Sports is another area where the experience at home is often better than at the stadium. Why pay $250+ for a good seat at a hockey game when I can watch the game at home ($170/year or free through pirated streaming services) from multiple angles and skip through the commercials and intermission?
You also used to be able to buy an authentic, named baseball jersey for $100 (1999) versus $385 today. Unless you want an all-star jerseys, then it's $465! No joke.
Tom
I used to visit the home games of the HFC Haarlem professional socker team together with my father until they went bankrupt on 25 January 2010. Watching a socker game in the stadium was much more exciting than watching one on the television: looking at the game in hyperconcentration, yelling and singing things that wouldn't be allowed on this forum, having hundreds of other fans around you...
I don't drink so $0. The biggest problem is the experience isn't what it once was. The odds of ending up with so many noisy distractions during the movie are huge anymore. You know "that's just what kids do" and people on their phones and talking and..... At that point I want my 2.5 hours back not just my money. I wish instead of investing in louder sound systems and bigger recliners they'd actually have ushers and throw obnoxious people out.
As was mentioned in a prior post part of the fun of going to a movie was the energy of the crowd getting into the movie. Now for too many movie goers they just get distracted by the movie occasionally.
I will take that every time over HERE IS ANOTHER HUGE SPECIAL EFFECT!! AND HERE IS ANOTHER HUGE SPECIAL EFFECT!! AND HERE IS ANOTHER HUGE SPECIAL EFFECT!! ..... (and I loved that the theme song in a way told the story).
Special effects have gotten so easy and cost effective that they now just string a series of them together with a little dialog in-between. The effects used to enhance the movie, not be the movie.
When it is the best you can have/afford then you just enjoy it. Would people in the 40s have opted for tiny AM radios if they had access to a full high end 2 channel system? The question is do those people actually enjoy the movies that way? I find that the shows I watch on my phone are ones that aren't good enough to watch on the big TV. I can watch them as time killers when I only have my phone but have no interest when the higher quality system is there. I used to talk TV shows with a guy that binge watched everything and about half the time I'd mention something that happened he'd give me a blank look because he didn't remember it. There are definitely different ways to take in media and I guess if people can not notice what they are missing then that is good for them.
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Can we make an analogy to drive-in movies? Before my time but I know they were very popular at one time.
Drive-in movies were a totally different experience. It was a family thing I grew up with as a child. Great excitement - the preparation, waiting in the queue to get in, finding a good spot with a speaker that works, smelling the fast foods, waiting for the last sun rays to set and the first trailers to begin.
But there were other annoyances - speakers crackling so much you could hardly follow any dialogue. Frustrated movie goers blowing their hooters and flashing their headlights. The windscreen that fogs up when mom pours hot coffee from the Thermos flask. Seats becoming very uncomfortable and line of sight not always so good. Staff selling popcorn from car to car, but dad says we don't need any. Neither do we need those fantastic smelling hotdogs. Neither ice cream - it will mess in the car. We had to be content with mom's sandwiches and hard boiled eggs.
I think drive-in movies died because we now have our own high definition screens with much better sound at home. Maybe even in each room. Our lives are now consumed by screens.
But there were other annoyances - speakers crackling so much you could hardly follow any dialogue. Frustrated movie goers blowing their hooters and flashing their headlights. The windscreen that fogs up when mom pours hot coffee from the Thermos flask. Seats becoming very uncomfortable and line of sight not always so good. Staff selling popcorn from car to car, but dad says we don't need any. Neither do we need those fantastic smelling hotdogs. Neither ice cream - it will mess in the car. We had to be content with mom's sandwiches and hard boiled eggs.
I think drive-in movies died because we now have our own high definition screens with much better sound at home. Maybe even in each room. Our lives are now consumed by screens.
Went to see a movie last week.
Warm day. Before I went I donned long trousers & took a sweater - I knew what to expect.
Sure enough, like entering a freezer.
It was summer on the film - whatever happened to the 4D experience?
Would have better suited to a film about the Artic.
And why, with energy prices soaring and CO2 emissions of concern are we freezing the inside of buildings?
Come the autumn, pubs will start heating the beer gardens again.
Warm day. Before I went I donned long trousers & took a sweater - I knew what to expect.
Sure enough, like entering a freezer.
It was summer on the film - whatever happened to the 4D experience?
Would have better suited to a film about the Artic.
And why, with energy prices soaring and CO2 emissions of concern are we freezing the inside of buildings?
Come the autumn, pubs will start heating the beer gardens again.
I heard that the existing Drive in theaters made good money during the pandemic. Not sure of the numbers though. I have gotten free tickets and gone a few times as additional pay for repairing amplifiers.
You do not have to worry about the crackly speakers if they also have low power FM transmitters for the sound. They usually have a battery on a golf cart for the cars that need a jump. The fun part about the speakers is they use a 70 volt line. They try to keep speakers in switchable zones in case there is a short somewhere. Also the projectionist may know there is a problem when the Altec 1570 starts making a grunting sound and the 811s orange plate.
You do not have to worry about the crackly speakers if they also have low power FM transmitters for the sound. They usually have a battery on a golf cart for the cars that need a jump. The fun part about the speakers is they use a 70 volt line. They try to keep speakers in switchable zones in case there is a short somewhere. Also the projectionist may know there is a problem when the Altec 1570 starts making a grunting sound and the 811s orange plate.
Wow, so many younglings! Before television movie theaters were the place to go. $.35 for a kiddies Saturday morning. Shorts, cartoons and a second, third or older run movie. It was new to that crowd.
Then television started stealing the crowds. Movie stars would not appear on television, to see them you had to go to a theater. Still the movie revenues dropped. Theaters started showing what were originally unrated movies that forced the rating system. You couldn’t see an R or X rated film on television. Remember the seven dirty words?
Now with subscription television there is no longer a content barrier. Today some folks don’t even believe there was a time when TV and Movie stars didn’t mix.
The advantage to movie theaters used to be release date. It could take a year or more for a new release to hit free (most places) broadcast TV. Then it was a staged release, theaters, premium limited cable, cable and lastly broadcast.
Now it is simultaneous release, much to the concern of stars who get a cut of theater revenue.
Will there always be movie theaters? Well movie theaters didn’t do in live theatre! A first date to watch a movie on TV? Dropping the kids off at the $2.00 cinema at the mall to go shopping? (Or low cost babysitting!)
The profitability of making movies, means they will be around for a while, no matter how we may complain about current output. So there should still be movie theaters, just fewer with smaller multi-screen versions most of the future.
Now can we discuss the important stuff, what is it they really put on movie popcorn?
Then television started stealing the crowds. Movie stars would not appear on television, to see them you had to go to a theater. Still the movie revenues dropped. Theaters started showing what were originally unrated movies that forced the rating system. You couldn’t see an R or X rated film on television. Remember the seven dirty words?
Now with subscription television there is no longer a content barrier. Today some folks don’t even believe there was a time when TV and Movie stars didn’t mix.
The advantage to movie theaters used to be release date. It could take a year or more for a new release to hit free (most places) broadcast TV. Then it was a staged release, theaters, premium limited cable, cable and lastly broadcast.
Now it is simultaneous release, much to the concern of stars who get a cut of theater revenue.
Will there always be movie theaters? Well movie theaters didn’t do in live theatre! A first date to watch a movie on TV? Dropping the kids off at the $2.00 cinema at the mall to go shopping? (Or low cost babysitting!)
The profitability of making movies, means they will be around for a while, no matter how we may complain about current output. So there should still be movie theaters, just fewer with smaller multi-screen versions most of the future.
Now can we discuss the important stuff, what is it they really put on movie popcorn?
There's an elephant in the room here. The video game industry is larger than the film industry, hard to believe but true. So those kids constantly staring at their phones may be playing games, something no theater can do.
And during the pandemic, when no one was really leaving their homes to go to theaters (which were closed anyway) or even group gatherings at someone's home for a movie night...
I was very happy to see that my teenage son could socialize with his friends by playing games with each other remotely. The kind of games that have chat and headsets.
And during the pandemic, when no one was really leaving their homes to go to theaters (which were closed anyway) or even group gatherings at someone's home for a movie night...
I was very happy to see that my teenage son could socialize with his friends by playing games with each other remotely. The kind of games that have chat and headsets.
"will movie theatres still survive?"
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/m...-3-dollar-tickets-september-third-1235207373/
Movie Theaters Offering $3 Tickets on Sept. 3 for National Cinema Day
More than 3,000 cinemas are participating in the unprecedented promotion, including mega-circuits AMC, Regal and Cinemark.https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/m...-3-dollar-tickets-september-third-1235207373/
What do movie tickets normally cost in the US? Tickets in our part of the world is around the equivalent of $6 now. Not a bad price compared to other entertainment like concerts or live shows or sports events which seems to have inflated a lot since this pandemic started. But despite higher prices our rugby stadiums are packed lately. People missed going to see live sport it seems. I am a happy home camper.
Thanks for the heads-up on National Cinema Day! Clearly Cinemas are on their last legs...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62629932
It is possible to survive a declining market. Usually this means specialise. Add something other outlets don't add.
We have a new Cinema in Southsea, UK:
Small audience of Arty Movie fans. It might make it. Coffee and Cake is better than popcorn and soda, IMO
Back to the mainstream...
https://www.myvue.com/whats-on
Bottom line is my local Vue Cinema is selling tickets for £3 next Saturday 3rd. September.
I can scarcely see beyond "Top Gun Maverick (2)".
Nevermind Thor "Love and Thunder" which just looks rubbish.
Can't wait! FWIW, I won't be buying Popcorn or Sodas.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62629932
It is possible to survive a declining market. Usually this means specialise. Add something other outlets don't add.
We have a new Cinema in Southsea, UK:
Small audience of Arty Movie fans. It might make it. Coffee and Cake is better than popcorn and soda, IMO
Back to the mainstream...
https://www.myvue.com/whats-on
Bottom line is my local Vue Cinema is selling tickets for £3 next Saturday 3rd. September.
I can scarcely see beyond "Top Gun Maverick (2)".
Nevermind Thor "Love and Thunder" which just looks rubbish.
Can't wait! FWIW, I won't be buying Popcorn or Sodas.
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Going to cinemas got more complicated compared to my youth. These days i'm picky with the titles, prefer Imax and/or 3D. Less disturbances the more expensive the ticket it seems. We used to be allowed to bring our own candy and snacks to the theatre, they changed that this year. I think they'll survive at least another decade or two, but indie and foreign movies seem to be shown less compared to the latest Marvel/DC instalment. Tickets are expensive, but there are deals like 30% off on Tuesdays. Regular movie, one adult ticket is 13 bucks, Imax is 22 bucks.
I remember a local cinema in the 1970's called The Regent.
It was grand old place. Stalls downstairs and upper circle up stairs.
Took my mate to see Woody Allan's "Everything you wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask"
Poor bloke was in stitches and laughed so much the usherette asked him to calm it down.
It was a shame when it closed but the other cinema in town kept going but down sized.
Used to go to the Alhambra in the 1960's to the Saturday afternoon matinee'.
6 old pence to get in.
Used to see "The famous Five" and other kids films. Great times.
It was grand old place. Stalls downstairs and upper circle up stairs.
Took my mate to see Woody Allan's "Everything you wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask"
Poor bloke was in stitches and laughed so much the usherette asked him to calm it down.
It was a shame when it closed but the other cinema in town kept going but down sized.
Used to go to the Alhambra in the 1960's to the Saturday afternoon matinee'.
6 old pence to get in.
Used to see "The famous Five" and other kids films. Great times.