Why I Still Go to the Movies

Alamo Drafthouse

More and more people are espousing how they are saving money by not going to the movies. yes, they are right, they are saving money, but with a lot of movies you are losing the experience. It comes in many different ways. Sometimes its the theatre equipment, sometimes its the crowd experience, but any way you slice it the experience just isn’t going to be the same if you watch it from the comfort of your home. There is something I can’t get enough of when it comes to movie theatres. I’ve been going since I was little and will continue to go regularly until the are no theatres left. And I sincerely hope that isn’t in my life time.

AMC Theatre

Equipment
When you go watch an action movie or a blockbuster, there is a near intangibility to the film. The sounds are so loud the whole room shakes as goosebumps travel from you neck down your arms. The jolt of suddenly scraping metal makes you cringe as though you are watching it all unfold on screen. And that screen. So massive that the size of someone’s eye in a close up is taller than you are. You lean back as the massive screen envelops you and takes you away from the fact that you are sitting in a theatre.

All of the contributes to a level that just can’t be matched at home. That heart wrenching moment as something that physically felt enormous is shrunk down to fit on your TV becomes diluted. The sound at home isn’t too loud because you don’t want to irritate anyone. Maybe if you’re lucky you have a nice old 60 inch flat screen with fantastic surround sound that is booming and no one’s around to stop you. But then the urge to pee comes and you have to pause. The moment is done.

AMC Theatre

I’m not saying that all movies need to be watched in a theatre on the big screen with the right atmosphere. There are plenty of movies that are released every year that are just as good being watched on the TV at home than on the big screen. For those movies, it often isn’t about how the theatre can present the film. But then there are whole bunch of movies optimized for that arena. You can tell when a movie just loses its punch because it isn’t being shown under proper conditions and it can totally flavor the feel of a movie.

Alamo Drafthouse – The Ritz

Crowd
As much as the equipment in a theatre is important. So is the crowd. Now as of late, many theatres have come to allow improper behavior. For theatres that are losing money, turning away a patron who is on their phone may not be the best venture for them. It ruins the experience. I am all for the removal of a person who is disrupting a theatre experience either by talking or using their phone or even worse both at the same time. That doesn’t always happen. I’m lucky and I attend Alamo Drafthouse. A spectacular theatre and you should check it out if you get a chance. At Alamo there is no showing up late. And talking is prohibited. Best part about it is if you catch someone talking, you can raise a flag and let an attendant know without ever leaving your seat.

Anyway, the crowd isn’t always so bad. A well behaved crowd can contribute to a communal feel. You laugh at jokes and you cringe at those moments that are hard to see. And even if you can’t hear it, you hold your breath at the same moment as that heart pounding event is on screen. There is just something about piling in with a group of people that you don’t even know to attempt to enjoy something.

You can’t get that at home. Sure at home you can talk. You can still get excited with someone else. But that one moment that we slip into this giant all understanding one just for a moment is something that can’t be rivaled. It’s like being on a team and you all have an inside joke or experienced something at the same time.

Do you still go to the movies? 42QC2AK7YPX6