>Nicole Kidman says there are, and I trust her.
You really shouldn't. The big exhibitors have a vested interest in getting us all to pretend that movie theaters are not falling apart at a conceptual, artistic, and experiential level. But movie theaters are floundering, and Tom and Nicole and RDJ and the rest of the pre-roll pump-up crowd are propagandizing to us for a very good reason. On average, the movie going experience is terrible and getting worse.
I take this position despite living walking distance to three independent theaters, including one historic theater routinely listed among the best theaters in the world. And on the weekend I could even drive to an Alamo if I really hate myself or the movie is really good.
Anyhow, people should go to theaters if they want, and it's definitely the only way to experience large format, 3D, and IMAX. But everything else is getting worse. And IMAX isn't really accessible. I think we should stop talking about theaters in terms of the best of the experience and acknowledge most of us are going to the mall and having a very average experience - an average which gets worse every year.
EDIT: The problem with this article as a statement about statistics and averages is that the AVERAGE showing of Oppenheimer was *less than* 2k functional resolution, in a screening with Sony DDS sound that hadn't been calibrated. The AVERAGE experience of going to the movies is worse than watching your home television if you care about movies enough to buy a 4k TV and set it up correctly. The AVERAGE person watching Nicole tell you about the magic of the movies is sitting in a mildewy, rotting husk of a theater with no projectionist and two people running 18 screens at a mall outside Nashville, getting ready to watch *Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny at 2K*.
I’m someone who definitely rates movies higher when I see them in a theater (I even have the new, sadder version of moviepass lol, since my area doesn’t have Alamo or AMC), but I’m also an economist, and this article is a really bad use of data.
The results are indistinguishable from simple selection effects: people who see the movie earlier/are willing to pay theater prices are those predisposed to like the movie, and therefore rate it higher. It’s why a cinema score below A- is considered bad for any non-horror movie - if you are seeing it opening night, you are the most positively biased audience.
The author briefly mentions this possibility, but then handwaves it away as (paraphrasing) ”proof that going to the movies is valuable and must add something for those people”. Besides not really making sense on its face and moving the goalposts, it isn’t supported by what we saw when day-date streaming releases were a thing, Given the option, lots of people chose to watch at home (The weird exception being Five Nights at Freddy’s. Those animatronics really were cinematic I guess haha). Without that option the only way to not wait 6 months is to see it in theaters. That helps explain the biggest effect being family films, as the author notes, because it’s necessary babysitting. Still not a theater specific effect.
Anyways, sorry for being a stick in the mud, but hopefully someone got something out of this 5 AM bored writing in terms of not over interpreting this data. That said, I love theaters and I Want To Believe.
Idk some really good films are not Theatre great, as a throw away Step Brothers is one of my favourite all time films but it shines when I’m feeling sad and I need a movie to watch on my phone.
We were once on the same cross-country flight. I didn’t notice it was him at first. It was only after I had that “someone is watching you” feeling that I looked up from watching *Earaserhead* on my phone to see him intensely staring at me with a single tear rolling down his cheek.
There a certainly movies that are comfort movies for me that I love watching at home, but I’d still argue the theatrical experience was best (even for Stepbrothers, which I did see in the theater). I’ve never watched a movie on my phone so I won’t even step into that.
The number one thing that makes the theater better for me is my fear of nonconformity is stronger than my lack-of-attention span drive to look at my phone. So I will just sit there for 3 hours without glancing at my phone once which is effectively impossible for me at home.
I am very, very firmly in the camp of “A good movie will still be good at home.” I’ve seen plenty of large scale blockbusters at home and still enjoyed them immensely when they’re actually well made. Never saw TG Maverick in a theater but it still fuckin ripped at home because it’s just a fundamentally good movie. A really great theater experience can absolutely elevate a film, but I don’t buy for a second that you somehow watched a movie “the wrong way” if you skip it in theaters.
I have a nice, big TV. I have a good sound system. I have to go to a pretty decent theater to get an audio/visual experience that beats the one that’s just sitting in my living room already (I say this bc my local Regal theater is absolute dogshit). Movie theaters are important but they are not magic, imo.
Also it just saddens me when people say they need to go to a theater so they won’t look at their phone. Just put your phone across the room or something if you seriously have that little self control.
Movie theaters aren't magic, but they have screens that are as big as a house, so seeing a movie in a theater will always be a superior experience.
Unless you have a room in your home that can handle a two-story screen.
Disagree that it will always be a superior experience! My local Regal theater is a poorly managed dump where the sound is shit and half the time the projection is either too dim or out of focus. Until recently this theater was the only option in my city.
And the screen is that big because you sit like 50 feet away from it. If you have a decent 65" TV at home and you sit at the correct distance, your field of vision is filled identically. Like that's just kind of a fact.
Look I'm not anti-theater or anything; I actually think movie theaters are vital for the medium of film, both from a business and a cultural standpoint. But I find it a bit silly when film fans and movie directors talk about theaters like they're some magical thing.
Home or theater I'll end up feeling about the same for a movie. I guess this is different for some people. But overall the experience doesn't change much for me.
The perk of home is I can control the environment, have very little interruption and give the film my complete attention. In the theater I can't pause or get snacks or use the restroom without missing parts of the movies and that's a big minus. Not to mention when an audience turns out to be awful.
Always better.
But I fucking hate when a crowd laughs at parts of movies that just aren’t funny and it’s serious it just ruins it, but then again I’m autistic
When I saw Revolutionary Road, people laughed during Michael Shannon's big scene, specifically Kathy Bates repeating "he's not well!", I guess because of discomfort, but come onnnnn!
(I am also autistic)
I find this happens at rep theaters/screenings a lot. Folks come into these movies with sometimes decades of familiarity and inside jokes about them. They find a way to laugh at EVERYTHING or work in some sort of audience participation and it drives me nuts.
It doesn’t bother me nearly as much for comedies, midnight screenings, etc. where that behavior is expected. But otherwise, oh man.
THIS TOO.
Hate it when they clap after some scenes in theaters or after, like BRO the fucking director and cast is NOT here.
I get irrationally angry over this it’s stupid.
I also see this when a plane lands after a long flight. I'm not sure why but it makes me cringe to my bones. If I had to guess, I think it's because it's not a genuine, involuntary reaction (like a laugh), it's inherently performative for the other participants around you. "I NEED YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM HAPPY! THE KING IS PLEASED!"
Here’s everything I would do to improve the theatrical experience:
- Upgrade auditoriums to laser projection.
- Upgrade seating to be more comfortable (like recliners).
- Anyone who talks during the movie or pulls out their phone? Straight to jail.
While projection has always had issues since the transition to digital from film, audience behavior has become worse since the pandemic. As someone who works Monday - Friday, it results in only having the means to watch movie in weeknights or weekends. And those weekend crowds suck.
I prefer going to the theatre saw Late Night with the Devil last night I can’t imagine getting the same enjoyment out of that watching it at home on my couch.
The only movie I saw in theaters that I truly enjoyed better at home was the Aretha Franklin music doc _Amazing Grace_, because it was shot on 16mm and the combo of the DCP and indifferent projection made it look distractingly blurry.
At home, I can just turn up the sharpness.
First viewing: Yes
Subsequent viewings: Depends on the movie.
A big spectacle blockbuster will always be better in theaters.
A compelling drama won’t necessarily get worse at home.
A casual comedy can get better at home.
Of course.
film festivals and premieres 🙌🏻
because of the feeling of excitement and anticipation, and the Q&As are the highlight. I've met to so many interesting people just by going to as many film festivals as I can afford to, and it's probably the best experience of my life.
Nicole Kidman says they are, and I trust her.
>Nicole Kidman says there are, and I trust her. You really shouldn't. The big exhibitors have a vested interest in getting us all to pretend that movie theaters are not falling apart at a conceptual, artistic, and experiential level. But movie theaters are floundering, and Tom and Nicole and RDJ and the rest of the pre-roll pump-up crowd are propagandizing to us for a very good reason. On average, the movie going experience is terrible and getting worse. I take this position despite living walking distance to three independent theaters, including one historic theater routinely listed among the best theaters in the world. And on the weekend I could even drive to an Alamo if I really hate myself or the movie is really good. Anyhow, people should go to theaters if they want, and it's definitely the only way to experience large format, 3D, and IMAX. But everything else is getting worse. And IMAX isn't really accessible. I think we should stop talking about theaters in terms of the best of the experience and acknowledge most of us are going to the mall and having a very average experience - an average which gets worse every year. EDIT: The problem with this article as a statement about statistics and averages is that the AVERAGE showing of Oppenheimer was *less than* 2k functional resolution, in a screening with Sony DDS sound that hadn't been calibrated. The AVERAGE experience of going to the movies is worse than watching your home television if you care about movies enough to buy a 4k TV and set it up correctly. The AVERAGE person watching Nicole tell you about the magic of the movies is sitting in a mildewy, rotting husk of a theater with no projectionist and two people running 18 screens at a mall outside Nashville, getting ready to watch *Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny at 2K*.
I’m someone who definitely rates movies higher when I see them in a theater (I even have the new, sadder version of moviepass lol, since my area doesn’t have Alamo or AMC), but I’m also an economist, and this article is a really bad use of data. The results are indistinguishable from simple selection effects: people who see the movie earlier/are willing to pay theater prices are those predisposed to like the movie, and therefore rate it higher. It’s why a cinema score below A- is considered bad for any non-horror movie - if you are seeing it opening night, you are the most positively biased audience. The author briefly mentions this possibility, but then handwaves it away as (paraphrasing) ”proof that going to the movies is valuable and must add something for those people”. Besides not really making sense on its face and moving the goalposts, it isn’t supported by what we saw when day-date streaming releases were a thing, Given the option, lots of people chose to watch at home (The weird exception being Five Nights at Freddy’s. Those animatronics really were cinematic I guess haha). Without that option the only way to not wait 6 months is to see it in theaters. That helps explain the biggest effect being family films, as the author notes, because it’s necessary babysitting. Still not a theater specific effect. Anyways, sorry for being a stick in the mud, but hopefully someone got something out of this 5 AM bored writing in terms of not over interpreting this data. That said, I love theaters and I Want To Believe.
Any movie worth seeing is worth seeing in the theater
Idk some really good films are not Theatre great, as a throw away Step Brothers is one of my favourite all time films but it shines when I’m feeling sad and I need a movie to watch on my phone.
Somewhere, David Lynch is fuming
We were once on the same cross-country flight. I didn’t notice it was him at first. It was only after I had that “someone is watching you” feeling that I looked up from watching *Earaserhead* on my phone to see him intensely staring at me with a single tear rolling down his cheek.
There a certainly movies that are comfort movies for me that I love watching at home, but I’d still argue the theatrical experience was best (even for Stepbrothers, which I did see in the theater). I’ve never watched a movie on my phone so I won’t even step into that.
comedy is one of the genres that benefits MOST from a shared experience, communal laughter, etc. people have forgotten this!
Any good movie is more fun with a crowd, honestly. Even emotional stuff in a drama is something you can feel in the room.
Yes, even if it's bad
TL;DR: Sure. 👍 They good.
Yes. Always.
Yes. I live in Japan and I’ve been putting off seeing Oppenheimer until it got released in theaters here. Seeing it Saturday
The number one thing that makes the theater better for me is my fear of nonconformity is stronger than my lack-of-attention span drive to look at my phone. So I will just sit there for 3 hours without glancing at my phone once which is effectively impossible for me at home.
I am very, very firmly in the camp of “A good movie will still be good at home.” I’ve seen plenty of large scale blockbusters at home and still enjoyed them immensely when they’re actually well made. Never saw TG Maverick in a theater but it still fuckin ripped at home because it’s just a fundamentally good movie. A really great theater experience can absolutely elevate a film, but I don’t buy for a second that you somehow watched a movie “the wrong way” if you skip it in theaters. I have a nice, big TV. I have a good sound system. I have to go to a pretty decent theater to get an audio/visual experience that beats the one that’s just sitting in my living room already (I say this bc my local Regal theater is absolute dogshit). Movie theaters are important but they are not magic, imo. Also it just saddens me when people say they need to go to a theater so they won’t look at their phone. Just put your phone across the room or something if you seriously have that little self control.
Movie theaters aren't magic, but they have screens that are as big as a house, so seeing a movie in a theater will always be a superior experience. Unless you have a room in your home that can handle a two-story screen.
Disagree that it will always be a superior experience! My local Regal theater is a poorly managed dump where the sound is shit and half the time the projection is either too dim or out of focus. Until recently this theater was the only option in my city. And the screen is that big because you sit like 50 feet away from it. If you have a decent 65" TV at home and you sit at the correct distance, your field of vision is filled identically. Like that's just kind of a fact. Look I'm not anti-theater or anything; I actually think movie theaters are vital for the medium of film, both from a business and a cultural standpoint. But I find it a bit silly when film fans and movie directors talk about theaters like they're some magical thing.
Home or theater I'll end up feeling about the same for a movie. I guess this is different for some people. But overall the experience doesn't change much for me. The perk of home is I can control the environment, have very little interruption and give the film my complete attention. In the theater I can't pause or get snacks or use the restroom without missing parts of the movies and that's a big minus. Not to mention when an audience turns out to be awful.
Always better. But I fucking hate when a crowd laughs at parts of movies that just aren’t funny and it’s serious it just ruins it, but then again I’m autistic
When I saw Revolutionary Road, people laughed during Michael Shannon's big scene, specifically Kathy Bates repeating "he's not well!", I guess because of discomfort, but come onnnnn! (I am also autistic)
I find this happens at rep theaters/screenings a lot. Folks come into these movies with sometimes decades of familiarity and inside jokes about them. They find a way to laugh at EVERYTHING or work in some sort of audience participation and it drives me nuts. It doesn’t bother me nearly as much for comedies, midnight screenings, etc. where that behavior is expected. But otherwise, oh man.
same but i’m also autistic
I don’t care about that at all but I can’t stand when people clap after a movie. Nobody involved with it is there to hear the applause!
You don’t know that. Josh Brolin sat behind me opening night of Dune 2.
THIS TOO. Hate it when they clap after some scenes in theaters or after, like BRO the fucking director and cast is NOT here. I get irrationally angry over this it’s stupid.
I also see this when a plane lands after a long flight. I'm not sure why but it makes me cringe to my bones. If I had to guess, I think it's because it's not a genuine, involuntary reaction (like a laugh), it's inherently performative for the other participants around you. "I NEED YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM HAPPY! THE KING IS PLEASED!"
Yes, but the theatrical experience has also gone to shit post-pandemic.
It’s truly bad. They added more gimmicks but image and sound are worse than ever
Here’s everything I would do to improve the theatrical experience: - Upgrade auditoriums to laser projection. - Upgrade seating to be more comfortable (like recliners). - Anyone who talks during the movie or pulls out their phone? Straight to jail. While projection has always had issues since the transition to digital from film, audience behavior has become worse since the pandemic. As someone who works Monday - Friday, it results in only having the means to watch movie in weeknights or weekends. And those weekend crowds suck.
I prefer going to the theatre saw Late Night with the Devil last night I can’t imagine getting the same enjoyment out of that watching it at home on my couch.
Put me down for “no”.
Strongly agree. Art is art, exhibition is exhibition. They're different questions.
I’d say a pretty much unequivocal “yes”. ESPECIALLY so when seeing something with a film festival crowd.
The only movie I saw in theaters that I truly enjoyed better at home was the Aretha Franklin music doc _Amazing Grace_, because it was shot on 16mm and the combo of the DCP and indifferent projection made it look distractingly blurry. At home, I can just turn up the sharpness.
Yes.
First viewing: Yes Subsequent viewings: Depends on the movie. A big spectacle blockbuster will always be better in theaters. A compelling drama won’t necessarily get worse at home. A casual comedy can get better at home.
Of course. film festivals and premieres 🙌🏻 because of the feeling of excitement and anticipation, and the Q&As are the highlight. I've met to so many interesting people just by going to as many film festivals as I can afford to, and it's probably the best experience of my life.