HOLLYWOOD—It was something I would have argued was not possible five years ago, but jeez, can a pandemic certainly change a lot of things. How so? The movie going experience is not dead, but at times it certainly feels like it. People still go to the movies, but the comfort of streaming and watching movies at your home has shifted the dynamic of the movie theater experience completely.
I still wish I could harken back to what the experience was like in the 80s before I was born, and people went to the movies. I think I recalled going maybe once or twice, but it was very late 80s, like on the cusps of the 90s and I can barely remember it. With that said, the notion of being in a completely dark room, surrounded by complete strangers and enthralled by what is taking place on the big screen is unlike anything you can imagine.
The movie theater creates an atmosphere that is so difficult to place into words. If it’s a drama you can really be invested in the characters, if it’s a comedy, the notion of other people in your orbit increases the chances of you laughing, if it’s horror the suspense and tension is enough to cause you to burst out of your theater seat or scream in terror. Every genre of film has its audience, and you can’t get that experience at home, no matter how hard you try.
Why? One simple word: DISTRACTIONS. You’re always going to have them. You don’t have the completely dark room, or maybe you do, but you have the option to pause your movie if something arises. You can’t pause a movie at the theater. In addition, you have the cell phone or tablet at home. You are so much more prone to check it if you’re watching a movie at home because why not? There is no one policing you and informing you there should be no phones out while the movie is playing.
The doorbell could ring, people stop by unexpectedly, the dog barks, the list goes on and on; simply put you will find your attention span much smaller at home than at the theater. However, I can understand why a lot of people don’t go to the theater today. You have people who are annoying. They just want to talk during the movie, make noise or kick your seat which is the absolute worse. I will admit the theater that I frequent, their chairs are not kickable which is a good thing.
I think the cellphone gets me the most. Like please turn off the light on your phone or do it in a way that it doesn’t create an immediate distraction for other movie goers if you do indeed have to check it. The light alone drives me nuts, but a ringing phone can be just as bad because it takes you out of the movie. Then you have to worry about people coming into the movie theater late. Like c’mon, you know what time the movie starts try to get there on time or catch the next showing. Nothing is more annoying than someone blocking the screen or not being able to find their seat and having to utilize a light because they waited too late to get to the theater or wants to get something from the concession stand.
Now I will admit, I do not like popcorn, but if there is one place where I will eat it it’s the movie theater because it tastes like no other. I don’t know what they do with it at the movie theater, I don’t know what butter they place on it, it just tastes freaking fantastic. Nothing compares or comes even close to movie theater popcorn, PERIOD!
The biggest gripe I hear from people when it comes to going to the movies is the cost. I think going to the movie today on a date with just two people is easily $35 to $40, and that’s just for the movie tickets. If you’re getting a bucket of popcorn, two drinks, and maybe a box of candy you’re looking at another $30 to $40. You’re talking about $80 for a date night at the movies, you might as well just go out to dinner and save yourself the freaking hassle. That is a lot of money to spend.
The pandemic made it too easy to watch movies at home because streaming kicked in to full force. Many of the streaming services if you were a subscriber, you could see movies without paying extra for them. Sorry, not paying $30 to watch a movie at home that I don’t get to keep. I will go to the theater, and I think the movie studios and the streaming services need to make the movie theater experience re-imagined in a way that people flock to the theater. Don’t allow the movie to be available for streaming within two weeks of it being in the movie theater. I remember back in the day you had to wait like six months before it was available to rent on VHS (most of you probably don’t know what that is) and then it was several months after that before you could purchase it. Now, I don’t even know if you can purchase DVDs or Blu-Rays anymore because most of the retailers stopped selling them. Still livid at you Best Buy for doing that.
Movies have to tap back into that Golden Age of the Box Office, and a lot of that happened in the 60s, 70s and even early 80s. “Jaws,” “Star Wars,” “The Godfather,” “Alien,” “Psycho,” “Halloween,” “Ghostbusters, “Die Hard” just a few of the movies that are deemed classics and I know watching them in the movie theater was a thrill a second. We haven’t had anything like that in a major while and don’t even start with that “Deadpool and Wolverine” crap, it was a comic book movie that people flocked to see, but it was not some grand experience, which is my point.
We can absolutely change it people. It just becomes a question of whether we want to return to the norm or are we ok with the new normal which is watching movies from the comfort of your home and not having to deal with people?
