Curtains for the Big Show?

My daughter and her husband went on a date the other night. They dropped their little one at our place because they wanted an evening to themselves. “A date” meant going right back to their own house and getting a few projects done without the distraction of an active one-year old. Really?  That’s a date?  I figured they’d do something like go to the movies. After all, the theater’s only five minutes from their front door.

Our one-and-only movie theater

The same theater’s only twenty minutes from our front door.  It’s the only show in (our small) town but it still carries the first-run films.  So now I’m asking myself, why haven’t we been to the theater either?  I mean, we’ve lived here almost two years yet we’ve never even been tempted.  Does our own dating routine need a little recharge?

“Stadium seating”

The truth is, like most who don’t go to the movies much anymore, the COVID years played a big part in our change of behavior.  Before then we were regular patrons, drawn to the promise of a well-reviewed blockbuster or sappy rom-com.  No matter the size of our TV or the quality of our sound at home, it couldn’t hold a candle to the big-screen experience.  Plush seats, popcorn, and larger-than-life images were the way to go.

But movie theaters struggle now.  We’re already two years past the last U.S. state mask mandate (time flies), yet theaters haven’t been able to bring back audiences in numbers comparable to the years before COVID.  The only movie to get my wife and I up off our couch and into the theater was Top Gun: Maverick, which seems forever ago now.  Much as I’d like to blame the pandemic for our recent lack of attendance, other forces are at work here:

Can’t we go back to this version?

1) Streaming.  Just as we all hunkered down in 2020 to wait out COVID, on-line entertainment options went full-stream ahead.  My wife and I cautiously subscribed to something called Netflix back then (knowing we could cancel at any time), and in no time we became the very definition of “binge”.  Today we plunk down money for several streaming services, which come and go according to what we choose to watch.  In other words, “network television” isn’t the only option to the big screen anymore.

2) The cost.  A few weeks ago, my wife and I binged the twelve-episode first season of a Hallmark Channel series, for $10.79.  Season 2 cost us $25.37 for the same number of episodes.  Season 3?  $26.99.  Sneaky streamers, huh?  They get you hooked on the first season, then charge big-time for the rest.  But here’s the thing.  Those thirty-six hours of television cost us less than two dollars an hour.  A movie in the theater runs four to five times that much.

3) The annoyances.  Before online tickets, you could show up at the box office and be reasonably assured of getting a seat, for the face value of the ticket.  Now – for the popular movies at least – a “walk-in” is virtually impossible. You’re going to pay fees, whether for the online service itself, the movie’s time of day, or the theater’s better seats.  Once you’re in your seat the annoyances bloom, whether the advertisements before the movie, the cell phone going off in the next row, or the couple behind you who simply can’t stop talking throughout the show.

4) The product.  IMHO of course, the movies being made today simply aren’t what they used to be.  Those mainstream blockbusters and adorable rom-coms of yesteryear have given way to so-so remakes, Marvel characters, and independent films that rarely appeal to the masses.  Sure, I could (and probably should) expand my horizons to other film genres, but first you’re gonna have to address items 1), 2), and 3) above.

Will the show go on?

The summer blockbusters begin Memorial Day weekend but they’ve taken a hit this year because of last fall’s writers/actors strike.  Movie theaters may be a little – ahem – breezy as a result.  They’ll aim to draw in more patrons with re-releases of films gone by, mini film festivals, and sales of film-related merchandise instead (themed popcorn tub, anybody?)

The sustainability of the movie theater is in question, the same as the drive-in that died before it.  Will the product and price attract enough patrons to keep the experience viable?  Will a trip to the movies morph into a wholly different kind of experience (like dinner, drinks, and a movie, or a stop at the in-house video game arcade first?)  And will the concept of a movie-house subscription ever be more attractive than simply buying a ticket?

All good questions there.  Whatever happens, I hope the curtains don’t close on the big screen for good.  When a film is worth watching, alongside an audience willing to behave, it’s a great date night.  Without the movies, my wife and I might be forced to complete a few more projects around the house.

Some content sourced from the CNN Entertainment article, “Movie theaters are getting creative to appeal to audiences”.

Unknown's avatar

Author: Dave

Five hundred posts would suggest I have something to say… This blog was born from a desire to elevate the English language, highlighting eloquent words from days gone by. The stories I share are snippets of life itself, and each comes with a bonus: a dusted-off word I hope you’ll go on to use more often. Read “Deutschland-ish Improvements” to learn about my backyard European wish list. Try “Slush Fun” for the throwback years of the 7-Eleven convenience store. Or drink in "Iced Coffee" to discover the plight of the rural French cafe. On the lighter side, read "Late Night Racquet Sports" for my adventures with our latest moth invasion. As Walt Whitman said, “That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” Here then, my verse. Welcome to Life In A Word.

30 thoughts on “Curtains for the Big Show?”

  1. Hadn’t really stopped to consider any of this. I couldn’t tell you the last time we went to a movie. It used to be a natural thing for us to do on a Saturday night, meet another couple, have dinner, go to a movie, have a nightcap after. Now we all stay home and watch movies on the TV. I figured it was a result of the pandemic but it also may be because of the price and the hassle of buying tickets online ahead, instead of just winging it. 

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It doesn’t help how quickly big-screen movies make it to the little screen now. More movies are going direct-to-TV too. So in my mind, I’m thinking “just sit tight; it’ll be right here in the house before you know it”. That attitude doesn’t make me any happier, because I really do want to go back to the movie theater. I just need the experience to be worth my time and money the way it used to be.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Enjoyed your ending. I’d be forced to do “other” things too. I haven’t gone to the movies since 2018. Wow… If people go now, by the time they buy tickets and popcorn for kids, etc. They’ve spent $50-60. It doesn’t make sense.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The higher prices don’t really bother me, just like we’re paying more at most restaurants now. It’s more about something being less-than-satisfactory in the experience. The movie itself, the behavior of others, the hassle of buying tickets, etc. I wish going to the movies was as straightforward as it used to be. Interesting pattern in the comments here: most of us don’t realize how long it’s been since we last went to the theater.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. I have to say that streaming video really put the breaks on my going to the theater. I get to see what I want when I want. Also, we live a little bit outside of the main town and it’s about a 30 minute drive to the movie theater. We try to go a couple of times a year because we do enjoy it, but it’s a long time between movies we’d like to see.

    What has gotten us to the movie theater twice this year is the opera. Yup, opera. The New York Metropolitan Opera does live satellite broadcasts of it’s season to our local movie theater. My wife is a big opera fan. On the big screen and fancy sound system the New York Met is great. They do subtitles for us who don’t speak Italian and they do interviews with the cast, conductor and others before the show and during the intermission. It’s around $35 per ticket, but generally that’s close to 4 hours of entertainment. 

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’ve wondered about the “concert on the screen” approach for a while now, Andrew. Our theater in Colorado offered opera too, and now you’re seeing Taylor Swift and others bring their music to the big screen. One big positive: you pay a lot less to be closer to the “stage” and you don’t have to stand up the whole time just to see.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I have a feeling we’re going to see more of these concerts on screen. It’s a great way for an artist like Swift to sell tickets to a lot of people who can’t make it to a concert or who can’t afford the very high price of an in person concert. It’s not the same as being there live, but it has it’s good points.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Hello there. Some businesses have bounced back very well post-pandemic (restaurants, music venues, to name two), but movie theaters haven’t, unfortunately. I don’t think it’s due to cost. The price of a movie ticket is still modest compared to a restaurant meal, a concert ticket, a theater play, etc.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree about the cost, Neil (despite my comparison to the cost of streaming). I’ll pay for the ticket if I think the product and the experience will be worth it, but both of those are in question these days.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Dave, the last in-theater movie I saw was “Sommersby” back in 1993. Thirty-one years ago – it can’t be! I did rent videos a lot and had cable at one time, but I cancelled the cable back in 2010 and that was before walking or blogging took over large portions of my free time. I had so many programs taped, they lasted me for ages. I suppose I will get cable or streaming services again once I get my own “house projects” done and I am fully settled into retirement, but I have to get a more modern TV. I have two identical TVs from the early 90s with the bulbous back and a 19-inch screen. At one time there was a lot of TV programs on nightly, not to mention movies and great mini-series (whatever happened to those, the greats like “The Thornbirds” or “Roots” or “Lonesome Dove” to name a few). So there were two TVs and two VCRs to be able to tape two shows and watch one program live and that was network TV, before cable TV. I do sometimes stream from my computer, especially the PBS show “All Creatures Great and Small” or movies on Amazon Prime. I know many movie theaters have closed in my area, some which were around forever and featured bargain matinees on Sunday afternoons, but the big name theaters, both standalone or in malls are all shuttered now as well. And the drive-ins bit the dust a few decades ago.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The description of your televisions warmed my heart, Linda. I am anything but a “latest/greatest” consumer. As long as a product still works (ex. this laptop is almost a decade old) I see no reason to upgrade. Also, of all movie examples you chose Sommersby, which brought a smile. My wife still smarts at the way that story concluded. She expects all of her movies to have a “Hollywood” ending 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. My sentiments exactly Dave – as the expression goes “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” (or upgrade it). I am typing on a 2014 Windows 7 HP laptop and I still have a 2009 Windows 7 HP laptop I store my photos on. I know you worked for HP at one time and I will always endorse them. My boss bought each of us a Windows 10 Dell laptop in 2019 when we upgraded to Windows 10 at work. I don’t like it – don’t like the interface, nor Dell, so I do the updates on it, but nothing else is on it and when this one goes, I’ll use it. I understand Windows 11 is buggy. “Sommersby” had an odd ending and no, not the perfect ending I would have liked either. No one was on to Jack, except Jethro the dog and he met his fate as he kept snarling at his “new master”. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  6. In many towns and cities single theatres have given way to multiplexes. But they are very costly for people with less income. Here too what you have written has happened. But we have not gone to theatre for more than ten years. Somehow we have lost interest in movies and we find it difficult to relate to movies made now. I would rather sit with my book 😊 . Thank you for this post.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree with your comment about books. Books rarely translate well to the big screen and are more satisfying than many other forms of entertainment. But I also think “getting out” is healthy since you’re bound to interact with others. I’d just rather take a chance on a meal at a restaurant instead of the movie theater right now.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. My friend and I wanted to see Barbie in theaters but it was so hard to get tickets because of the prebooking required. I do miss that buttery popcorn (I’m sure my arteries don’t) but I like watching at home where I can pause for the bathroom. When I was a kid we went to the movies a lot and would stop at the store to sneak in candy. About 80% it was hot tamales, the other 20% milk duds.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I love this comment! We always spring for the awful-for-you-great-tasting popcorn because it just wouldn’t be the movies without it. And I totally relate to the bathroom comment (I remember not being able to make it through Titanic without a break). Finally, there are certain candies I only go for at the movies. Raisinetes, Junior Mints, and Reese’s Pieces, to name just a few.

      Like

  10. I thought movie theaters would be toast a long time ago like drive-in theaters. We have date nights and family nights at the theater regularly. Of course our date nights are actually “date days” because we often head to the earliest showing on senior discount weekdays. No disruptions and we do not have to pre-buy the tickets. But many of the prime time showings are crowded enough that we do have to purchase tickets beforehand which is an annoyance.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m anticipating a worthwhile movie to get me back into the theater, and hoping that movie comes out this summer. It’s been far too long since we’ve enjoyed one on the big screen. And as long as there aren’t any “talkers” I like your approach to target an earlier time-of-day. Didn’t used to have that luxury, but retirement has relaxed the calendar a little.

      Like

  11. We bought a new ‘smart’ TV a few months back – the quality of the picture is awesome! Caught the tail end of the Masters this afternoon and I would gladly watch just to see the beautiful course even if I didn’t like golf. Then there is our every evening date night – Midsomer Murders on Prime or Ted Lasso on Apple TV. Excellent shows and we don’t have a half hour drive each way.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. There was something to be said about watching a movie with a theater full of people… until they started misbehaving. I used to be on the edge of my seat because of the movie; now it’s because of the thought of some interruption during – Murphy’s Law – the quietest moments of the film. As one reader commented, maybe I need to start going to matinees on weekdays, where the seniors know how to behave. As for The Masters, it could be a black-and-white big box from the 1960s and the course would still look pristine. One of these years I’ll wander over there for a look in person.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Top Gun: Maverick was the last film we saw in the theater as well. Our problem is there are no movies that appeal to us enough to warrant the price tag for a night at the movies any more! I hope your daughter and her husband at least had take-out in candle-light after the projects!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Your problem is our problem as well. We used to be drawn to the movies for (in the following order): 1) Rom-coms, 2) Dramas, 3) Action-adventures. It seems rom-coms aren’t as popular or as profitable as they used to be, because now they are few and far between. The other two categories don’t appeal to us as frequently. Sadly, going to the movies almost feels like something we “used to do”.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Now you have done it – I am trying to think of the last movie Marianne and I watched in a theatre and I can’t come up with it! For a long time it was hard to justify the cost when we could go to a Redbox and get a disc from a recent flick, and watch it in the comfort of home for just a couple of bucks. Lately we have plenty of streaming options. And, frankly, both of us like watching older movies. I am in the process of concluding that the 1990’s was a second golden era for film, with gobs of great movies to choose from. Modern stuff doesn’t come off as well in comparison. And a wrong choice creates far less regret when the only cost is a few bucks and a couple of hours, vs. $50 between the tickets and the snacks.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I almost sacrificed my 100+ laser discs (the precursor to the DVD) when we moved to South Carolina. Thank goodness I held onto them. Many of the movies I own in that format are not available in any other format or on any streaming platform (and may never be). It’s fair to say this household will never go completely digital, at least with movies.

      Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.