Netflix vs Theaters

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Must be doin sumthin right
Netflix Wants Big Movies Day and Date With Theaters

Originally Posted by Netflix Chief Ted Sarandos

Theater owners stifle this kind of innovation at every turn. The reason why we may enter this space and try to release some big movies ourselves this way, is because I’m concerned that as theater owners try to strangle innovation and distribution, not only are they going to kill theaters–they might kill movies.
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.



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.



Must be doin sumthin right
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



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.



Gangster Rap is Shakespeare for the Future
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
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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Mubi



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



The Bib-iest of Nickels
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.



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.
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Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? You watching?. And my straw reaches acroooooooss the room, and starts to drink your milkshake... I... drink... your... milkshake!
-Daniel, There Will Be Blood



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.
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?



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.
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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."



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?
The absence of other people is an amazing thing



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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Yeah, there's no body mutilation in it



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!



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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5-time MoFo Award winner.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
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



Sorry Harmonica.......I got to stay here.
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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Under-the-radar Movie Awesomeness.
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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.



Maybe you're in the wrong theater? They are not all run like frat parties.
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.

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?
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.



Gangster Rap is Shakespeare for the Future
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.
It's a television based problem. Television has hurt the film industry in many ways.