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Two-Thirds of U.S. Adults Would Rather Wait to Watch Movies on Streaming

Lord Panda

The Sea is Always Right
Not surprising, there are several reasons (i am speaking of my experience in my country but i expect its not very different in US or other countries):
  • General rise in ticket prices (which is not completely down to inflation; atleast part of it is production houses squeezing theatres, and theatres in turn squeezing customers) including the associated costs of transport, in-theatre food, etc
  • General decline in quality of movies, fewer movies are worth the total cost of the movie theatre experience. Dune part 1 & 2 are recent exceptions to this that i can remember. They were amazing to watch in IMAX. But otherwise, most modern movies are mediocre as fuck.
  • Worsening movie theatre experience: people in general are becoming bigger assholes. Loud talking, cellphones out with full brightness, coming in 20 minutes late and walking around in front of the screen. Just fucking ruins the experience. Why the fuck should i pay so much money for other assholes to ruin my experience ?
  • Improvement in home watching experience: equipment is becoming more affordable (good screens, projectors, sound systems, etc) and you have total control over your experience. You can plan a convenient time and watch without disturbances and distractions (except for the ones you yourself create).
  • Greater availability of movies on various streaming platforms (or the high seas) at a cheaper price
I'd also add:
  • Generally less time, and energy, available for people to go out, because they're working harder to make ends meet.
  • And related to the above - cost of living pressures.
 

Jinzo Prime

Member
No they’re not. The digital cameras that are being used on everything now are 6K and that’s just for IMAX.

Interesting, I thought that they had moved on from 4k, but they are filmed with a high dynamic range that theater screens can't deliver. Projection in most cases is still not producing an image comparable to a 4k HDR display, which could be lowering the value of going to the theater for people.
 

ManaByte

Gold Member
Interesting, I thought that they had moved on from 4k, but they are filmed with a high dynamic range that theater screens can't deliver. Projection in most cases is still not producing an image comparable to a 4k HDR display, which could be lowering the value of going to the theater for people.
They’re not moving on fro 4K because you can’t pull any more detail from 35mm film higher than 5K. So 4K is going to be the max for movies.
 
Theaters need to upgrade their screens.

Movies are being shot in 8K HDR and we can see none of that at the cinema. We need those large LED panels that Samsung makes that offer perfect color and contrast everywhere.
No they’re not. The digital cameras that are being used on everything now are 6K and that’s just for IMAX.
It's surprisingly tough to find a list of movies filmed in 8K. Not sure about HDR, but at the very least, Guardians of the Galaxy Part 2 was filmed in 8K.

 

Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
Fuck that shit. Nothing beats the theatrical experience for a how new movie with great cinematography.

People nowadays are watching shit like DUNE on their fuckng phone or shit 30" TV and then complaining it was no good.

I hope theaters stay alive. Top Gun Maverick in theaters was something else. Didnt hit anywhere near the same at home. And I have a 65" OLED with surround sound.
 
No they’re not. The digital cameras that are being used on everything now are 6K and that’s just for IMAX.
IMAX cameras still use large format film. Movies shot for IMAX like Dune Part 2 are shot on the IMAX film format and then converted to digital for post-processing.
 

SoloCamo

Member
That's because seeing a movie in theatres requires moving your body, which isn't something the average US citizen is inclined to do.


Fail The Simpsons GIF
 

Pejo

Gold Member
Theaters are kinda in a rough position, but I hope they never fully go away. Every so often I love getting out and seeing something on a huge screen and eating overpriced popcorn and hearing some random weirdo that actually laughs at Marvel jokes. I certainly don't enjoy it for every movie or even on a specific schedule, but I'm glad the option exists if I want to use it.
 

Celcius

°Temp. member
I haven't been to a theater since the pandemic started and have no plans to go back. Watching a movie at home is just so much more convenient. No crying babies, people on their phones, etc...
 

Husky

THE Prey 2 fanatic
I'd probably prefer to see a lot of movies in theaters, if not for the shitty audiences we have now. Some people can't go half an hour without checking their phone, even in a movie theater. Young adults post-covid also just don't know how to behave in public. If you want to experience cinema intimately, the home is the best place now.
 

Mr Reasonable

Completely Unreasonable
A good cinema experience is the best way to view a film. A bad cinema experience ruins a film.

I think that for my entire life people have been complaining that going to the cinema is too expensive. I don't think that it's bad value at all, probably should be more expensive, in fact.

Anything to keep people out who aren't actually interested in seeing the film. We saw Dune 2 a couple of weeks ago, the cinema was practically sold out and nobody talked throughout. It was great. I don't think a home setup could compete under any circumstance. But I've been in screenings where the person sitting immediately next to me starts to talk to someone at normal speaking volume. I can't fathom how they think that is ok.

IMO, cinemas need to do something to make their experience the best way to watch a film. Unfortunately, the problem is their customers.
 

Puscifer

Member
Hollywood did this to themselves with the headlong rush into unprofitable streaming models at the same time as most of their movies became shit tier content only good enough for streaming. I hope they enjoy their continuing losses and financial crises

I saw Dune Part 2 on the IMAX and I can't think of another film I actually want to see in the theater coming this year
I think the only movie I saw the past year that I wish I supported in theaters was Past Lives and it's because it like a mirror reflection of my past relationship of dating an immigrant who left young and I often encouraged to explore that side of them to be more Chilango and that I would never want to stop them from happiness, even if it meant going back and leaving me here. Course we broke up for a myriad of reasons, but it accurately depicted that struggle in a way I haven't seen before and that was worthy of box office money, I bought it on blu ray as a substitute though.
 

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Before I had family I went to the theater every week, saw everything worth seeing. I still go a lot but mostly kid movies.

I have a nice set up at home, with surround sound and a big screen, but there is something about the theater experience, being stuck in a dark room without distractions and giving 100% of myself to a movie. It's really more about that than the big screen for me.
 

SteadyEvo

Member
My last trip to the movies was Sinister 2. Dog shit. Haven’t been back since.

Don’t feel like I’m missing anything
 

Billbofet

Member
The theater chain in my area has $6 movies on Tuesday nights. If there is something I am interested in seeing, I will either go by myself or take my daughter with me if she doesn't have too much homework.
Works out pretty well and this is how I have seen most of the summer "blockbusters" the last few years.

I have a theater room in my basement, but there's just something about going to a theater.
I recently took my son to see the Giannis Antetokounmpo documentary that aired in theaters for one night. The tickets were free from Amazon, and he had the time of his life. I don't think that could have been replicated at home for him.
 

Methos#1975

Member
I have a oled and Atmos at home and my movie experience is vastly superior to what any of the cinemas in my area can give me. The cinema at this point is simply a irrevelant relic.
 

Nobody_Important

“Aww, it’s so...average,” she said to him in a cold brick of passion
It's cheaper, safer, more convenient, and more enjoyable. Why spend my Friday night driving halfway across town to fight for parking, pay extortionate prices for snacks, and have to sit next to a bunch of strangers who likely won't be able to shut up during the movie?


I would much rather be able to make my own food, have my own people over, and sit on my own comfy couch to enjoy movies on. Especially when I take into account the fact that I'm already paying for the streaming services to begin with. I might as well make use of them.
 
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eddie4

Genuinely Generous
If i really want to see a movie, i'll just go see a matinee , when it's mostly empty, cheaper, and I swing by the store and get the same $6 candy for a $1 and just bring it in with me. What, you think theater employee's gonna frisk you? That turns my movie price to about $9-10 instead of the standard $40.
 

hyperbertha

Member
Fuck that shit. Nothing beats the theatrical experience for a how new movie with great cinematography.

People nowadays are watching shit like DUNE on their fuckng phone or shit 30" TV and then complaining it was no good.

I hope theaters stay alive. Top Gun Maverick in theaters was something else. Didnt hit anywhere near the same at home. And I have a 65" OLED with surround sound.
If size and spectacle is what makes a movie good it's trash anyway. I watched back to the future on a 20 inch screen. Loved every minute of it.
 

dotnotbot

Member
IMAX cameras still use large format film. Movies shot for IMAX like Dune Part 2 are shot on the IMAX film format and then converted to digital for post-processing.

Almost all of the movies played in IMAX theaters nowadays are "filmed for IMAX" using digital IMAX certified cameras. Nolan movies still being (partially) shot with 65mm film IMAX cameras are a rare exception.


Dune 2 was also shot with digital cameras only and then printed on 70 mm film for select IMAX theaters. From the impressions I'm reading on r/imax it's definitely not as good looking as Nolan movies presented in the same format. Won't make a huge difference for laser IMAX though.
 
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Porcile

Member
It's fun to see a movie at the cinema. People need to just enjoy some simple pleasures every now and then and forgot about whether or not your some militant home theatre streaming service subscriber or some die hard movie buff. It's not a big deal to sit your arse down in a seat for a couple hours and watch something just for fun.
 

Hydroxy

Member
Movie tickets and popcorn is too expensive nowadays so i pick and choose and don't watch more than 4-5 times a year in theatre and always go for cheap tickets. I made exception for Avatar way of water watched it in imax for expensive ticket price but it didn't feel worth it even though the experience was good.
 

Cohetedor

Member
I wish there were more movies I wanted to see in the theater. I live 2 blocks away from a little family owned theater, matinee tickets are $4, popcorn is $1 with a refillable bucket that they let you fill yourself with as much butter as you want.
 

Alandring

Member
Honestly if I don't go to the cinema, I just don't watch movie. It really helps me to allow three hours or more to a movie.
 

Laptop1991

Member
I haven't gone to a cinema in years and would prefer to watch a show at home even if it means waiting, it's just a personal choice now, but i'm not a part of the younger generation anymore, when i was, i went to the pictures a lot more, although we didn't have streaming back then either. i also prefer watching films and shows on my own, so i'm not distracted by anyone else.
 

Soodanim

Gold Member
I used to go to the odd thing I wanted to see 2 weeks after release in the middle of the week when I knew kids would be at school. It guaranteed an near empty room, which is ideal when more people means more chances of someone being a selfish moron.

Now I'm not free mid-week, I'm not particularly interested.

It doesn't help that the food choices in a cinema are a shitty hotdog, boring popcorn, or overpriced bags of sweets.
 

Mistake

Member
Before I moved, I always went to a cinema that was also a restaurant. They had big car seat type chairs, or the puffy roller ones. A waiter brought out the food. Something like that I didn't mind at all, but a normal theater I probably wouldn't bother
 

xrnzaaas

Member
I've rarely been to the cinema even before the pandemic. There's just no point anymore since large screen tv's have become affordable. Plus I don't have to watch 30 minutes of commercials or deal with an obnoxious crowd. Maybe I'd think diffierently if we had imax in my city, but I won't travel 100km+ just to watch a movie.
 

Griffon

Member
Theaters are a relic, from a time we only had small shitty screens at home and no alternatives.

But there's literally no purpose to theaters' continued existence now.
 

Trilobit

Member
Dune 2 is the only movie I've planned on seeing in the theaters this year. With the recent strikes and now the possible upcoming strike of set workers in Hollywood I don't think there will be any blockbusters coming soon. If we get more movies like the last Godzilla from outside US I think things might look somewhat brighter though.
 

Boss Mog

Member
I don't really go to the movies much anymore. It's way too expensive and the movies these days are mostly just woke propaganda.
 

6502

Member
A few reasons I no longer go to my local cinema. First the food became more expensive than the tickets. Then the tickets nearly doubled in price. Then they got rid of ticket desks and most staff and replaced with them terminals - making the place feel dead.

Then the food raised in price again (but now u can buy a £7 beer with your £13 hotdog)..

With the risk of a shitty movie or twats in the audience it just isn't worth the effort. By time they dropped the tickets to £5-£10 and put luxury seats in I lost all interest.

There is no way cinemas survive the next 20 years, they ripped us off for years and then Covid got anyone left onto streaming. It will become as relevant as going to the dog tracks.
 
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MaestroMike

Gold Member
this year i saw dune 2 and iron claw. last year: Godzilla minus one twice, napoleon, killers of the flower moon, barbie, oppenheimer, MI: dead reckoning, indiana jones, spider-man: across the spider-verse, fast x, guardians of galaxy 3, super mario bros movie, operation fortune: ruse de guerre (trash), avatar 2, m3gan

i usually go late at night during week days though theaters pretty empty and I sit at the top away from anyone
 
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SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
I LOVE going to the theater but this is on theater owners who FUCKING RUINED the movie going experience by not kicking out assholes who talk during the movie, and assholes who go on their phones during the movie.

They ruined the experience by charging INSANE amount of money to go watch movies. $15-18 for an evening showing? Are you fucking kidding me?

$8 for popcorn?
$6 for soda?
$6 for candy?
$3 to reserve tickets online.

It's a mother fucking scam and while Im upset that they are dying out, I am not surprised.

Amazon, Walmart, Netflix, and well pretty much everyone knows this is a volume business. You have got to get more people in the seats. You reduce the prices by half and watch people show up. You charge $2 for popcorn and $1 for soda like normal people and you will make more money. popcorn costs nothing. soda costs nothing. running a website to reserve tickets costs nothing.

the quality control is also really poor. So many theaters dont know how to setup their projectors. especially on imax movies. the aspect ratio is off. the screens are dim as fuck. the audio is either too loud or too low. at one point, i was going up to complain at the start of every single movie for a good few months to have them fix their own projectors. i simply stopped going to my local AMC theater and now drive 20 minutes to go watch movies at a way better theater but again, its too expensive and they forgot to turn on the AC during the oppenheimer showing so it was like 90 degrees inside for 3 hours. ruined the movie for me. literally.

I remember watching Dune, King Kong vs godzilla and a couple of other movies that premiered day one on both the theaters and netflix/hbo and i was blown away by just how shitty the experience watching at home even in 4k hdr with dolby atmos really was. you lose all sense of scale. the audio lacks the punch even in atmos and $1000 subwoofers. its just not the same.
 
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