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The extinction of movie theaters...

TheTruth101 said:
1. Many movies have great trailers and then the movie is crap.
2. To go to the movies is expensive specially when dealing with #1.
3. When you sit you realize you have this fauna of people making noises, talking
4. Besides the ticket you have to pay parking lot (depending on where you live)
5. You depends on a schedule and to get your favorite spot you have to wait late at night and leave the theaters after midnight.
6. Concession stands are super slow, super expensive!
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I think its a combination of technology, and cost. My mother when she was a kid would go and spend an entire day at the movies for a nickel back in the 50s. When I was a kid it was a couple of dollars. Now its going upwards of 10 to 20 dollars per person.

Why spend over a hundred of dollars for a family of 4 which does not even include dinner, when we can easily stream decent movies for a tenth of that price.

So imo, we have a confluence of high price, poor experiences (as noted in the quote, loud people), and technology that offers a better less expensive alternative.

The other factor is the lack of truly gripping movies, at least for me. I'm not willing to spend a lot of money for the stuff that is being advertised. I'm willing to wait a couple of months and rent it from itunes, or see it on netflix. There are a handful of movies I'm willing to pay for, but those are now the exception and not the rule.
 
bradl said:
Funnily enough, we are seeing a revival of the drive-in theater in my part of the US. They are packed, especially over the summer and during the weekend, as it's a great place to take the kids, who you know won't stay still if they are taken to the indoor movie theaters. The one here has a playground right outside of the indoor concession area.

There's another huge one where the locals go in North Las Vegas as well, but in its defense, it's owned by the same company that owns the one here in Sacramento!

But I have to agree with you about the regular theaters, for two big reasons, and those reasons are why there is an unfortunately a decline and near extension in 3 other places: bowling alleys, shopping malls, and video arcades.
  1. Quick availability of other technology to bring you the content. When you can bring all of the games you could normally find in a video arcade in your pocket, why spend the money at a video arcade? So most of them quickly faded away.
  2. When you have other, more instantly gratifying forms of entertainment, why do something long and arduous, that may take 30 weeks? That's why, unfortunately, bowling leagues have been on the decline, thanks to easy access to video games and online content.
  3. With that easy access, plus access to online stores that you would normally see in a mall, why go to the mall? Case in point: Cyber monday, and ordering online on Black Friday.
All in all, if you can get the same content while sitting on your couch instead of spending the gas money to go to the theater, find parking, buy the expensive ticket, buy expensive snacks, and sit in a half clean theater for a little over 90 minutes to 2 hours, why bother going at all?

Personally, it really was the end (at least for me) 20 years ago, when they started putting ads in for local stores in the ads you'd see in the theaters, slotted between movie previews. It made the entire experience unbearable. Last movie I saw in the theater was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and that was at the IMAX. My wife has seen the entire series at the IMAX, and was the only movies she wanted to see there.

BL.
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That drive in theater in north Las Vegas was the first movie I ever went to. I think I was 6 years young. And I got my first taste of Dr Pepper there. That would be the summer of 1971.
 
bradl said:
Funnily enough, we are seeing a revival of the drive-in theater in my part of the US. They are packed, especially over the summer and during the weekend, as it's a great place to take the kids, who you know won't stay still if they are taken to the indoor movie theaters. The one here has a playground right outside of the indoor concession area.

There's another huge one where the locals go in North Las Vegas as well, but in its defense, it's owned by the same company that owns the one here in Sacramento!

But I have to agree with you about the regular theaters, for two big reasons, and those reasons are why there is an unfortunately a decline and near extension in 3 other places: bowling alleys, shopping malls, and video arcades.
  1. Quick availability of other technology to bring you the content. When you can bring all of the games you could normally find in a video arcade in your pocket, why spend the money at a video arcade? So most of them quickly faded away.
  2. When you have other, more instantly gratifying forms of entertainment, why do something long and arduous, that may take 30 weeks? That's why, unfortunately, bowling leagues have been on the decline, thanks to easy access to video games and online content.
  3. With that easy access, plus access to online stores that you would normally see in a mall, why go to the mall? Case in point: Cyber monday, and ordering online on Black Friday.
All in all, if you can get the same content while sitting on your couch instead of spending the gas money to go to the theater, find parking, buy the expensive ticket, buy expensive snacks, and sit in a half clean theater for a little over 90 minutes to 2 hours, why bother going at all?

Personally, it really was the end (at least for me) 20 years ago, when they started putting ads in for local stores in the ads you'd see in the theaters, slotted between movie previews. It made the entire experience unbearable. Last movie I saw in the theater was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and that was at the IMAX. My wife has seen the entire series at the IMAX, and was the only movies she wanted to see there.

BL.
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What I remember about drive-in theaters was horrid sound coming from small metal speaker. :)
 
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Tomorrow said:
Genuine question, can we get a show of hands of people who actually have to pay to park at the movie theater? I've never seen or heard of this, and I've lived on both American coasts and in the middle.
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I live in Miami, all the theaters around here you have to pay for parking, the ones with theaters cost about $8! by the time you finish the movie.
 
It's a standard business model in the US. Build a cash cow. Rake in the money. Don't reinvest in the business. Claim other forces (like illegal downloads) are conspiring to put them out of business, decay assets (crappy worn seats, clean less, jack up concession prices, etc.), and then sell when the real estate price is a better deal.

There are some places that do get it. The Violet Crown in Santa Fe, NM is a shining example. User experience is key. Beautiful projection, clean, comfy seats, lush sound, ushers that don't tolerate ill behaviour, and just a nice place to go even if you don't see a movie. I've heard rumours George RR Martin is an investor. I tend go there at least one night when I visit the town. They get it.

Where I live? The user experience is miserable and borders on gross. I take lysol wipes if a Spiderman movie is playing. I cross my fingers people making facebook status updates on mobile phones don't break the suspension of disbelief.
 
Apple fanboy said:
Funny there are two distinct camps on here.

Those that hate the shared experience, and those that enjoy it.
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Perhaps that experience has degraded in the last few decades. I remember when it wasn't just unacceptable behavior to talk or distract others during a movie, it was actually enforced. It was enforced, usually, by the parent or other adult in a group. If not then by the theater. When I was a kid I remember "ushers," armed with flashlights, who would "patrol" the theater. Nowadays I see parents not only allowing their kids to talk/text/whatever but they do it too.

I do still go to the movies, once or twice a month actually, but we too go when we are relatively sure it will be mostly empty. That is a shame since to me it can be nice to see a truly great movie in a theater, with a good group of people.



Mike
 
Tinmania said:
Perhaps that experience has degraded in the last few decades. I remember when it wasn't just unacceptable behavior to talk or distract others during a movie, it was actually enforced. It was enforced, usually, by the parent or other adult in a group. If not then by the theater. When I was a kid I remember "ushers," armed with flashlights, who would "patrol" the theater. Nowadays I see parents not only allowing their kids to talk/text/whatever but they do it too.

I do still go to the movies, once or twice a month actually, but we too go when we are relatively sure it will be mostly empty. That is a shame since to me it can be nice to see a truly great movie in a theater, with a good group of people.



Mike
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It happens when I go to the Theatre, too. I complained, and their resolution was to move my tickets away from "the offender" versus having a discussion with the party about appropriate behavior.

I have less tolerance for adults who should know better.
 
Foggydog said:
That drive in theater in north Las Vegas was the first movie I ever went to. I think I was 6 years young. And I got my first taste of Dr Pepper there. That would be the summer of 1971.
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It's still there, right across the street from the airport. It's one of the few drive-ins that switched to having everything digital instead of the old reel-to-reel projectors. They're the same ones that own the one in Sacramento as well.

It's places like these that make the Disney movie Wreck-It Ralph so poignant and impactful. That movie isn't just about a bad guy in a video game becoming the good guy to save another game.. It's about life in a video arcade, where most games now have either been scrapped, set up in a museum, or have been on their last legs and are still going.

That and lets us 80s kids relive our childhood while our parents were in the middle of their bowling league, or shopping on their own in the mall while we let one quarter entertain us for 3 hours.

These are the same; the drive-ins are the old dinosauric original versions of Space Invaders or Donkey Kong, in its original cabinet, but still going.

BL.
 
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bradl said:
It's still there, right across the street from the airport. It's one of the few drive-ins that switched to having everything digital instead of the old reel-to-reel projectors. They're the same ones that own the one in Sacramento as well.

It's places like these that make the Disney movie Wreck-It Ralph so poignant and impactful. That movie isn't just about a bad guy in a video game becoming the good guy to save another game.. It's about life in a video arcade, where most games now have either been scrapped, set up in a museum, or have been on their last legs and are still going.

That and lets us 80s kids relive our childhood while our parents were in the middle of their bowling league, or shopping on their own in the mall while we let one quarter entertain us for 3 hours.

These are the same; the drive-ins are the old dinosauric original versions of Space Invaders or Donkey Kong, in its original cabinet, but still going.

BL.
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I remember scoop ice cream being offered then. Not to sugarcoat it, but we had a chunky friend then who had it in with a female stand clerk who'd scoop out or pour some kind of frozen dessert into a small pail brought from home and cover it in fudge sauce. That and asking grown ups to buy an adult magazine for us or tricking the newsstand guy and stealing one. Not surprisingly, my friend later died from heart failure as a result of becoming morbidly obese. By then we'd lost track of each other. He died in the late 90s, and I didn't find out until years later through Google.

Come to think of it, I've had a lot of friends pass away from natural causes or cancer. There's maybe a few of us still alive from our old group. Granted I've already had my brush with cancer.

Didn't you say your mother was a school teacher or something like that? Must have been fun being a student in those days. :p
 
Zenithal said:
I remember scoop ice cream being offered then. Not to sugarcoat it, but we had a chunky friend then who had it in with a female stand clerk who'd scoop out or pour some kind of frozen dessert into a small pail brought from home and cover it in fudge sauce. That and asking grown ups to buy an adult magazine for us or tricking the newsstand guy and stealing one. Not surprisingly, my friend later died from heart failure as a result of becoming morbidly obese. By then we'd lost track of each other. He died in the late 90s, and I didn't find out until years later through Google.

Come to think of it, I've had a lot of friends pass away from natural causes or cancer. There's maybe a few of us still alive from our old group. Granted I've already had my brush with cancer.

Didn't you say your mother was a school teacher or something like that? Must have been fun being a student in those days. :p
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Understatement. If I got in trouble at school, my mother knew about it before I did. That's how well everyone knew her in our school district. It was also a big reason as to why I did NOT go to the school she was Assistant Principal at. Think about it: If some other kid got in trouble or suspended, they could have taken it out on me!

True story on this. I visited my mother one day (I had already graduated at this time, but looked young enough to still be in school), and waited outside her office for her to get off a phone call. This other kid was sitting down outside the door, looking pissed. So I go up to him and ask what he's here for. 4 sentences, most of them curse words later, he gets it out, then starts telling me how much of a ******* **** ***** my mother is. I keep quiet, and wait for the door to open.

My mother calls him in, and I walk in with her. He looks at me, with a look of "WTF are you doing here?!?".. I simply go to my mother's desk, pick up a picture of me, show it to him, point my finger at it, then point it at me, and ask him to repeat to my mother what he just said to me...

Let's just say he didn't mess with my mother ever again. ;)

I have plenty of stories like that. :D

BL.
 
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It seems to me some chains might either not be advertising 4K in the cinemas that have it, or leveling down to a standard 2K product so that people don't avoid the theaters that are lagging.
 
The dinner/movie model likely survives. Alamo Drafthouse is such a great experience with good food and drinks.

For me, though, I agree with the idea that the traditional movie theatre is in trouble.
 
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I go to a cinema to watch a movie under perfect conditions, not to eat.

And I rarely watch a movie twice, there's too much backlog.
 
Zenithal said:
I remember scoop ice cream being offered then. Not to sugarcoat it, but we had a chunky friend then who had it in with a female stand clerk who'd scoop out or pour some kind of frozen dessert into a small pail brought from home and cover it in fudge sauce. That and asking grown ups to buy an adult magazine for us or tricking the newsstand guy and stealing one. Not surprisingly, my friend later died from heart failure as a result of becoming morbidly obese. By then we'd lost track of each other. He died in the late 90s, and I didn't find out until years later through Google.

Come to think of it, I've had a lot of friends pass away from natural causes or cancer. There's maybe a few of us still alive from our old group. Granted I've already had my brush with cancer.

Didn't you say your mother was a school teacher or something like that? Must have been fun being a student in those days. :p
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Sounds like my childhood as well. I had that chunky friend that died early. Once, he and I and two other friends told
Our parents that we were going to sleep over each other's houses but we really went on an all day/night walk to see this kid's dead body (he was hit by a train and no one called the cops yet). Good times.
 
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Mac'nCheese said:
Sounds like my childhood as well. I had that chunky friend that died early. Once, he and I and two other friends told
Our parents that we were going to sleep over each other's houses but we really went on an all day/night walk to see this kid's dead body (he was hit by a train and no one called the cops yet). Good times.
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Can't tell if you're being facetious or serious. It's hard to tell with you...

If you're serious, well, that sounds awful. I didn't see my first dead body until I began traveling. The years after the USSR fall caused massive poverty, and the bodies you would see would be out in the boonies, per se. So, roughly 20-30 miles from a major metro area. Often old people in small villages. The situation got much better when I returned due to work to observe and evaluate areas in need of US aid. Can't say I wasn't disgusted by the sight or smell.

Haven't seen a dead body outside a funeral since then. I've driven by accident scenes with what looked like to be blood on the road but could very well be motor oil or other fluid. Death doesn't bother me as much as other people. It takes a while for the grief to hit me. People handle it differently. shrug

I've lost friends from childhood after I moved to the states, friends I made when I was older, friends and advisors I befriended when I was doing my masters. Cancer has been the biggest killer. I've lost maybe eight friends to the disease.

I had a master's advisor who befriended me and spoke highly of his younger siblings who did a lot of humanitarian work. I asked why one day because I thought it was a bit strange (it was at the time), and he said they lost a sibling to polio. Polio was still a risk when I and my brothers were born, but the risk was so small by then that it was almost a non-issue.

Depressing story aside, losing my friends one by one forced me to enjoy life more outside of work. Enjoy being around family more. Even then, skin cancer was my personal wakeup call.
 
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In the end, the problem is simple: the home theater experience has gotten good enough that you don't want to go to a theater anymore.

The wide availability of high-definition television from circa 2006 on with the ATSC, DVB, ISDB and DTMB standards has essentially erased most of the advantages of seeing a movie in a theater. On a 55 inch (140 cm) diagonal flat screen or larger, the results can be spectacular even with only 1080p signals. With a screen of this size and a home theater sound system with 5.1 surround sound, you get to enjoy movies with better picture quality and sound than most movie theaters nowadays.
 
an-other said:
It's a standard business model in the US. Build a cash cow. Rake in the money. Don't reinvest in the business. Claim other forces (like illegal downloads) are conspiring to put them out of business, decay assets (crappy worn seats, clean less, jack up concession prices, etc.), and then sell when the real estate price is a better deal.
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Its not a business model and its not localized to the US. At its roots, a human nature. The people who pioneered a field are long gone, the replacements look to protect their market and are averse to risk. Just look at Nokia and RIM, both companies are outside of the US, both were market leaders in their own right, and both struggled to embrace the new technology and look where they are now.
 
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AustinIllini said:
The dinner/movie model likely survives. Alamo Drafthouse is such a great experience with good food and drinks.

For me, though, I agree with the idea that the traditional movie theatre is in trouble.
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It's not Hollywood or the cost that's killing theaters. It's teen-agers. They use theaters as gathering places, and it never ends well.

The best movie experience I've had in the the last 40 years was this summer in Cincinnati. Evans was 21 and over. You could purchase dinner and drinks. The seats reclined and were as comfortable as being at home. It was a great experience. The cost want any different than any other theater, and even the food/drink prices were in line with the average restaurant.
 
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It's rare when I go (but depending on real life circumstances I may see three movies this fall (the most in a year for several years.)

Pricing, rude patrons, filthy conditions and movies that are rarely worth a rental, much less paying almost $17 for a regular ticket is keeping me away from most films. I avoid the general mega-plexus as much as possible (however I may be going three times this Fall, still iffy on the Blade Runner sequel.)

I will pay that much to see an old movie in theatre providing I am not sitting near pot smokers (another reason why I am skipping movies these days.)
 
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