Is the "movie theater" dying?

Sure, but would you agree that the headphone listening experience is a fundamentally different one than hearing music via speakers? One is no more or less valid than the other, but they are different.

 

The big movie houses in major cities were great experiences, as were the plush "screening room" type venues and some of the art houses. But those mall multiplexes-ugh. I remember walking into one some years ago and realized that my home projection screen was almost as large, with much better sound. (This was in the AC 3 era of laserdisc and eventually, dvd where I had made a substantial investment in a big home theatre system back in the CRT front projector/line doubler video days).
Today, there are few films that draw me to the theatre. I remember going to see Gravity in Imax (or Fake Imax).
There is a plush, art house theatre here in downtown Austin that is a pleasure.
I'm so ambivalent about most big H-wood films, and those I do see, along with various independent films, are usually watched at home on a far more modest home theatre than I used to have. (The price/performance ratio in HT is dramatically better in some ways than two channel audio).

I don't necessarily need the "theatrical experience"-- in fact, there are more downsides than upsides. And, given our slacker culture, it is far easier to watch at home than deal with attending a scheduled showing at a commercial movie house.
I'd definitely go to invited openings, and the like, but that isn't just about the movie--it's a social/network/scene thing. But, as a regular way to take in films, I'm not a regular theatre goer. I don't know what the younger generations' view is- maybe they will look at it someday like "drive in" movie theaters, or bowling. Something the ancients did that is retro cool.

 

You don't need a revolver. Just teach them how to run fast and straight rather than slow and falling down a lot. Same ten minute end result but better ad revenue from Nike, New Balance and Adidas.

 

Headphone listening is different but I wonder if it is fundamentally different. It is all valid since we are merely dealing with preferences. Anyway you are making my point that convenience will overwhelm the current film delivery systems such as large theaters. It won't be different from Audio. This is particularly the case when price is equal or less as with streaming.

 

There are just too many things detracting from the movie experience to keep it as grand as it once was.
1) Old movie theaters were grand from all aspects. Today most theaters are a box, set inside a bigger box...nothing grand about any of it.
2) The movie theater used to be the ONLY place to view the movie. Once we got to the point of watching at home, no matter how good or bad, the movie goer was no longer required to attend the movie when it was showing. They could wait and watch at home at their leisure. Today you can watch just about anything, at any time, pretty much anywhere you want. Ad to that any number of web broadcast things taking up entertainment hours along with video games and the like and movies are not the only screen entertainment anymore.
3) The attitudes of movie goers has changed...for the worse unfortunately There will always be rude people but in years gone by going to the movie was just a place to act in a proper manner. Not so long ago people dressed up for the occasion. Today many movie goers dress in their best sweat pants and act as if they are sitting in their own living room during the movie.
4) The cost is high as compared to the product. There have always been crappy movies. Heck, MST3K made a nice living off of crappy movies made years ago. Better movies will draw more viewers but this has always been an issue with movies. The big change is in the extras that made going to the movies a bit more special. When you go to the movies and it costs $12 for tub of popcorn while you know a case of the stuff would cast you $8.50 at the store you have to wonder. When the candy is 500% higher in price than you pay at the store you have to wonder. When a cup of pop costs more than the case you purchased yesterday have to wonder.
5) Poorly maintained facilities get irritating. I know people are pigs and there will always be those who seem bent on ruining everything around them. However, when the soap is out in the bathroom...all the time...every time you realize the issue is with the theater. Same with paper towels and toilet paper. When the room lighting is busted and half working you have to wonder. Heck, when the place is simply run down and not being maintained I don't want to go back...and a LOT of the local theaters are this way at the moment.
6) The way movies are reviewed today is very different. Today you will hear all about how much money it cost to make and how much money it is taking in...but you hear very little about whether the movie is actually good or not...from the mass media outlets anyway.
Add to that the talk about this actor making $$$$$million for this movie and that movie and one begins to realize the cost of the ticket is hyper over inflated from all sides of the movie experience.

I think movie theaters will survive after they change away from the cattle pen big multiplex style currently in vogue.
I think they may go back to a larger screen as compared to the number of seats.
I think they will provide better edibles for a lesser price in order to draw movie viewers who will pay to eat and watch.
I think they will have value added viewings for sporting events and other specialized shows in order to maximize screen usage. For instance, the local multi-plex theater could easily convert one screen room catering to PPV sporting events and popular TV shows.

 

Sometimes, it takes a Showman to operate a movie theatre.

Having worked in 5 different theaters, 1969-75, (one automated, meaning I sold tix, snacks, & ran the projector); I'm of the opinion that matinees are as poorly attended these days as in the ancient past.
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The first theater I worked @ was downtown Wichita & seated 2000. I don't recall a showing where no one showed, but there were many summer matinees when, with a loge & 3 balconies you could sit & not see anyone else in your view. Bill Warren was manager.

When I worked at the Mall Cinema, matinees were also sparsely attended (unless a kid show).

The Boulevard & Uptown Theatres were initially "road show" houses "Sound of Music, cinerama, etc. They were positioned to show a movie to ~ 1000; for weeks on end. No weekday matinees. Thus the studios' profits in those first weeks were limited to capacity.

~ 1972, Bill Warren started his own theater company, American Entertainment Inc., as I recall. Remodeled a dept. store shell, automated projection, curtains, intermission music. Splice all the reels onto one giant spool on the Cinemachinica Xenon lamp projector. The only projectionist task was to thread the film & rewind. This theater was sized similar to those in most cineplexes these days. Again, Warren would offer a distributor more for a picture; but as with Dirty Harry, it would play forever.

Warren soon convinced his partner (Frank Carney, of Pizza Hut) that a new complex across from Town East Mall would be next. Warren booked JAWS.

He next built the Palace Theaters East, which showed 2nd run shows @ $1 or 2. Other operators commented that would never compete with VCRs. So Warren had to open the Palace Theaters West to meet demand.

Commonwealth & Fox/National General theaters went out of business in Wichita. Warren built new theaters to meet demand. He opened the WORLD'S LARGEST IMAX SCREEN & got volunteers to assist in putting up the screen. Warren's latter theatres were more "opulent," I recall him going on about Italian Gold Tiles in the entry to one. He added those restaurant/cafe (Nestlé® Tollhouse® Café) features, plush seating, etc. During this time, Warren branched into Oklahoma, with one in Moore. When that city was hit by a tornado, Warren opened his complex for authorities to work from.

I hadn't spoken with Bill for decades until he called me ~ 2008. We discussed Manhattan's efforts to get Warren to open a theater downtown. He told me the market was too small (60K, w/military & college age). His take on movies' future as "events," & that the public would pay similar prices to major sporting events & concerts.

Warren recently sold his theaters to Regal. Interviews in the Wichita Eagle indicate he has some new fangled movie theater notion he wants to flesh out. I'm guessing he may soon show us where movie theaters will live next.

 

My wife and I went to see the Indian movie Simran last night, a star vehicle for Kangana Ranaut who is very much on the ascent in Indian film, she was great, the movie not so much... but my wife and I were the only people in the theatre, we had the whole place to ourselves. it cost £20 entry for the both of us. We din't have much money, but really needed a night out, so went... afraid we bring our own chocolate and a water bottle, as we don't do sodas... We said when we were leaving we had no idea how the movies were surviving.

 

We saw Simran, and yeah - it was a big bag of dumb. The relationship stuff with her family was good, but don't any banks in Atlanta have guards?

 

I still enjoy going to the movies for the giant screen and the sound effects,the problem is the quality of the movies being shown.

 

What have you seen? And what have you heard of and avoided? Because as far as I'm concerned, there are as many good films being made as there ever has been. OK, it seems like crap gets pushed hard, but if you look through listings, there are some great films out there. Sadly, most of it only plays for a week.

 

Where I live, there used to be (before my birth) around 4-5 theaters in a say 4 mile radius. There's only one theater in the neighborhood left.

 

There will be a new movie theater going up in my area soon. It will go in the newly renovated shopping center in my area. It seems that the formula these days to revive the now dying shopping malls of late is to enhance their experience to include more than shopping. What is ironic is that theaters were in these malls at one time, then they were removed, and now they are being put back in again.

 

I've gone to every theater in my new town. My favorite experiences have been watching I Drink Your Blood at the Nickelodeon Theater and Close Encounters of the Third Kind at AMC Dutch Square. I've seen about 30 films at the Nickelodeon. These days, I mostly watch blu-ray.

 

I live alone
If I didn't leave the house to go out with friends to the theater and restaurants.... I would go crazy.
Yeah it's cheaper to watch a movie at home
It's also cheaper to eat at home and have your vacation at home but at the end of the day what kind of life is that ?

 

I think another reason why the movie theater is dying (I may be incorrect) is because of the sheer number of logos for production outfits that are on pretty much every movie nowadays.

I mean, back in the day, for Paramount films, you saw the Blue Mtn. with Gulf+Western ownership byline and that was that (top and bottom of the film), and for Columbia films, you saw the Sunburst/Abstract Torch (in the 70s and early 80s), or the 80s Torch Lady (starting in 1981), and that was that on that score. Nowadays, it's not good enough to have just the main people showing you their "cards," if you will; there are five or six for all the smaller outfits that went into a movie that you have to go through before the film actually starts.

Here's more on today's practice of every single production outfit in a movie showing you their "card"; it started in 1990, per this very informative piece, with the logo for Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films, this on the 1990 Paramount racing film Days of Thunder:

Why Are There So Damn Many Production Company Logo Animations Before Movies?

And here's a really funny clip from Family Guy where Peter goes into the theater, sits down to see the film, and after the TCF logo plays, he has to go through 4 or 5 false starts where he thinks the film begins, but each one is just another logo for a smaller outfit; eventually, it starts to annoy him.

 

You really think 15-30 seconds' worth of production company logos are keeping people from going to the movies?

 

You know, that's a good question! It might be quite difficult for me to come up with a good answer.

 

What about Alamo Drafthouse? I've only been once, to see Rogue One for my son's birthday, but it was fun. I loved that pre film they showed all sorts of Star Wars related video. From old Kenner TV commercials to the Seagulls parody. This was after it had been in theaters for a long time. I was told that during its first run they had a Millennium Falcon drone flying around the theater and other fun stuff. We also went to an episode 4, 5 and 6 marathon they sponsored at the renovated King Theater in Brooklyn. At least there when you pay a little more you get a little more.

My son always goes to the bigger better theater for his first run films, but for others we get a $40 family pass at the theater in town.

 

The big chains here in Seattle (AMC, Regal) are spending lots of dough to upgrade to assigned/reclining seats, and it's been a nice touch. Given my schedule, going to a movie is almost never a last-minute impulse decision, so I like being able to secure the seats I want well in advance (especially since AMC and Regal also allow you to cancel right up to showtime).

My only lament in the Seattle area is the slow decline of independent/art house theaters. Landmark, recently shuttered its last two first-run theaters (after closing several others many years ago), leaving one sole second-run theater left. And Sundance (which had taken over one of the older Landmark theaters) has been bought out by AMC. Still a nice 21+ theater, but now they basically just play the standard mainstream titles, which makes them all but useless to me. So basically my only option for independent and foreign films are the couple theaters that SIFF runs. Which isn't bad, I love SIFF, but they only have 5 screens total at their disposal, and usually one or two of them are devoted to mainstream-ish films in order to afford to keep their doors open.

 

I'm lucky to live close enough to NYC to see just about anything I want. In addition to that I have the Jacob Burns Film Center in my own backyard.

Jacob Burns Film Center

If I feel like traveling an hour or so North, I can also go to the less high tech, more warm and fuzzy Rosendale Theater.

Rosendale Theatre Collective | A Non-Profit Independent Film House

When I was in college in NH, we had a theater on campus that showed all kinds of bizarre foreign films, and it was free for students. I think I saw every film they showed during the 4 years I was there. I looked at the site just now and I see that films are no longer free for students, but $2. general public admission is only $5...a bargain.

Film at the Putnam · Keene State College

 

I have a pretty nice home theater setup. Still doesn't match up with a good theater experience though. (And as much as I try, distractions generally sneak in at home.)

 

I'm sure these are all issues for some people who don't have the option, but - really? You live in one of the biggest cities on the continent, and you don't have access to an indie/arts/repretory cinema within driving distance?!
You find the right cinema, most of those issues are moot the moment you walk in the door. And the only place you encounter these problems is...on a web board. And also - do I have to spell it out fer ya - the movies are better.

My wife and I are going to one tonight. What are we seeing? Frankly, I don't know. I bet she hasn't thought about it much today, either. It doesn't really matter, we're planning on seeing just about all the films showing eventually.

We live in a city of 70,000 people. You live in Toronto. What am I missing here?

 

You're missing the human element which can ruin lots of things.

 

When it comes to a movie going experience, it can ruin the whole thing!

 

Hmmm...been a frequent flier at our local art house for 13 years - no sign of any of the "human things" you speak/don't speak of.

Could it have anything to do with that guitar you're swingin' up over your head, there..?