Netflix vs Theaters
 

Netflix Wants Big Movies Day and Date With Theaters

In my opinion this guy is the worst but he's also probably right that inevitably in a few decades movie theaters will be obsolete.

Re: Netflix vs Theaters
 

Once upon a time I was a staunch defender of the value of seeing films in theaters. And in the abstract, I still am. But with the rise in narcissistic behavior that makes an enjoyable experience rarer and rarer, I say bring it on. Tear the whole thing down, charge me $30-40 for a same-day stream into my home. Do it. I'm so ready.

Re: Netflix vs Theaters
 

Whenever I hear people talk about what a terrible experience they have going to see a movie in a theater lately I feel like I must have been absurdly lucky with almost every movie theater I've been to and every crowd I've seen a movie with in my life

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If you generally go the same theater, maybe you're just in a good area for that sort of thing. That and maybe you're less sensitive to it than I am, though my sensitivity to it has been brought about by the multitude of bad experiences, so who knows.

As a college student without much cash to my name (at least until this summer), movie theater experiences usually need to be great for them to not be bad, in terms of the movie and the audience. That's probably why I've had as many bad experiences in theaters. But in addition to this, I don't think theaters have the same pull for me because I never had a moment in a theater where I was blown away by a movie. In fact, the first time I recall truly being amazed by a movie, I was watching it on a computer screen. I haven't seen any of my favorite films on the big screen yet, and while I would like to, I don't see theaters as much of a special place because the just about all of the best movies I've seen (save for Ozu's Late Autumn), I've seen on a smaller screen. I don't think they have much to offer me, but my school's library and the internet have tons.

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I love going to the theater and do it several times a week but i am in a fortunate position with a state funded theater that only costs half the price of a normal ticket and with no commercials. The people who go there are usually film nerds who behave in a normal fashion. Watching Satyajit Rays, Truffaut and Godards film on the big screen have been a tremendous experience.

Netflix in Denmark is pretty horrible (though you can bypass it and get access to the US Netflix) so I primarily use MUBI or Pegleg for streaming. Older films can usually be found on vimeo or at archive.org

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Jesus, if they take away theaters, I will have absolutely nothing to do with my existence. Honestly, I can't think of going to the movies and having a bad time. As for whether or not it'll actually happen, I don't think it's very likely to happen. I can't see it ever fading away.

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I haven't had any bad experiences at the theatre to date, but I don't go that often anyways.

I think going to the theatre is a lot of fun, depending on the movie of course.

Maybe you're in the wrong theater? They are not all run like frat parties. Why would you rather pay 40 bucks to see a movie on a small screen when you can go to a decent theater and pay 10 to see it on the big screen?

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If they release movies the same day on Netflix as in theaters then those who share/steal and release on the net will have a party.

The absence of other people is an amazing thing

Agreed. Other people ruin everything, it's almost like...hell is other people.

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Depends. I have to be really hyped up for a movie to pay $12 just to watch it on a big screen, with a chance of the people there not being annoying, unless my friends want to watch a stupid movie like Scary Movie V and I have nothing better to do. For the most part I just wait for a DVD release or if I'm not at all amped ill just watch it if it becomes avaliable to stream.

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I still love going to the movie theaters myself. But then again I have a military discount, and the local theaters here also have a $5.75 price for the first showing of the day per movie. All I have to do is bring my refillable bucket where I pay three bucks for popcorn and smuggle in a Red Bull and I am golden!

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I've been saying this on the site for a few years now, simply because this is the only way I can see it going. Once the studios find the way/audience to make it work it'll make dvd profits look like chump change.

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movie theaters, especially the small time, second running ones are ALWAYS great to go to. There is one nearby that is the old, old style, with a large balcony and they play old movies on weekends and they even have an old time pipe organ that they play before the movie and during intermission. VERY effin cool. Watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang last summer there. Fantastic way to watch a childhood favorite

Netflix 99% of the time for sure. My only real exceptions for wanting to be in a theatre are good comedies (I love being in an audience where everyone's laughing), or the newest Tarantino

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I think the last film I saw in theaters was the avengers.. it's so much better watching films at home.

You can smoke, hang out with your pets, get freaky with your significant other, pause the film and go to the restroom, sit in a more comfortable chair.

These are just some benefits I can think of off the top of my head. I'm fortunate in that I enjoy old films, so I have a queue of dvds that never seems to end. Eventually when a new movie comes out, I bump that to the top of the queue..

It's working for me. The only problem is that I never see commercials so I have to actively search for new movies that are being released. This forum helps since you guys talk about movies as they come out.

Yeah, I've tried several theaters in the area. I've had bad experiences in all of them. I even went to see The Master, on a Tuesday, in the afternoon...and still got people talking right in front of me. It's a culture-wide problem. If you haven't experienced it much, great, but I'm pretty sure that's the exception.

Er, because of all the talking and cell phone usage we've been discussing this entire time.

That's without even getting into the convenience.

It's a television based problem. Television has hurt the film industry in many ways.

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I'd probably agree with that, especially if by television you include home theater and not just television shows.

I think the larger problem is an exponential rise in unchecked narcissism (especially since the issue is usually sheer obliviousness to others), but at some point we get into a chicken/egg thing, too, since some of this stuff reinforces it.

Yikes, sounds like you need a one-room cabin in Wyoming.

Re: Netflix vs Theaters
 

I think eventually, probably not in the near future, but theaters will probably start to loose momentum. Right now, from a business perspective, you/we shouldn't have to worry about that. I say this because, theatres have yet to embark on any impressive/desperate attempt to salvage dwindling business through marketing or advertising. Today, at least in texas over the years, there has been a huge growth in the dining/drinking type movie theaters, i.e. Movie Grill/Tavern and even AMC Dine Ins, which all have added infrastructure they built unto their theaters, meaning, this is an investment and they have the capital to expand kitchens, luxurious seating, staff, bars, etc,etc.

The article's main reference or point, at least what I believed it to be, was the threat that movie theaters themselves would be in physical/monetary jeopardy if online vendors had the rights to release the movies same day, jeopardizing the physical infrastructure of the movie theater business model. To this I would completely agree. I feel it will happen in time (but again not for awhile), because I think what we may be overlooking how complicated things would have to become in order for this to happen for every release, and the impact of movie prodcution as a whole. For instance, someone mentioned seeing Avengers in the theater. When a movie like this is made, a production budget is set based on the market, the business model in which the movie will hopefully payback its return (either straight ticket sales, dvds, rentals, both, etc). Obviously, when making and planning a movie at this caliber, I can't imagine any production and/or distribution team on the side of the movie thinking, "well we better see first what NetFlix will give us for a first day release as well as Itunes and Amazon, because we are expecting to make our 220 million dollars back on opening weekend so we need to make sure they can cover it." Both sides, NetFlix, and the movie industry want to make money. Right now, the movie industry makes their money at the movies, and simply NetFlix does not. That is a new revenue source they want to gain. Right now, I don’t think the industry is looking to completely shift gears away from that main source of theaters exclusively.
NetFlix, Amazon, Hulu, everyone is creating original series and movies, yes, and they are respectable, yes, but they do not compare to the type of movies that can be created by large production studios. If the industry does shift to NetFlix and other online mediums, do you feel this will positively or negatively impact a movie’s production value, as well as the ability for independent movies to made (since there is hardly any monetary return on these types of films). I say this because remember, NetFlix is still a business, they haven’t proven themselves yet to be a vehicle of cinema inspiration or creativity (not impressed with their original content, not enough to say they are the future of the movie industry).
From a consumer perspective, I hope theaters never close. I will admit my attendance has gone down over the years, just based on economy, and really just movie releases, and unfortunately I have to say that not every theater going experience is pleasurable. As a consumer, by having various mediums to see movies, and not solely just online, we still have some market control over pricing. If everything were to go straight online, well don’t you think membership dues would slightly rise along with stand alone purchases? Do we as a cinema-philes want just the internet dictating what entertainment we can and can’t see based on the price of online competitors? I don’t feel so, and the reference about Tower Heist……yeesh…..a movie like that….is it really any wonder why Universal thought about changing their distribution on that “gem,”?

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My family hasn't been to a movie theater in years. First of all we won't spend that kind of money (we're very frugal folks). Secondly I like to be able to pause the movie and get a snack or visit the restroom. We have a 10 foot TV in the house with no satellite just Netflix streaming. If we want to watch something more recent ... it's out to the local Redbox. I also don't have to worry about having my shoes stick to the floor. Yuk.

Movie theaters will never become absolete. They survived the 1950s when television entered peoples' homes. Theater owners have the money and the technology to come up with new ideas to stay ahead of the market. Theaters where people can leave their homes to go and watch a show have been around for thousands of years. They're not going anywhere.

You must be hanging with the wrong people!

They have to re-invent themselves periodically, but the theaters in my town are doing quite well. The "dinner and a movie" thing is quite alive. The suburban mall cineplex that I go to (when there's no other choice) is stuffed to the gills on weekends and busy on weekdays and the art houses in the City have managed to do well enough with their combination of indie and foreign films. I also think the pessimists underestimate the appeal of a collective experience when seeing a movie. I'll also give odds that theaters will continue for at least a few more years.

There are really a lot of good movies aside from the small, action-oriented selection in Redbox. Netflix is OK, but it completely misses some of the large distributors, so there are many good movies you will never see.

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Movie theaters are an American tradition. They won't go away. They would see decreased prices before they would go away mark my word. Naturally they will probably just stay the same.

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I still enjoy seeing a film at theaters. Netflix just can't replicate the experience. Part of it is the fun of going out instead of staying home, part of it is the social experience, and a lot of it is seeing a film on a bigger screen than i could ever have in my home. I hate to think there would be a day when we all just stay in our homes, everything delivered to us, shunning all human contact. That seems sad to me. I'm still sad there are no video stores anymore. Netflix can't replace that experience either.

I still like theaters and I'll defend them till I'm blue in the face. Some of my favorite memories are in theaters. There's nothing quite like going to see a movie at it's midnight release with a bunch of other people as crazy about it as you are. Nothing any kind of service can give me at home will match that.

Have you tried writing a letter to the theater in question? A real, hard-copy letter, explaining your frustration and telling them you'll be taking your business elsewhere?

I've noticed that nearly every theater has the stern "turn off your phone!" and "be courteous and don't talk!" warnings before the movies, but nobody ever actually does anything about it. No ushers come in and warn or banish people.

They should. Using cell phones during a movie should be a kicked-out offense, no money back.

If they did this routinely, I bet the behavior would change fast as word got out that they enforced their cell phone ban.

And it just might start with a few disgruntled and otherwise loyal customers writing to say they're walking away.

Re: Netflix vs Theaters
 

Or if more people thought they'd get shot by a crazy person.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/13/justic...ater-shooting/

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Egad. That's horrible.

I agree. Next time yell at them and tell them to be quiet. If that doesn't work, grab their phone and toss it across the room. I wouldn't put up with that crap.

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You forgot to add, "No masturbating." (Pee-Wee Herman got arrested for doing that in a theater).

Maybe that would come under 'No Hobbies' :D

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Woody Allen said it's one of his in Hannah and Her Sisters.

Re: Netflix vs Theaters
 

Yeah... All Five of them.

Re: Netflix vs Theaters
 

Netflix is better!

The last time I went to the cinema it was a mixed experience.

I went to see "Devils Due" first which was full of people who were clearly under 18 and were not allowed to be in, they were standing up, sitting down, walking all over the place, using mobile phones etc etc. Without wishing to sound like some kind a of grumpy "things were not like this in my day" but the truth is they were not! I was taught respect and how one should conduct yourself in a public area.

After that I went to see "The Wolf of Wall Street" and that was much better, people were behaved and engaged.

As I believe Yoda said I was offered the chance to stream the films the same day as they came on release for a higher charge a month or if Amazon offered to release the films on DVD I would have no problem doing so.

I am not sure it would make a difference in all honesty, people would still put Cams out there, if anything it might drop the level of piracy down especially if there was one big netflix and not one for each country I would be more than happy to pay more for it.

Re: Netflix vs Theaters
 

No it isn't, unless browsing endlessly is somehow better than watching an actual film. ;)

Really though, I like both! However, nothing will ever compare to some of the cinema experiences I have had. I just really enjoy the concept of a room full of strangers enjoying a new experience together in a a big dark cave. A film like The Descent goes from a well done psychological thriller to a shared nightmare, with people screaming and hiding their eyes. For this type of film, I find this to be an enhancement.

Sort of a shared dream, like in Inception (the subtext of which is about this very concept).

However, Yoda's point is certainly valid, but my Girlfriend is LTIzzy, and she has no problem getting right in the face of whichever tween or prostitot idiot that thinks they will chatter or text in our vicinity. I take a heavy with me to the movies - try it sometime! :D

http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/def...?itok=OiXVzXkJ

One thing I do wish the UK Netflix had but does not is a "what's new" section, I use Netflix US and it has this feature, I really don't understand why it is not available.

Re: Netflix vs Theaters
 

Most hypocritical moment of my life tonight. I always moan about DVD/BLU RAY being better than Netflix the advantages of the extas and actually owning movies is great for any movie lover, tonight i was feeling lazy, just wanted to kick back and watch a movie, i chose Casablanca (never seen it, not sure why) but instead i chose to bang on Netflix and watch American Dad.

Im a let down.

I'm not into downloading films (I prefer a physical copy), so I would rather see a film in the cinema. But more and more these days, I wait for a film to be released on DVD. Same with films already released, I prefer to buy them from a shop.