Are movie theatres a dying breed?

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So we all know what's going on and why things are shutting down left and right.

The question is are movie theatres done for as well? They even sent my invoice back.

Even when things get back to normal, will you still go to the theatre?

With flat screens getting taller than my apartment ceiling, amazon delivering awesome popcorn choices, and online video services, should the film industry start thinking about delivering brand new movies online? Kind of like dentists in Vancouver here have adapted?



I was hardly ever going even before this, because people behave terrible: talk, use their phones, et cetera. It's ruined so many movies for me and at this point I'm just seeing a few a year in theaters, the ones I really really want/need to see early or on the big screen.

So, yeah, this isn't causing me to up the frequency at all. Might not cause it to go down either, unless people in general go less so it's less of an issue, but since it only takes one, I doubt that'll be the case.

Still waiting for the day you can pay a big markup to stream brand new releases. Even if it's about a month after theater release. I'll gladly pay for that.



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So we all know what's going on and why things are shutting down left and right.

The question is are movie theatres done for as well?

Even when things get back to normal, will you still go to the theatre?

With flat screens getting taller than my apartment ceiling, amazon delivering awesome popcorn choices, and online video services, should the film industry start thinking about delivering brand new movies online?
They were closing down before the pandemic.. Not only theaters, but almost every video rental place, which I hear are only open because they rent out video games.
I think the biggest reason is that the movies of today (and the last 40 years) don't compare to the 1930-70s. Not even close.
Also, people seem to have less luxury income, and I remember a friend telling me he paid $20 for a ticket (and he fell asleep through some Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter thing)..
I went in 2014, and it was hard to enjoy the movie with phones going off, or the lights constantly on, flickering around the theater. People talking, or the fake domino laughs. Or comments like "Oh that was good" - totally unnecessary stuff. Other noises.
The internet... People can find movies (in a million of ways) they want and watch them on a TV screen (some quite big). You can pause when YOU have to pee, or whatever.

I think people don't go out as much in general. I don't, and many of the people I know don't, so even if there are a couple who still have that "I gotta go out" mentality, it won't help because like dominoes, they are left to either go alone, or not at all.... I never went to bars much in the US, but sometimes I'd go just to see a particular person, drink juice, and use my money to influence the ears with the jukebox, but as soon as the no-smoking law came into effect, so did the customers. I only smoked cigarettes when I drank (early 2000s), and they seem to go hand-in-hand for many others.



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So we all know what's going on and why things are shutting down left and right.

The question is are movie theatres done for as well?

Even when things get back to normal, will you still go to the theatre?

With flat screens getting taller than my apartment ceiling, amazon delivering awesome popcorn choices, and online video services, should the film industry start thinking about delivering brand new movies online?

Like the others have said, I also stopped going to the movie theaters years ago because of the rude behavior of other people. Talking, cell phones lighting up, kicking the back of my seat, throwing food, sticky floors, etc.

Plus, when Hubby and I used to go to the theater, we would go to the midnight showing of new movies. We would wait for hours to get good seats, only to find out that when we got inside, the good seats were already taken by other customers who would buy tickets to different movies, and then sneak into these theaters before the line was allowed in, and the movie theater workers and/or managers wouldn't do anything about it.


I'm hoping that drive-in theaters make a comeback because of the pandemic. We can sit in our cars and stay safe, plus we can bring our own food and drinks, and there are no other people there to ruin the movie with their rude behavior.
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So we all know what's going on and why things are shutting down left and right.

The question is are movie theatres done for as well?

Even when things get back to normal, will you still go to the theatre?


With flat screens getting taller than my apartment ceiling, amazon delivering awesome popcorn choices, and online video services, should the film industry start thinking about delivering brand new movies online?
No, theaters will survive. Absent the rudeness people have described, there's something magical about going to the movie house: the lights go down, the music starts, the anticipation. It's definitely not the same as it used to be. They'd show some previews, but no advertisements, and people were respectful. It's still that way if the theater is not very crowded.

I'll definitely go to the theater when they re-open. I enjoy it more so than my wife does, but she's 20 years younger. One's experiences of theaters while growing up play an important part in one's desire to go today. I've personally had hundreds more good experiences than bad.

I don't care for all the multi-plexes with the small capacities and not so large screens. I suspect those could be overcome by people's home theaters. If you've never been to a large downtown movie theater that seats large audiences, make an effort to do so. It's a completely different experience.



I was hardly ever going even before this, because people behave terrible: talk, use their phones, et cetera. It's ruined so many movies for me...

...I also stopped going to the movie theaters years ago because of the rude behavior of other people. Talking, cell phones lighting up, kicking the back of my seat, throwing food, sticky floors, etc.

...people seem to have less luxury income, and I remember a friend telling me he paid $20 for a ticket...

...phones going off, or the lights constantly on, flickering around the theater. People talking, or the fake domino laughs. Or comments like "Oh that was good"...

The internet... People can find movies (in a million of ways) they want and watch them on a TV screen (some quite big)...
Agreed with all of the above! Rude people, often rude young people have ruined movie theaters for me. Last movie I went to a teen couple sat next to me, the girl sat on the boys lap. They talked non stop through the entire movie. I came very close to pouring my soda pop over their stupid heads! I'll never go again to a theater again...A few years ago for Christmas I got a pre paid movie pass...I gave it away!



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Agreed with all of the above! Rude people, often rude young people have ruined movie theaters for me. Last movie I went to a teen couple sat next to me, the girl sat on the boys lap. They talked non stop through the entire movie. I came very close to pouring my soda pop over their stupid heads! I'll never go again to a theater again...A few years ago for Christmas I got a pre paid movie pass...I gave it away!
That's what I initially thought, until I went to a classic movie in a historical theater in SF (double-feature, B&W movies from the 40s) and it was just as bad unfortunately. I didn't even like the movies, but I thought "Older crowd, at least they'll be respectful" - nope.



That's what I initially thought, until I went to a classic movie in a historical theater in SF (double-feature, B&W movies from the 40s) and it was just as bad unfortunately. I didn't even like the movies, but I thought "Older crowd, at least they'll be respectful" - nope.
That's interesting, I would've thought a classic movie might have drawn in a more respectful crowd...I guess not.

You know why I think people act like asses in theaters these days? Because the movies have become like mega amusement park rides. So people in a theater act like their in Disney Land...and they probably are anyway.



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Maybe I'm just lucky in this regard, but I manage to avoid a lot of the usual theatre problems that people complain about like disruptive audiences or high prices. Think that may have something to do with a smaller population leading to a statistically lower chance of getting annoying customers, plus there are theatres with cut-price memberships and offers so price isn't that much of an issue. Not saying I don't occasionally have to deal with some rudeness, but never enough to make me even think about giving up on theatres.

Then again, I have to wonder about the overlap is between people who want businesses to reopen regardless of public safety and people who act badly at theatres...
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I also have never had any problems in theatres with rudeness.
I can’t imagine them closing down, and I hope it never happens. I love sitting in those seats before the big screen as the previews roll in.



Wow - awesome responses. Agree with most here though. I only started going to the theatres in the day time when I started this self-employed thing. The theatre was literally empty, got my pulled pork burger and fries, and watched amazing movies. My last one was Once upon a time in Hollywood. Which I saw twice in the same kind of atmosphere. However, I never want to be there when ppl are around. No thanks.

The WORST thing that happened to us was when we were watching The Dark Knight Returns and right at a very awesome scene, some kid jumps up from the back and goes "I KNEW IT!". I looked at him and I realized . . . this will be my last time at a packed movie theatre ever again.

The way things are going, I have a feeling theatres are done for anyways.



Welcome to the human race...
If that's the worst thing that's ever happened to you in a theatre, you're getting off light. One of my most recent trips to the theatre was for Guns Akimbo and I ended up next to a guy who walked in talking to his mate about how he thought Elisabeth Moss was so ugly it honestly creeped him out and then throughout the film he would occasionally pull a bottle of vodka out of his backpack and swig it. Good thing I hated the film anyway because at least that way he wasn't actually ruining anything worthwhile (he loved it, obviously). The real reason I want to get back to theatres is so I don't have that be one of the last times I ever go.