It’s always convenience and cost
- the cost is absurd
- I used to wait 4-6 weeks so I could watch without crowds but now the movie is gone
- just like with live tv, I no longer have to follow their schedule. However if it is only out for a short period, they’re going to miss me.
- lack of advertising, believe it or not. Maybe they still advertise, but advertising is. So bad now that I block as much as I can. Even if they tried and it’s “a tragedy of the commons”, that’s their fault that I no longer hear that a movie exists
It’s too bad because now that my kids are away at college I keep thinking I can go more frequently. But not if it’s too expensive, too inconvenient, and I don’t even know what movies there are
In reality, I actually do go to opening weekends more frequently now that there is reserved seating and less crowds, but my overall movie frequency is much lower.
Even Alamo Drafthouse is not a solution. We finally got one but it’s downtown only, so that’s a lot of inconvenience.
I live in dense metro suburbs. The theaters are empty at 2 weeks. Just bump up your schedule. Most tickets at bought before visiting so you cans ee the map of seats open
Yes on the advertising. The few movies I would have gone out of my way to see in the theaters never had advertising on anything I watched.
There have been times I’ve heard of videos and I’m like “they made a sequel?!” or I’m just shocked to hear they made a movie about something at all. I’m trying to remember the specific movie but I think it was based on a video game.
This is the same problem as the videogame industry - a handful of the biggest players are pumping too much money into each movie to be profitable. They are counting on a blockbuster franchise to expand on with a string out series of sequels that never achieve the same level of success as the first one.
The only difference between movies and videogames is indie game devs are able to show the market is still there but no one wants the product of big hype. Movies don’t have that. There was a time when a streaming service would buy some indie movie but now each one is making their own movies and the potential for new, original ideas is stagnating.
True, with assigned seating and online sales I don’t look at the movie board.
The sale is made before I enter the building, but the same is true of fast food these days - maybe they need to redefine “casual”.
The same people in this thread blaming remakes and marvel are also not going to see any of the other smaller but unique and quality films that come out in theaters. There was literally 1 marvel studios film that hit theaters this year.
Are there good mid budget movies even being made? It seems like it’s either massive blockbuster or award bait garbage.
A24 did “Dicks: The Musical” last year which was one of the funniest, most profane, things I ever watched…
Trailer (NSFW):
Signature musical number (NSFW):
There are tons, but people aren’t paying attention to them. And certainly aren’t going to the theatre to watch them. I think you asking that question just reinforces my point.
There are and have been a lot, Blink Twice, Smile 2, We Live in Time, Conclave, alien Romulus, The Substance and Thelma to name a few just from this year.
I haven’t been to see a movie in a theater since 2019, and at this rate I don’t think I would even go if it was free.
Regal just closed the 13 screen theater closest to me, not sure what’s going to happen to it now. :(
But given my last experience there was bad enough that I walked out and went somewhere else after waiting 15 minutes in a non-moving ticket line that they insisted on running through their concession counter… Yeah, nothing of value was lost.
Took my kid to see Moana 2 yesterday. Medium popcorn was $11.50. WTF…
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Distribution rights keep going up and the movie theaters pass those costs on to you in the form of concession prices. Blame the studios.
Yeah, movie theaters barely make money from actually playing movies. It’s another reason why selling alcohol started getting more popular at movie theaters.
Bring lower prices and quality media back and I’ll think about it
Being the price down and I’ll consider going again
for me it’s not even the cost of the movies themselves that’s causing me not to go. it’s the cost of everything else in my life that has been adding up, so unnecessary entertainment expenses like movies are an easy thing to cut back on. Maybe there is a lower threshold that would get me to go more, but it’s probably not a realistic one.
also at home I have exactly the food and drinks I want at any time, I can pause for pee breaks, and I don’t have to deal with any annoying people, ads, or trailers.
Free market. Amiright?
Yup, nothing is worth 20 bucks a ticket. Especially considering 3 weeks later you can ‘rent’ it for 5 bucks.
Or pirate for free and have a more pleasant experience.
Especially considering everything is a reboot or a sequel now. I want some original movies again.
Yeah, bring back original movies like Hundreds of Beavers, Conclave, Memoir of a Snail, The Substance, A Real Pain, Babygirl, The Last Showgirl, I Saw the TV Glow, Challengers, Wicked Little Letters, Love Lies Bleeding, Origin, The Zone of Interest, The People’s Joker, Kinds of Kindness, Poor Things, All of Us Strangers, The Holdovers, Anatomy of a Fall…
Did any of those appear in the theater, or are they all straight to streaming?
They all had theatrical runs AFAIK.
Crazy, I’ve only heard of two of those movies. I guess my ad blocker is working. Haha.
Thanks for the recommendations
A couple of them aren’t out yet. A couple I missed, or they just didn’t get theatrical releases here (Australia). Everything else, I Saw in the cinema. Anora, as well, hasn’t come out here yet. The Brutalist. I could go on…
I have been to European theaters that are dine-in and smaller. You got maybe 30 comfortable seats and with tray tables. You order your food / beverages 60 minutes before the movie.
During those 60 minutes you can wait in the lounge and have a drink with an appertife.
When the commercials start the food is served, then the movie starts and everyone is enjoying their meal and movie.
When the half way point hit they pause the movie as days of yore and you get a 20 minute break for going to the toilet and order more things.
They also serve tea and coffee during that time for free.
The kicker is that the tickets are little bit cheaper then the traditional big theater and the experience is 10 times better and more intimite since it only takes 30 people in one saloon.
We have a similar experience in Australia called gold class or (de)LUX. Much better way to enjoy a movie if it’s within your budget
I’ve done delux in the states. Tickets were more expensive.
The kicker is that the tickets are little bit cheaper then the traditional big theater
Gold Class is not similar. It’s twice as expensive and nothing is free; a coffee or tea is ~$5.
I’ve been itching to see a movie in a theater recently but nothing that’s playing interests me.
Maybe you just don’t like movies? I’ve seen tons of films theatrically this year, almost none of them mainstream blockbusters.
Have you checked your local non-chain theatres?
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Hollywood does not respect the audience, movie theater is a bad service.
Why would working person pay either of these parasites?
Yarr ;)
I do miss movie theater popcorn but otherwise streaming at home all the way
movie theater popcorn is super easy to make yourself with something like this. you can of course get all the components separately as below, but the all in one packs are a convenient way to try it out.
for 1 medium-ish bowl (easily doubled if you have a big enough vessel):
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1/3 cup kernels (Orrville Red. works for me, the main thing for good popping is fresh kernels)
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~3 tablespoons of butter oil/topping
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1/4-1/2 tsp flavacol depending on your salt level preference
(all this costs about $35 total and will last you quite a long time)
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toss it all in a pot (or stainless steel mixing bowl) and mix around to distribute everything evenly.
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turn the heat to medium and swirl the pot/bowl to keep everything moving and prevent burning.
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when the pops slow down to once every few seconds you’re done.
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add more butter topping to taste.
I know a lot of people swear by the stovetop method, but if you’re the kind of person who would somehow manage to burn cereal, a Whirlypop is 30 bucks well spent. Way fewer unpopped kernels than mocrowaving, and it stirs everything from the bottom so it’s almost impossible to burn.
And yes, flavacol is the magic ingredient!
I would totally get a whirleypop if my kitchen wasn’t already overflowing with shit.
It’s not easy to burn popcorn on the stove. Typical worse case scenario is a bunch of unpopped kernals
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How about the fact that there’s a massive oligopoly in the industry? How about one studio basically steamrolling the industry with one franchise in the 2010s which alienated movie goers? How about movie-going being expensive AF?
Nah, it’s the fault of the casual moviegoer. Of course.
