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s dog
11-28-2005, 08:55 PM
I live 12 miles from a small 5 screen theater it has 2 auditoriums that seats about a 170 each and 3 smaller ones that seat around a 100 or so each. The two larger theaters have good surround sound and a nice size screen BUT no stadium seating, a ticket is $5.00 to get in and a large drink and popcorn is another $5.00. $10.00 is not bad for a movie now days. 40 miles away there is a 20 screen theater that has all the bells and whistles plus of course stadium seating.But a ticket cost $7.00 or $8.00 bucks and a drink and popcorn is close to $8.00 or $9.00 . So i have decided two stick with the smaller theater because heck it is 28 miles closer and half the price, now if you do go on a opening night when the place is full and someone tall sets in front of you then you are s**t out of luck, so what i do to get around this is wait a week after the movie i want to see comes out and then i go on a off time like sunday night when there is hardly anyone there, and if someone sets in front of me i can just move over a few seats and im fine , just wander if there are any small theater left where you guys live or have the big theater taken over every thing. If a movie comes out that i REALLY want to see then i will take the longer drive and pay out more money.

Lensman
11-28-2005, 10:15 PM
Sounds like a reasonable plan. As much as I love movies, I've grown to increasingly dislike theaters. The type of seating is the least of my concerns and even type of audio is low on my list of gripes. What annoys me most is the profound lack of courtesy in the audience and the lack of emphasis theaters place on imposing the rules they display in their flashy on-screen intros. This is followed by the late starts of the films, the untold minutes of advertising I'm essentially paying to see, the lack of training of the projectionists on how to focus an image, the rapidity with which the mishandled film prints get trashed, and the aforementioned extortionist prices of snacks and drinks. Not a few of my local theaters will also change schedules before they change their advertised showings and times.

In light of all this, I'm among the estimated 75% of Americans who prefer to stay home and watch DVDs. I have a friend who now never goes to theaters - ever. For me, going to movies has gone from a casual pasttime to a carefully considered decision.

Worf101
11-29-2005, 06:42 AM
Sounds like a reasonable plan. As much as I love movies, I've grown to increasingly dislike theaters. The type of seating is the least of my concerns and even type of audio is low on my list of gripes. What annoys me most is the profound lack of courtesy in the audience and the lack of emphasis theaters place on imposing the rules they display in their flashy on-screen intros. This is followed by the late starts of the films, the untold minutes of advertising I'm essentially paying to see, the lack of training of the projectionists on how to focus an image, the rapidity with which the mishandled film prints get trashed, and the aforementioned extortionist prices of snacks and drinks. Not a few of my local theaters will also change schedules before they change their advertised showings and times.

In light of all this, I'm among the estimated 75% of Americans who prefer to stay home and watch DVDs. I have a friend who now never goes to theaters - ever. For me, going to movies has gone from a casual pasttime to a carefully considered decision.

+100. I couldn't have said it any better myself. Absolutely, 100% perfect description of what the heck is wrong with the movie going experience, and why Hollywood ain't makin' money like it used to. Bravo for a great and well reasoned response.

Da Worfster :cool:

kexodusc
11-29-2005, 07:04 AM
Lensman you nailed it buddy!

My wife and I use to see 2 movies a week, we love movies. That would run us just under $40 for all the trimmin's.
Now we're pushing $30 for just 1 of us.

'Round here, the prices keep going up and up too. I suspect that's everywhere. What did it for me was a $1 price increase combined with the "don't steal our movies, they're worth it" advertisement, and the staff having the balls to ask me to clean up after myself when I leave??? $10 a ticket and I have to clean the place too? Why dont' you just give me an f'n mop while you're at it.

GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

GMichael
11-29-2005, 07:19 AM
Ditto, going to movies is not what it used to be for sure. Add to that how good home theaters have become and it's no wonder so many places are going out of business.

It's a shame though. There is something special about going out to see a new release.

Smokey
11-29-2005, 07:20 AM
$10 a ticket and I have to clean the place too? Why dont' you just give me an f'n mop while you're at it.

GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

ROFLMAO http://www.tonmo.com/forums/images/smilies/roflmao.gif

L.J.
11-29-2005, 07:33 AM
For me, going to movies has gone from a casual pasttime to a carefully considered decision.

Exactly! I usually try to go to the first showing when less people are out. Some showings start as early as 10:45. Weekend evenings are out for me. Too many kids running around that have no interest in the movie, just there to play. I should know, I used to be one of em. What ever happened to matinee? Or children's prices? My wife and I took my kid to see Zathura a couple of weeks ago and it cost $6 per ticket, two adults and one child at 11:00am. The one good thing that has come from going to the movies is my wife. I met her at a theater in the bay area 11 years ago.

Kam
11-29-2005, 08:29 AM
here in nyc, ticket prices are 10.75 and climbing anytime, all the time. there's only one matinee place, that's $7 and no where near me (in queens). i try and got to as many advance/free screenings as i can rather than pay that price, so i get to see a lot of movies early (like Good night and Good luck, capote, etc.), but also a lot of crappy ones (ala derailed). also i've become a huge fan of the digitally remastered prints they make for imax screens and anything playing on the imax i'll go and see. even though its more expensive, its worth it for two huge reasons noted above, no commercials before an imax movie, and a completely different crowd.
one of the best theaters in nyc is the amc25 as far as gigantic screens, sound, and even plays smaller indie movies, BUT... it's in times square and the absolute worst crowd imaginable from thurs-sun.
the smaller theaters are all dissapearing here, and its a shame because they are one of the few places to check out the indie releases and one of the few venues open for indie releases.
the whole concept of advertising in theaters is bogus to me. i thought there was a class action law suit against the theater chains, and if there isnt, there should be. we are paying to sit there, the advertisers are paying to get their ads up, and the movie theater is raking in the money on both fronts plus a percentage of gross and STILL ticket prices are going up? how does that make sense? charge US more and then show MORE commercials? i could understand a rising ticket price if there were fewer commercials, or dropping ticket prices and having more commercials, but increasing BOTH? that's what will hopefully continue to keep people away from the theaters til lthey change their stance, or someone gets a class action law suit against loews and company.

kexodusc
11-29-2005, 09:00 AM
the whole concept of advertising in theaters is bogus to me. i thought there was a class action law suit against the theater chains, and if there isnt, there should be. we are paying to sit there, the advertisers are paying to get their ads up, and the movie theater is raking in the money on both fronts plus a percentage of gross and STILL ticket prices are going up? how does that make sense? charge US more and then show MORE commercials? i could understand a rising ticket price if there were fewer commercials, or dropping ticket prices and having more commercials, but increasing BOTH? that's what will hopefully continue to keep people away from the theaters til lthey change their stance, or someone gets a class action law suit against loews and company.

I briefly looked at a few public comanies in this industry a few years back. The problem with the business model from the the theater's perspective is that they don't make much, if any money at all, off the ticket prices. In some cases (ie: Harry Potter, LOTR) they will deliberately take a loss on bringing the movie into town, in hopes of recovering costs from concessions. At the time, they had severe constraints in determining ticket prices as well (caps and ceilings according to time of day etc.). I think the advertising is untapped revenue for them. I can't blame them.

I'll admit to being a few years away from the last time I looked at one, but back when things were going good for Hollywood, the average theaters weren't making big bucks in terms of return on investment.

If it's still like this, then we can't really blame the theaters for ticket prices because the studios were taking such a huge % of the gate.

It's a shady business...the Studio's get all the cash, squeeze the theaters, and the theaters take the frontal assault of the angry mob.

What can you do?

Kam
11-29-2005, 09:40 AM
I briefly looked at a few public comanies in this industry a few years back. The problem with the business model from the the theater's perspective is that they don't make much, if any money at all, off the ticket prices. In some cases (ie: Harry Potter, LOTR) they will deliberately take a loss on bringing the movie into town, in hopes of recovering costs from concessions. At the time, they had severe constraints in determining ticket prices as well (caps and ceilings according to time of day etc.). I think the advertising is untapped revenue for them. I can't blame them.

I'll admit to being a few years away from the last time I looked at one, but back when things were going good for Hollywood, the average theaters weren't making big bucks in terms of return on investment.

If it's still like this, then we can't really blame the theaters for ticket prices because the studios were taking such a huge % of the gate.

It's a shady business...the Studio's get all the cash, squeeze the theaters, and the theaters take the frontal assault of the angry mob.

What can you do?

i think with the current landscape however, things are a little different. theater's, from what i've found out/ read/ understood (will try and find some links to the info if i can), theaters take the largest percentage of gross over the opening weeks and then lower percentages as time goes on. A studio's biggest money maker isnt seen just by opening weekend, but by how much traction the movie has because the longer it plays and continues to make money, the higher percentage of that weekly take goes to the studio.
e.g. week 1 theater 50%, studio 50%
but by week 15 theater 10%, studio 90%.
plus, the way the big budget movies are financed, i cant remember the exact figure, but if they dont make something like 100-120% of the budget back in the first 2 weeks, then the studio isnt going to see any profit from that movie until dvd sales. (this isnt exact, i'll try and find a link to this too, so take it with a grain of salt, but imo, i think thats close to being correct).
take 2 examples.
troy (budget 175mill + marketing budget 50 mill = 225mill)
gross = 133mill US + 364mill Foreign = 497mill.
opening weekend = 46 mill. (16 weeks to hit 130mill)
only until dvd sales did troy make any money. the foreign market and what percentage of that goes to the studio varies from market to market, as often there will be a seller who sells the rights to those markets outright for a flat fee. (for e.g. the troy seller sells Germany to a local distribution company for 20mill. that 20 mill goes in to the budget and then whatever gross is made in germany, is kept by that local distribution company).
goblet of fire (budget 150mill + marketing budget 50mill (est) = 200mill)
gross = 201 mill US + 209 mill foreign = 410mill
Opening weekend = 102mill (200mill in 10 DAYS).
now harry potter is CURRENTLY making the studios money and add on the dvd sales will be even more gravy.

this is also why movies arent given a chance in theaters and why word of mouth is very rare to keep a movie going, because why share any percentage of the movie with the theater when the studio can take all the profits from the dvd sales? but, this also depends on the movie and its particular structure in place. star wars, for example, had a different distribution scheme because lucas had the power to demand it. for ep1, he told theaters if they wanted to show his movie, then they MUST show it on their biggest screen for x number of weeks (i cant remember the exact time frame, but it was pretty much throughout the summer). as it happenned, it continued to make money throughout summer so the theaters prolly would have left it in their biggest screens anyway.
i have also read, however, that theaters do rely on concessions to make a good portion of their money. it ain't an easy business to make money in that's for sure!
although lucas now is also trying to pioneer the digital distribution arena as a bid to lower costs of why movies costs so much to make. with these astronomical budgets ($200mill going to be the "standard" soon) something is going to have to happen to increase profits, and the bests way to make a $200mill gross profitable, is have the movie cost 5mill to make, not 200mill.

just some more ramblings :) but its an interesting biz, that's for sure.

EDIT: reverse that above percentage, theaters take a lower percentage over opening weekend and higher percentage over the later weeks. which furthers the studio's desire to rush to dvd because they'd have to share 90% of the revenue in week15 with the theater vs. keep 100% of the dvd sales to themselves.
EDIT: studios, while also selling the rights to foreign distributors, still can also keep those rights, but also have a lower percentage of the take of gross PLUS sometimes (in the case of the bigger movies) also have the added marketing expense in those markets.

Woochifer
11-29-2005, 11:38 AM
Overall, I think Lensman and Kam hit it out of the park. Their points are so spot on. Deciding between theaters is a conundrum in most areas. I like to support neighborhood movie theaters, the single screens in particular, because they have a charm and character that makes for a more pleasant experience -- well, until the actual movie starts. Unfortunately, most smaller neighborhood theaters have substandard projection and sound systems that can really grate on you while actually watching the movie.

There is nothing like the theatrical experience -- the big screen, the audience reaction, the anticipation, etc. But, the home theater is eroding the advantage of going to the theater. It's now possible to build a home theater sound system that rivals all but the best of the best showcase theaters within a reasonable budget. And with HD taking hold, the video side is gaining ground on film projection (particularly when film prints start to fade and accumulate dirt and scratches). For more and more people, it seems that the hassles and cost of movie going are no longer worthwhile, especially with the quality of home theater nowadays. I know that I'm a lot more selective about which movies I actually go to theaters to see.

The megaplexes give you a generically good presentation. Even though THX certification doesn't carry the same clout that it used to, those theaters at least have clean acoustics and generally acceptable sound quality. What I don't like is the airport terminal feel to those places, and the almost anonymous experience of marching down these long hallways with one identical auditorium after another. The megaplexes post showtimes, but they don't tell you which theater is showing which movie. Even though a megaplex might have at least one 600-seat auditorium, the newspaper ads and websites don't tell you which movie is playing in that auditorium, so you have no way of picking out the appropriate showtime if you buy your tickets in advance. Plus, for whatever reason, the audiences at these megaplexes are generally rude, and behave like they're in their own living room -- with the loud conversations and cell phone chatter, feet up on the seats, and trash everywhere.

Also, and I'm probably in the minority on this one, I've grown to dislike stadium theaters. I know that the design is popular with audiences and theater owners alike. Audiences like it because the sightlines are less obstructed, with the seats closer to the screen. Theater owners like stadium seating because it allows for more seats in a smaller area. Plus, the shorter distances to the screen make the audience think that the screen is larger than it actually is, allowing theater owners to go with smaller screens and less powerful projection.

But, I've basically come to thinking that stadium seating also compromises the sound quality, particularly with the surround imaging. Compared to a conventional flat rectangular theater, the surround envelopment in a stadium theater just doesn't sound as natural or spacious. Plus, if you arrive late and have to sit in the floor section, the seats are well below the screen and angled up.

And I don't know about the rest of you, but for whatever reason, I've had bad luck with people sitting behind me with nasty foot problems! No problem in a conventional theater, but with stadium seating, those feet are right behind my head! Aside from people with foot odor and people with foot odor who insist on taking their shoes off during the movie, it's also very unsettling when you get someone with the itchy feet. Just that grinding sound of fingernails sloughing off piles of fungal foot skin is enough to overpower even the loudest theater sound system!

It's gotten to a point where for some movies, I will wait a few weeks so that I can see the movie in L.A. Living in L.A., I got totally spoiled by the abundance of great single-screen theaters that combine the grandeur and nostalgia of a classic movie theater with state-of-the-art projection and sound systems. The Grauman's Chinese might be the most famous movie theater, but IMO it's not even the best one in L.A.

Only when I moved out of L.A. and traveled around the country did I see how unusual a situation that truly was. I mean, it shocks me that Manhattan has only one large single-screen movie theater left (the Ziegfeld, which apparently isn't even open every day) -- everything else has gone multiplex. L.A.'s a company town, and the movie theaters there reflect that, and even the audiences are more respectful.

But, even in L.A. the megaplex is spreading and forcing a number of older, smaller multiplexes to close. Some of them though are trying different approaches to differentiate themselves from the generic crowd. One multiplex in Hollywood, the Arclight (and adjacent Cinerama Dome), has gone to reserved seating, some smaller theaters with wide leather chairs, higher ticket prices on weekends, and 21 and over screenings with cocktail service. The projection and sound systems at that theater purportedly emulate a rectangular studio screening room (no stadium seating), and are among the best anywhere. But, the higher ticket prices and reserved seating generally attract a more mature audience (i.e. less talking, no cellphones, no feet propped up against your seat, etc.), which IMO might be worth the price of admission alone.

Another aspect that plays into my thinking about which movies to see at the theater is IMAX. As far as presentation quality goes, the IMAX theatrical releases are a revelation with their sound and picture. Their IMAX DMR prints have picture clarity that's reminiscent of a good 70mm print, and with the 80'-90' width of the IMAX screen, it's as big a picture as you will see from any showcase theater. On the audio side, IMAX theaters are built to identical proportions, which allows them to use acoustically tested clusters of surround speakers in the corners rather going with the more typical arrays of surround speakers along the walls (which IMO does not work very well with a stadium seating arrangement). This approach creates the precise imaging reminiscent of a properly setup home theater system, but with the massive scale of a large theatrical system. Plus, IMAX uses the uncompressed 24-bit DTAC audio format, which is superior to the compressed lossy DD and DTS formats.

Oops! Sorry about the length, I'm rambling today! :D

kexodusc
11-29-2005, 12:21 PM
That's pretty much in line with what I understand (except your research is better than my memory)....Any idea if the studios are still capitulating and ticket prices with artificial floors and ceilings still?

Funny how it seems there's this big push to go to the giant stadium DTS EX ++ AAA v.2 state-of-the-art, bleeding-edge facilities with robot ushers and all. One would think that makes movies less profitable. So the masses must be choosing new theaters over old ones initially. Sounds like there could be a real opportunity for budget, no-frills theaters to pop up then. I'll cross my fingers. For those of us who live in smaller centers with only 1 local complex within 1/2 hour drive, there isn't much to choose from.

But, if more good movies don't start making it to theaters soon, none of this will matter too much. A bad movie is a bad movie no matter where you watch it (though its a small consolation when you only blow $10 instead of $20).

Woochifer
11-29-2005, 01:05 PM
That's pretty much in line with what I understand (except your research is better than my memory)....Any idea if the studios are still capitulating and ticket prices with artificial floors and ceilings still?

Funny how it seems there's this big push to go to the giant stadium DTS EX ++ AAA v.2 state-of-the-art, bleeding-edge facilities with robot ushers and all. One would think that makes movies less profitable. So the masses must be choosing new theaters over old ones initially. Sounds like there could be a real opportunity for budget, no-frills theaters to pop up then. I'll cross my fingers. For those of us who live in smaller centers with only 1 local complex within 1/2 hour drive, there isn't much to choose from.

Actually, the rush to build all these new stadium megaplexes in the late-90s led to some theater chains filing for bankruptcy. They way overbuilt new megaplexes, and wound up cannibalizing their older neighborhood multiplexes, which ended up dragging down their finances. I've done market research on theater development, and there's only so much spending to go around. Theater owners got caught up in their own rosey projections, and thought that new megaplexes would spur new spending, only to find that the market didn't grow that much faster than the population. When the AMC and the Edwards theater chains built competing megaplexes across the street from one another in Ontario, California, they created over 60 new movie theater screens! Projects of that magnitude attract a lot of spending, and it gets taken from somewhere else. Sadly, it all boils down to investing huge amounts of money to attract the largest audiences possible, just so the theaters can sell them high priced concessions items. The movies themselves have turned into infomercials for the DVD releases.

I'm with you, I love the quirkiness of second run theaters. The low ticket prices let you take chances on movies you might not have otherwise seen, although there is a certain seediness to some of those places. There was one close to my house until it got bulldozed a few months ago to make way for a new supermarket. Too bad. Unfortunately, second run theaters typically don't have a long shelf life, because they usually reuse a space that couldn't make it as a first run movie house. They often disappear fairly quickly when a higher use of land/space is proposed. Building no frills theaters from the ground up is probably not an option nowadays since audiences have grown accustomed to a certain level of presentation quality and theater amenity. I doubt that they will be too keen on going back to analog optical sound, or tolerate theater owners purposely using lower wattage projector bulbs to save on utility costs.

kexodusc
11-29-2005, 01:36 PM
So, what you're telling me Wooch, is I better get use to this...

Market correction, anyone?

GMichael
11-29-2005, 01:44 PM
You mean drive-ins with their cheesy mono speakers won't be making a comeback?

How about if we come up with a new type drive in? They will have a way you can plug your car stereo into their audio output. Maybe a digital coax would be best. Then we'll sell surround sound systems for cars.

What do you say? :D

recoveryone
11-29-2005, 03:46 PM
Kam & Lens Amen to your comments, the only reason I go now days is for me and the wife to get away from the kids. From the high price food/drinks and rude people bring lil ones to R rated or other questionable movies just gets under my skin. I went to go see Jarhead a few weeks back and this lady just about force her (looked like) 15-16 daughter and her friend to go see it with her. About mid way through I chuckle to myself wondering if that mom would have reconsider her choice.

Woochifer
11-29-2005, 04:51 PM
So, what you're telling me Wooch, is I better get use to this...

Market correction, anyone?

The market correction already occurred when several movie theater chains filed for bankruptcy and consolidated (the Regal chain picked up the scraps when Edwards, United Artists, and I believe, Carmike filed for Chapter 11). The bankruptcies actually freed them up to terminate the leases on several of their smaller neighborhood multiplexes, and I believe that since 2000, the number of movie screens has generally been in decline after the explosion of new screens during the 1990s (back in the 80s, blockbuster movie releases typically went into about 2,000 screens, whereas nowadays wide releases typically go onto 3,500+ screens).

The sad reality is that movie theaters are not what real estate developers refer to as a "highest and best" use. Their average revenue on a per square foot basis is less than half of what a typical retail store generates, and movie theaters generally pay lower lease rates than other businesses. But, they attract lots of bodies and can make adjacent businesses more viable, thereby making other spaces in a development more valuable than they would have been without the theater present. That's why shopping center developments are eager to attract movie theaters, not because they make so much money from those big structures, but because all those movie patrons help to increase the lease rates for restaurant and other retail spaces next door.

With reuse of older theaters, that's a really tough challenge. I've worked on some downtown revitalization projects and communities almost always want to do something with their old downtown theater. But, the costs of refurbishing a theater or just operating it are fairly high, and with a single screen in a small community, it's very difficult to operate profitably. Operating an old downtown theater as a movie house almost requires someone running it as a hobby.

Or in the case of Robert Bucksbaum, who bought the wonderful Westwood Crest theater in Los Angeles a couple of years ago, a manic movie fan who's willing to plow his entire life savings into buying and saving a single screen neighborhood movie theater, and operate the place himself night after night. This is one of my favorite theaters in L.A. -- classic art deco design, with a great projection and sound systems and acoustics. Disney actually spent millions refurbishing the place in the 80s adding glo-in-the-dark murals around the auditorium that look like neon signs with the house lights down, plus fiber optic shooting stars in the ceiling that make the theater seem like it's outdoors at night. Yet, the theater was threatened with closure, and then one guy decided to buy the theater and operate it as an independent single screen. Call it crazy, but that's almost what needs to happen in order to get relief from the megaplexes. The articles on the Westwood Crest's website are worth reading.

http://www.westwoodcrest.com/index.php

http://www.westwoodfilmfestival.com/images/ww_crest.jpg

http://leesmovieinfo.net/images1/crest1.JPG

http://leesmovieinfo.net/images1/crest2.JPG

s dog
11-29-2005, 09:10 PM
Sounds like a reasonable plan. As much as I love movies, I've grown to increasingly dislike theaters. The type of seating is the least of my concerns and even type of audio is low on my list of gripes. What annoys me most is the profound lack of courtesy in the audience and the lack of emphasis theaters place on imposing the rules they display in their flashy on-screen intros. This is followed by the late starts of the films, the untold minutes of advertising I'm essentially paying to see, the lack of training of the projectionists on how to focus an image, the rapidity with which the mishandled film prints get trashed, and the aforementioned extortionist prices of snacks and drinks. Not a few of my local theaters will also change schedules before they change their advertised showings and times.

In light of all this, I'm among the estimated 75% of Americans who prefer to stay home and watch DVDs. I have a friend who now never goes to theaters - ever. For me, going to movies has gone from a casual pasttime to a carefully considered decision.
I agree with you on the lack of courtesy from the audience. I went to see harry potter the other night and the theater was half full of high school kids and they was raising hell from the start to the finish of that movie, and they where in and out of the theater ever 5 min. Now i know kids will be kids but it was just plain ridiculous. Thank god i have a nice HT system at home, but there is a movie now and than i like to see on the big screen.

jamison
11-29-2005, 09:56 PM
i agree with all the posts about todays movie going experience. spend ten bucks on a movie, 8 bucks on popcorn, 6 bucks for a small soft drink yikes...seems to me the theaters make all their money on soft drinks and popcorn, I can remember back to 1977 when star wars first came out, my mom *****ed about paying $3.75 to go see it. i remember my sister and i loved it ... my parents hated sci fi and it was all they could do to sit through it... ah the good old days... now the theater has closed after 75 years of being in business the local multiplex put them out of business

Lensman
11-29-2005, 09:59 PM
My worst audience experience happened when I went see LOTR: The Two Towers with my wife and her sister. There was so much noise from the crowd I completely missed about a third of the dialogue. Two different individuals several rows in front of us had several brief cell phone conversations during the film and a group of teenagers (who obviously had seen the film 18 times already, but didn't have anywhere better to go) to our right kept cutting up. At one point I got so annoyed with the them, I got up and was making my way over to them when someone else beat me to it. He told them to move down front if they couldn't shut up. They did move down, but continued to be disruptive enough that someone else now cursed to be near them went and told the management. The theater sent in a person who told them to be quiet, then left. Naturally the teenagers started back up again after a few minutes. Then somebody several rows behind us decided to start up a running commentary on the film. So I stood up, turned around, and glared back in that general direction until they got quiet. Later an employee came in with a broom and trash can to hang out till the film ended - taking no notice of the inconsiderate audience members.

After the film ended I went searching for the manager. I explained my displeasure and requested a refund for the three of us. Flustered, he was issuing instructions to an employee to comply when a lady came up to him and said, "I wanted to tell you about a problem in your theater." Excusing himself, he turned to her and asked which film and what problem. She replied, "The Two Towers. Me and my friend were sitting in the back watching the film. There was a couple near us talking. But then some guy stood up and just stared straight at ME for several minutes! It really freaked me out!" The manager took her to one side and calmed her, then turned back to me.

"You see!", I exclaimed, "That's exactly the kind of stuff I was talking about!"

In addition to the monetary refund, I also got free passes - which I never used...

Woochifer
11-29-2005, 11:07 PM
I agree with you on the lack of courtesy from the audience. I went to see harry potter the other night and the theater was half full of high school kids and they was raising hell from the start to the finish of that movie, and they where in and out of the theater ever 5 min. Now i know kids will be kids but it was just plain ridiculous. Thank god i have a nice HT system at home, but there is a movie now and than i like to see on the big screen.

Unfortunately, I think rudeness in movie theaters, especially with these megaplexes and their generally short staffs, is just part of the times we're in. In a way, I think the cattlecar mentality of these megaplexes, the generic experience of moviegoing nowadays, and the general disconnect of megaplexes from people's neighborhoods, is condusive to people being rude at movie theaters. But, a lot of it is also simply the presence of teenagers who've never had an opportunity to see moviegoing as a special occasion or event, but just something to do and more of an instant gratification than something that you had to wait for and anticipate (like in the days of 70mm roadshows or limited engagements, before simultaneous wide releases became the norm). They don't value the moviegoing experience because it's so ubiquitous and generic, and frankly because so many movies nowadays are just mindless throwaways.

I think the Arclight Cinema in L.A. is onto something by going with reserved seating, 21 and over cocktail screenings, and ticket prices that are $2-$4 higher than at other theaters. All of those factors, plus ushers stationed at every entrance, make for an atmosphere that's far less inviting for obnoxious teenagers and more condusive to serious moviegoing. The few times I've been there, they actually have an usher up front before the screening introducing the movie and reminding people to turn off their cell phones and keep quiet during the show. It might be a $14 ticket on weekend evenings, but IMO it's worthwhile given the professionalism (and presence) of the staff and the stellar presentation quality, and the generally more knowledgeable and appreciative audiences that go there.