Heh, if they're going to rethink it, they need to think about any issues with the new model.

An indie theater got bought out and the new owners decided to add things like real food. They even added tiny tables between the seats. However, it turns out that a significant draw for movie theaters is dates. Putting the chastity table between the daters turned out to be a serious mistake. No cozying up for them.

Dating still makes plenty of sense for movie theaters. I've been an enthusiastic movie goer for ages, and even used to volunteer for film festivals, but the astronomical prices put me off more and more.

And it isn't something that I USED to enjoy. I saw "John Wick 4" and "Godzilla" in the theaters and I fucking loved it. I am dying to go back. I can't be the only one. Well, me, and all of the little kids who like Pokémon, Mario, FNAF, SONIC, and Minecraft. Don't get me wrong; I liked most of those, (except Mario voiced by Chris Pratt? Yeah, FUCK OFF) but I loved Oppenheimer too, and that movie was 98% dialog.

Literally 2 weeks before C19 shut us all down, the movie theatre near my then home re-grand-opened—huge updates and upgrades to everything. Regular old seats were replaced with the ones that are more comfortable and larger...but also rumble and move. A dedicated theatre to 3D was established. The normal popcorn/candy/coke section added an actual restaurant that would bring your order to you in the theatre. Sounds great, except the timing. All that investment and they had to shudder the doors for months, and when they did reopen....nobody was coming.

I moved, and I have no idea how they stayed open, but they are there still. The theatre near me has just upgraded everything as well. My 82-year-old stepfather likes to go to the show with his friends. He says there have never been more than 4 or 5 other people in the theatre, and usually it's less than that. I just don't understand how these businesses are staying afloat. I know that one of them started renting out theatres for conferences etc as a side gig...which isn't a terrible idea.

The theater model, if it is going to survive, needs a drastic reworking. They charge ridiculous sums of money yet the movie studios pay them next to nothing to show their movie. The lion's share of their income is from 1900% markup on popcorn basically. Greed destroys everything - going to the movie theater used to be my favorite thing to do as a teenager.

El Pit wrote on Apr 15, 2025, 05:39:

AlexSledge wrote on Apr 14, 2025, 14:34:
The industry hasn’t woken up to the fact that the pandemic closures taught us how perfectly acceptable, or even superior, watching a film from the couch in our undies can be.

Microwave a cheap bag of popcorn, grab a coke, you’re out $3 and having a great night at home.

For authenticity, I run an MP3 recording of a typical cinema screening in the background. I also have placed loud burner phones everywhere in the living room that ring every couple of minutes. Then I got a machine behind our couch that kicks it every 10 seconds or so. Another machine periodically throws popcorn at the screen. A raccoon is trained to walk by our couch every 15 minutes so that we have to stand up. Also, a little installed searchlight blinds us every couple of minutes and the living room door gets open and shut loudly frequently. I also pay $25 into a box in front of our living room to grab a small portion of semi-done popcorn and a shot glass filled with warm stale Mexican coke imitation.

This is such a great and authentic experience! But now I hate our living room and cannot afford watching movies at home anymore... How the hell did that happen?!

That’s why you need to sell tickets and share the experience with others… while making them pay for it of course. No freeloaders in Insane-King Trumps economy? Right my fellow… what do we call ourselves now?… MAGGAT? Close enough.

So I could take time out of my day off to get dressed, pay what is it now? About €16 to buy round trip tickets on the metro. Go to the nearest cinema. Pay about €30‘ish for tickets, drinks and friggin nachos cause pop corn gets stuck in my teeth. Sit in a dark room in public watching a movie and ads for around 2 hours. Having my ears blown out due to the insane volume. Get out, then having to wait for the metro which departs every 15mins. Get home with no time left in my day to do anything.

Or stream a movie while eating dinner on my own schedule? I’ll stay home, thanks.

Box office should not be a measurement. At least not the final one. And opening day is a way to judge your movies success I guess. How much people are dying to see what you spent millions on making. It’s an outmoded philosophy in my opinion.

AlexSledge wrote on Apr 14, 2025, 14:34:
The industry hasn’t woken up to the fact that the pandemic closures taught us how perfectly acceptable, or even superior, watching a film from the couch in our undies can be.

Microwave a cheap bag of popcorn, grab a coke, you’re out $3 and having a great night at home.

For authenticity, I run an MP3 recording of a typical cinema screening in the background. I also have placed loud burner phones everywhere in the living room that ring every couple of minutes. Then I got a machine behind our couch that kicks it every 10 seconds or so. Another machine periodically throws popcorn at the screen. A raccoon is trained to walk by our couch every 15 minutes so that we have to stand up. Also, a little installed searchlight blinds us every couple of minutes and the living room door gets open and shut loudly frequently. I also pay $25 into a box in front of our living room to grab a small portion of semi-done popcorn and a shot glass filled with warm stale Mexican coke imitation.

This is such a great and authentic experience! But now I hate our living room and cannot afford watching movies at home anymore... How the hell did that happen?!

Bent wrote on Apr 14, 2025, 15:32:

I still haven't seen Borderlands.

I liked it. It's not the greatest movie ever, but its fun and they nailed the BL aesthetic. Also, Cate Blanchett is awesome.

A Minecraft Movie has a built-in audience, but I've heard that it is pretty good for adults as well. Napoleon Dynamite's Jared Hess directs, so if his sensibilities appeal to you, you might enjoy it.

That said, the only movie on my list to see in theaters right now is the next Avatar.

Borderlands film director blames flop on Zoom and Covid - Eurogamer.net.

It's long past time that box office is used as the only measure of financial success of films. Some movies that didn't do well initially at the box office ended up earning considerable additional money from streaming in the long run.

I still haven't seen Borderlands.

The industry hasn’t woken up to the fact that the pandemic closures taught us how perfectly acceptable, or even superior, watching a film from the couch in our undies can be.

Microwave a cheap bag of popcorn, grab a coke, you’re out $3 and having a great night at home.

Borderlands flopped because it was just...OK bordering on campy bad. No one is going to go pay theater prices to see that level of movie. Not when you can stay home and watch it for a reuduced cost, or free, and enjoy it at that price point.

I am not a smart man, but I am pretty sure movies are flopping specifically because of the cost of a movie ticket. Like $20 is too much for the casual movie goers.

Combine that with the fact the entertainment company's are specifically targeting a demographic that wants to stay home because they are afraid of their shadows, and cant be bothered with anything other that may offend them.