Home Theater vs. Movie Theater

CNN has a great story about the decline of the movie theater, Most Prefer to Watch Movies at Home.

While 73 percent said they preferred staying home to watch movies on DVD, videotape or pay-per-view, 22 percent said they would rather see them at a movie theater, according to the poll conducted for The Associated Press and AOL News by Ipsos.

The story states that this is the longest box office slump in 20 years, and I believe it. Movie ticket prices and concession costs are ridiculous, and the recent releases from Hollywood are hardly worth it. Why go out when you can have your choice of 40,000 movies from Netflix or Blockbuster Online and watch them in the comfort of your home?

But the poll found that people who use DVDs, watch pay-per-view movies on cable, download movies from the Internet and play computer games actually go to movies in theaters more than people at the same income levels who don't use those technologies. That suggests the technology may be complementing rather than competing with theatergoing. Eight in 10 in the poll said they have DVD players at home.

I'm having a hard time remembering the last time I went to the theater, but I have two very small kids. I think I might venture out to see Revenge of the Sith (digital projection, if possible), but I'm normally willing to wait a couple of months to watch movies at my convenience. If the studios continue to shorten the release window, will the theaters suffer even more?

Do you still go to the theater?

Thanks to Evan for sending this in.

Comments

[Brent]

I have amassed a huge DVD collection (450+) and I still go to the theater. However there is a big difference between the movies that I will go see in a theater versus the movies I won't.

Let's just take for example the movies that I would be willing to see in a theater versus the ones I wouldn't that are currently playing down the road from me. There are 11 movies playing at this theater and of those, only 4 would I be willing to see there (Batman, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Longest Yard, and of course Star Wars).

The other 7 movies don't require theater watching as I call it. These movies are your low level dramas or comedies or just plain not going to see it type of movies. There is absolutely no argument for seeing a movie such as The Perfect Man or The Traveling Pants of the Sisterhood in a theater. None. They might have 1 or 2 total surround sound moments, but I come close with my home theater set up.

I guess what it boils down to is that the movies that SHOULD be seen in an actual theater are the ones I am willing to go see. Not to say I won't go see something that I would prefer to rent because I do have to give into my wife's requests sometimes. But in general we tend to only see the movies that would be enhanced by the theater going experience in the theater.

[Manda]

I just hate my local cinema, period. They never show anything with more than half a brain; the screening rooms are freezing; and nowadays it's impossible to get through a film without some kind of cell phone annoyance.

I haven't been to a theater in 8 years and have no plans to. I wait for them to come out on DVD and rent them. I don't need the hassle & aggravation of sitting on top of others, having cell phones ring, babies crying, people talking and laughing all thru the flick, $10 Goobers, $15 drinks, $20 popcorn!

Don't forget the 20 minutes of previews & ADs!!! Yep, you now get to PAY to see ads in the theatre!

I actually like going to the movies, but it's too much trouble to do it more then once or twice a month (if that - depends on the time of year). I don't have the kind of expensive home theater system which replicates the movie-going experience (no giant widescreen TV, no surround-sound, etc), so for me there's still a major difference between watching a film on the "big screen" and watching it at home on DVD. However, the time and expense involved makes it so that I tend to go only to select films which really interest me (and which are easy to get to, which is why I don't see many art-house flicks theatrically) - so far this year I've gone theatrically to five films (The Aviator, Million Dollar Baby, Sin City, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Star Wars Ep. III), and I'm planning to go to Batman Begins next week.

[Laura]

For me, there are criteria that go along with why I might go to the movie theatre:

1. Someone I am head over heels crushing over is in the movie.

Though this doesn't always make the cut, either. If the movie looks even remotely ridiculous, I won't spend the money. I have had a lifelong crush on Robert Downey, Jr., for example, but only last night did I see Gothika because it didn't look interesting enough to spend a lot of money in a theatre on it. (I was right, incidentally. It wasn't the worst movie I'd ever seen, but it wasn't great, either.)

2. I just feel like going to the theatre for something to do.

This happened, for example, over the Christmas holiday. I went to visit a friend out of state and it was just an activity to do one of the days was there. We saw The Aviator, which I enjoyed a lot, but if it hadn't been vacation for me I might not have made the effort.

3. The movie actually appears phenomonally interesting.

There's nothing worse than spending 12 dollars (plus concessions if I felt like it) and you're looking at your watch for it to be over. It has to seem particularly intriguing from the trailers.

So overall, I'm pretty picky, and pretty skeptical. The Aviator was the last movie I saw in theatres, and before that I think it was Peter Pan, which was probably about an entire year prior, and was also just something to do and that looked like the most interesting, least annoying movie playing at the time.

When I can go hear the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a beautiful park under the trees for about the same cost as a mediocre movie, my entertainment budget gets shifted to things of higher artistic value, so I can know for sure I won't be disappointed.

[thattherepaul]

The last movie I saw in the theater was "The Matrix: Reloaded" in the Loews Fresh Pond Theater in Cambridge, Mass. Passing through a lobby rancid with the smell of hydrogenated popcorn oil, we found our cramped seats by trudging across a floor sticky with discarded gum and unidentifiable resins. The ear-piercing volume at which the interminable previews played was nevertheless insufficient to drown out fellow theater patrons' discussion of their personal lives in a series of monologues apparently intended for the entire audience. Their lively conversation continued well into the movie itself, a thorough failure of the imagination in the familiar manner of many Hollywood blockbusters (Instead of a car chase, why not a really long and complicated car chase? Instead of one Agent Smith, why not 700? Why not substitute mind-bending plot twists with a love story so dumbed down a five-year old would find it dull?) Midway through the film, the theater's ventilation system failed. As Neo effortlessly fought off an additional installment of 1,400 more Agent Smiths, the air temperature rose to approximate the ambient temperature of Venus. The last words I said to my bf as we shuffled towards the poorly marked exits were, "This is the last time I will ever go to a movie theater." That was sometime in 2003. I joined Netflix shortly after, and I haven't gone back since.

[DontBotherMe]

Amen Brother (sister)! Go tell it on the mountain! Theatre experience WAS a good thing but now, it just sux! Take the money you will save on the stuff and invest in your own home theatre setup.

[Oliver Taylor]

I work in the Film business, so I concede that my opinion of this matter is somewhat skewed. I make my living so that people will go to films, but I'm constantly dismayed at the lengths that theaters will go to in order to make more money, but that doesn't completely dissuade me.

The argument for the high prices of tickets, concessions and the "pre-show" countdown" is that if theaters only sold movie tickets they would loose money. That the cost of the tickets alone is not enough to cover the overhead of running a theater.

This is also the reason that so many small movie theaters have gone the way of the dodo in favor of mega-chains. It's the nature of the business. Everything is becoming centralized and integrated to maximize profit, and the only thing stopping the studios from opening their own theaters is a court order.

But if you want to know how much ticket prices would be at a theatre that doesn't use ads to line it's pockets, it's $14. And the popcorn still costs $4. If you've never been to The Arclight in Hollywood, you are sorely missing out my friends.

But we must remember that The Arclight is unique in that it is one of the best treaters in the world. The seats are reserved, the staff is always intelligent and helpful, the food is really good (if expensive) and they have ample validated parking.

I believe that if quality were to suffer -- no reserved seats, not always the latest and greatest sound and picture, cheaper food, cheaper staff, etc. -- there would still be a viable way to make money showing films without resorting to insulting guests with ads.

For me personally, there is nothing like the experience of going to a film in a real movie theater. When I say "real" movie theater you must understand that I will only go to about 4 theaters in LA and if I lived somewhere where my standards would not be met, I might be agreeing with all of you. I'm the guy that asks for a refund if the surround sound cuts out.

I recently went to see a print of Lawrence of Arabia that screened at the Arclight. I own the DVD but I go to see that film every single time it screens in the theater (which is about once every 2 years) because that experience cannot be duplicated in the home. I don't care how good your home theater is, it will never be able to reproduce that intangible feeling of excitement and wonder I feel every time I walk into a movie theater.

But then again, movie theaters are my church. When I go I know I'm walking on holy ground.

[Christian]

Maybe once a month. I used to go around 2 or 3 times as often. Its just too damn expensive!

[Scott Rose]

The real problem is the RUDE PEOPLE in the audience at the movie theatres. I'd rather skip all that nonsense and just see the movies at home!

I understand Oliver Taylor's position. Having $20 popcorn is the only way a theatre can be profitable but as Scott Rosa said, RUDE PEOPLE (cell phones, babies, talking, etc.) really make for a bad experience. Add sticky floors, lines, nasty bathrooms, etc. and it is just a waste.

Theatres may need to go back to the old days and start showing double features, shorts, do giveaways, games, etc. as they did in the 40's & 50's to draw in crowds. As it is now, they have nothing to offer me. I have never heard of The Arclight in Hollywood, but it may take more like that to turn the industry around.

[Greg, CT]

I'm with everyone else! I typically avoid the theaters b/c I always end up right in front of the person who has to lean over and whisper or outright talk to the person next to them every five minutes. I enjoy watching movies in the theater, I just don't like the other people! If I do go, I usually wait til the movie's been out a few weeks.

Boo movie theaters and the tatics they use to wallet rape me!

[Joe]

I rarely go these days. Used to see at least one a week. Last night, though, I saw "Batman Begins" ( http://www.BatmanBegins.com ) and the couple in front of me had on so much perfume that I had to hold a napkin to my nose to keep from choking. Then, just as the movie was starting (after 20 or so minutes of previews), some idiot falls asleep and begins to snore like a pig gobbling slop. Not a good experience. I finally had to get up and shake him to get him to stop the racket. The price of the tickets are part of the reason for not going to the theater for me, but the rude patrons really keep me out of the theater. Plus, as the article notes, I have a big flat-screen with 5.1 surround (and no snoring or perfume to contend with).

"and the couple in front of me had on so much perfume that I had to hold a napkin to my nose to keep from choking"

My wife suffers from the same thing. How can you enjoy anything when someones perfume is making you cough up a lung?! Do they have to bathe in it? Just a dab a do ya!

[Emily H.]

I do go see movies, because it's something that I treat myself too--it's something I can do and feel kind of special and self-indulgent for the day.

I have a 13" television. So anything with action or anything visually impressive is much, much better on the big screen. I also have a deficient attention span, so given the opportunity to pause, make a snack, check my e-mail, I will--to the detriment of the movie.

Still, it's rare that I go to a movie. Maybe 4-6 times a year--I've only seen three since January as far as I can recall. But that's because nothing good's coming out.

The other people are what keeps me from going often. The crying babies and cell phones and jerks who bring their kids who seem to have a need to go to the bathroom or concession stand 10 times during the movie and making me move so they can scoot their asses by is just too much for me to deal with. I went to see SW Episode III. The last time I went to the movies before that was to see The Matrix when it came to an IMAX in my town, and before that was to see SW Episode I. Screw the theatres, I'm OK with DVDs until they can get guards in there to keep the morons at bay.

[ghlu]

It really depeneds on what kind of movies they sre showing in the theater. I just went to see "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" instead of waiting for the DVD, because I know it is more enjoyable seeing an action movie on the big screen than on my small 20" TV. But if its some comedy like "American Pei", I'd rather spend $1 and watch it on my TV instead of $7 in the theater. That being said, I might stop going to the theater completely once I get myself a nice 100" projector...

It all looks good to me at home on my 65" widescreen and 5.1 Dolby & DTS surround system!

[Pinball Mars]

No matter how vastly home viewing continues to dominate, I think movie theaters will always be there because people like to go out. You do pay a premium for concessions. However, you also pay a premium to eat and drink in restaurants and people still do that all the time.

There's a trend here in Texas that might point toward one way movie theaters evolve. In the past few years, we've seen several "movie taverns" or "movie bar & grills" pop up. They're movie theaters that are also restaurants with a fully stocked bar. In the theater there are tables where you get served while you watch the movie. It's pretty cool.

The giant 15-20 (or more) screen theater has all but taken over Texas, and most of the small theaters have closed their doors. These restaurant-theaters often get built in the former locations of small theaters.

Right now, I barely go to movies at all. I live in a rural area the only theater we have here is a 20 screen Cinemark enormoplex showing all the usual stuff. My main interest is art films and it's a 40 mile drive to the nearest theater I'd care to go to regularly. I'll be moving soon to an area where going to arthouses will be more convenient. Then, I'll probably be at the movies a lot more.

"There's a trend here in Texas that might point toward one way movie theaters evolve. In the past few years, we've seen several "movie taverns" or "movie bar & grills" pop up. They're movie theaters that are also restaurants with a fully stocked bar. In the theater there are tables where you get served while you watch the movie. It's pretty cool. "

I think its stuff like that, that will be needed to keep theatres thriving in the future. The days of playing a movie and selling $10 popcorn are fading in the glow of DVDs, VOD & internet streaming.

[David]

The damn ads are what keep me from going. I watch maybe one TV show a week, so going to see a movie doubles my ad intake for the week, and tops that off by making me *pay* to watch it. Argh!!!

[Tony]

I agree with the first commenter (Brent), it boils down to what types of movies are theater-worthy (is that similar to sponge-worthy?) Big action, sci-fi, or fantastic cinematography are generally enhanced in a good theater. I saw "Sith" in the theater, and I'm glad I did. I'm seeing Batman Begins today.

The only category I'd add, though, is foreign and indie flicks. Not because they need the big screen, but for the whole experience. We have two main art-house theaters in my town, and both are very nice (one in particular, is a real gem: http://www.thecrest.com/ ). Both theaters offer discount cards, which bring the cost of the movie down to $5 each. The Crest goes a step further...for $25 you get 5 movie passes, 2 free popcorns, and 2 free sodas. I go with a group of friends, and we'll usually do dinner before (and possibly drinks after) the movie, so it's much more of an "event". Plus, you don't get the snot-nosed kids who like to talk all the way through the film.

[Tony]

Note to the person who hasn't been to a theater in 8 years: you may be surprised if you were to give it another chance. I agree with problems such as rude people (although that's easy to avoid by going during non-peak times) and expensive snacks (sneak in your own...)

Most modern theaters are really quite nice. Stadium seating with plenty of leg and elbow room...I can stretch out fully and not feel cramped or "on top of" the people around me. Doesn't matter how tall the person in front of me is...the stadium seating makes it irrelevant. I don't have anything in my house as comfortable as the new extra wide tallback theater seats...