By Craig Garcia - I think movie theaters are dying, and in the near future will go the way of the drive in theater and completely disappear. I took my wife on a date this last weekend and we saw The Avengers. I was really excited to see this film but it wasn't the fast paced action that got my heart pumping ... it was having to drain my bank account to see a freaking movie! Okay so that is a little bit of an exaggeration.. I didn't drain my bank account but did end up shelling out a completely unreasonable fee to see a movie.
I bought two (2) adult matinee movie tickets, one popcorn and two sodas.... this ended up costing $55 and change!! Is this reasonable to anyone else? These were not even prime time tickets, this was in the middle of the freaking afternoon.
Why does it cost an arm and a leg to go to a movie? Not even 10 years ago I was able to buy 2 matinee tickets for a total of $16... I understand that costs go up over time just like food, gasoline and other products. But a nearly 300% increase? Give me a break. And theaters and production companies really wonder why people pirate movies these days? Given what a person goes through to attend a movie, and what you have to deal with once you are there...it's no wonder more and more people are opting to download a movie or stream one using Netflix or another streaming media source.
Think about it, when your watching a movie at home, what is the absolute best part of the experience? Most people I have asked state that the option to pause the movie is the best part. And it being able to pause to run to the bathroom is the best feature... or at least one of the best. Watching a movie at home also means you don't need to hire a babysitter, and as a new parent I've been learning that this expense can quickly add up. At home I also don't have to put up with noisy people in the theater, no ssshh-ing required and no gargantuan people sitting in my line of sight. Snacks purchased at a local convenience store, also doesn't cost me an arm or a leg... in fact it was a little over 50% cheaper to enjoy my snacks at home than at the theater.
I also hate commercials when I go to the theater, I'm paying money to watch a movie... not commercials. Remember the days when you would go to the movies, sit down, and the only thing that played before the movie started was the coming attractions? Now once the lights dim, you have to sit through nearly 20 minutes of commercials even before the coming attractions start... this is pure corporate greed. It's not enough to get wallet-raped at the ticket counter, and again at the snacks counter, but then to have paid money to sit and watch commercial after commercial for products I could really care less about is completely ludicrous.
So with all of this, why would I want to go to the theater? For the big screen? I've got one. It may not be the 2 story screen in the theater, but when your sitting 5-10 feet away a 40 inch screen it doesn't take anything away from the movie. Maybe I should go for the audio system at the theater? Most home theaters have surround sound and Dolby 5.1... I don't but then again I don't need it. And if I do end up getting a home theater audio set up, it will be a one time cost... 5 movies watched at home and the system has paid for itself.
I've listed a lot of cons and can't think of a single pro, to attending
a movie in a public theater, and honestly I can't conceive one to exist. Taking all of this into consideration, is the movie theater dying? In my opinion yes, and it will take nothing less of a miracle to keep them alive and open for business.
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