I’ll speak as an ex-Alamo draft house waiter that the one way for movie theaters to survive into the future is really solid curation. Not of just new releases but of older movies to be reshown as events. Those are the shows we managed to sell out on were reshowings of the classics and fan favorites. Small art house releases with limited runs. And of course what the Texas theater in Dallas does with Tuesday night trash of free movies that you will never see anywhere else being played on old mediums.
I'm in LA and love Alamo. I also love places like Vidiots---it's such a real community. When I lived in NY I was a regular goer to Nitehawk, Quad and Angelica. I really love the curation, the community, etc. And I think there's such potential to turn theatres into the third-spaces people are really craving.
Well by making theaters into venues for their obnoxious lack-of-self-control performance art, many young people certainly aren't helping either. I don't hate the mainstream narrative as much as I hate finding it's true every time I go to the movies. On the other hand, it IS the youth audience that the studios pander to with their juvenile products, and the lack of balance in terms of the types of movies being screened isn't helping either. If you're an adult and want to enjoy an adult experience, the movie theater is, increasingly, not the place to go.
Yep, totally fine to talk about movies, thanks for asking. (But seriously: you do you, no need to apologize for topic selection, that’s what we are here for)
As someone who quit my job at a theatre a few months after the first year mark, I’ll never go to a theatre again unless it’s being run by volunteers. More and more was expected of us, to the point that I often would have an hour plus of underpaid overtime afterwards and would be swore at by management for taking so long although it was due to wanting to ensure everything was sanitary and completed properly. I was hired for concessions but ended up having to wash/strip down the candy cases - clean bathrooms and restock items relating to it - handle stock without proper safety measures in place - etc. With everything that was expected to be done between rounds, there would be no breaks. No time to sit down, no time to go to the bathroom, no time to do anything but prep for the next round of movies in barely more than an hour, since it was decided that the movies needed to be staggered out in a two hour block because we were so understaffed. It burns people out and the only ones that stay are literally a year or so away from being classified as a child worker or management. Management doesn’t want to do anything but sit in their office and the minimum wage employees (like myself) would be threatened with violence because of customers lashing out. It made me, someone who had managed to overcome significant mental health difficulties actively suicidal enough to almost be hospitalized. It isn’t worth it for movie theatres to exist anymore, the companies involved are siphoning as much money as they can and it’s time to just stop going. Edit: Realized it switched from underpaid to unpaid, corrected statement.
I think the answer is _genuinely_ just that most movies are unambitious slop. The other factors are relevant, but if there were more, better films, they'd hardly matter.
Honestly, another dimension to disliking the movie theatre is how LOUD and BRIGHT It is. I don't need something that extreme, and it's honestly unpleasant. Why go to a theatre and pay a ton of money to get my eardrums blasted out and perhaps have to crane my neck up at a screen when I could sit on my comfy couch and be in control of the volume and lighting?
I'm at the point where I only go to the theaters to see an anime movie, because it's such a unique experience as an American audience member. I remember the old days of watching anime in 420p, on sketchy pirating websites, so to be able to see it on a big screen is a treat. Also, the audience experience is great, because we're usually a chill/respectful crowd. Plus, we get subtitles, and the movies themselves are typically shorter 1hr30m - 2hr.
I need movies to be shorter. Give me a 90 minute, tightly written smart script and I'll be happy. All these 2.5 - 3 hour movies are too much for me. I'm old, the chairs are uncomfortable, I need to go to the bathroom, I have stuff to do and it takes up too much of my day to see one. Add in the enormous number of ads before hand and you can be there almost 3.5 hours. Ain't nobody got time for that.
I frequently do double bills and have done triples, but that’s cos I either put the longest film at the end (Kinds Of Kindness, John Wick 4 for example) or they involve films marketed to families as they tend to be under 2 hours. Otherwise it’s just exhausting. Of my favourite films of last year 2 were 90 minutes or under (Passages and Rye Lane).
This reminds me of a comment I made about live music but it holds true for film as well. In the UK we are exceptionally lucky to have a network of Art Centres, these are places you can go to watch a play, see an exhibition, go to a concert, laugh at a stand up comedian and watch a film. You don't get the same choice as a multiplex, there are usually only one or two screens but what you do get is usually interesting. The whole experience is far nicer and they tend to have a cafe rather than a concession stand so the cinema isn't full of litter. If you live in the UK support your local Art Centre!
I once read an article explaining why the cinema is in decline, and what it has to say is interesting. I am paraphrasing, but the cusp of the thought piece sums up, by saying films use to be about something, films use to entertain with a story and character based plot, films use to share slice of life that celebrates everyday, and films use to tell a moment from the past. All that remains now is the spectacle and pizazz, at the cost of story and character, where the VFX effects take precedence, heavy reliance on celebrities, the same tired snarky lines and one-liners, overproduced generic soundtracks, call backs to nostalgic icons, and convoluted lore and world building. Films today feel less organic, and more artificial and cynically manufacture, the industry thinks if they put out anything with these cookie-cutter templates, the audience will keep coming, it's the same approach the industry looks at children's entertainment, thinking all it needs is frivolous colours and jaunty music, but this is not enough. As for me, I have been watching content from China, Korea, Japan, India, France and Germany, I find them more interesting and entertaining than the gruel coming out of Hollywood, I'm tired of getting cinematic gruel, for now, Asia and some of Europe are providing gourmet, and this is where I chose to watch something, that's about something.
But... but... how will we have time to fit in three 15 minute car chase scenes and the 45 minute final showdown if we're spending time developing characters and making a cohesive plot?
I have to admit, I hate going to the theater for all of the reasons you've mentioned. In addition, my ONE local theater is run by .... the only words I can think of are "Slum Lord." The theater is never clean. There is always trash everywhere, sticky floors, and mystery wetness on the seats. The bathrooms are almost always filthy with lights out or things broken and unfixed. Adding insult to injury, the cost of the show + concessions is as much as a dinner date at a nice restaurant. The next nearest theater is over a 2 hour drive away, so just going somewhere else isn't really an option. This really makes me sad and angry because there are some movies I'd really like to see in a theater, but I'm not willing to put up with the negative conditions when I could watch the same movie at home with none of the irritation at a fraction of the cost. In my small experience, one major way to save movie theaters is to make them a place people WANT to go again. Stop blasting ads in people's faces the second they sit down. Make sure they're clean and well cared for. Actually do something about rude people and their screaming spawn. Have something besides expired candy and 3 day old popcorn to snack on. Make it a real, worthwhile EXPERIENCE.
I always find it pretentious when directors get mad that someone enjoys their film just because that person enjoyed it on their phone. They enjoyed the movie-why can’t that be enough on its own??
@@solidmatzo it’s partly because of how much effort and time goes into creating that specific piece of media to optimize for the highest quality viewing experience when people don’t they tend to miss certain sound elements, visual elements, lots of things can be lost. Typically not things that fundamentally change the experience (hence why you still enjoy) but change it enough that teams are frustrated because why did they go to all that effort to create it and spend all that money to do it that way when they could have done it super cheap and with less attention detail. A good example is how many thing you watch now tend to be super dark. Like how everyone complained about barely being able to tell what was happening on screen during fight scenes in last season of game of thrones. It’s an example of a director and team no longer prioritizing/optimizing the viewing experience. Just get it out there and let the audience figure it out, since they figure you’re barely paying attention and watching on your phones and tablets anyways. Sorry for length and hope this wasn’t just unhelpful rambling.
Few points missed: theatres have been struggling against a declining audience since the late 70s as other entertainment mediums became more common, theatres are over a barrel on their screen earnings as studios spend all their effort getting people to watch it opening weekend when the theatres don't make any money on the film, and neoliberal amalgamation of every company removing any variety and demanding bigger returns.
Made me remember one of my schoolmates ran a small theater with her family. They rented a small 3 story store building and used soundproof drywall to create this comfy theater rooms. This was around 7 years ago so movie streaming wasn’t really a thing back then. But even though the movies were basically the ones I could watch myself, I always chose to watch (and rewatch) my favorite movies after school. They had affordable and tasty foods as well, I remember getting double instant ramen and a homemade pizza. Unfortunately, they closed it but it was a pretty good run, they managed to keep the business alive for 5+ years due to it being within the vicinity of our school, so it basically became one of the top spots for students’ hangout. The thing is, theaters are still quite a huge deal in developing countries. Even under my office space there’s a theater (and an arcade next to it) which is always packed during my after hours. Makes me wonder if someone could build a tiny crowdfunded theater that plays Netflix shows where people would visit just for the togetherness or nostalgia.
We recently saw ‘Bad Boys: Already Forgot The Name’ and my brother bought our tickets and I was like “hey I’ll get you back at the concession stand” and turns out a nachos meal is like $22 (more than the cost of the ticket) and I was so sad because the ticket was $13. Awful prices for concessions man it’s insane.
@@tricksonafixed yeah, the theater doesn't really make money on butts in seats, the vast majority of their profit margin is in concessions. Sneaking in food is probably worse for theaters than just staying home. Can't win 😔
Yikes, my local cinema doesn’t do nachos but the largest popcorn is £3.50 ($4.52) and the tickets are £4.99 ($6.44). If my partner and I go we get 2 tickets, a small popcorn and 2 drinks each and it’s about £25 ($32 approx). Our bus tickets are no more than £2 each way (£1 if it’s after 7pm or a Sunday).
The simple fact that movie were not released on DVD/tape for a year and was always super expensive is the reason I don't care much about movies anymore The old system was terrible
I know movie theaters aren’t perfect but I generally do enjoy going to them so I can spend time with the family and watch a film you actually wanted to see, it’s honestly disheartening hearing that the theaters are declining this hard.🐱
I haven't ever really had the desire to go to a theater but even moreso nowadays it just makes no sense. You have to travel to the theater and back which takes time. Nowadays I think time is many people's most valuable resource. I basically never have time to commit SOLELY to watching something, so most of my media consumption is listening while I work, and I know im not alone there. Time off is becoming a fleeting concept for many working class people (actual working class, sub 50k a year I'd say) because often we have other life obligations we are catching up on on our """"days off""'" like restocking our homes supplies, going to appointments, cleaning our homes, taking care of kids and or pets, or maybe just actually getting some time to dedicate to our life partners if we have them. Taking 3 to 4 hours out of my one to two days I'm not working a week to spend an entire days wages to watch something that generally will slip from my mind over the next week or so is such a difficult proposition, that I think were theaters not already invented, the sales pitch for them would be laughed out of any investors office. Its just another casualty of our work culture, and some folks still have the nerve to call younger people lazy. Oof.
I'm lucky to live in a city with smaller movie theaters too, that bring non-blockbuster films and selections from festivals. the problems with the people and cleanness i've only heard them from americans, but i get how it can ruin your experience. i mostly find sites for deals and watch movies i'm excited about on the big screen, because the ininterrupted focus on just the film is what makes me have an emotional experience and absorb the style and content.
Totally agree. It's insane how good of a home theater system you can create nowadays for around $2000, especially if you wait for big sales like Black Friday. My biggest issues are ones you mentioned: 1. Movie variety/originality is dying. There basically are no mid budget films anymore. Some more smaller studios like Neon and A24 can get away with smaller to mid-budget productions, but they are few and far between. A movie like EEAAO was always going to be an A24 movie due to these factors, if it got made at all-no way in hell would Fox, WB, etc ever make a movie like that in this climate. 2. Audience etiquette is absolute garbage nowadays. People are so inconsiderate, this honestly is probably my biggest issue since there are still some movies I'd prefer to see in theaters, but this has kept me from going before. I'm not paying $12+ just so some other people can just talk the whole time. Theaters need ushers or something to ensure people aren't ass holes and ruin it for everyone. 3. So many theaters are in disrepair. Nasty seats, dirty projection screens, etc. like you said, why bother to travel to a theater and pay money just so you can have a WORSE experience than at home... If theaters want to survive, they need to invest in repairs and more staff. Home viewing is just way too good now. People need a reason to go and see a movie. I pretty much only go to IMAX screenings of movies from directors I love like Villeneuve and Nolan, especially since those audiences skew older and less likely to interrupt the movie. Sometimes I'll see something smaller like Past Lives, but that's more and more rare due to these issues.
Yes! So glad you're covering this. I personally really like seeing movies in the theater but most of my experiences have been very good. Edit: I also don't really see the blockbusters as much. I try to go to movies that are a bit more indie, underdogs that I hope supporting matters more like Love Lies Bleeding Love your tie, btw!
I worked at a theater for a few months, and yea, we just dont care. Slip in your snacks. I never had the time or probably be allowed, to check for smuggled snacks. I live in Germany and we had cleaning duty after every showing, its sad to hear that other countries seem to have an issue with litter everywhere. Same for kids at movies, i had to check if the person is even allowed in there in terms of age. But maybe times have changed, i have been not working there for easily six years.
Nolan is well known for appreciating home viewing. He did a video at a french video rental store and promoted the benefits of Blu-ray lol, it is not accurate to suggest he doesn't like that format
Idk, Movie theaters have become such a Bingus McDingus. I dont wanna spend 30 Bucks just to see a movie with mediocre snacks. Thats a thing as well for some reason: the popcorn has become bad as well, it used to be fresh, really fluffy and only mildly sweet, now its luke warm, almost crunchy caramelized sugar bombs
TLDR? Movie Theaters have absurd prices for an inferior experience than just torrenting and watching at home. The food is now incredibly overpriced and not good, there's nobody to kick out the people who yells and talks on the phone, the chairs are so crammed together to fit extra seats that it makes your butt numb. I have to watch a bunch of ads before the movie... It's like piracy. If the "oficial" experience is worse than the free bootleg, why would I spend the cash to go there?
Tbh 100% there's far too many remakes and reboots, even for movies and franchises that arguably didn't need them (personally as a decent Arnie fan I really hated the more recent Conan and Total Recall reboots). I've noticed it's either safe bets mostly or films by prolific directors that tend to be shown in cinemas a lot these days, which especially for super hero movies is getting to severe burnout. I mean I haven't seen a Marvel movie in the cinema since Black Panther and pretty sure I've not seen any of the ones released after Endgame cause there's just so damn many, not even including the DC movies as well. Unfortunately at the end of the day it's all about money and safe bets and nostalgia reboots are gonna generate the most money for the companies that already have more money than they could possibly need
I want theaters to have Silent viewings and Participation viewings. Silent viewings is no talking, Participation viewings would let people talk amongst themselves and at the screen. Also I always thought Google Glass dropped the ball by not trying to work with a theater chain for augmented and accessible viewings. Imagine if you could have subtitles in your language of choice or a quick look-up feature for actors we know we recognize but can't quite place.
Gods, while I's watching this, I's having dystopian visions of a future where streaming services let you tip your favourite actors in the thing you're watching, and as a result they are no longer paid royalties, and that would integrate so horribly well with augmented reality glasses. Maybe I should patent such a system to stop anyone else implementing it...
How do you set the standard for silence? Are people allowed to laugh or gasp? Or eat crisps from a packet? The cinema is, ultimately, a public viewing experience, not a private one. A screening for people who want to be able to talk freely or look at phones might be good.. but hopefully that is as opposed to a 'people doing their best not to disrupt others' screening.
@@sophiesong8937 I think that the rule specified for "silent viewing" was no talking. I would say something close to theatre etiquette would be suitable. Yes, that isn't technically silence, but that name would get the point across better than "quiet viewing" because different people will have different ideas of what volume is acceptable. Yes, movies are a public rather than a private experience, which means you have to accept that others may make a little noise, but it goes both ways. It also means accepting that your noise affects others.
@hughcaldwell1034 ofcourse. I guess the example I could give, to explain what i mean is this- in Sydney Australia, they introduced 'quiet carriages' on trains. Half the carriages will be designated as 'quiet carriages,' the rest are.. regular carriages, which should have train etiquette (speaking quietly, phone on vibrate, no music or movies on speaker, etc) but what happens is this: in the quiet carriage, passengers will police absolute silence, and by virtue of not being 'quiet' carriages, people in the rest of the train will act like anything goes. I'm a parent with elementary school age kids. They know how to be quiet and will generally do so, but the quiet carriage 'police' will hold them to a much higher standard than they would other adults. I don't want to travel in a horrible, noisy carriage. The binary that has been created means that there is no carriage of basic mutual consideration and etiquette, so I don't see it as a very good solution.
@@sophiesong8937 Hm, that's a point I hadn't really considered. Admittedly I haven't been to the cinema in years, and have no idea how different it might be to how it was; which was largely an atmosphere of mutual consideration, as you say.
Ngl, there's a strong feeling of schadenfreude for the studios seeing people are finally getting tired of those giant repetitive marvel movies lol😌 I'm not happy about all the bad parts like the death of the theatres, or the fact that the execs are destroying another thing in the name of profit (but that's just our reality), but I like it when jiggling shiny loud keys in front of our faces isn't the only profitable thing for them Also, bingus mcdingus
In regards to trailers, I watched a trailer for a Disney vehicle before watching a trailer for Identiteaze (not on purpose, just a timing thing). And it's not like I expected Identiteaze to have a bad trailer, but it's a way smaller production so what I didn't expect is how much better it would be than a trailer from a multibillion corporation with infinite marketing money. There was no comparison, it was better on every level. Like, I was going to watch Identiteaze anyway but trailer made me bazzilion times more excited to watch it because it was good, it was so well made. I watched it two more times immediately. Meanwhile the trailer from Disney was so bad it had a completely opposite effect - I was kinda interested in the concept, and the trailer just... killed any interest. And I've been feeling it more and more with trailers, I basically rarely even watch them anymore even though I really loved watching trailers when I was younger. No joke, I used to save favourite trailers and rewatch them. But with time they just stopped being fun and interesting... most of them have the same beats and structure, just choppy mess with poor pacing that isn't enticing or exciting for the viewer.
Major agree, the Identiteaze trailer felt so curated and, you know, actually generated interest like a trailer should. Most trailers are only tangentially related to the films and are majorly skippable.
I'm probably the minority, I just got tired of films in general, going to the theater have always sucked because I have adhd and being seated for hours is hard but I don't know why I just can't watch films anymore.
I went to the cinema for the first time since 2020 just last month. I'm quite of PotA, so naturally I wanted to see Kingdom, the newest entry. My partner has been wanting to see films in the cinema for about 2 years already, but I have rather bad anxiety about being in a closed packed room with a crowd. So we waited until the last week it was showing, and went to the cinema. The tickets had doubled in price since I was at a cinema last (last time was actually at a bigger one in the nearest city, seeing Hotel Transylvania 3!) and our concessions of x2 cokes and 1 bucket of popcorn cost more than the tickets (thankfully I had expected it to be pricey, so I had enough to cover it, but I was quite shocked). Not going to comment on the actual film, but I will say the cinema (which had been sold and refurbished with fewer smaller screens in the past 4 years) had very comfortable roomy seats with ample arm room and rests for your drinks and snacks. There were only 6 people at the viewing, including me and my partner. There was a problem, though. For the first 20 minutes or so, there was a glare on the screen. I couldn't get immersed into the film because it made the contrast disappear, I could barely make out the characters or setting. I kept waiting for it to go, assuming it was the lights in the screening room (which usually dim). I ended up getting up and going to the front desk to see if they could fix it. It turned out that the light in the projection room had been left on. I felt quite frustrated, it was a big deal for me to go to the cinema after all that time, and it cost a pretty penny. I was really excited to see the newest PotA with my partner. Together, we have become fans, having seen all the films of both eras, and the TV series. It did put quite a downer on the experience. It made me unable to get into it the way I would have liked. I felt like I was watching a film, not getting a cinema experience...
Comments for the Digital Algorithm Gods!! I go to the movies only a handful of times every year. I would say not just movie tickets but the price of snacks, drinks, and food is unreasonable. I WANT to eat and drink during a show. I don't want to deal with the insane gouging costs of a beer and popcorn. I don't want to have to smuggle my food and drinks. Other movie goers are really annoying but it is the companies making Hollywood slop that really piss me off. I don't want to go through an already overpriced experience just to see bad writing or lame sequels on a big screen. I'm bored from Marvel and the big boxes. I can watch a UA-cam video essay explaining it, stream it from my subscriptions, or pirate it. Save all that money. Hollywood is lazy as shit and repetitive as hell. I don't want to spend excess money during a period of financial instability on something I am not guaranteed to enjoy. Also the actual costs of movie theaters reduce my enjoyment as well. Like yeah I'm really going to enjoy Star Wars ep 9 with my $30 worth of tiny popcorn and a single drink. Pathetic experience.
Ironically I’ve started seeing movies in theaters for the first time in years. But I’ll admit it’s not a cheap night out with transportation, food and the actual ticket. It’s a fun solo date idea every now and then. Recently I wanted to watch the movie “Bikeriders” but my theater wasn’t showing it but what it was showing was a quiet place day one and the kingdom of the planet of the apes. I went with a quiet place but I’ll admit the setting wasn’t the reason I had a good time. With load people around me it would have been better at home but I did enjoy the movie.
I love the old heritage buildings that are in art deco style. And i will occasionally treat myself to a movie in one of these old theatres. They make me happy. But then im the other extreme that i will watch literally anything on my phone like the young folks...but unlike the young folks i do that because i like being able to hear it.
I was born in 1984 and saw most of the films I saw in cinemas in the late 90s and early to mid-2000s. I had a bad experience with annoying patrons once. The other times, all went well. Here, it is also completely allowed to bring your own snacks. So a lot of bad things that I hear about current-day cinema experiences in the US were never an issue for me.
I'm a very frequent patron of my local arthouse theatre, which I regularly see selling out a 700-seat theatre. I love the communal experience of hundreds of people responding to a film together. I think it's pretty clear that theatres have lost general audiences. If theatres want to remain open, I think catering towards cinema lovers with rep screenings is the best (only?) way forward
My town doesn't have a movie theater so if I want to watch a movie on the big screen I have to take a bus to either the other nearby town or the closest city, which is around one or more hours of just transport, not to mention ticket prices (yay car centrism). After that, I gotta pay for the ticket (which at least is not as expensive as in the USA) and pray there's no teenagers in the audience. This is assuming everything lines up with the movie schedules. Usually it doesn't, because transit isn't running at night and movies for adults don't get afternoon showings. Or they do but it's a weekend so no transit.
21:03 hahaha! David Lynch is a legend. Both because of his movies and his interviews, strong opinions etc. I think he actually changed his mind a bit about movies on phone, because the resolution has gotten so much better. That interview is from 2007/2008, when iPhones had an resolution of 480x320. Also watching you phone in the dark sorts of gives you that "looking on a canvas/silverscreen from far away"-vibe.
That clip of the fight in the theater was horrifying oml I feel so lucky to have gotten a lot of decent theater experiences. The only less than stellar occasion was when i was sat between people and some bigot to my left could not fathom two guys in the movie being into each other (i cannot for the life of me remember which movie it is anymore) meanwhile the group to my right were just annoying and this is why i usually go for seats on the side since it's less claustrophobic and it decreases the chance of being surrounded by annoying moviegoers. I also usually get pretty lucky since movies that do catch my eye tend to not get a large crowd. EDIT: Oh nvm i remember which movie it is now: "the green knight" and that wasn't even as a gay as it should've been
I have fond memories of going to the cinema when I was younger. I went with my family a lot as a treat and there was also a kids club that was cheaper. I use to enjoy collecting these free posters they gave out. I continued to go with friends as I grew up, but over the past few years we've stopped going. Things have become too convenient to do at home while going out is too expensive. At the same time I don't feel many new films are as memorable. When I catch up on older films that I didn't get around to before they have a different feel to them. I was also saying just the other day that I miss the way they use to make trailers. I can't fully tell what a lot of the newer ones are about.
An overlooked factor here is DVD releases. I think Matt Damon said it in an interview some years back, the main problem for cinema due to the advent of streaming services is not really market oversaturation or a big change in audience behaviour. After all people have been watching movies at home as long as I have been alive, oversaturation is more of a symptom. Because what has changed is that the buy-in for the viewers has been greatly reduced (similar to the music industry) and an entire stream of income for non-blockbuster flicks has vanished - so studios have become more apprehensive to throw money on smaller scale romcoms. Movies have to make most of their money from the theaters, so studios hedge their bets on the big IPs, the nostalgia bait, the action blockbusters, while going to the movies is becoming more expensive each year the problem only worsens. It's a bit of a doom spiral.
I have long been an avid movie theater goer. I love going to the movies. I now boycott the movie theaters because everything's owned by Disney. And most of the writing sucks.
I don't go to the movies anymore because the audience ruins the experience for me. For all the stuff you named and especially people having their phones on volume blasted all the way up. I paid to see the content on the big screen not the noise and blue light from a bunch of small screens.
one thing that might dissuade me from future theater going is the sheer amount of ads and previews before the feature presentation. i went to an 8:20 showing of Furiosa but film did not roll until 8:50 after 30 minutes of gunk, half of which was straight up commercials for cars, insurance, and other non-cinema ads. but! as bad as some audiences can be, there is something special about a collective film experience. too much atomization is bad for society.
There have always been waves of movie genres that are popular. Movie musicals are a perfect example, and I think Rom-coms were very much a beast of the 90s and early 2000s. As for me, I went to see Inside Out 2 on the weekend with my kids, in South Korea. Cinema was immaculate, cause Koreans take their rubbish out with them. These days Korea have lots of promotions to drive sustained attendance, rather than just opening weekend. For example, they will give you special illustrated 'original tickets' or posters. When the Boy and the Heron came out here, they gave away a different poster and ticket each week for at least 4 weeks, mightve been longer. This encourages fans to come see it again, or gives the feeling of a memento that relates specifically to when you went.
Funny, since Minus One came out I am more often in theatres than ever before (Around 2 to 4 times a month) as both the size of the screen and the sound is much more impressive than at home, even owning a big screen and an ok 2.1 sound system, it's just not the same. Usually it is an 'artsy' theatre though where people are polite and the tickets cost 10 Euros on average, mind you. But somehow I appreciate the experience more this way and it's great for really focusing on the movie.
I'm very lucky to live a few blocks from a small, independent theater (in fact, I'm such a movie theater person, this was a primary selling point on where I live). They play a mix if newer, smaller budget indie movies, classic Hollywood movies, and they usually try to get the big blockbusters too. I would be absolutely DEVISTATED if they closed. I actually am not a horror person though that's their bread and butter, so I really hope they get the blockbusters (I know, I'm still one of the few people that cares about Star Wars and MCU). Anyway, I don't miss the big multiplexes though. Sometimes I do have to go to one of them to see something, and I almost always get the same thing you're describing with the questionable cleanliness and the crowd quality. I think these smaller theaters are going to become like live theater. Something that is either hyper local small groups, and a few huge budget blockbusters.
I will say that one thing that draws me to the movie theater is the presence of the audience. Yes, other people there can be disruptive, but they can also be part of the engagement. Seeing a new blockbuster on opening night, with a crowd who ooh and ahh and laugh in synchronicity with each other can make a person feel less isolated in their viewing experience. But that's not particularly viable in the long term, as those are very brief concentrations of interest, singular events, rather than an ongoing source of income.
I guess living on the west coast of Canada means we never see the problems with theaters you describe. I've ironically seen more movies in the past 6 or so years than I saw in the previous 10, but that is mainly because I am a big marvel fan and I really like the MCU movies. That said it's not hard to figure this out, and why suddenly it's an issue in the past couple years. Inflation was insane. most people are paying 50-100% more in food and rent. Those are things you can't go without. Something you can go without is seeing a movie in a theater. Add in that you can spend $30 a month for 2-3 steaming services and you can get most of the movies you want to see within a couple months. The math isn't hard. All the problems you bring up in theaters didn't magically appear 2 years ago. They have always been there outside of smart phones, and those have been there for 15 years or more now.
So I have the AMC A-List membership (lets me see up to 3 movies a week for free in any format) so I go to the movie theater very frequently, typically 4-8 times per month. It's $25 per month, which means that I break even if I see at least two movies a month. I've heard what you said about the theater experience getting worse because of bad audiences quite a bit, and I'm always a little surprised to hear it bc I go to the theater so often and I've only had one bad experience in about 2.5 years. I wonder if it's the type of movie? I don't go to see the new superhero movies for example, and I don't see the big block yesterday releases on opening weekend. Also, what you spoke about regarding particularly young people not caring about the quality they watch movies in (watching on their phones etc.) made me think of how that reflects other aspects of where we are currently in consumerism and capitalism. People buying heaps of poor quality stuff that they use once or never from Temu, Shein, etc. because they don't care about the experience/quality, just mindless consumerism. That's partly why I really agree with many of the film directors that talk about how upsetting it is that people watch movies on their phone, or criticize Marvel movies as "not being real cinema". I think people get defensive about this and call the people who say these things "boomers" or "out of touch", but I think these criticisms are worth making. I think that people are happier, healthier, and more fulfilled when they view film and other art with seriousness and intentionality and engage with it critically, and watching movies in a theater really does help to stimulate your senses and creativity and tap into your emotions in a different way. Plus exercises your attention span, as you are more likely to spend time on your phone and distracted with other activities concurrently if watching a movie at home.
At my age, (old), I have pretty much outgrown any taste for blockbusters, "action" movies, franchises, horror, etc. I do like a good, solid drama. Enjoyed Oppenheimer at the theater. But they wouldn't let me drink from the butter dispenser... Excellent video, sir, well said.
I'm someone who actually does prefer the (group) theatre experience to the home viewing one enough to buy tickets a few times a year. We've bought tickets 3 months ago now (the Costco bundles, so not for any particular movie) and... haven't used them. Because it's like you said - there has been nothing that caught our interest in theatres in all that time. They need to vary the movies more.
I looooved going to the movies as a kid and teen. We had a little (1 big and two small showrooms) cinema in the middle of the city back than. From looking at the new posters outside to see what's coming up (always on Thursdays!) to standing outside in the evening before the movie, smoking and feeling cool to the dark red curtains and the break for the iceman after the Langnese advert. THAT I really would love to do again. But going to the city's cineplex out on a parking lot in the industrial part of the city? For an absurd amount of money? No, thanks, I'm good.
Seeing movies in theaters was not just cheaper back then, it was a way more "casual" experience. You likelly would have a theater at a walking distance from your house and you could spend a rainy saturday watching a double or triple feature. People would even walk into a theathe in the middle of a movie just to kill time.
I’ll speak as an ex-Alamo draft house waiter that the one way for movie theaters to survive into the future is really solid curation. Not of just new releases but of older movies to be reshown as events. Those are the shows we managed to sell out on were reshowings of the classics and fan favorites. Small art house releases with limited runs. And of course what the Texas theater in Dallas does with Tuesday night trash of free movies that you will never see anywhere else being played on old mediums.
I live in Austin and am very grateful for Alamo!
I'm in LA and love Alamo. I also love places like Vidiots---it's such a real community. When I lived in NY I was a regular goer to Nitehawk, Quad and Angelica. I really love the curation, the community, etc. And I think there's such potential to turn theatres into the third-spaces people are really craving.
For real, my friends get so excited when Alamo shows older movies. It's really the only time they go to the theaters at all anymore.
I live in Britain, GIVE ME ALAMO PLEASE, WE'RE DYING OUT HERE!
I hate that the mainstream narrative is still that "young people are destroying movie theatres"
And diamonds
And apple bees
And houses
And whatever else we can't afford because of Reagan era policies yaaaaay 🙌🏽
Well by making theaters into venues for their obnoxious lack-of-self-control performance art, many young people certainly aren't helping either. I don't hate the mainstream narrative as much as I hate finding it's true every time I go to the movies. On the other hand, it IS the youth audience that the studios pander to with their juvenile products, and the lack of balance in terms of the types of movies being screened isn't helping either. If you're an adult and want to enjoy an adult experience, the movie theater is, increasingly, not the place to go.
@@Malt454 that is true. There’s a reason as to why capitalism is indeed the worst thing humans have created
Words cannot express my nostalgic depression when I rolled up to the dollar theaters near my neighborhood and they were shuttered forever.
Dollar theaters were amazing
Spot on. The movie theater used to be my favorite place too, but I've been seeing the decline for years.
Yep, totally fine to talk about movies, thanks for asking.
(But seriously: you do you, no need to apologize for topic selection, that’s what we are here for)
Thank you for the subtitles, yet not enough creators are considered to add'em :(
And since YT removed Community Captions, far fewer creators have them on their videos than otherwise would!
As someone who quit my job at a theatre a few months after the first year mark, I’ll never go to a theatre again unless it’s being run by volunteers. More and more was expected of us, to the point that I often would have an hour plus of underpaid overtime afterwards and would be swore at by management for taking so long although it was due to wanting to ensure everything was sanitary and completed properly. I was hired for concessions but ended up having to wash/strip down the candy cases - clean bathrooms and restock items relating to it - handle stock without proper safety measures in place - etc. With everything that was expected to be done between rounds, there would be no breaks. No time to sit down, no time to go to the bathroom, no time to do anything but prep for the next round of movies in barely more than an hour, since it was decided that the movies needed to be staggered out in a two hour block because we were so understaffed. It burns people out and the only ones that stay are literally a year or so away from being classified as a child worker or management.
Management doesn’t want to do anything but sit in their office and the minimum wage employees (like myself) would be threatened with violence because of customers lashing out. It made me, someone who had managed to overcome significant mental health difficulties actively suicidal enough to almost be hospitalized. It isn’t worth it for movie theatres to exist anymore, the companies involved are siphoning as much money as they can and it’s time to just stop going.
Edit: Realized it switched from underpaid to unpaid, corrected statement.
I think the answer is _genuinely_ just that most movies are unambitious slop. The other factors are relevant, but if there were more, better films, they'd hardly matter.
Honestly, another dimension to disliking the movie theatre is how LOUD and BRIGHT It is. I don't need something that extreme, and it's honestly unpleasant. Why go to a theatre and pay a ton of money to get my eardrums blasted out and perhaps have to crane my neck up at a screen when I could sit on my comfy couch and be in control of the volume and lighting?
I wish movie theaters would let people vote on an old movie every now and then, or let people rent out to show movies that they like
I'm at the point where I only go to the theaters to see an anime movie, because it's such a unique experience as an American audience member. I remember the old days of watching anime in 420p, on sketchy pirating websites, so to be able to see it on a big screen is a treat. Also, the audience experience is great, because we're usually a chill/respectful crowd. Plus, we get subtitles, and the movies themselves are typically shorter 1hr30m - 2hr.
Same. A lot of my past trips to the theater have been for an anime movie or for a ghibli movie reshowing.
I need movies to be shorter. Give me a 90 minute, tightly written smart script and I'll be happy. All these 2.5 - 3 hour movies are too much for me. I'm old, the chairs are uncomfortable, I need to go to the bathroom, I have stuff to do and it takes up too much of my day to see one. Add in the enormous number of ads before hand and you can be there almost 3.5 hours. Ain't nobody got time for that.
@@Anyatore I feel as if movies are intentionally made way too long as a way to keep you from spending money elsewhere.
I frequently do double bills and have done triples, but that’s cos I either put the longest film at the end (Kinds Of Kindness, John Wick 4 for example) or they involve films marketed to families as they tend to be under 2 hours. Otherwise it’s just exhausting. Of my favourite films of last year 2 were 90 minutes or under (Passages and Rye Lane).
I now willingly pay more for any experience just to avoid the rest of humanity and the problems they like to cause.
This reminds me of a comment I made about live music but it holds true for film as well. In the UK we are exceptionally lucky to have a network of Art Centres, these are places you can go to watch a play, see an exhibition, go to a concert, laugh at a stand up comedian and watch a film. You don't get the same choice as a multiplex, there are usually only one or two screens but what you do get is usually interesting. The whole experience is far nicer and they tend to have a cafe rather than a concession stand so the cinema isn't full of litter. If you live in the UK support your local Art Centre!
I once read an article explaining why the cinema is in decline, and what it has to say is interesting. I am paraphrasing, but the cusp of the thought piece sums up, by saying films use to be about something, films use to entertain with a story and character based plot, films use to share slice of life that celebrates everyday, and films use to tell a moment from the past. All that remains now is the spectacle and pizazz, at the cost of story and character, where the VFX effects take precedence, heavy reliance on celebrities, the same tired snarky lines and one-liners, overproduced generic soundtracks, call backs to nostalgic icons, and convoluted lore and world building. Films today feel less organic, and more artificial and cynically manufacture, the industry thinks if they put out anything with these cookie-cutter templates, the audience will keep coming, it's the same approach the industry looks at children's entertainment, thinking all it needs is frivolous colours and jaunty music, but this is not enough. As for me, I have been watching content from China, Korea, Japan, India, France and Germany, I find them more interesting and entertaining than the gruel coming out of Hollywood, I'm tired of getting cinematic gruel, for now, Asia and some of Europe are providing gourmet, and this is where I chose to watch something, that's about something.
But... but... how will we have time to fit in three 15 minute car chase scenes and the 45 minute final showdown if we're spending time developing characters and making a cohesive plot?
@@IsomerMashups Jackie Chan
I have to admit, I hate going to the theater for all of the reasons you've mentioned. In addition, my ONE local theater is run by .... the only words I can think of are "Slum Lord." The theater is never clean. There is always trash everywhere, sticky floors, and mystery wetness on the seats. The bathrooms are almost always filthy with lights out or things broken and unfixed. Adding insult to injury, the cost of the show + concessions is as much as a dinner date at a nice restaurant. The next nearest theater is over a 2 hour drive away, so just going somewhere else isn't really an option. This really makes me sad and angry because there are some movies I'd really like to see in a theater, but I'm not willing to put up with the negative conditions when I could watch the same movie at home with none of the irritation at a fraction of the cost.
In my small experience, one major way to save movie theaters is to make them a place people WANT to go again. Stop blasting ads in people's faces the second they sit down. Make sure they're clean and well cared for. Actually do something about rude people and their screaming spawn. Have something besides expired candy and 3 day old popcorn to snack on. Make it a real, worthwhile EXPERIENCE.
I always find it pretentious when directors get mad that someone enjoys their film just because that person enjoyed it on their phone. They enjoyed the movie-why can’t that be enough on its own??
@@solidmatzo it’s partly because of how much effort and time goes into creating that specific piece of media to optimize for the highest quality viewing experience when people don’t they tend to miss certain sound elements, visual elements, lots of things can be lost. Typically not things that fundamentally change the experience (hence why you still enjoy) but change it enough that teams are frustrated because why did they go to all that effort to create it and spend all that money to do it that way when they could have done it super cheap and with less attention detail.
A good example is how many thing you watch now tend to be super dark. Like how everyone complained about barely being able to tell what was happening on screen during fight scenes in last season of game of thrones. It’s an example of a director and team no longer prioritizing/optimizing the viewing experience. Just get it out there and let the audience figure it out, since they figure you’re barely paying attention and watching on your phones and tablets anyways.
Sorry for length and hope this wasn’t just unhelpful rambling.
It is also because it is a business. Movie ticket sales are greater than streaming sales, so if the director gets a cut of the profits.....
A little bit of everything for everyone is a lot for no one
Few points missed: theatres have been struggling against a declining audience since the late 70s as other entertainment mediums became more common, theatres are over a barrel on their screen earnings as studios spend all their effort getting people to watch it opening weekend when the theatres don't make any money on the film, and neoliberal amalgamation of every company removing any variety and demanding bigger returns.
Made me remember one of my schoolmates ran a small theater with her family. They rented a small 3 story store building and used soundproof drywall to create this comfy theater rooms. This was around 7 years ago so movie streaming wasn’t really a thing back then. But even though the movies were basically the ones I could watch myself, I always chose to watch (and rewatch) my favorite movies after school. They had affordable and tasty foods as well, I remember getting double instant ramen and a homemade pizza.
Unfortunately, they closed it but it was a pretty good run, they managed to keep the business alive for 5+ years due to it being within the vicinity of our school, so it basically became one of the top spots for students’ hangout. The thing is, theaters are still quite a huge deal in developing countries. Even under my office space there’s a theater (and an arcade next to it) which is always packed during my after hours. Makes me wonder if someone could build a tiny crowdfunded theater that plays Netflix shows where people would visit just for the togetherness or nostalgia.
People could build that, but they would be shut down because of copyright issues.
Copyright makes this impossible.
We recently saw ‘Bad Boys: Already Forgot The Name’ and my brother bought our tickets and I was like “hey I’ll get you back at the concession stand” and turns out a nachos meal is like $22 (more than the cost of the ticket) and I was so sad because the ticket was $13. Awful prices for concessions man it’s insane.
@@tricksonafixed yeah, the theater doesn't really make money on butts in seats, the vast majority of their profit margin is in concessions. Sneaking in food is probably worse for theaters than just staying home. Can't win 😔
Yikes, my local cinema doesn’t do nachos but the largest popcorn is £3.50 ($4.52) and the tickets are £4.99 ($6.44). If my partner and I go we get 2 tickets, a small popcorn and 2 drinks each and it’s about £25 ($32 approx). Our bus tickets are no more than £2 each way (£1 if it’s after 7pm or a Sunday).
The simple fact that movie were not released on DVD/tape for a year and was always super expensive is the reason I don't care much about movies anymore
The old system was terrible
I know movie theaters aren’t perfect but I generally do enjoy going to them so I can spend time with the family and watch a film you actually wanted to see, it’s honestly disheartening hearing that the theaters are declining this hard.🐱
I haven't ever really had the desire to go to a theater but even moreso nowadays it just makes no sense. You have to travel to the theater and back which takes time. Nowadays I think time is many people's most valuable resource. I basically never have time to commit SOLELY to watching something, so most of my media consumption is listening while I work, and I know im not alone there. Time off is becoming a fleeting concept for many working class people (actual working class, sub 50k a year I'd say) because often we have other life obligations we are catching up on on our """"days off""'" like restocking our homes supplies, going to appointments, cleaning our homes, taking care of kids and or pets, or maybe just actually getting some time to dedicate to our life partners if we have them. Taking 3 to 4 hours out of my one to two days I'm not working a week to spend an entire days wages to watch something that generally will slip from my mind over the next week or so is such a difficult proposition, that I think were theaters not already invented, the sales pitch for them would be laughed out of any investors office.
Its just another casualty of our work culture, and some folks still have the nerve to call younger people lazy. Oof.
You do have a theme: It’s about the mostly weird but also maybe sometimes wonderful parts of life.
I'm lucky to live in a city with smaller movie theaters too, that bring non-blockbuster films and selections from festivals. the problems with the people and cleanness i've only heard them from americans, but i get how it can ruin your experience. i mostly find sites for deals and watch movies i'm excited about on the big screen, because the ininterrupted focus on just the film is what makes me have an emotional experience and absorb the style and content.
Totally agree. It's insane how good of a home theater system you can create nowadays for around $2000, especially if you wait for big sales like Black Friday.
My biggest issues are ones you mentioned:
1. Movie variety/originality is dying. There basically are no mid budget films anymore. Some more smaller studios like Neon and A24 can get away with smaller to mid-budget productions, but they are few and far between. A movie like EEAAO was always going to be an A24 movie due to these factors, if it got made at all-no way in hell would Fox, WB, etc ever make a movie like that in this climate.
2. Audience etiquette is absolute garbage nowadays. People are so inconsiderate, this honestly is probably my biggest issue since there are still some movies I'd prefer to see in theaters, but this has kept me from going before. I'm not paying $12+ just so some other people can just talk the whole time. Theaters need ushers or something to ensure people aren't ass holes and ruin it for everyone.
3. So many theaters are in disrepair. Nasty seats, dirty projection screens, etc. like you said, why bother to travel to a theater and pay money just so you can have a WORSE experience than at home...
If theaters want to survive, they need to invest in repairs and more staff. Home viewing is just way too good now. People need a reason to go and see a movie. I pretty much only go to IMAX screenings of movies from directors I love like Villeneuve and Nolan, especially since those audiences skew older and less likely to interrupt the movie. Sometimes I'll see something smaller like Past Lives, but that's more and more rare due to these issues.
THERE AIN'T NO MOTIVE FOR THIS CRIME
BINGUS WAS A MCDINGUS OF MINE
Really love your computer backgrounds and your tie.
Yes! So glad you're covering this. I personally really like seeing movies in the theater but most of my experiences have been very good.
Edit: I also don't really see the blockbusters as much. I try to go to movies that are a bit more indie, underdogs that I hope supporting matters more like Love Lies Bleeding
Love your tie, btw!
Great analysis, excellent tie.
I worked at a theater for a few months, and yea, we just dont care. Slip in your snacks. I never had the time or probably be allowed, to check for smuggled snacks.
I live in Germany and we had cleaning duty after every showing, its sad to hear that other countries seem to have an issue with litter everywhere.
Same for kids at movies, i had to check if the person is even allowed in there in terms of age. But maybe times have changed, i have been not working there for easily six years.
Nolan is well known for appreciating home viewing. He did a video at a french video rental store and promoted the benefits of Blu-ray lol, it is not accurate to suggest he doesn't like that format
Tie is a total banger. Prescient perspective. Thank you for subtitles!
I wanna go to theaters but it's so expensive....
I know for a fact that you’d have some of the most wry and sarcastic reviews on Letterboxd
P.S. Great tie!
The addiction to growth and maximizing profit is ruining every aspect of our lives
Bingus McDingus is actually one of my really close friends.
Hey, mine too!
I go to the theater for 3D now, because most stereoscopic films are no longer getting 3D Blu-ray releases.
Bingus McDingus, remember when people screamed "PINGUS!" ?
Idk, Movie theaters have become such a Bingus McDingus. I dont wanna spend 30 Bucks just to see a movie with mediocre snacks. Thats a thing as well for some reason: the popcorn has become bad as well, it used to be fresh, really fluffy and only mildly sweet, now its luke warm, almost crunchy caramelized sugar bombs
TLDR? Movie Theaters have absurd prices for an inferior experience than just torrenting and watching at home.
The food is now incredibly overpriced and not good, there's nobody to kick out the people who yells and talks on the phone, the chairs are so crammed together to fit extra seats that it makes your butt numb. I have to watch a bunch of ads before the movie...
It's like piracy. If the "oficial" experience is worse than the free bootleg, why would I spend the cash to go there?
I was too busy mowing the lawn to stop before the end ya Bingus McDingus
Bingus McDingus, my friend. Bingus McDingus.
Love your tie :)
My mans uploaded again 🙌🤙
Thank you for talking about this!
Tbh 100% there's far too many remakes and reboots, even for movies and franchises that arguably didn't need them (personally as a decent Arnie fan I really hated the more recent Conan and Total Recall reboots). I've noticed it's either safe bets mostly or films by prolific directors that tend to be shown in cinemas a lot these days, which especially for super hero movies is getting to severe burnout. I mean I haven't seen a Marvel movie in the cinema since Black Panther and pretty sure I've not seen any of the ones released after Endgame cause there's just so damn many, not even including the DC movies as well.
Unfortunately at the end of the day it's all about money and safe bets and nostalgia reboots are gonna generate the most money for the companies that already have more money than they could possibly need
I want theaters to have Silent viewings and Participation viewings. Silent viewings is no talking, Participation viewings would let people talk amongst themselves and at the screen.
Also I always thought Google Glass dropped the ball by not trying to work with a theater chain for augmented and accessible viewings. Imagine if you could have subtitles in your language of choice or a quick look-up feature for actors we know we recognize but can't quite place.
Gods, while I's watching this, I's having dystopian visions of a future where streaming services let you tip your favourite actors in the thing you're watching, and as a result they are no longer paid royalties, and that would integrate so horribly well with augmented reality glasses. Maybe I should patent such a system to stop anyone else implementing it...
How do you set the standard for silence? Are people allowed to laugh or gasp? Or eat crisps from a packet? The cinema is, ultimately, a public viewing experience, not a private one. A screening for people who want to be able to talk freely or look at phones might be good.. but hopefully that is as opposed to a 'people doing their best not to disrupt others' screening.
@@sophiesong8937 I think that the rule specified for "silent viewing" was no talking. I would say something close to theatre etiquette would be suitable. Yes, that isn't technically silence, but that name would get the point across better than "quiet viewing" because different people will have different ideas of what volume is acceptable. Yes, movies are a public rather than a private experience, which means you have to accept that others may make a little noise, but it goes both ways. It also means accepting that your noise affects others.
@hughcaldwell1034 ofcourse. I guess the example I could give, to explain what i mean is this- in Sydney Australia, they introduced 'quiet carriages' on trains. Half the carriages will be designated as 'quiet carriages,' the rest are.. regular carriages, which should have train etiquette (speaking quietly, phone on vibrate, no music or movies on speaker, etc) but what happens is this: in the quiet carriage, passengers will police absolute silence, and by virtue of not being 'quiet' carriages, people in the rest of the train will act like anything goes.
I'm a parent with elementary school age kids. They know how to be quiet and will generally do so, but the quiet carriage 'police' will hold them to a much higher standard than they would other adults. I don't want to travel in a horrible, noisy carriage. The binary that has been created means that there is no carriage of basic mutual consideration and etiquette, so I don't see it as a very good solution.
@@sophiesong8937 Hm, that's a point I hadn't really considered. Admittedly I haven't been to the cinema in years, and have no idea how different it might be to how it was; which was largely an atmosphere of mutual consideration, as you say.
Ngl, there's a strong feeling of schadenfreude for the studios seeing people are finally getting tired of those giant repetitive marvel movies lol😌
I'm not happy about all the bad parts like the death of the theatres, or the fact that the execs are destroying another thing in the name of profit (but that's just our reality), but I like it when jiggling shiny loud keys in front of our faces isn't the only profitable thing for them
Also, bingus mcdingus
The algorithm has a name, and that name is Bingus McDingus.
In regards to trailers, I watched a trailer for a Disney vehicle before watching a trailer for Identiteaze (not on purpose, just a timing thing). And it's not like I expected Identiteaze to have a bad trailer, but it's a way smaller production so what I didn't expect is how much better it would be than a trailer from a multibillion corporation with infinite marketing money. There was no comparison, it was better on every level. Like, I was going to watch Identiteaze anyway but trailer made me bazzilion times more excited to watch it because it was good, it was so well made. I watched it two more times immediately.
Meanwhile the trailer from Disney was so bad it had a completely opposite effect - I was kinda interested in the concept, and the trailer just... killed any interest. And I've been feeling it more and more with trailers, I basically rarely even watch them anymore even though I really loved watching trailers when I was younger. No joke, I used to save favourite trailers and rewatch them. But with time they just stopped being fun and interesting... most of them have the same beats and structure, just choppy mess with poor pacing that isn't enticing or exciting for the viewer.
Major agree, the Identiteaze trailer felt so curated and, you know, actually generated interest like a trailer should. Most trailers are only tangentially related to the films and are majorly skippable.
I'm probably the minority, I just got tired of films in general, going to the theater have always sucked because I have adhd and being seated for hours is hard but I don't know why I just can't watch films anymore.
I tend to avoid cinemas in malls. But my middle sized city in the EU has a bunch of smaller cinemas that play movies that are actually interesting.
I went to the cinema for the first time since 2020 just last month. I'm quite of PotA, so naturally I wanted to see Kingdom, the newest entry. My partner has been wanting to see films in the cinema for about 2 years already, but I have rather bad anxiety about being in a closed packed room with a crowd. So we waited until the last week it was showing, and went to the cinema.
The tickets had doubled in price since I was at a cinema last (last time was actually at a bigger one in the nearest city, seeing Hotel Transylvania 3!) and our concessions of x2 cokes and 1 bucket of popcorn cost more than the tickets (thankfully I had expected it to be pricey, so I had enough to cover it, but I was quite shocked).
Not going to comment on the actual film, but I will say the cinema (which had been sold and refurbished with fewer smaller screens in the past 4 years) had very comfortable roomy seats with ample arm room and rests for your drinks and snacks. There were only 6 people at the viewing, including me and my partner.
There was a problem, though. For the first 20 minutes or so, there was a glare on the screen. I couldn't get immersed into the film because it made the contrast disappear, I could barely make out the characters or setting. I kept waiting for it to go, assuming it was the lights in the screening room (which usually dim). I ended up getting up and going to the front desk to see if they could fix it. It turned out that the light in the projection room had been left on. I felt quite frustrated, it was a big deal for me to go to the cinema after all that time, and it cost a pretty penny. I was really excited to see the newest PotA with my partner. Together, we have become fans, having seen all the films of both eras, and the TV series.
It did put quite a downer on the experience. It made me unable to get into it the way I would have liked. I felt like I was watching a film, not getting a cinema experience...
I genuinely do not see any upside to watching a movie at the movie theater.
Prescription skittles was a good joke
I think your videos are good. Please stop putting yourself down 😢
Eyyyy..... You popped up on my feed again.. Anyways.. Nice change on the topic...
There's a special place in hell for people who talk through a good movie lol
Your tie is lovely
Comments for the Digital Algorithm Gods!! I go to the movies only a handful of times every year.
I would say not just movie tickets but the price of snacks, drinks, and food is unreasonable.
I WANT to eat and drink during a show. I don't want to deal with the insane gouging costs of a beer and popcorn. I don't want to have to smuggle my food and drinks.
Other movie goers are really annoying but it is the companies making Hollywood slop that really piss me off. I don't want to go through an already overpriced experience just to see bad writing or lame sequels on a big screen. I'm bored from Marvel and the big boxes.
I can watch a UA-cam video essay explaining it, stream it from my subscriptions, or pirate it. Save all that money.
Hollywood is lazy as shit and repetitive as hell. I don't want to spend excess money during a period of financial instability on something I am not guaranteed to enjoy.
Also the actual costs of movie theaters reduce my enjoyment as well. Like yeah I'm really going to enjoy Star Wars ep 9 with my $30 worth of tiny popcorn and a single drink. Pathetic experience.
this comment is for the algorithm
@@moonlight_cat_27 This comment is to show that “this comment is for the algorithm” is driving engagement in these comments.
Bingus McDingus
🎉
Love your videos. I've been watching for a long time but I never comment.
Thank you for bringing good content. Me and my husband we love your videos!
Ironically I’ve started seeing movies in theaters for the first time in years. But I’ll admit it’s not a cheap night out with transportation, food and the actual ticket. It’s a fun solo date idea every now and then. Recently I wanted to watch the movie “Bikeriders” but my theater wasn’t showing it but what it was showing was a quiet place day one and the kingdom of the planet of the apes. I went with a quiet place but I’ll admit the setting wasn’t the reason I had a good time. With load people around me it would have been better at home but I did enjoy the movie.
Nice tie by the way.
I love the old heritage buildings that are in art deco style. And i will occasionally treat myself to a movie in one of these old theatres. They make me happy. But then im the other extreme that i will watch literally anything on my phone like the young folks...but unlike the young folks i do that because i like being able to hear it.
I haven't been to a theater for a film since December 2011, for most of the same reasons.
Loved the video!
I'm not sure it's on my end but it sounded like the audio was a bit staticky though
The movie theatre experience really is trash
I was born in 1984 and saw most of the films I saw in cinemas in the late 90s and early to mid-2000s. I had a bad experience with annoying patrons once. The other times, all went well. Here, it is also completely allowed to bring your own snacks. So a lot of bad things that I hear about current-day cinema experiences in the US were never an issue for me.
I and my friends used to movie hop if we had the time, it's a bit harder when some theaters nearby don't display the movie or time outside the doors
I'm a very frequent patron of my local arthouse theatre, which I regularly see selling out a 700-seat theatre. I love the communal experience of hundreds of people responding to a film together.
I think it's pretty clear that theatres have lost general audiences. If theatres want to remain open, I think catering towards cinema lovers with rep screenings is the best (only?) way forward
My town doesn't have a movie theater so if I want to watch a movie on the big screen I have to take a bus to either the other nearby town or the closest city, which is around one or more hours of just transport, not to mention ticket prices (yay car centrism). After that, I gotta pay for the ticket (which at least is not as expensive as in the USA) and pray there's no teenagers in the audience. This is assuming everything lines up with the movie schedules. Usually it doesn't, because transit isn't running at night and movies for adults don't get afternoon showings. Or they do but it's a weekend so no transit.
Just in time for my shower🖤 I'm excited for this one!
You watch youtube videos while in the shower?
21:03 hahaha! David Lynch is a legend. Both because of his movies and his interviews, strong opinions etc.
I think he actually changed his mind a bit about movies on phone, because the resolution has gotten so much better. That interview is from 2007/2008, when iPhones had an resolution of 480x320. Also watching you phone in the dark sorts of gives you that "looking on a canvas/silverscreen from far away"-vibe.
That clip of the fight in the theater was horrifying oml I feel so lucky to have gotten a lot of decent theater experiences. The only less than stellar occasion was when i was sat between people and some bigot to my left could not fathom two guys in the movie being into each other (i cannot for the life of me remember which movie it is anymore) meanwhile the group to my right were just annoying and this is why i usually go for seats on the side since it's less claustrophobic and it decreases the chance of being surrounded by annoying moviegoers. I also usually get pretty lucky since movies that do catch my eye tend to not get a large crowd.
EDIT: Oh nvm i remember which movie it is now: "the green knight" and that wasn't even as a gay as it should've been
I have fond memories of going to the cinema when I was younger. I went with my family a lot as a treat and there was also a kids club that was cheaper. I use to enjoy collecting these free posters they gave out. I continued to go with friends as I grew up, but over the past few years we've stopped going.
Things have become too convenient to do at home while going out is too expensive. At the same time I don't feel many new films are as memorable. When I catch up on older films that I didn't get around to before they have a different feel to them. I was also saying just the other day that I miss the way they use to make trailers. I can't fully tell what a lot of the newer ones are about.
Salari, PLEASE make a top 30 (or top 50) favorite film list. I would love to see that
An overlooked factor here is DVD releases. I think Matt Damon said it in an interview some years back, the main problem for cinema due to the advent of streaming services is not really market oversaturation or a big change in audience behaviour. After all people have been watching movies at home as long as I have been alive, oversaturation is more of a symptom. Because what has changed is that the buy-in for the viewers has been greatly reduced (similar to the music industry) and an entire stream of income for non-blockbuster flicks has vanished - so studios have become more apprehensive to throw money on smaller scale romcoms. Movies have to make most of their money from the theaters, so studios hedge their bets on the big IPs, the nostalgia bait, the action blockbusters, while going to the movies is becoming more expensive each year the problem only worsens. It's a bit of a doom spiral.
Instant like just for your trans themed tie!
One of the biggest problems is that the most intelligent aspect of the modern movie industry is the discussion of how and why it's declining.
I have long been an avid movie theater goer. I love going to the movies. I now boycott the movie theaters because everything's owned by Disney. And most of the writing sucks.
Aside: I MUST compliment your final-boss-level drip.
I don't go to the movies anymore because the audience ruins the experience for me. For all the stuff you named and especially people having their phones on volume blasted all the way up. I paid to see the content on the big screen not the noise and blue light from a bunch of small screens.
one thing that might dissuade me from future theater going is the sheer amount of ads and previews before the feature presentation. i went to an 8:20 showing of Furiosa but film did not roll until 8:50 after 30 minutes of gunk, half of which was straight up commercials for cars, insurance, and other non-cinema ads. but! as bad as some audiences can be, there is something special about a collective film experience. too much atomization is bad for society.
There have always been waves of movie genres that are popular. Movie musicals are a perfect example, and I think Rom-coms were very much a beast of the 90s and early 2000s.
As for me, I went to see Inside Out 2 on the weekend with my kids, in South Korea. Cinema was immaculate, cause Koreans take their rubbish out with them. These days Korea have lots of promotions to drive sustained attendance, rather than just opening weekend. For example, they will give you special illustrated 'original tickets' or posters. When the Boy and the Heron came out here, they gave away a different poster and ticket each week for at least 4 weeks, mightve been longer. This encourages fans to come see it again, or gives the feeling of a memento that relates specifically to when you went.
bingus is my fave cat too omg
Bingus McDingus 😂😂😂😂
Funny, since Minus One came out I am more often in theatres than ever before (Around 2 to 4 times a month) as both the size of the screen and the sound is much more impressive than at home, even owning a big screen and an ok 2.1 sound system, it's just not the same.
Usually it is an 'artsy' theatre though where people are polite and the tickets cost 10 Euros on average, mind you.
But somehow I appreciate the experience more this way and it's great for really focusing on the movie.
I'm very lucky to live a few blocks from a small, independent theater (in fact, I'm such a movie theater person, this was a primary selling point on where I live). They play a mix if newer, smaller budget indie movies, classic Hollywood movies, and they usually try to get the big blockbusters too.
I would be absolutely DEVISTATED if they closed. I actually am not a horror person though that's their bread and butter, so I really hope they get the blockbusters (I know, I'm still one of the few people that cares about Star Wars and MCU).
Anyway, I don't miss the big multiplexes though. Sometimes I do have to go to one of them to see something, and I almost always get the same thing you're describing with the questionable cleanliness and the crowd quality.
I think these smaller theaters are going to become like live theater. Something that is either hyper local small groups, and a few huge budget blockbusters.
I will say that one thing that draws me to the movie theater is the presence of the audience.
Yes, other people there can be disruptive, but they can also be part of the engagement. Seeing a new blockbuster on opening night, with a crowd who ooh and ahh and laugh in synchronicity with each other can make a person feel less isolated in their viewing experience. But that's not particularly viable in the long term, as those are very brief concentrations of interest, singular events, rather than an ongoing source of income.
I guess living on the west coast of Canada means we never see the problems with theaters you describe. I've ironically seen more movies in the past 6 or so years than I saw in the previous 10, but that is mainly because I am a big marvel fan and I really like the MCU movies.
That said it's not hard to figure this out, and why suddenly it's an issue in the past couple years. Inflation was insane. most people are paying 50-100% more in food and rent. Those are things you can't go without. Something you can go without is seeing a movie in a theater. Add in that you can spend $30 a month for 2-3 steaming services and you can get most of the movies you want to see within a couple months. The math isn't hard. All the problems you bring up in theaters didn't magically appear 2 years ago. They have always been there outside of smart phones, and those have been there for 15 years or more now.
So I have the AMC A-List membership (lets me see up to 3 movies a week for free in any format) so I go to the movie theater very frequently, typically 4-8 times per month. It's $25 per month, which means that I break even if I see at least two movies a month.
I've heard what you said about the theater experience getting worse because of bad audiences quite a bit, and I'm always a little surprised to hear it bc I go to the theater so often and I've only had one bad experience in about 2.5 years. I wonder if it's the type of movie? I don't go to see the new superhero movies for example, and I don't see the big block yesterday releases on opening weekend.
Also, what you spoke about regarding particularly young people not caring about the quality they watch movies in (watching on their phones etc.) made me think of how that reflects other aspects of where we are currently in consumerism and capitalism. People buying heaps of poor quality stuff that they use once or never from Temu, Shein, etc. because they don't care about the experience/quality, just mindless consumerism.
That's partly why I really agree with many of the film directors that talk about how upsetting it is that people watch movies on their phone, or criticize Marvel movies as "not being real cinema". I think people get defensive about this and call the people who say these things "boomers" or "out of touch", but I think these criticisms are worth making. I think that people are happier, healthier, and more fulfilled when they view film and other art with seriousness and intentionality and engage with it critically, and watching movies in a theater really does help to stimulate your senses and creativity and tap into your emotions in a different way. Plus exercises your attention span, as you are more likely to spend time on your phone and distracted with other activities concurrently if watching a movie at home.
At my age, (old), I have pretty much outgrown any taste for blockbusters, "action" movies, franchises, horror, etc.
I do like a good, solid drama. Enjoyed Oppenheimer at the theater. But they wouldn't let me drink from the butter dispenser...
Excellent video, sir, well said.
18:45 back in the 90's, I was in a very famous TV Shooooow
I'm someone who actually does prefer the (group) theatre experience to the home viewing one enough to buy tickets a few times a year. We've bought tickets 3 months ago now (the Costco bundles, so not for any particular movie) and... haven't used them. Because it's like you said - there has been nothing that caught our interest in theatres in all that time.
They need to vary the movies more.
Bingus Mcdingus.👍🏾👍🏾
I looooved going to the movies as a kid and teen. We had a little (1 big and two small showrooms) cinema in the middle of the city back than. From looking at the new posters outside to see what's coming up (always on Thursdays!) to standing outside in the evening before the movie, smoking and feeling cool to the dark red curtains and the break for the iceman after the Langnese advert. THAT I really would love to do again. But going to the city's cineplex out on a parking lot in the industrial part of the city? For an absurd amount of money? No, thanks, I'm good.
Seeing movies in theaters was not just cheaper back then, it was a way more "casual" experience. You likelly would have a theater at a walking distance from your house and you could spend a rainy saturday watching a double or triple feature. People would even walk into a theathe in the middle of a movie just to kill time.
bingus mcdingus is so underrated!