Will Movie Theatres Die?

[tuttle]

Piggy-backing from here, I thought it'd be an interesting topic.

Movie theatres were already in bad shape before the lockdowns. Ticket sales had been going down for almost two decades before they plummeted last year.


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The reasons for the downward trend seem to be the rise of entertainment virtually any time and any place--usually for cheaper than two tickets and a popcorn. Add to that a rise in crappy movies and/or highly polished propaganda flicks being pumped out of Hollywood and the desire to attend dips further. And now with COVID restrictions and the burgeoning trend of simultaneous releases in theatres and at home, it seems like theatres are close to death's door.

But if they are dying is it due to natural causes or attempted murder? There is an argument to be made that studios like Netflix, Disney, and Warner Media are capitalizing on COVID restrictions to do what they've longed to do, kill the independent middle man and go straight to their own media outlets, either via streaming, or possibly setting up their own theatres once the independent ones are out of the way. (Imagine a Disneyplex near you where all their new releases exclusively drop, as well as their popular catalogue of old flicks...They are already restricting classic Fox films from being re-played at theatres.) It's probably a mixture of the two.

And that's a sad thing because there's nothing else that can really replicate going to the movies. The home experience will never be big enough, never single focused enough, because homes are designed for multiple purposes. Movie theatres are designed for one purpose--watching the film--and everything leads to that ultimate goal.

The problem is how to save the movie theatres. As ticket sales go down, ticket prices (not to mention snack prices) go up.



Anyway, it's not like they're going to be gone tomorrow, but the future doesn't look super bright.

What do you think will happen?

[Hovannes]

I hope they don't die, but if they do I'd like to rescue a set of Klipsch theater speakers from the dumpster when they repurpose the building

[FredS]

We have a local independent theater that's been trying new things over the last few years. The Lyric has broadened their offerings to live theater, live music, special food events, outdoor concerts, and even outdoor films projected onto a blow up screen on their back lawn. A monthly membership will get you in to most shows except the bigger music acts and is a pretty good deal if you plan to go to more than 3 or 4 events a month. So yeah, theaters will stay, but I think the days of the corporate cineplex are numbered. I hope some independent places remain though, because it is a nice thing to do with kids on a rainy or hot afternoon, or when an important film comes and you'd like to sear it into their memory. Are enough of us willing to pay extra for the experience?


(It's interesting that The Lyrics headline banner ad as of today is for Godzilla vs. Kong, which is what started tuttle to thinking on this subject in the first place.)

[mcommini]

Based on my own viewing habits... maybe? It depends on the cinema and/ or the movie. I generally prefer to see big blockbuster movies in which I'm interested in the theater, no matter which screen. Smaller movies I usually wait until streaming- unless it's at a brew and view, in which case I call up my cinephile buddies and we make an outing of it where we see the movie and discuss it over a few beers afterward.

I've been doing the former less frequently (even before covid)- the number of "must see" blockbusters has dropped (mainly Marvel movies for me when I can get a willing friend to tag along). The latter I was doing at the same frequency I used to do the former as a kid until Covid hit- adding beer and real food at prices average to area restaurants really makes the ticket value.

[Del]

Covid will pass soon. And eventually, politicians will let us get out and do stuff, like movies.

But if theaters hope to survive, they need Hollywood to make good movies again. Stop pushing woke ideology and gender-crap at us.

[Hovannes]

Covid will pass soon. And eventually, politicians will let us get out and do stuff, like movies.

But if theaters hope to survive, they need Hollywood to make good movies again. Stop pushing woke ideology and gender-crap at us.

So true.

[tuttle]

We have a local independent theater that's been trying new things over the last few years. The Lyric has broadened their offerings to live theater, live music, special food events, outdoor concerts, and even outdoor films projected onto a blow up screen on their back lawn. A monthly membership will get you in to most shows except the bigger music acts and is a pretty good deal if you plan to go to more than 3 or 4 events a month. So yeah, theaters will stay, but I think the days of the corporate cineplex are numbered. I hope some independent places remain though, because it is a nice thing to do with kids on a rainy or hot afternoon, or when an important film comes and you'd like to sear it into their memory. Are enough of us willing to pay extra for the experience?


(It's interesting that The Lyrics headline banner ad as of today is for Godzilla vs. Kong, which is what started tuttle to thinking on this subject in the first place.)

I've also noticed some theatres doing similar things. Offering to rent the theatre to play video games on a big screen, etc.

Plus there's a play to maximize the experience which sometimes seems like grasping at straws. For a little bit there 3D made a weird comeback and after that wave I saw some theatres trying to push it further with shaking/misting seats. A few years ago a chain switched all the stadium seating to plushy recliner chairs which requires you to pre-select a seat, like at a ball game. I even saw a theatre create a "play ground" inside the theatre with a giant slide and everything. I was told that it was aimed at parents to bring young kids. They'd play a movie, then pause the movie to have kids play, then start it up again at some point. That sounds like hell to me.

[tuttle]

But if theaters hope to survive, they need Hollywood to make good movies again. Stop pushing woke ideology and gender-crap at us.

Yeah, I think that's part of the problem. If there were better and original movies coming out it would go a long way. Almost everything is formulaic and agenda driven. And nothing is original or risky. Every new "twist" on an old tale is the same old twist. Everything else is a crappier re-make of a better movie.

[SlowToke]

But if theaters hope to survive, they need Hollywood to make good movies again. Stop pushing woke ideology and gender-crap at us.

Yeah, I think that's part of the problem. If there were better and original movies coming out it would go a long way. Almost everything is formulaic and agenda driven. And nothing is original or risky. Every new "twist" on an old tale is the same old twist. Everything else is a crappier re-make of a better movie.

This.

It takes a lot for me to actually pay to see a movie at the theater even before Covid. Like LOTR or Star Wars type movie. Otherwise, being the introvert that I am, I'd just as soon watch it in the comfort of my own home. I have a home theater for that very reason and it's nearly as good (and better in many ways) than the theater anyway.

I think the traditional movie theater is going to fade out with the exception of a handful of niche theaters that do creative things like FredS describes. Locally, though, the drive-in is making a comeback. I think that's a great thing. I have fond memories growing up at the drive-in.

[Adam Z]

I don't think that they'll "never be the same" OR that they'll be "better than ever."

Looking for "They'll be back to normal once people regain their sanity - eventually."

[Goose55]

They will go the way of VHS video tapes and later, DVDs. Overhead of payroll, rent, utilities will make it impractical for them to continue.

Why spend all that money on tickets, popcorn, and soda when you can enjoy the same at home w/ wide screen and surround sound?

[GaryInVA]

But if theaters hope to survive, they need Hollywood to make good movies again. Stop pushing woke ideology and gender-crap at us.

Yeah, I think that's part of the problem. If there were better and original movies coming out it would go a long way. Almost everything is formulaic and agenda driven. And nothing is original or risky. Every new "twist" on an old tale is the same old twist. Everything else is a crappier re-make of a better movie.

This is why my wife and I have been enjoying the heck out of Indian cinema. It's pretty darn clean and fun.

[Winton]

It has been years since I have been in theater. Everything goes on DVD, etc. in a few months. I can be patient.

My son convinced me to go with him and his cousins to see King Kong vs Godzilla, (or the other way around), on Opening Night! I really had no desire to see this flick. But the wife and daughter were STRONGLY urging me to go. They just wanted a girls only night. Apparently, the show was sold out, before we left home.

Remember, everything DVD eventually goes into the $5 bin of Walmart.

[FredS]

Based on the comments above - which seem typical of American adults - going to a movie theater is now a special event. When we were young we went every weekend just because it was the thing to do with your friends or yer gurl, but now it's too expensive and too much of a hassle to be a regular event. I can't tell you how many times we've said "Hey let's go to the movies tonight", then we hop online to see what's playing and to buy tickets (who doesn't buy tickets ahead of time now?) only to find there's nothing playing that we're willing to drop $40 to see.

An interesting side note about theaters diversifying and working side hustles to stay open - - -
My great grandmother wrote in her memoir about playing piano in a movie theater in Ottawa KS in the very early 20th century. She wrote that the theater also hosted vaudeville acts, revivals by traveling preachers, dramatic readings (poetry slams?), even town hall meetings that were expected to draw large crowds. That theater opened in 1907 and is still in operation and still doing side hustles to keep the doors open.

[TheShepherd]

I'm in between thinking that they won't be outdated for the same reasons that restaurants aren't (e.x. some people would rather go out to eat instead of eating at home).

Or that they've been on the verge of death since the introduction of digital download and streaming services. (For reasons similar to how modern video and computer gaming consoles and services have basically killed off old-school video arcades).