more realistic, I'm married now, so the cost of the theater doubles. My wife often wants popcorn, so it goes up even more. Adding our several kids once in a while, and the cost goes up even more. Realistically, we end up going to far fewer movies than I'd like to, and watch the rest at home. If you count all the movies we end up watching for free on DVD from our library, we probably save $600 a year or more.

With our kids, it is just really worth it to be able to pause the movie when something arises, like someone needing to go to the bathroom, or wanting to split longer movies up into two halves. I have a strategically placed microwave, so we can make popcorn whenever we want to. My kids can also talk and make noise this way without bothering other moviegoers. The only way we can get the same feeling at the movies is by going to the drive in. (where kids are only a buck, by the way) Speaking of drive-ins, our local one opens in just 9 days! Even with my projector at home, I'm looking forward to watching the Avengers there.

 

[Born2bwire]

Went to the theater again the other day, my girlfriend wanted to see Titanic. Paid $10 each and they had technical problems, the sound would cut out every now and then. Christ sakes...

 

[sdifox]

Movies are like $15 per person plus junk food. Blu Rays are less than $30 and i don't have to sit in the theater for an hour or more waiting for the movie to start

you still have to wait for the mandatory commercials in brds.

 

[Anubis]

you still have to wait for the mandatory commercials in brds.

actually no you dont, ways around it also i actually dont think i own a BR that has any commercials in it

 

[vshah]

i enjoy going only because I know what to expect, and my standards have been lowered. I don't get food or popcorn or soda.

 

[kornphlake]

Hmmm. You may want to get your hearing checked. Every movie sits within a certain dynamic range. The industry adopted a standard long ago. Things can and do get loud but you dont have the volume variations you find in music.

That said things have gotten a bit louder then say 20 years ago or possibly some indie film mixed lower by accident but if you drop blurays from all of the top movies of the year in your home theater you should not have to adjust the volume at all.

Everyone I know who went to see the Expendables in the theater said it was too loud.

My wife does swear my hearing is getting better as I age, I think it's because hers is getting worse. I do have hearing loss in my family and I developed a slight amount of ringing in my ears by the time I was 30, I do what I can to protect the hearing I have. When I saw the Expendables I had a pair of foam ear plugs in my pocket that I'd worn earlier in the day at work, they went in a few minutes after the movie started, the movie wasn't good enough to risk damaging my hearing.

 

[alkemyst]

Movies are very dynamic. I don't get what JSt0rm is talking about. Many theaters though 'normalize' their sound systems to flatten them.

Also many theaters have the volume way too high.