Does the movie theatre change your impression?

Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on seeing a movie at a movie theatre versus seeing it on DVD/at home. Does the theatre add more to certain movies? I believe it probably does. A good example would be Titantic. The only way to truly appreciate this movie is to see it in a theatre. Cameron went to great lengths to give a realistic depiction of the event. Some movies are just meant for the big screen. The Lord of the Rings is another example. Those sweeping shots just arent the same without the big screen.

It does, because that's the place and dimensions that films are made for. I think there are plenty of films that don't benefit from the 'big screen treatment' (particularly comedies) but some of those do benefit from being seen with other people. Obviously comedies are at the top of that list. Even a film which you don't find particularly funny are a lot better when seen with a couple of hundred people, who are all laughing.

I think it depends on the film. If it's a special effects driven film, then it certainly benefits from a large screen.

Heavy dramas can go either way and that's mostly dependent on the quality of the crowd in the theater with you. If people are being quiet and respectful, then I think it can be beneficial (especially as opposed to the viewing experience in my house, which is loaded with distractions thanks to my noisy and attention-seeking pets and the inevitable telephone call that always comes when I've just settled down to watch something or at some pivotal point in the movie).

Then there are the so-bad-they're-good movies which are best viewed with a group of friends in a home setting - because the running commentary between us adds a great deal to our viewing pleasure, though it would be unwelcome in a theater setting.

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All the big summer blockbusters have to be seen in the cinema to truely appreciate them, things like Cloverfield, Transformers, The Dark Knight, watching these kinds of movies at home you don't quite get the whole experience the director intended the audience to get at least that's what i think.

Well, I would say watching a movie in the theatre definitely enhances what is being put on screen, and the sounds. Personally, watching a movie in the theatres is always better, but you know it does cost money.

Only at the extremes. I've been in some older theaters with terrible sound, flickering pictures, inconsiderate crowds, etc. The same can sometimes happen with comedies if there's no one else in the theater and I'm not with more than one other person; certain comedies lose something without that group feeling. I find the circumstances matter less as time goes on, though. But I definitely have a bit more trouble feeling engrossed if people are talking, texting, etc. Which they pretty much always are now.

I've got a theatre, back home, that is stuck in the 90's. They don't have stadium seating, the last time they did any modifications to the picture/sound quality was in preparation for Episode I. My wife and I went to a movie last year, and it was laughable. The picture was blurry and the sound was terrible, yet they charge an arm and a leg for tickets simply because they can.

My movie experience, at that theatre, is not a good one and I tend to not enjoy the movie. As for any other theatre, I can usually overlook the texting (as that doesn't bother me), it's the flippin' people who answer their phone without leaving their seat, that bother me.

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"I was walking down the street with my friend and he said, "I hear music", as if there is any other way you can take it in. You're not special, that's how I receive it too. I tried to taste it but it did not work." - Mitch Hedberg

Movies that are just too epic for a small screen I like to see in theatre, but otherwise I kinda like being able to curl up in the comfort of my own home with my pets and my comfy blankets and my not-ridiculously-expensive goodies. More comforts, less distractions.

I am more easily entertained by a movie in the cinema, movies that I would find mediocre, I might find awesome in the theatre

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Lately I've seen Public Enemies in a small box theatre without air-conditioning.
That was awful.

Generally, the big epics call for the big screen. On the other hand, I once took my sons to a special showing of the original Creature from the Black Lagoon in 3D, and the old image took up maybe a fifth of the modern big screen--just a small square up in the lefthand corner.

I saw all the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter films first on the big screen, but they're just as entertaining in the letterbox format on the TV screen, plus LOTR DVDs have additional scenes.

As I've gotten older, I enjoy DVD's much more than going to the films: for one thing, all the DVDs have captions so I can read the words I sometimes don't hear. Also I can pause the film while I go to the toilet--this becomes more important as you age. And when I'm showing the old classics to my grandkids, I can stop the film to call their attention to subtle features.

Epics, totally. My Dinner With Andre....not really, unless it was in 3-D.

I do not see a gigantic difference apart from big budget action movies.....though war movies are bad on the big screen in comparison either.

There are certain movies such as The Lord Of The Rings trilogy which I certainly wished I could have seen in the theaters although my parents thought I was too young at the time to see them. The wide shots of the Shire and the fight scenes would have been amazing on the big screen.

I think so, I mean I know I'm not going to be interrupted and there's an energy an audience shares that makes it a more complete experience. I rather enjoy being in a theatre. It's just more complete.

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But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet, Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. W.B. Yeats

I can compare movies in a series that I have seen only on DVD and others on the cinema screen. Those being the Harry Potter films. The early Potter films such as Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber Of Secrets I only saw from DVD while the remainder I have seen in the cinema. Most of which with the exception of the Prisoner of Azkaban I enjoyed the ones from the cinema over the ones from DVD.

Without a doubt. The big guns have to be seen opening weekend. It's like a sporting event and adds to the enjoyment for me. Crowd reaction and buzz are huge.

However, everything is better on the big screen IMO. I rarely rent movies myself. I make it a point to see everything I want at the theatre, even if its a matinee. If I enjoy the film and think it's good, I'll buy it when it's out on DVD. Rarely do I blind buy or even rent a film.

As others have mentioned it's situational. Depending on the type of the movie, and the energy of the audience. Sometimes when I dislike a movie and the audience likes it, it makes me hate it more (often this happens with comedies). More often the theatre makes the film better, with sound and picture quality. I don't really mind watching movies at home and home viewings don't detract much, other than occasional interuptions. I'd prefer to see movies in theatre, but most of the ones I want to see are on DVD, and I have long missed the opportunity to see them on the big screen.

Most films I would much rather watch in the own comfort of my home. I am easily distracted by noise from other viewers and the crunching of popcorn and stuff like that.

2D theater changes my impression only little.
However, 3D changes it a lot.