Are Movie Theaters Dying? The Box Office Struggle is Real
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- Опубликовано: 19 май 2024
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Is the movie theater industry on the brink of extinction? Join me as I explore the factors contributing to declining box office returns, the struggle faced by movie theaters worldwide, and how theaters can pull themselves out of this mess and become a premier destination for the general public once again.
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Развлечения
Request more information from SNHU at snhu.edu/jeffrauseo to learn more about a career in Data Analytics or their other online degree programs.
I wish I did an online program at SNHU instead of going the college I'm at right now. But that ship has sailed already.
Edit: I didn't take a course at SNHU. I wrote it completely wrong. Sorry!
@@jeanp.5929how was it? I’ve heard great things. I’m considering one myself
@@JeffRauseo hey Jeff I don't think physical media and movie theaters are dying either. I have a HD 42 inch tv I had it since 2011 it works really good still I collect alot of blurays and DVDS . I don't have a 4k tv as of yet . And I do like going to the movie theater it's not the same as watching a movie at home . I was wondering if mybe I could follow you on facebook cus that's the only social media platform that I use I don't use anything else
@@JeffRauseo Sorry about that. I actually go to a college in Boston. I'll remember to proofread my comments next time. 😆
@@jeanp.5929 same whaat school u at
It’s not just movie theaters sadly. The etiquette at everything is terrible. Restaurants are a bad experience from rude customers to people doing their best to provide good services to them despite being understaffed. Parents basically not calming their kids down in the restaurants. In stores basically nobody is friendly anymore. There’s a difference between being critical and being a jerk to someone. I still like going out to places but people have made it miserable in general. I know it’s a small group but when it’s consistently happening that’s an issue. In school, teachers are doing their damn best and parents treat them horribly and kids are just rude to them. Society in general needs to change. Theaters, restaurants, stores, every business needs to do something differently in the circumstances they’re in to make experiences better for everyone and that includes their workers.
Preach!! I totally agree. Boil it down and it’s just moms and dads not raising their kids right. Each generation adds fuel to the fire. I think COVID accelerated this issue for everyone because we came out of lockdown down with cabin fever
Even though I agree with most of your views...you can't really do anything about it. The best thing is just not to contribute to the chaos. Just be respectful and try to enjoy yourself instead of getting a headache for every nuisance you encounter. It's sad that we can't peacefully enjoy a night out at the movies, but I refuse to let people with no manners control what I want to do in my pastimes.
@@oldschoolfunkster1as the saying goes, “Be the change you want to see” and maybe others will follow suit 🤞🤞
@@zenquantum1246 ... Exacto!
Society is going shiiiiittzzzeee!! sad but true
Another thing: The time involved to go to the movies. Not only are movies longer, but now we have to sit through 30-40 minutes of trailers and commercials. It's brutal. Three trailers, and that's it.
I tend to turn up about 15 minutes after the public showtime so I'm only waiting 5-10 minutes of ads. Saves time.
Everybody is worried about physical media disappearing, they should be really concerned about movie theaters disappearing of your a movie buff. You gotta support both.
Good Point. In many ways the two are interconnected.
With the cinema taking 50% of the revenue, don't the movie studios make more with the disc sales?
I hope they survive. I love going to the theaters.
I'm sure that it will indeed
I didn't see anything for probably 3 months in a row. Then suddenly this month I saw 4 movies in 4 days. There needs to be films worth seeing. For the last 4 years, there haven't been many.
I saw 50 films last year, 8 of them twice. Seen 24 so far this year. There are always great films coming out, people just need to look for things that aren't just blockbusters or disney/Universal/Sony properties. It's a lazy excuse.
@@brbaic9364 We don’t have that option where I live. All the art house theaters have been turned into parking structure in the last few years. I had to drive nearly 30 miles just to see Late Night with the Devil. So it’s not for lack of trying. 50+ per year was my average, without repeats. Now it’s half that.
for the last 4 years there hasn't been anything worth seeing? ya'll can't be film fans....
@@ShaMicKanthere’s even a lot more stuff playing at chain theaters like AMC worth watching than you realize I think lmao
Honestly, there simply aren’t that many theater-worthy movies lately, in my opinion.
For the cost - it needs to be big screen worthy.
My local theater is the Universal CityWalk AMC so my theater experience is probably different from others. I am incredibly fortunate that my theatre experiences have still been really good. The biggest change post-COVID I’ve noticed is it has been really hard to get tickets for just about any of the special events and even normal screenings. I’ve been going to this theater for years and my favorite thing is that they always do 70mm screenings and director/writer Q&A for new releases. Pre-COVID I never had issues getting tickets a few days in advance or at the box office but over the last two years it has been absolutely crazy. My theater was showing Dune 2 in 70mm IMAX I bought my tickets over a month in advance and still couldn’t get tickets till the second weekend. I wanted to try and watch it again but it has been sold out every single day since it was released. I think this is probably because of what you touched on in the video about a lot of theaters not offering a good theater experience anymore, so people are seeking out theaters like mine for the special experiences they offer.
1. Bad films. I think this is the biggest problem. The major studios are pandering to the lowest common denominator.
2. Overpriced. Movie tickets and concessions need to come back down to $10 or less.
3. Access to literally unlimited options at home, on a bigger screen with higher quality and at a lower price point than ever before. No more spending 20 dollars on a new film for 99% of people, just watch something at streaming.
4. The etiquette problems you mentioned.
My local theatre has been showing classic films for $5 on Wednesdays, and those shows are selling out, the people are respectful and into it, and its been amazing. Got to see all three LOTR films this way, best theatre experience in a while along with Oppenheimer in IMAX and Dune 2.
This is a good point you brought up, regarding the Movie Theaters. Where the concept and experience of going to the movies, aren't as exciting as it used to be. Oddly enough, I happen to own a film that showcases the said concept of the Movie Theater experience. That being the 1993 period comedy-drama, Matinee, from Joe Dante. Best of all, I first saw that film, when I got it on Blu-Ray, around 2021, when the world was still stuck in lockdown, from COVID. Which added to how surprisingly relevant the film is, despite being set in 1962, around the CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS. Where a theater struggles to deal with opening a new movie, around the time of a crisis, that puts the world in panic mode. And showcases how powerful movies can provide as an escape from the darkest fears of the real world. Especially when experienced at a movie theater.
I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie and there was more than like 10 people in the entire theater. I remember as a kid growing up, everytime you saw a movie- every seat in the theater was packed..
You hit the nail on the head about theater experience. I love going to the movies, hate the people. It makes watching the movie unbearable and I’m now finding myself waiting till it hits streaming since I have the experience at home
It’s a real problem. Theaters are losing their value because of the people. And there’s no staffing to control unruly crowds or patrons.
That's exactly why most of my friends just wait for streaming. They don't think it's worth it to go. Man, I really wish there was better staff and people were more respectful. My sister and I went to The Lord of the Rings movies at Flashback Cinema and they talked so much. They guy in front of them even raised his voice and told them to shut up during The Two Towers. People on their phones are so dumb. You came here to watch the movie, right? I'm having a Lord of the Rings Marathon at my house with my friends in a couple weeks and it's probably gonna be better than the random AMC that's the closest theater to me. I usually go about 10 minutes farther to a Phoenix theater for a better experience. Also, the screen showing The Chosen at my local AMC DIDN'T EVEN HAVE ANY BACK SPEAKERS. It was just front. I wished I was watching it in my basement with surround sound or even at my computer with headphones on.
@@JeffRauseo Im so glad you told me about Drafthouse I see them all over NYC and haven't visited yet will def be my new theater.
My wife and I used to go to the movies all the time. It was one of our main hobbies, and quite often we would see one to two movies a week, especially in the months during the peak summer movie season. After Covid hit though, our one local theater closed down. It was a local theater with two locations and now the only one left is 45 minutes away. There was an AMC theater about 45 minutes away (in another direction), but that just closed down a couple of months ago as well.
Because it is so much more involved time-wise to go to the theater now, we are pretty selective on what we go see. Our local theater that closed down was only 10 minutes away from our house (and only 5 minutes when we moved to our new house) and we would go see any movie that looked even remotely interesting. Now, it has to be something we really want to see or we just wait for it on streaming, VOD, or just do a blind buy when it comes out physically.
Add to the fact that we now have a pretty nice home theater setup in our finished basement, and (as you mentioned) the growing lack of courteousness from other theatergoers, and there's less and less reason to venture out to the theaters nowadays.
From my perspective there are two problems. #1 you have to make movies people want to see. #2 You have to keep it affordable. Thanks to theater prices, I'd rather spend that money building a home theater and building a movie collection.
Bring back the midbudget sized movie. everything is either a low budget indi film or a huge blockbuster. No more in between
The more expensive the ticket - the more respectful the audience is. One of the best things about premium screens is that the extra cost keeps scummy people out.
Yeah, prices of tickets and groceries are insane high at many locations.
@@user-ky3kj7pw4d... Lol. Sounds good. ALL income levels have trashy people.
@@user-ky3kj7pw4d completely disagree with you
It's simple. They just need to re-establish the classic release windows. A movie should not be available for home viewing in any form for 8 months. If you are interested in a movie you will not want to wait until it is available for home viewing.
I think they should go the other way, and release the home viewing version closer to the theatrical release with a $20 rental fee.
Please bring back intermission I can't sit in movies for 3 hrs without any pee brake. Especially after consuming 1 gallon of soda from confectionery
…then don’t drink a gallon of soda?
@@TheOneTrueBeard don't eat popcorn
I respectfully disagree. I don't need the cinema vibe to be ruined.
I totally agree. The whole last 40 minutes of Oppenheimer was excruciating for this reason! Intermission and overtures used to be part of the fun and are still part of the theatrical play experience.
@@fireisawesome1466 I will consume both popcorn and soda and not push my personal bladder/bowel problems onto everyone else because I am an adult and realize that the world doesn’t revolve around me
I used to be a projectionist and masking is a big thing for me. We used to be able to lower the top or bring in the sides to blacken the framing of the film. It drives me crazy to see a washed out screen on the top or sides.
It would help if filmmakers choose and stick to one aspect ratio.
I’ve been going to theatres just as much, if not even more than I did post Covid and thankfully where I live it’s always a well behaved audience, the staff is very friendly and it’s a satisfying experience
We used to love going the theatre. During Covid when everything was closed, we built a home theatre in the basement with a 175” screen and 3D enabled as well so we could still have date nights. After Covid we realized it was much more comfortable to watch at home. For the cost of tickets if we went to a local theatre, we can wait and buy the movie and own it instead.
It might help if movies stayed in the theater longer. Some people are only paid once or twice a month.
Movies needs to not move to streaming so quickly. If you only have to wait a week or two for the movie at home, why go to the theater.
People are definitely poorly behaved at the theater. If you could kill the internet signal at the theater, it might be nicer.
Theaters need to provide free hassle-free parking.
Yes i wanted to see a movie like 3 weeks after it came out and the showtimes all but dissappeared . if i was lucky i would find like a noon screening for that movie but im at work so i cant get to watch it.
Not to mention it might also help if they made better movies
For real. Last year during the summer they had a 200 million plus budget movie every weekend. In order for all those movies to make money everyone needs to go to the movies every weekend. People are on a budget or heck they might want to do something else with there weekend besides go to a movie.
Decades ago, Hollywood's preferred model for distributing its movies was much different, so even a fairly popular film would be held over longer in the theaters it opened in, than today's biggest hits tend to stay in theaters they open in. Since back then, a movie opening the same day on 3,000, 4,000, or even a greater number of screens, was simply unheard of! In June 1975, "Jaws", which became the biggest blockbuster of that year, by far, played at only 475 theaters during its first week of release, before adding about an additional 200 screens in the 2nd week it was out. And at the Wantagh Theater, that was a mile from where I grew up on Long Island, NY, "Jaws" played for the entire summer at that theater.
And back in 1973, "The Exorcist" was released the day after Christmas, and my girlfriend & I were students at Kent State, who became eager see the movie due to news accounts we saw claiming such things as grown men becoming so frightened that they'd supposedly fainted. Anyway we wanted to go see "The Exorcist" on my wife's birthday, Jan. 17th, but even with Kent having 6 movie screens, and Akron, about 13 miles from Kent, having a couple dozen theaters, the closest theater showing "The Exorcist" required us to drive about 30 miles to a theater in Cleveland. However, 2 weeks later that film finally opened in Akron after already having been the subject of national news stories for over a month!
Great video, Jeff. I literally had an experience watching Civil War last night where a fistfight nearly broke out over someone being on their phone. Keep in mind, I live in Canada, so its not exclusively an American problem. I still love the cinema going experience though, and a pattern I've noticed is that people are usually better behaved at the more upscale locations with recliner chairs, food service, etc.
That’s crazy. It’s just not worth it anymore
@@JeffRauseo Its worth it when you have a good location to see films at. The theatre I went to isn't my go to. It was just the only location doing the early IMAX showings of Civil War. My local theatre is far superior, and most people are (usually) respectful there.
A true civil war 😂
For me, my main reason for seeing a movie in the theater was to get a significantly better audio visual experience than I could at home. With theaters focusing more on recliners and alcohol sales over technology, I feel that the experience has really stagnated. I saw Dune 2 at the only true IMAX theater in my area, and the speakers looked 20+ years old. With 4K, affordable projectors and TVs, Atmos, etc, the home experience has nearly caught up.
Jeff, you had me until the commercial break😂
Same here! I live in Belgium and the only time I go to see a blockbuster would be on saturday or sunday morning screenings when I know there's not much people in the cinema. It's really sad and I don't understand that some people spend 20 dollars just to go sit in a theatre and talk to their phones or to each other, annoying the ones who really try to enjoy the movie.
I stopped going to movies after Covid, waste of time/money after far too many ridiculous occurrences with inconsiderate morons. Rather buy the 4K and watch at home on a better screen without people ruining it. This is from a UK perspective, we don’t have anywhere that kicks people out.
Movie theaters, and the screens, used to be much larger. I remember theaters with what seemed like 100 rows of seats. The screens were massive. Now almost every theater I go to is about 6-12 rows of seats with a very small screen. Combine that with 65" plus screens at home, and the size difference is not too great. The modern theaters don't have the awe inspiring feeling. The sound at my home with two subwoofers is far superior.
I am noticing theaters re-releasing old movies more than I ever have before. That could help theaters out a bit, at a time when studios are generally releasing movies that a lot of people just don't want to see.
Considering that people wanna watch more of the old stuff instead of the new stuff makes sense. I hope they continue this and see that it works even if it's a limited release
Yes I've noticed too and I love it honestly!!
I just saw a bunch of the Ghibli movies in theatre and some of them came out when I wasn't even alive, it's such a good way to introduce people to new movies while also making an easy buck for the studios
Jeff, it’s all about the Drafthouse in LA for me. Even though we have over a dozen theaters that are much closer, I intentionally drive ~30 minutes each week for the Drafthouse experience. I agree that people have forgotten how to behave in theaters, especially post COVID. I got really tired of “shusshing” people in the theater at non-Drafthouse locations. The peace of mind is great and the waiters/staff are awesome and deserve to be compensated well.
This was such a good, fair, and cathartic video! I love movie theaters and going to the movies and always will. Pre pandemic I worked in a movie theater and really took advantage of free movies and used to go way more due to it. Still though with my growing family it did become hard trying to find time and energy to go.
Then the pandemic hit…
I was furloughed from my movie theater job for 6 months and genuinely felt like I lost everything I loved. I got rehired after the 6 months but by that point, it was almost impossible to find a showtime I could catch because hours were DRASTICALLY reduced. By that point I was going to my job there to survive rather than bask in movie theater paradise. It got to a point too where I couldn’t advance in that company anymore so I left after about 3 and a half years. One of the most depressing job resignations I’ve ever had to do, but leaving there was necessary for my well being along with my family.
After that I just never got to go to the movies much anymore and I miss it horribly. I miss that Friday opening weekend rush with releases that had me super excited to go to the movies. It’s not that there aren’t those movies anymore, but with my current job and finances, I really do have to be selective now and I hate it. It shouldn’t be that way but it’s my reality like many people.
I can’t bear the thought of movie theaters dying but they have to change and evolve. We need them more than ever. I need them more than ever.
*sigh*writing this makes me want to cry my eyes out
What surprises me the most when going to the movies lately is, I can go to the Regal, which is walking distance from my pad, see a new movie opening weekend, either during the day or at night, even if it would have been considered a blockbuster before COVID and I will be one of 5, maybe 10 people at most in the theater. I think the big problem that is keeping a lot of people from the theater is, when COVID hit, they came up with ways to make it more convenient to watch movies at home. New movies were offered on demand or on streaming services the same weekend, theater run times were severely shortened and Blu Rays were available much quicker. That made sense during COVID. Well now, they are pushing for the return of the theater experience but they didn't dial back many of the things they implemented, so people don't feel the need to rush to the theater anymore. They have to make it so that people will want to catch movies at the cinema.
Movie theaters will survive if they evolve and offer more inclusive movie experiences! I don’t actually blame the internet, because cinemas have survived home video and even Netflix. I saw Oppenheimer which was shown on actual celluloid film in some theaters, and I last saw Wonka in theaters few months ago, I’m tired of sequels and remakes, that’s the main reason lot of people aren’t going to the theaters as often anymore. Christopher Nolan said theaters need to present more quality films, and not cash grab superhero sequels. I feel sometimes reclining seats aren’t good for big cinemas, they block the viewing angle for the people in the back.
For me you hit the nail on the head and it's a big problem everywhere. I don't want to go to a movie theatre and listen to groups of people having a good catch-up about their nights out or the constant bright light of a phone appearing all the time and ruining my experience of the film. I only go now if the film has been out several weeks and I know it's a week night where it will be quiet. I use to really enjoy opening nights watching a new film but not anymore, unfortunately. I would rather just avoid the situation than confront it because when you do, you simply get a mouthful of abuse because you ask people to politely go and chat somewhere else. It's just not worth the aggravation and stress of trying to reason with these morons.
A great video and great discussion to have.
Jeff, I wasn’t sure what to think of the shift of content on your channel, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Frankly, I think it was a brilliant move and I find it even more interesting than ever! Your channel is a top one for me. Keep up the great work!
I’m always baffled when folks come back with these theater horror stories. I’ve been going to at least one movie a week (often more) for years and years, and I’ve never once had an experience like folks always seem to complain about. And that’s at multiple theaters across a few states.
The worst experience was someone trying to record Wakanda Forever on their phone, and they got kicked out relatively quickly. And that wasn’t at a specialty theater, this is just at a regular AMC.
I’ve only once been to a theater with a faulty projector (Scream 6), and it just made the color a little more muted. I’ve never once had a dirty lens that made the picture bad. I’ve seen movies at tiny indie theaters and giant multiplexes and it’s never been a situation like you’re describing.
But I don’t think I’ve ever gone to a theater and thought “this would look better at home”. Notwithstanding, you the setup that could even compete isn’t realistic for a lot of people. No home system that could be installed in an apartment without drawing the ire of your neighbors can compete with a basic theater set up, let alone setups like Dolby or Prime.
I’d also point out that the assessment of cost presented here completely ignored the fact that we finally have subscription models that make movies cheaper than they’ve been in decades. Even in New York where we’ve got the highest subscription fees, with A list even if you see one movie a week it comes to basically 7 bucks a ticket, and that includes IMAX and Dolby.
That all said, there was a lot of socialization that seemed to have fallen away during COVID. People in a lot of situations forgot how to just be a regular member of society. But in a real way, I think that cuts both ways. Some people have forgotten the volume when they talk to each other. Other people have forgotten that some light chatter has always been normal for theaters.
I also think that there’s the problem of everything just being content. When you had to wait 6 months to a year to see something on streaming, you went to the theater. Now the window is 60-90 days, so folks who previously may have jobs after a few weeks just wait a couple more weeks and watch it at home.
I'm with you on these things. I think people act a little better in my lower population area, but I've still witnessed rude behavior. Another problem is how long movies have gotten. Once the run time goes over 2 hours, I'm seriously weighing whether I want to sit through it. In most cases, I have zero problem with waiting for the 4k disc. My home theater is way better than a standard theater experience, but even if I didn't have that, I'd still be happier at home with a 60" TV and a 2.1 system like most people have in their homes. And the obvious elephant in the room, most movies as of late have given us no reason to go to them. Hollywood got so comfortable making billion dollar movies that they forgot about customer service.
When I watched barbie in the theater, someone was recording videos of the movie the whole entire time. When the title card came up she recorded it and every song and dance sequence like she was at a concert. I know social media probably has a big influence on this type of behavior, getting likes or going viral with those in theater reactions, but it's all so bizarre to me that people aren't thinking about how their actions might affect other people's movie watching experience around them.
My bad post-COVID experience was a revival screening of John Carpenter's The Thing. Some kids pulled an alarm and AMC cancelled the screening. I had to fight to get a refund. Haven't went to their chain since.
Thank you Jeff. I really like these topics. I appreciate them. My last 2 movie theatre experiences were just as you said. Loud obnoxious people on their phones and won’t stop talking. I haven’t gone in almost a year. I don’t expect to go either. I figure I’ll enjoy it on my home set up via 4K.
I used to go to the theatre 3-4 times a week in 2018-19, but once COVID hit, I’m much more selective at what I go see and most of the time I will wait for the movie to be made available to stream at hone. The last 12 months I only went to the movies to see Dune Part II, Taylor Swift and Oppenheimer. Thats a huge change from five years ago when a lot of my disposable income went toward going out to the movies. Now I’m more inclined to save money by spending a night in watching something at home and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
I live in New Jersey. Im from the same area as Kevin Smith. He bought a local theater that he grew up going to. I pretty much go there. They play older movies every weekend, and its 7 bucks. The popcorn is always fresh, and it actually comes in buckets, not crappy bags. Recently, I've seen Jurassic Park, the warriors, and close encounters there. It's great.
As someone who has worked the same independent chain of movie theaters in North Cal for almost 5 years now, I can definitely tell that things have changed. We have definitely been hurt by the pandemic and the changing times. Compared to 2019 when I started it felt like we would be busy every single week, even if there wasn’t a so called “big” movie out. But nowadays, aside from eventful movies like you said, Barbenheimer, Dune 2, the Super Mario Bros movie, we have weeks where we are just DEAD! And times when we are busy we are understaffed. But we try to do our best. For a more local theater I think we are doing great. There are times when the news headlines saying theaters are dying it does scare me, but I know we aren’t dead yet and we do our best to keep the theater experience thriving
The half decade pre-Covid were also peak MCU with Disney alone raking in ~3 billion a year. Then studios started pushing streaming so hard that movies did not feel special anymore.
We have Marcus theaters around here and in general, in nice shape. They also have a restaurant where you can order bar food, beers too and bring into theater. Went to Dune 2 a couple weeks ago on a discount Tuesday, theater was packed and the people were just fine. I think if the movie quality was better, the crowd would also be better, especially if you plan on spending $15+ per ticket.
I totally agree with you, I only go for very specific movies now.
I think your memory must be fuzzy.
I think Movie theater Etiquette has always been like that sadly and I dont know where you live, but 2016-2019 experiences at movies has been the same. Which is a bit depressing and most theaters haven’t been an “experience” in a while.
They were also never cheap. Tickets and concessions haven’t changed since 2016-2019. A family going to the movies has been 100 bucks for the last decade if not more.
The biggest thing I’ve noticed is showtimes no longer go late. There aren’t the midnight showing.
But Streaming is what changed the industry. Covid changed ways people see movies. They became accustomed to streaming. Plain and simple. Things will never go back to pre-streaming levels. (Disney + , Max, Netflix, Hulu, Paramount Plus, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Peacock etc
Jeff, I agree that the movie experience is lackluster nowadays. Recently just seen a movie and was not impressed with the picture and sound experience. I have a dedicated theater in my house that is absolutely amazing, and it's gonna take a little more for me to go spend money to watch a new release. I usually wait until it's streaming or just purchase a physical copy.
I go to this small independent theater in a really small town near me, even though it takes 45 minutes to drive there. It has unlimited self serving popcorn, great seats and screens. The only thing is they must not get many collectible popcorn buckets because they are always gone by Saturday mornings when I typically go.
Going to the movies now where it used to be full .
Now you go and in a screening it’s like 5 - 25 people max going to watch .
Covid has ruined the movies , especially with streaming services taking off .
I think the movie theatre experience can’t be beaten ,next to having a home cinema with physical media .
Post Covid movie theater etiquette is horrendous. I had to tell a lady to stop playing candy crush with her backlight on during Interview With The Devil. People talk super loud and fidget around. It is a total crapshoot on what kind of experience you get now.
It really sounds like the whole theater experience is being taken for granted. Which unfortunately makes sense when movies are coming out on streaming services while they are still playing in the theaters. Like Kung Fu Panda 4 which just came to streaming yesterday, while it's still playing in my local small town Cineplex.
Heeey, look at that Trust The Fungus edition of SMB! I got mine too. I even pre ordered the 1UP edition. Lol
Going to Barbie in the summer I was shocked to see how many young people were checking their phones through the movie. It was still a good experience though. Seeing Dune 2 in theatres was unmatched -- however those kind of movies only come out once every year or two. It takes a major spectacle to draw me to the theatre vs watching it at home.
Enjoyed the discussion about this issue. It's really complicated and things are such in flux with the entertainment industry. I've had good experiences going to the Movie Theater. Those pictures you showed of the worn out seats is crazy! I've never seen a theater that looks even close to that. The ones by me are all pretty good. I Love going every week or two. Theaters here in LA are pretty good from my experience. I do try to go on the weekday if I can.. and not on opening weekend. So the crowd is a bit smaller and it's easier to get a good seat, etc. Love going to the theater.. when the movie is a good one. Make good movies, and hopefully the theaters will be able to stay alive. I'm not all that excited about the 2024 Summer movies.. but there are a few that I'll go to see.
I’ve had so many of these issues recently which is why I don’t rush to the weekend releases anymore.
The IMAX at Arizona Mills 24 here in Phoenix sucks now. They still have the old seats from 15-20 years ago. Some of the speakers have some crackle when it’s loud. The screen isn’t as vivid as it used to be. I loved Dune Part Two however that IMAX experience wasn’t the best. I’ve seen it in a Dolby theatre with better seats and updated technology. Unfortunate that IMAX hasn’t updated anything. I’ve expressed my comments and opinions twice but still no changes.
Anyway man, I love the content! Keep posting 🤙🏽
Sitting in the parking before going to see Dune 2 again and this came on. We ride for the theater around here 🙌🏼
You make a lot of good points and I see many of the same comments echoed in Home Theater groups that I’m a part of. I’ve been lucky here in the Dallas area to not get many disruptions from other guests being on the phone but do read this is a problem in some areas.
Technology wise it is hard for some folks who have become accustomed to viewing content on a high end panel such as premium OLED TVs. I also read that comment quite a bit but there’s something about a large screen and a good quality projector that is different and more “cinematic” that I personally enjoy. The issue is everyone has fancy phones and tablets with HDR and they expect image quality to always be like that.
For home theater setups, sound channel separation can be better since it’s a smaller room and you can sit in the main listening position to get the best separation vs in a theater, it can be hard since it’s tuned to give a wider area of sound.
All these things, along with what you said, contributes to people wanting convenience and to save a few bucks. It will definitely be a challenge but great movies will attract crowds to the theaters… we need to demand studios come up with fantastic content.
I’m guilty of not going to theaters as much. I rather watch most films at home on my 120” but for epic films that demand the biggest screen I will go out. But that happens maybe a few times a year now. I saw Godzilla Minus One then followed by Dune Part 2 on IMAX… and there’s nothing else at the moment that I feel like I can’t wait.
Hmm, I've started going more and have had nothing but great experiences. Good to see the figures are on the up, albeit not pre COVID yet. Hope they hang in there...
I used to be a movie theatre manager for a big chain in Canada from 1987 to 1993. Ushers used to have flashlights in hand while doing theatre checks every half hour or so. If there was a problem, you got zapped with the flashlight and you were told about your behaviour. I haven't seen ushers do a theatre check anymore for years. The old fashioned and BETTER stye of running a movie theatre is gone.
Loved this video, success an important discussion keep up the great content. My local theatres are independently owned and so very dated. Especially when it comes to sound quality
Good video. I appreciate the statistics and analysis
I am done with theaters because of etiquette. I am not going to stress about having people possibly talk or be on their phones. Until something is done about that I will not be going back.
Agree with you about this. And with the person who mentions lack of Intermissions. Here in the uk we face the same issues in cinemas as you guys in the states face. They appear to have given up.
Here here! Feel the exact same way and have felt this way for a while. Pre-Covid audiences were already annoying and afterwards they became unbearable. I hate going to the theater because the crowds are just the worst. Would love to be there more often but I just can’t do it. People treat the theater like their living room and it drives me insane.
My wife and I are AMC A-List members where we pay $25 each per month, allowing us to see up to 3 movies per week. This is the only way we can really afford to go. Fortunately, that includes seeing movies in the IMAX, Dolby Cinema and Prime auditoriums at no added cost.
Well one thing that’s changed the movie theatre experience (Jeff mentions this briefly) is how technology at home has caught up to a local theatre. Growing up in the 90’s, people might have a decent sized tv, but it paled in comparison to a movie theater sized screen and theater sound it provided. The experience was simply better than what most people could afford at home.
Nowadays, so many people have gorgeous OLED tvs and sound systems that rival a local AMC. So why leave my house and spend tons of money when I can get a better experience at home? I can pause the movie when I want and go to the restroom, grab a drink from my own bar and grab a snack w/out spending so much money. Not to mention not dealing with people playing on their phones.
It’s a no brainer decision. I feel the same when it comes to going to a live sporting event lol.
Public etiquette in general really seems to have gone downhill since the pandemic. The worst that I have experienced is at concerts post-pandemic vs. pre-pandemic, but that's a whole different conversation.
Oh man I miss Drafthouse! I had one a little under 2hrs from where I live and it was worth the travel due to the experience. Sadly two of the theaters in my city closed. One was a dine in style, and the other was the biggest in the area in a rapidly growing part of the town. It’s quite odd.
I wholeheartedly agree that the experience is what makes going to the movies so special. The price, presentation, and policy are the only things that will save it at this point. Honestly, I’m more excited to go see all of the old movies that are dumping out this month for $5 a ticket. It’s a steal and a half to see these movies for the first time on a big screen in 20yrs!
I haven’t been to a theater since I saw Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters. My home theater is so much better now and I don’t see myself ever going back but prior to 2013 we were there quite regularly
We have the same situation here in England Jeff. People not respecting others. Talking throughout the movie etc. on two occasions we had to get the security people who basically threw them out!! But it ruined our experience.
Now like you and others I think about what I’m going to see, where I’m going to see it etc. I get a better experience with my hone system. Which shouldn’t be the case. Very sad state of affairs!!!
One of the problems I have is I don't know if the movie is being made exclusively for theater or streaming. They need to commit from the beginning on whether the movie is good enough for a theatical release of if it's only suitable for streaming. Don't build a bunch of hype and then 2 months before it's release announce "ohh it's going straight to streaming." Pick one and stick with it.
Movie theaters are great. Its the people going to the movie theaters who ruin it for me. Smacking popcorn, rustling packages, cell phone lights, talking, and why the hell everyone bringin their babies to rated R movies. These reasons keep me home. Im just glad I still have the Sunset drive-in to go to.
Man, that sucks. My AMC in Tysons, VA still seems pretty good. I still think, when I lived in SoCal, the Burbank AMC Prime was no joke…the one in Orange, CA as well.
It’s why I built a dedicated home theater. I saw Godzilla Minus on the RPX theater in Newington. It was clean and it was a great experience. I live in Stratham, NH. I think you are close to me.
I thankfully have a Alamo Drafthouse near me and have season pass so I got to at least 4 movies a month. I also have been to our local IMAX. Had mostly good experiences. Also have a OLED tv and atmos system at home. I love movies and will always support my theaters whenever I can.
My theater experience has not changed and I still enjoy going. Im there for the movie on the big screen with vibrating surround sound. They still deliver that. I have noticed that there are not as many people attending.
In Los Angeles, theater etiquette has always been very good and nothing changed after the pandemic (thank goodness) I guess the film culture out here helps raise the bar.
I noticed this as well. If I do see a movie, I go to an early showing and on a school and work day.
I have often said to my wife that our home theater has better audio than when we go to the movies. They have a better picture but I am working on beat that as well.
It would also be nice to have honest showtimes listed for movies. There are now like 20-30 minutes of ads and previews shown before the movie even starts. I think 3 previews is ok then get it started.
I still attend the movie theaters a lot and have a Regal Unlimited subscription, but yeah, you make excellent points.
Thanks for the show jeff I live in Kona Hawaii. We have three local theaters to our regal. I have the $22 month unlimited Regal pass which makes it affordable to go to movies. The bummer is the movie theater that is 7 miles from my house just closed down. Regal closed it and now I have to drive 15 miles with evening or afternoon traffic. There’s another independent theater kind of like a Drafthouse the bummer with that is the chairs don’t recline only the front row. And it cost around $16 a ticket. So because of the travel, I’m going to less movies, even though I have the unlimited pass. When I’m on tour in the music business, I go to movie theaters all over the United States so I see a variety of theater .
I LOVE going to the theaters and am NEVER on my phone once the movie starts. I really hope they don’t fail but I don’t go as often as I would like. Mostly due to the drop in quality of the films.
I agree with most points you make, especially about people being on their phones during the movie. everything pre-Covid was great but now I prefer to have a movie night at home watching 4K and waiting for big box office movies to come to format. but that’s just me…
I go to the AMC in Methuen Massachusetts and i love the fact that they have an Imax and a Dolby screen. But definitely the technology should be updated. Picture quality looks good but my Qled tv at home is brighter and sharper, 100%.
Last two times I went to AMC I was the only one in the theater. Half of the drink selections weren’t available, and the popcorn was subpar.
I have LG 83 inch G3 in a media room with dark walls, dark carpet, Sonos arc, sub and 2 era 300s. I control lights with my phone and have theater seating. Totally light controlled. I LOVE my home experience but still MUCH prefer my AMC here in Dallas
My most memorable movie experiences are usually at a theater. Seeing a movie in a theater with a crowd often makes the movie more memorable itself. I agree moviegoing is becoming more of just the big experiences for “spectacle” movies, and people wait for “smaller“ films to just come out on streaming to watch at home. I live in Seattle, so I am lucky and grateful to live in a place with respectful moviegoers and a great movie culture. We have our own film festival, we have 10 independent theaters, and we have the big state-of-the-art digital IMAX and Dolby cineplexes. I love my home theater playlist and projector set up, but I also love going to the Cinema almost once a week. I eat dinner before I go, so I don’t have to spend money at the theater, or my wife and I can just split a popcorn at the theater. We often go on Tuesdays so that it is free for me five dollars for her since I pay 20 bucks a month for AMC A List.
I been going to some openings thurnights showing to new movies. Most of the time I'm by myself.
For me I haven't been to the theaters in a long time. The experience is nice but I bought an OLED and I prefer quality at home vs going to a theater watching on a projector. The cost is expensive as well. I like the fact theres theaters still around for the people that do like the experience or can't have a home theater experience at home.
Here in the UK when the cinemas opened up again after covid, there were a lot of films that appealed to me, so I have been going to the movies very regularly since then. We fo tend to wait a couple of weeks for any rush to die down.
Even so, some films have been quite busy, but luckily I haven't found etiquette to be a problem.
Having said that, our main cinema chain (Cineworld) have been in financial trouble since they re-opened
Hi Jeff. Off topic,,,,I wanted to ask if you have an opinion on ( or have seen ) movies for sale on ebay from China that look like nice packaging. I ordered a couple. The prices were very good. The covers have a nice raised feel to them, and the top flips open like a book. BUT,,,,,the disc looks like it was burned , not like any other discs I have. Also one of them have messed up menu options but will play once you select the right ( mislabeled) option. Sorry for the rambling text. Have you experienced these , or have any suggestions ? Thanks
Completely agree. I mostly try to support local but I will go to Cinemark if the local theater does not have certain films and the experience has been pretty bad. I am either running into literal babies in the theater, phones lighting up, or people talking throughout---and as you mentioned, the food experience has gone down as well. It truly did feel like I was just there to watch a movie on a larger screen and not a full-blown experience. I live in Kansas City and we lost our Alamo Drafthouse during covid and I DESPERATELY miss it.
I actually haven't had bad experiences at the movies post-covid. I'm in Australia and it seems that we've retained our theatre etiquette after the lockdowns
Jeff ref wanting to enjoy a movie in piece at a movie theatre. I feel your pain 100 percent. What if the child care let them down at the last minute? I'm UK based, even hotels and restaurants have difficulty getting staff to work after 5pm on Friday. I suspect that Friday PM might not be the best experience because many people don't have to get up the next morning. Might Sunday PM forwards be a better experience?
I personally love going to the movie theater! Yes, watching movies at home is more convenient, but occasionally, I just need to get out of the house and escape. I also find that larger screens enhance my appreciation for landscapes and close-ups. There are so many little things that you miss when you watch a film on television. The movie theater that I go to also isn’t very expensive. If you go during the day, it’s 10 dollars a ticket. Concessions can be pricey, but one does not have to get them if they are on a budget. The only reason I don’t go to the movies more often is because my local movie theater closed years ago, so I have to travel an hour to reach the nearest theater. Because of that, I only see movies that I have a fervent desire to see, but my taste often doesn’t align with the mainstream.
I really miss the "draft house" style theaters, I used to live like a 10 minute walk from one in Virginia Beach, nothing quite like being bored one night and just walking over to see a random movie
Good talking head video. Needs to be talked about more. Youre right, i think the drafthouse style will become the experience people will pay extra for. Streaming will get more expensive to offset what is being lost in AMCs etc
Truthfully I've only been to the movies once since covid. I was the avid movie theater fan before. Midnight showings, crowd reactions was the best. I didn't particularly enjoy the experience when I went back and that's why I'm reluctant to keep going back.
Same thing happened some time ago when we saw the Black Night. Movie screen was out of focus, sound wasn’t great. Was much better watching at home. I’ve seen every Star Wars movie in a theater. It’s a given we go to a new one, and like you said, we typically go to Alamo Draft house. I think Love and Thunder was the last movie we’ve seen in a theater.
I completely agree with everything in this video! My pipedream is to buy a local theater and fix it up with the latest tech, and staff it so there is a respectful community experience to see and hear movies in a manner that would be impossible to get at home (unless you're a billionairen I suppose.) But until I magically get the capital, or until someone else or a company decides to pursue that path, i do think that movie theaters will unfortunately die. I am very selective about going to the theater these days for all of the reasons Jeff said. I only go to see a movie I REALLY want to see if I can't wait 3-6 months for it to come out on Blu Ray or streaming. And as others have commented, those types of movies are unfortunately getting rarer and rarer.
I just gotta chime in here and say that the negative movie theater experiences you're describing, just aren't at all what I'm experiencing. I frequent my local Regal and never really have issues with rudeness (mostly), broken recliners, etc. From my perspective it's still a positive experience, whether I'm in the minority or not.