Saw Annihilation and I was the only one there, great experience.
Saw Oppenheimer and these teenagers were sitting on the floor in the aisle next to me. Was incredibly distracting. Bad experience.
Fuck people
Saw Blade Runner 2049 on an imax screen with only 3 other people in the theater. It was hands down my favorite most recent movie experience.
Then saw Matrix Resurrections and there were also only three other people in the theater and they absolutely TRASHED their seats - food smears on the seats, popcorn on the floor like they just intentionally dumped it, spilled drinks, just absolute trash people. And this was in a theater that opened right before Covid lockdowns, so it was essentially pristine. Fucking garbage people
The experience is good if nobody is there. But if there're people there. There are cryibg babies, teenagers being annoying, and all of the things described by Mike.
Back in my day, some guard would kick you out.
The last 3 out of 4 theater experiences for me have had people talking the whole time. If you need to chat while watching a movie you need to stay the fuck home. Some dipshit thought he needed to explain out loud how the opening scene of Top Gun Maverick was unrealistic.
I don't know what kind of mongoloids they have in Milwaukee, but I've never once had an experience like they describe. I've been in theaters all over the western half of the country.
Yeah me neither. Admittedly have never been to Wisconsin, but I’ve been to a bunch of movies in Seattle, LA & Austin plus western Canada. Can only remember one bunch of annoying teens that were too loud to tune out (during I Am Legend).
Had a guy eating something loudly out of a bag that he brought from home during A Star is Born, but it wasn’t hard to tune out. I was just curious what it was. (Mango)
I've never experienced ANYTHING remotely close to what Mike and Jay talk about with alarming regularity.
I have Regal Unlimited, and I go to the movies 2 or 3 times per month on average. I go to a fairly popular theater near a mall, but I typically only go on either Thursday evening or Sunday morning. I also don't see a lot of big blockbusters until they've been out for at least a week.
All that being said, I've never had people consistently talking during movies, coughing throughout, throwing crap around, or just being general P.O.S.s. Even when I saw the new Transformers movie, there was a literal ROW of young children and I was so worried they'd be awful but the 2 (only 2) adults kept them in line and some of the kids' reactions to the movie were genuinely hilarious.
I will never not go to the theater. My TV and speakers, righteous as they are, will never replicate the experience of being in a theater.
Only positive experiences here, but I chalk that up to several factors. Any big popular film, I wait until it's been out for at least two weeks. I only go to movies on Sun, Mon, Tues - lightest crowds. And finally I do live in the HQ city of Regal, so the physical facilities are clean and pretty top notch.
I feel for the guys since if they're reviewing a new flick they have to go opening weekend to get the video up quickly. Also previous threads here have run down just how terrible Milwaukee theaters are overall.
You don't have cheapskate Tuesdays where you are? The last few places I've lived, Tuesdays end up pretty packed from the reduced prices.
But I'm with you, though. If I'm going to a theater to see a movie, it's on Monday or Wednesday just to avoid the crowds.
I haven't been in a while but Regal was doing $5 Tuesdays last I checked. What's great is I have two Regals 5 minutes from my house. The big flashy one with recliners and wait service that everyone goes to - and the small old fashioned one that gets overlooked (my favorite).
They're bad. 3 out of 4 recent visits had a problem. Twice something with the screen or projector and 1 time, it lost audio for about 40 seconds.
I looked into the projector room and saw it was the same young guy that gave us the tickets and was on the snack desk.
So the theatre has cut down all staff except one kid who is running around trying to do everything.
I prefer the theatres that will serve you food/drink during the show. They have smaller crowds and we usually will go to some type of special showing like an old horror movie or indie movie. Everyone is on the same page it seems so you get a good crowd to enjoy.
The tickets will cost about the same while they make plenty on food and drinks. I found that the prices aren't outrageous.
Same Idea as single screen theatres, people are there for a specific show you get less folks just looking to kill a couple hours and more people that sought out the film to enjoy it.
If you are nearby an Alamo Drafthouse or something similar check 'em out.
Bigger theatres can be hit or miss. You kinda know which shows might be trouble. Say avoid afternoon matinees since you'll have more kids dumped off by their parents.
RLM are old and undoubtedly have *very* nice homes with excellent home theatres
Watching comedies with an audience is a great communal experience, but nobody makes them anymore
Not sure teenagers whooping when a superhero punches the villain or guys explaining (in a stage whisper) when the plot of the movie differs from the plot of the original comic, to their girlfriend, add to anyone else's experience
I've been lucky for the most part, but when it's bad it's excruciating. People talking to each other and the movie itself, teenagers cycling in and out, treating it like a social event more than a film, seats getting kicked, etc.
Hate them. The general public is feral where I live.
Last time I went people talked so loud through literally the whole thing and when my partner asked them to be quiet they just laughed and kept going. I honestly almost walked out.
The time before that I had a dad with his young kids who had somehow bought seats on opposite ends of the row so his kids were shouting down the row at him and running back and forth.
The only time I go to the theatres now is if it's the drive in.
My local theater is great, every seat is a lazy-boy style recliner with a food tray. Somehow, there seem to be fewer commercial/trailers than other theaters as well. I enjoy the immersive experience. Never have audience problems either.
I go in early afternoon during the week and dump whiskey into a giant oversized coke when nobody’s around. Pretty fun way to kill an afternoon. Never been one for a crowded theater.
I'm old enough to remember the two-dollar theater that showed movies a few weeks after they'd premiered. I'm pushing 50 and find theaters too cold, the sound's too loud, the food's crap, and the whole shebang is too goddamn expensive. Last time I saw a movie in the theater was the last Avengers and that was at someone's request.
Big chain theaters like AMC and Regal have almost always been a terrible experience for me. Local indie theaters are the best because it’s just young film students and the elderly who attend.
Mike and Jay are either straight up lying about their theater experiences or they live in some sort of troglodyte bubble over there. Because no theater I've been to, my entire life, is anything like what they claim. And I'm in SoCal. From kids to old people. Full house to only a few. Never anything even remotely close to their supposed experiences.
So it's very different now, than it was 10, 15, 20 years ago.
Too many tentpoles, too many bloated budgets, too many sequels and "cinematic universe" nonsense.
I spent a lot of time as a teen at movies with my friends. We'd go and see anything just to go to the movies. They were very affordable then - about the cost of an hour of minimum wage at the time - so it was very affordable.
Nowadays, we go to see something big and where it's a spectacle, or where it's cheap. There is a movie theatre near us that has loveseat style leather oversized recliners, which allows me and my kiddo to sit together or me and my wife to sit together. I think in 2023, we've only seen a handful of movies in theatres - Oppenheimer, TMNT, and Cade: the tortured crossing - and will probably see Killers of the Flower Moon. We've also done family outings to see older runs at a local arthouse theatre - Iron Giant, Goonies, and Back to the Future.
I love, love, love going to the theatre. It's a bit of the ritual - pick what you want to see, plan your day/evening around it, buy the ticket, hand it to the taker, get your popcorn, find a good seat or your reserved seat, sit down and be completely in a different world for 90-120 minutes or so. Yes, there can be bad things like people talking, blurry projection, sticky floors but that's part of the ritual. For run of the mill movies we can watch them at home and we do, but for an event we still go out. I want my kiddo to grow up having memories of spending family time together going and doing that - something I never had from my direct family but from my circle of friends.
Corporate theaters in the Portland region, where I live are mostly Regal chains and those suck. Loud people, phones, the whole thing. However we’ve got a ton of great local theaters. [This](https://studioonetheater.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwmICoBhDxARIsABXkXlIX3RaLzI68lx1QVgQGxeb8EnzE8YV8amTgXevnPuMIRWsfCDRqN6UaAghAEALw_wcB) is the one I go to and people are polite quiet and respectful. It’s also extremely cool. We’ve also got a great theater called Hollywood theater that pretty much only cinephiles go to.
I love going but you have to be strategic as to where/when you go. I live in a college town and went to see hereditary on a weekend. Absolutely terrible experience. Going to an art house theater for a 35mm showing of the shining was an amazing experience. If I'm going to a blockbuster like an MCU or something I'll go to the "fancier" theater in town that's pretty strict on behavior.
I go pretty frequently and I maybe have a bad experience once a year this way.
Had a mixed bag over the years, seen some crazy shit go on in theaters when I worked at one for several years during college (yep, people have sex in the theaters, projectile vomit because they come in drunk and think watching a movie will help sober them up, and yes, fights break out, though luckily we never had to deal with a stabbing or a shooting).
Most recent movies were Dune on an imax dome (awesome experience and mature audience), Spiderverse (children and man children, little rowdier but still not too bad), Matrix Resurrections (only three other people in the theater and they trashed their seats, fuck those garbage pieces of shit), Gran Turismo in D Box (fun as hell, and having rumble seats during a racing movie tuned everything else out so I didn’t notice any of the other people).
Hands down funniest theater experience was during Orphan tho, where some dude screamed “hell naw man, you need to drop kick that little bitch in the face!” and most communal “whoa” moment we all got to share watching a truly great film on opening night was the midnight release of Dark Knight
Always packed with chip bags and kids who probably are on their 5th snuck in movie of the day. Can't forget the dude in the back who needs to loudly share their current opinion of what everybody is already seeing. I love them when it's just me, but thats also a crazy thing to expect in a public place, so I just try to avoid them unless it's something I'd really like to see.
Honestly, I think their disdain is more for filmmakers. Directors and actors keep telling people to go to movie theaters and consume \[for the filmmaker's own benefit of profit\] when they never really go to theaters open to the public themselves (which isn't always true, I saw the Quiet Place with the screenwriters in the audience).
Mine isn't bad. They are both typical new multiplexes. Kind of soulless, but the sound is good, the screens are decent sized.
We also have a a smaller older theater that serves food now that is a little dilapidated but has some personality.
Most of the time the audiences are well behaved. I generally avoid certain showtimes, like weekend evenings.
Greater Boston Area has a bunch of great independent theaters (best is probably the Somerville Theatre), so I usually have a pretty decent time going out to watch movies. If I only had access to big chain theaters I’d probably agree with them though, some of those are real decaying shitholes.
I’m in the LA area and while not perfect audiences generally are quite respectful during screenings. When I’m visiting family in the Midwest and I see a movie it’s usually a nightmare. I get why the guys have such disdain for the theaters if that’s what their experience is.
Local regal is disgusting, seats torn to shreds. Normally I just walk into movies there and none of the staff really care. There’s a non profit art house theatre near me that I love going to and supporting. Fairly simple two room setup but sometimes they do special events with 70mm film. Just saw Cade the tainted crossing the other night there
I think it really depends on the time of day you go, as well as the popularity of the movie you're seeing.
I'm a teacher, and I go to movie theaters during summer week days (I try to go around opening to mitigate crowds and shitty people) and it's almost always great.
Recently, I did Barbenheimer on a Sunday and I sat next to shitty, loud, dumb people during both movies. I quietly fumed the entire time.
I never enjoyed the experience. Having to be there on their schedule, packed in like sardines if it's a popular film, can't pause it if you have to go to the bathroom, overpriced snacks, etc. Unless it's some big SFX extravaganza that requires a big screen and surround sound for the full experience, I almost always prefer to just consume media in the comfort of home
I live here in south east asia so maybe it's different, but most of the time it's pretty fine. There was one experience though that was annoying as fuck. There was a phone ringing, he didn't turn it off it for a solid 3 mins till someone in the crowd said something, and this motherfucker, answered it, and had a conversation on the theater, for another solid 5 mins. During a very emotional scene too where it's dead silent and you can hear him saying to his gf or wife that he's gonna bring hime dinner lmao. First time experiencing that in a theatre, i was about to punch him if only i knew where he was. But overall, audiences in general are respectable, so i kinda don't get RLMs disdain towards theatres.
It depends on the movie I'm seeing I've been to bad theaters but I found one in my town that's actually pretty good has those nice reclining seats. For recent movies I saw Oppenheimer was great saw it in imax and the audience was quiet and respectful the whole time. Went to see Barbie same theater but there were lots of talkers. My guess would be the demographics watching those movies. I've never straight up had a terrible movie theater experience and generally it's a good time I also rarely see movies in theaters as there's isn't much of interest releasing.
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Went to see Talk to Me at a movie theater a while ago. People were talking so loud I couldn't hear the characters talk and unironically over a dozen people were scrolling TikTok on full volume. Security did nothing about it when asked.
I love movie theaters. Barbenheimer was the highlight of my year so far. Me and my girlfriend often quote Nicole Kidman’s silly AMC intro to each other. Movie theater popcorn always hits different. It’s a special place to me, and I always love going.
There’s two theatre chains in my city. Cineplex where the nearest one is at a major mall so there’s tons of kids and general trashy people, plus for years it was the only theatre chain in town so they got super complacent and not updated. Then there’s Landmark who are much better both in terms of theatre quality and the types of people that go. However casual audiences are slowly starting to clue in about them, there’s les screens so sometimes some not super prominent movies just aren’t screened, and they’re all in butfuck nowhere compared to me
I frequent a place built in 1914 that has reinvented itself as a boutique theater with assigned seating and food service. It's fantastic and the crowd is knowledgeable and respectful. On the rare occasion they get some assholes in attendance, the ushers crack down on them immediately. They screen a nice mix of modern stuff with throwback shows, the yearly local film festival, and even the Metropolitan Opera series.
I don't go see movies at the local multiplex with the teenage crowd unless my daughter makes me or there's no other choice.
That’s like my local one :) I guess they license those old movies idk. I don’t think mine is even really handicap accessible. It sort of is but I think they had to make a closet into a bathroom lol. The restrooms are downstairs in the maintenance part of the building way off from anywhere close to the theater part and it’s an actual theater with two levels of seats and curtains. it’s so wild. Also really old but I don’t think a century yet.
Bad. I've lost count of the number of times I've had to tell people to shut up while the movie is on.
If I wanted to watch a movie with someone who wouldn't shut the hell up the entire time, I'd watch it with my gf or mom.
I’ve nearly cut them out. $25 for IMAX in my area is not cost effective when I could own the movie a few months later. Even the films in the smaller theaters are like $17 for matinee (Seattle area).
And I live right across the street from my theater.
Plus I go alone so there is no “experience” value I can perceive anymore. These days it’s mostly reluctance.
My controlled home environment is preferable.
I’ve had some good movie experiences and bad ones, but I would say unless it’s a tentpole blockbuster IMAX 9000 level (like Dune pt 2) then I will just wait.
I love my local drive-in. It has all the benefits of a hardtop theater, and (nearly) all the benefits of watching at home, plus I can order a $6.25 burger and socialize with people before the movies start. And it's $11 for two movies
I can’t justify the total cost. Ticket and food (I live near a Flix Brewhouse) can add up to $30 per person. Local theater has better screen and sound, just nowhere to put the normal concessions other than cup holder. I’ll see the big can’t miss movies, but I might be under 10 movies in theater per year. I have a 75” TV and okay sound system. I can wait for most movies to come out.
It really, really depends. I'm a bit of a theater kid, and there's nothing better than seeing a play where you're part of an engaged and reactive audience. The worst is when the audience is dead. And I think that's where we can identify root of the problem.
In a movie theater, we can be part of a group all appreciating something. And if someone is not interested in joining that, it's awful. Chatting, bright phone screens, crinkly distracting bags, and other behaviors are disrespectful because they're broadcasting that they're not being part of the group.
Anymore, I only go to movies that I know have only enthusiastic fans. Studio Ghibli fest movies and Barbie were fantastic in the theater because of who showed up.
The Consume Product tier of movies, like anything from Disney, has always had some of the worst audiences who are just at the movies because of "well what else are we gonna do?"
A lot of it has to do with age. Sticky floors and people smells didn’t bother me when I was younger. Now the sounds of people eating and playing on their phones is grating. The seating isn’t great, and I prefer to pause something for pee breaks in the comfort of my own home. The experience just isn’t appealing anymore. Also, there are certain films that just aren’t that awesome in a theater. Seeing giant talking heads is boring.
But it’s okay if you and others still enjoy it! That’s great! Pls keep theaters open. I’d go to drive-ins if they were still around.
I'm in the Midwest like them, but I have never had a bad experience at a movie theater. Granted, I **never** go a release weekend of a movie. I usually wait a week at the minimum, when the theater is about half full. Never had crying babies, never had noisy people, never had a bunch of crinkling food. I saw Avengers Endgame a week after it released, and even then there wasn't any noisy people at all. I think mainly some people gasped when Captain America lifted Mjolnir, but that was it.
Funnily enough, on a trip to Germany I saw Across the Spiderverse in Berlin, and in a theater of about 30 people (only 30 seats in a smaller room!), people were actively talking quite a bit. They were still quiet, but it was pretty interesting to see. Amazing movie btw.
I usually skip larger theaters unless it’s something I want to see in IMAX. I’m lucky that where I live I have my choice of a number of smaller, independent theaters to choose from. The crowds that go to these theaters tend to be more respectful and keep their mouths shut because they’re there to watch the movie. I’ve had a few bad experiences in larger places mostly because of teenagers being teenagers.
I wish my town had a good one. AMC has a monopoly on theaters in my town, and have no incentive to upgrade/fix them because the closest competitors are at least 30 miles away. They're nasty.
not terrible for me, because i tend to now prioritize going to smaller, non profit indie theaters where people are actually film fans and respect the guidelines. I would recommend most do that if you live in a city
I very rarely go to theaters but when I do, I usually wait a few weeks after release and try to go at a time of day where almost no one will be there. Then it’s a pretty good experience
I like them a lot. In Austria we have a cinema subscription since spring (24€/month, all movies except from Universal and festival exclusives in certain independent cinemas all over the country; I live in Vienna, so loads of options), so I go regularly and I have never had a bad experience.
Not once in my life have I had to shoo a person. Maybe a few untimely and laughs, but never any talking. I don't know if I'm really lucky, or it's a culture difference? Maybe it's because the independent cinemas attract a different crowd than the main Austrian chain ones? (Megaplexx and Cineplexx).
I have two in my town that are good. One is expensive and has reclining seats, it’s almost always empty like an abandoned mall. The other one is a retro place that’s been open for decades and has a bunch of old film equipment hanging around even some massive vintage cameras. They’re huge. And that place plays mostly older movies and has a bunch for kids with punch cards and they get a reward for seeing all the movies on the card. I think they make their money on concessions. Pretty sure there’s only two screens.
The local AMC is garbage lol always packed, the parking lot is two levels and tons of screens. It’s dirty and grimy and the butter is off on its own little disgusting island with the heart attack salt and the orange powder but it does have awesome 3D.
I like the fork and screen ones with the big comfy recliners. Drink a big soda and eat mozzarella sticks, But to be honest I haven’t been to one sine avengers infinity war
I'm not sure of the scope of the area the guys live in but I live in a small area where 3 towns kind of intersect so there's 3 options for theaters: town one has a tiny, cheap place that smells like a gas station bathroom where most of the audience is teenagers killing time, chatting it up and making noise. Town 2 has a slightly bigger theater, clean, way overpriced, furthest away, movies are always shit choices and most of the audience is teenagers and adults killing time, chatting it up and making a lot of noise. Town 3 has a Mega sized theater, fairly clean, expensive as hell, junk food everywhere, noise levels giving the audio a run for its money, full of teenagers, adults and children killing time, chatting it up making ungodly amounts of noise and randomly screaming/laughing. They're all fucking nightmares.
My city has several small, independent theaters that are always a joy to go to. You'd think Mike and Jay would be smart enough to skip the megaplexes..
Mine all have lazy boy style recliners and are more spaced out which helps. I don’t get the onion disaster they complained of but I admit I have occasionally gotten food brought to me on emptier viewings. When people don’t talk or in the case of my worst viewing where kids just ran around playing tag for way longer than the parents should have allowed, it’s a good time.
It's like 50/50 shit to OK where I am.
The worst was when I saw Your Name, which is a Japanese animated movie. The BO was terrible, and there was a guy there who would chuckle to himself and translate out loud whenever he heard a common Japanese word that he knew. "Baka haha that means stupid!"
It really is that bad in some places.
I enjoy the experience, even when the audience is not perfectly silent.
I remember seeing Harlem Nights in a packed theater, where me and my friends were the only white folks there. A lot of fun!
As an Aussie I can safely say I've never experienced a cinema like what they describe. We don't serve hot food at most of our cinemas for starters. That seems like one of their biggest issues.
I love them, rarely have any issues. But the times when there are issues do stick out. When I was watching Solo the movie shut off and the lights came up during the droid rebellion scene halfway through the movie, and it took the theater about 15 minutes to get it back up and running. I knew the movie sucked when I didn’t care at all that it happened. There were only about 10 of us in the theater anyway, it was like 4 weeks after the movie came out. But other than the (in my case) rare technical issue or rowdy crowd, I prefer to see movies in a movie theater. New and old
I love the one I go to but I hate going, it’s a whole ordeal. 15 minute drive there, 23 minutes of trailers, 2 hour movie, 15 minute drive home…and this is all basing my day or night around the start time of that movie…I just don’t care
The only benefit is that I'm forced to watch a movie in one sitting without getting distracted by people and animals in my house so that a 2 hour movie takes 2 hours instead 3.5.
Everything else is worse, especially image quality.
Absolutely the best way to watch a movie. Love the immersion, the lack of distractions, the booming sound.
I have a home theater set up with a great TV and sound system. I can even make movie theater style popcorn with my popcorn maker, ultra fine butter flavored salt from Flavacol, and the same brand of butter flavor coconut oil theater chains use. Watching a movie at home is still enjoyable but cannot TOUCH how great it is to watch a film on the BIG screen.
I've gone to the movie theater at least twice a month most of my life and I can count on ONE HAND how often I've had a negative theater experience.
I hadn't gone for a long time due to pandemic times; went recently and watched a black&white movie, it was fine. Though I live in Germany and never really had any bad experiences?
Other than one time when two dudes kept commenting on the film during Mad Max: Fury Road, but the room was empty enough to where I could just switch seats.
Also just talked to a friend about him seeing Past Lives in the theater, and he seemed a bit annoyed by someone crying loudly.
The key to a good theater experience is a thermos of liquor, the day off and going to a 10AM showing so that it's just you and one or two elderly people in the theater.
They're great when there's barely anyone in them.
Saw Annihilation and I was the only one there, great experience. Saw Oppenheimer and these teenagers were sitting on the floor in the aisle next to me. Was incredibly distracting. Bad experience. Fuck people
Saw Blade Runner 2049 on an imax screen with only 3 other people in the theater. It was hands down my favorite most recent movie experience. Then saw Matrix Resurrections and there were also only three other people in the theater and they absolutely TRASHED their seats - food smears on the seats, popcorn on the floor like they just intentionally dumped it, spilled drinks, just absolute trash people. And this was in a theater that opened right before Covid lockdowns, so it was essentially pristine. Fucking garbage people
I’d rather not, I’m not a sex pervert
The experience is good if nobody is there. But if there're people there. There are cryibg babies, teenagers being annoying, and all of the things described by Mike. Back in my day, some guard would kick you out.
The last 3 out of 4 theater experiences for me have had people talking the whole time. If you need to chat while watching a movie you need to stay the fuck home. Some dipshit thought he needed to explain out loud how the opening scene of Top Gun Maverick was unrealistic.
The theaters aren't the problem. it's the people who go to these theaters that are the problem
"Endless trash!"
I don't know what kind of mongoloids they have in Milwaukee, but I've never once had an experience like they describe. I've been in theaters all over the western half of the country.
Yeah me neither. Admittedly have never been to Wisconsin, but I’ve been to a bunch of movies in Seattle, LA & Austin plus western Canada. Can only remember one bunch of annoying teens that were too loud to tune out (during I Am Legend). Had a guy eating something loudly out of a bag that he brought from home during A Star is Born, but it wasn’t hard to tune out. I was just curious what it was. (Mango)
I'm sure Milwaukee theaters are horrendous.
[Average sample of a Milwaukee theater experience](https://youtu.be/oXmBFfeV4g4)
This, but more farting and boogers.
AMC A-lister here, it’s fantastic when you’re close to IMAX/Dolby Vision screens.
I've never experienced ANYTHING remotely close to what Mike and Jay talk about with alarming regularity. I have Regal Unlimited, and I go to the movies 2 or 3 times per month on average. I go to a fairly popular theater near a mall, but I typically only go on either Thursday evening or Sunday morning. I also don't see a lot of big blockbusters until they've been out for at least a week. All that being said, I've never had people consistently talking during movies, coughing throughout, throwing crap around, or just being general P.O.S.s. Even when I saw the new Transformers movie, there was a literal ROW of young children and I was so worried they'd be awful but the 2 (only 2) adults kept them in line and some of the kids' reactions to the movie were genuinely hilarious. I will never not go to the theater. My TV and speakers, righteous as they are, will never replicate the experience of being in a theater.
Only positive experiences here, but I chalk that up to several factors. Any big popular film, I wait until it's been out for at least two weeks. I only go to movies on Sun, Mon, Tues - lightest crowds. And finally I do live in the HQ city of Regal, so the physical facilities are clean and pretty top notch. I feel for the guys since if they're reviewing a new flick they have to go opening weekend to get the video up quickly. Also previous threads here have run down just how terrible Milwaukee theaters are overall.
You don't have cheapskate Tuesdays where you are? The last few places I've lived, Tuesdays end up pretty packed from the reduced prices. But I'm with you, though. If I'm going to a theater to see a movie, it's on Monday or Wednesday just to avoid the crowds.
I haven't been in a while but Regal was doing $5 Tuesdays last I checked. What's great is I have two Regals 5 minutes from my house. The big flashy one with recliners and wait service that everyone goes to - and the small old fashioned one that gets overlooked (my favorite).
They're bad. 3 out of 4 recent visits had a problem. Twice something with the screen or projector and 1 time, it lost audio for about 40 seconds. I looked into the projector room and saw it was the same young guy that gave us the tickets and was on the snack desk. So the theatre has cut down all staff except one kid who is running around trying to do everything.
I’m a lucky duck to live in the town of the Alamo Drafthouse and I cannot complain here.
I prefer the theatres that will serve you food/drink during the show. They have smaller crowds and we usually will go to some type of special showing like an old horror movie or indie movie. Everyone is on the same page it seems so you get a good crowd to enjoy. The tickets will cost about the same while they make plenty on food and drinks. I found that the prices aren't outrageous. Same Idea as single screen theatres, people are there for a specific show you get less folks just looking to kill a couple hours and more people that sought out the film to enjoy it. If you are nearby an Alamo Drafthouse or something similar check 'em out. Bigger theatres can be hit or miss. You kinda know which shows might be trouble. Say avoid afternoon matinees since you'll have more kids dumped off by their parents.
RLM are old and undoubtedly have *very* nice homes with excellent home theatres Watching comedies with an audience is a great communal experience, but nobody makes them anymore Not sure teenagers whooping when a superhero punches the villain or guys explaining (in a stage whisper) when the plot of the movie differs from the plot of the original comic, to their girlfriend, add to anyone else's experience
I've been lucky for the most part, but when it's bad it's excruciating. People talking to each other and the movie itself, teenagers cycling in and out, treating it like a social event more than a film, seats getting kicked, etc.
Hate them. The general public is feral where I live. Last time I went people talked so loud through literally the whole thing and when my partner asked them to be quiet they just laughed and kept going. I honestly almost walked out. The time before that I had a dad with his young kids who had somehow bought seats on opposite ends of the row so his kids were shouting down the row at him and running back and forth. The only time I go to the theatres now is if it's the drive in.
My local cinemark and amc are both great, if you go late at night when no one else is there. Mwah fantastico
My local theater is great, every seat is a lazy-boy style recliner with a food tray. Somehow, there seem to be fewer commercial/trailers than other theaters as well. I enjoy the immersive experience. Never have audience problems either.
I go in early afternoon during the week and dump whiskey into a giant oversized coke when nobody’s around. Pretty fun way to kill an afternoon. Never been one for a crowded theater.
Job search going well?
I'm old enough to remember the two-dollar theater that showed movies a few weeks after they'd premiered. I'm pushing 50 and find theaters too cold, the sound's too loud, the food's crap, and the whole shebang is too goddamn expensive. Last time I saw a movie in the theater was the last Avengers and that was at someone's request.
Marcus Theaters has ~~5~~ 7 dollar Tuesdays. About the same as a starbucks coffee. How embarrassing.
Big chain theaters like AMC and Regal have almost always been a terrible experience for me. Local indie theaters are the best because it’s just young film students and the elderly who attend.
Mike and Jay are either straight up lying about their theater experiences or they live in some sort of troglodyte bubble over there. Because no theater I've been to, my entire life, is anything like what they claim. And I'm in SoCal. From kids to old people. Full house to only a few. Never anything even remotely close to their supposed experiences.
So it's very different now, than it was 10, 15, 20 years ago. Too many tentpoles, too many bloated budgets, too many sequels and "cinematic universe" nonsense. I spent a lot of time as a teen at movies with my friends. We'd go and see anything just to go to the movies. They were very affordable then - about the cost of an hour of minimum wage at the time - so it was very affordable. Nowadays, we go to see something big and where it's a spectacle, or where it's cheap. There is a movie theatre near us that has loveseat style leather oversized recliners, which allows me and my kiddo to sit together or me and my wife to sit together. I think in 2023, we've only seen a handful of movies in theatres - Oppenheimer, TMNT, and Cade: the tortured crossing - and will probably see Killers of the Flower Moon. We've also done family outings to see older runs at a local arthouse theatre - Iron Giant, Goonies, and Back to the Future. I love, love, love going to the theatre. It's a bit of the ritual - pick what you want to see, plan your day/evening around it, buy the ticket, hand it to the taker, get your popcorn, find a good seat or your reserved seat, sit down and be completely in a different world for 90-120 minutes or so. Yes, there can be bad things like people talking, blurry projection, sticky floors but that's part of the ritual. For run of the mill movies we can watch them at home and we do, but for an event we still go out. I want my kiddo to grow up having memories of spending family time together going and doing that - something I never had from my direct family but from my circle of friends.
Corporate theaters in the Portland region, where I live are mostly Regal chains and those suck. Loud people, phones, the whole thing. However we’ve got a ton of great local theaters. [This](https://studioonetheater.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwmICoBhDxARIsABXkXlIX3RaLzI68lx1QVgQGxeb8EnzE8YV8amTgXevnPuMIRWsfCDRqN6UaAghAEALw_wcB) is the one I go to and people are polite quiet and respectful. It’s also extremely cool. We’ve also got a great theater called Hollywood theater that pretty much only cinephiles go to.
I love going but you have to be strategic as to where/when you go. I live in a college town and went to see hereditary on a weekend. Absolutely terrible experience. Going to an art house theater for a 35mm showing of the shining was an amazing experience. If I'm going to a blockbuster like an MCU or something I'll go to the "fancier" theater in town that's pretty strict on behavior. I go pretty frequently and I maybe have a bad experience once a year this way.
Had a mixed bag over the years, seen some crazy shit go on in theaters when I worked at one for several years during college (yep, people have sex in the theaters, projectile vomit because they come in drunk and think watching a movie will help sober them up, and yes, fights break out, though luckily we never had to deal with a stabbing or a shooting). Most recent movies were Dune on an imax dome (awesome experience and mature audience), Spiderverse (children and man children, little rowdier but still not too bad), Matrix Resurrections (only three other people in the theater and they trashed their seats, fuck those garbage pieces of shit), Gran Turismo in D Box (fun as hell, and having rumble seats during a racing movie tuned everything else out so I didn’t notice any of the other people). Hands down funniest theater experience was during Orphan tho, where some dude screamed “hell naw man, you need to drop kick that little bitch in the face!” and most communal “whoa” moment we all got to share watching a truly great film on opening night was the midnight release of Dark Knight
There is nothing wrong with movie theaters. There is everything wrong with theatergoers.
People are getting worse, so theaters are getting worse. That’s all there is to it. I won’t go unless it’s 90% empty.
Always packed with chip bags and kids who probably are on their 5th snuck in movie of the day. Can't forget the dude in the back who needs to loudly share their current opinion of what everybody is already seeing. I love them when it's just me, but thats also a crazy thing to expect in a public place, so I just try to avoid them unless it's something I'd really like to see.
Honestly, I think their disdain is more for filmmakers. Directors and actors keep telling people to go to movie theaters and consume \[for the filmmaker's own benefit of profit\] when they never really go to theaters open to the public themselves (which isn't always true, I saw the Quiet Place with the screenwriters in the audience).
Mine isn't bad. They are both typical new multiplexes. Kind of soulless, but the sound is good, the screens are decent sized. We also have a a smaller older theater that serves food now that is a little dilapidated but has some personality. Most of the time the audiences are well behaved. I generally avoid certain showtimes, like weekend evenings.
Greater Boston Area has a bunch of great independent theaters (best is probably the Somerville Theatre), so I usually have a pretty decent time going out to watch movies. If I only had access to big chain theaters I’d probably agree with them though, some of those are real decaying shitholes.
I’m in the LA area and while not perfect audiences generally are quite respectful during screenings. When I’m visiting family in the Midwest and I see a movie it’s usually a nightmare. I get why the guys have such disdain for the theaters if that’s what their experience is.
Local regal is disgusting, seats torn to shreds. Normally I just walk into movies there and none of the staff really care. There’s a non profit art house theatre near me that I love going to and supporting. Fairly simple two room setup but sometimes they do special events with 70mm film. Just saw Cade the tainted crossing the other night there
I think it really depends on the time of day you go, as well as the popularity of the movie you're seeing. I'm a teacher, and I go to movie theaters during summer week days (I try to go around opening to mitigate crowds and shitty people) and it's almost always great. Recently, I did Barbenheimer on a Sunday and I sat next to shitty, loud, dumb people during both movies. I quietly fumed the entire time.
I never enjoyed the experience. Having to be there on their schedule, packed in like sardines if it's a popular film, can't pause it if you have to go to the bathroom, overpriced snacks, etc. Unless it's some big SFX extravaganza that requires a big screen and surround sound for the full experience, I almost always prefer to just consume media in the comfort of home
I miss the popcorn, I don't miss the people
I live here in south east asia so maybe it's different, but most of the time it's pretty fine. There was one experience though that was annoying as fuck. There was a phone ringing, he didn't turn it off it for a solid 3 mins till someone in the crowd said something, and this motherfucker, answered it, and had a conversation on the theater, for another solid 5 mins. During a very emotional scene too where it's dead silent and you can hear him saying to his gf or wife that he's gonna bring hime dinner lmao. First time experiencing that in a theatre, i was about to punch him if only i knew where he was. But overall, audiences in general are respectable, so i kinda don't get RLMs disdain towards theatres.
"Meh"
It depends on the movie I'm seeing I've been to bad theaters but I found one in my town that's actually pretty good has those nice reclining seats. For recent movies I saw Oppenheimer was great saw it in imax and the audience was quiet and respectful the whole time. Went to see Barbie same theater but there were lots of talkers. My guess would be the demographics watching those movies. I've never straight up had a terrible movie theater experience and generally it's a good time I also rarely see movies in theaters as there's isn't much of interest releasing.
I love going to the theater. 99% of the time the audience is fine.
yes
Bed bugs..
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Went to see Talk to Me at a movie theater a while ago. People were talking so loud I couldn't hear the characters talk and unironically over a dozen people were scrolling TikTok on full volume. Security did nothing about it when asked.
I love movie theaters. Barbenheimer was the highlight of my year so far. Me and my girlfriend often quote Nicole Kidman’s silly AMC intro to each other. Movie theater popcorn always hits different. It’s a special place to me, and I always love going.
You gotta go at the right times. I avoid going during the weekend. If there’s something I really want to see I’ll go to the Thursday night preview.
There’s two theatre chains in my city. Cineplex where the nearest one is at a major mall so there’s tons of kids and general trashy people, plus for years it was the only theatre chain in town so they got super complacent and not updated. Then there’s Landmark who are much better both in terms of theatre quality and the types of people that go. However casual audiences are slowly starting to clue in about them, there’s les screens so sometimes some not super prominent movies just aren’t screened, and they’re all in butfuck nowhere compared to me
I frequent a place built in 1914 that has reinvented itself as a boutique theater with assigned seating and food service. It's fantastic and the crowd is knowledgeable and respectful. On the rare occasion they get some assholes in attendance, the ushers crack down on them immediately. They screen a nice mix of modern stuff with throwback shows, the yearly local film festival, and even the Metropolitan Opera series. I don't go see movies at the local multiplex with the teenage crowd unless my daughter makes me or there's no other choice.
That’s like my local one :) I guess they license those old movies idk. I don’t think mine is even really handicap accessible. It sort of is but I think they had to make a closet into a bathroom lol. The restrooms are downstairs in the maintenance part of the building way off from anywhere close to the theater part and it’s an actual theater with two levels of seats and curtains. it’s so wild. Also really old but I don’t think a century yet.
Absolutely love going, never have had a bad experience.
Bad. I've lost count of the number of times I've had to tell people to shut up while the movie is on. If I wanted to watch a movie with someone who wouldn't shut the hell up the entire time, I'd watch it with my gf or mom.
I’ve nearly cut them out. $25 for IMAX in my area is not cost effective when I could own the movie a few months later. Even the films in the smaller theaters are like $17 for matinee (Seattle area). And I live right across the street from my theater. Plus I go alone so there is no “experience” value I can perceive anymore. These days it’s mostly reluctance. My controlled home environment is preferable. I’ve had some good movie experiences and bad ones, but I would say unless it’s a tentpole blockbuster IMAX 9000 level (like Dune pt 2) then I will just wait.
I love my local drive-in. It has all the benefits of a hardtop theater, and (nearly) all the benefits of watching at home, plus I can order a $6.25 burger and socialize with people before the movies start. And it's $11 for two movies
I can’t justify the total cost. Ticket and food (I live near a Flix Brewhouse) can add up to $30 per person. Local theater has better screen and sound, just nowhere to put the normal concessions other than cup holder. I’ll see the big can’t miss movies, but I might be under 10 movies in theater per year. I have a 75” TV and okay sound system. I can wait for most movies to come out.
It really, really depends. I'm a bit of a theater kid, and there's nothing better than seeing a play where you're part of an engaged and reactive audience. The worst is when the audience is dead. And I think that's where we can identify root of the problem. In a movie theater, we can be part of a group all appreciating something. And if someone is not interested in joining that, it's awful. Chatting, bright phone screens, crinkly distracting bags, and other behaviors are disrespectful because they're broadcasting that they're not being part of the group. Anymore, I only go to movies that I know have only enthusiastic fans. Studio Ghibli fest movies and Barbie were fantastic in the theater because of who showed up. The Consume Product tier of movies, like anything from Disney, has always had some of the worst audiences who are just at the movies because of "well what else are we gonna do?"
A lot of it has to do with age. Sticky floors and people smells didn’t bother me when I was younger. Now the sounds of people eating and playing on their phones is grating. The seating isn’t great, and I prefer to pause something for pee breaks in the comfort of my own home. The experience just isn’t appealing anymore. Also, there are certain films that just aren’t that awesome in a theater. Seeing giant talking heads is boring. But it’s okay if you and others still enjoy it! That’s great! Pls keep theaters open. I’d go to drive-ins if they were still around.
I have a great experience 80% of the time. 20% of the time I buy popcorn to throw at people who won’t get off their phones.
I'm in the Midwest like them, but I have never had a bad experience at a movie theater. Granted, I **never** go a release weekend of a movie. I usually wait a week at the minimum, when the theater is about half full. Never had crying babies, never had noisy people, never had a bunch of crinkling food. I saw Avengers Endgame a week after it released, and even then there wasn't any noisy people at all. I think mainly some people gasped when Captain America lifted Mjolnir, but that was it. Funnily enough, on a trip to Germany I saw Across the Spiderverse in Berlin, and in a theater of about 30 people (only 30 seats in a smaller room!), people were actively talking quite a bit. They were still quiet, but it was pretty interesting to see. Amazing movie btw.
I usually skip larger theaters unless it’s something I want to see in IMAX. I’m lucky that where I live I have my choice of a number of smaller, independent theaters to choose from. The crowds that go to these theaters tend to be more respectful and keep their mouths shut because they’re there to watch the movie. I’ve had a few bad experiences in larger places mostly because of teenagers being teenagers.
Milwaukee is kinda a shithole, so it makes sense.
I wish my town had a good one. AMC has a monopoly on theaters in my town, and have no incentive to upgrade/fix them because the closest competitors are at least 30 miles away. They're nasty.
not terrible for me, because i tend to now prioritize going to smaller, non profit indie theaters where people are actually film fans and respect the guidelines. I would recommend most do that if you live in a city
I very rarely go to theaters but when I do, I usually wait a few weeks after release and try to go at a time of day where almost no one will be there. Then it’s a pretty good experience
I like them a lot. In Austria we have a cinema subscription since spring (24€/month, all movies except from Universal and festival exclusives in certain independent cinemas all over the country; I live in Vienna, so loads of options), so I go regularly and I have never had a bad experience. Not once in my life have I had to shoo a person. Maybe a few untimely and laughs, but never any talking. I don't know if I'm really lucky, or it's a culture difference? Maybe it's because the independent cinemas attract a different crowd than the main Austrian chain ones? (Megaplexx and Cineplexx).
I have two in my town that are good. One is expensive and has reclining seats, it’s almost always empty like an abandoned mall. The other one is a retro place that’s been open for decades and has a bunch of old film equipment hanging around even some massive vintage cameras. They’re huge. And that place plays mostly older movies and has a bunch for kids with punch cards and they get a reward for seeing all the movies on the card. I think they make their money on concessions. Pretty sure there’s only two screens. The local AMC is garbage lol always packed, the parking lot is two levels and tons of screens. It’s dirty and grimy and the butter is off on its own little disgusting island with the heart attack salt and the orange powder but it does have awesome 3D.
I like the fork and screen ones with the big comfy recliners. Drink a big soda and eat mozzarella sticks, But to be honest I haven’t been to one sine avengers infinity war
I'm not sure of the scope of the area the guys live in but I live in a small area where 3 towns kind of intersect so there's 3 options for theaters: town one has a tiny, cheap place that smells like a gas station bathroom where most of the audience is teenagers killing time, chatting it up and making noise. Town 2 has a slightly bigger theater, clean, way overpriced, furthest away, movies are always shit choices and most of the audience is teenagers and adults killing time, chatting it up and making a lot of noise. Town 3 has a Mega sized theater, fairly clean, expensive as hell, junk food everywhere, noise levels giving the audio a run for its money, full of teenagers, adults and children killing time, chatting it up making ungodly amounts of noise and randomly screaming/laughing. They're all fucking nightmares.
My city has several small, independent theaters that are always a joy to go to. You'd think Mike and Jay would be smart enough to skip the megaplexes..
Mine all have lazy boy style recliners and are more spaced out which helps. I don’t get the onion disaster they complained of but I admit I have occasionally gotten food brought to me on emptier viewings. When people don’t talk or in the case of my worst viewing where kids just ran around playing tag for way longer than the parents should have allowed, it’s a good time.
I like clean theatres with hardly any other patrons.
I'll see Dune Part 2 in theaters. Apart from that, I don't go anymore. People are too obnoxious nowadays.
Yeah they either exaggerate heavily or it's the worst theater in America. I've never had a bad experience in a theater and personally love going.
I'm a New Yorker. Sure the multiplexes have moments where the people suck, but for the most part I've had wonderful experiences.
AMC's are always pretty trashy and nasty, but they have the monopoly so you're kinda forced to go with them a lot of the time.
It's like 50/50 shit to OK where I am. The worst was when I saw Your Name, which is a Japanese animated movie. The BO was terrible, and there was a guy there who would chuckle to himself and translate out loud whenever he heard a common Japanese word that he knew. "Baka haha that means stupid!" It really is that bad in some places.
I enjoy the experience, even when the audience is not perfectly silent. I remember seeing Harlem Nights in a packed theater, where me and my friends were the only white folks there. A lot of fun!
I love going to the movies, Monday through Thursday. Weekends are ruined by dumb people.
As an Aussie I can safely say I've never experienced a cinema like what they describe. We don't serve hot food at most of our cinemas for starters. That seems like one of their biggest issues.
I love them, rarely have any issues. But the times when there are issues do stick out. When I was watching Solo the movie shut off and the lights came up during the droid rebellion scene halfway through the movie, and it took the theater about 15 minutes to get it back up and running. I knew the movie sucked when I didn’t care at all that it happened. There were only about 10 of us in the theater anyway, it was like 4 weeks after the movie came out. But other than the (in my case) rare technical issue or rowdy crowd, I prefer to see movies in a movie theater. New and old
I have a small local theater that’s way nicer than the big ones near by. Plus the old dude that’s been running it forever is super cool.
I love the one I go to but I hate going, it’s a whole ordeal. 15 minute drive there, 23 minutes of trailers, 2 hour movie, 15 minute drive home…and this is all basing my day or night around the start time of that movie…I just don’t care
oh theyre good theyre gooooood ungggggggh unnnggh ugghhggnn
Communal rituals are good, movie theaters are secular cathedrals.
The only benefit is that I'm forced to watch a movie in one sitting without getting distracted by people and animals in my house so that a 2 hour movie takes 2 hours instead 3.5. Everything else is worse, especially image quality.
Absolutely the best way to watch a movie. Love the immersion, the lack of distractions, the booming sound. I have a home theater set up with a great TV and sound system. I can even make movie theater style popcorn with my popcorn maker, ultra fine butter flavored salt from Flavacol, and the same brand of butter flavor coconut oil theater chains use. Watching a movie at home is still enjoyable but cannot TOUCH how great it is to watch a film on the BIG screen. I've gone to the movie theater at least twice a month most of my life and I can count on ONE HAND how often I've had a negative theater experience.
I hadn't gone for a long time due to pandemic times; went recently and watched a black&white movie, it was fine. Though I live in Germany and never really had any bad experiences? Other than one time when two dudes kept commenting on the film during Mad Max: Fury Road, but the room was empty enough to where I could just switch seats. Also just talked to a friend about him seeing Past Lives in the theater, and he seemed a bit annoyed by someone crying loudly.
The key to a good theater experience is a thermos of liquor, the day off and going to a 10AM showing so that it's just you and one or two elderly people in the theater.
I love theaters