https://variety.com/2016/film/news/s...ve-1201725168/
https://deadline.com/2016/03/the-scr...sy-1201717454/
I don't think this will ever fly-- theater owners are already freaking out about it-- but it's an interesting experiment. $50 sounds expensive on the face of it, but that strikes me as in line with pay-per-view. Seems like this might be ideal for bigger households, ie frats and families.
YES! Would save me money and I dont have to go anywhere.
No. The act of going to the movies is borderline sacred to me. Yes there are downsides (disrespectful patrons, occasional presentation issues), but the size of the screen, the strength of the sound system, and the relative lack of distraction are all huge plusses. I have a 50 inch TV and 7.1 sound but those don't come anywhere close to delivering the same emotional and technical immersion of a big screen and a dark room. It continues to be the best presentation available and the preferred delivery system of the vast majority of filmmakers. Plus, as corny as it sounds, to me going to the movies is like going to church. It's a meaningful experience, wether the movie is good or not.
Combine that with the fact that $50 is at least three times as much as I pay to go to the movies most of the time. I usually go alone, but if I go with my girlfriend the most expensive it will be ticket-wise is $32 for IMAX 3D (Charlotte, NC prices). I don't buy concessions other than the occasional bottle of water, parking is free. Yes I'm sure there's some formula of gas used to get there and opportunity cost of the effort to drive to the theater that might get you to $50 (MAYBE), but the removal of everything that's special about going to the movies is a vast negative to me.
last four:
black widow - 8
zero dark thirty - 9
the muse - 7
freaky - 7
now reading:
lonesome dove - larry mcmurtry
Letterboxd
The Harrison Marathon - A Podcast About Harrison Ford
This to me, is worth $100. The satisfaction of knowing I won't have to worry about the fucking millennials who can't go 20 minutes without checking twitter or posting on instagram.Quoting Lazlo (view post)
Or the people who talk shamelessly throughout the whole movie. Who repeat the joke they just heard (for some reason people do this so often!).
Or the people stuffing their face while chewing with their mouth open.
Give me this technology now!
It doesn't for you?? It sure does for me. And in the comfort of my own home no less.
Believe me, I have plenty of problems with other people in the theater. Interestingly, the stereotype of young people being the problem doesn't generally bear out in my experience. It's white people over the age of forty that can't keep their mouths shut, for the most part. They seem to completely miss the distinction of watching in the theater versus watching at home. They're horrible, always have to comment on something to each other, and never admit that they're causing a distraction. You're always the asshole for asking them to be considerate. Theater staff is usually no help and even going to get them makes you miss at least five minutes of the movie and spikes your adrenaline, making it difficult to settle back into the movie. So, yeah, it's not always an ideal environment. I've taken to walking out of movies and getting my money back if I get bad vibes from the crowd during the trailers or the first 5-10 minutes of the movie. I know that's extreme and hurts me more than anything in terms of wasted time. But it's even more wasted time if I just sit there miserably, and the movie doesn't get a fair shot.
I've also been on the verge of being assaulted at a theater as a result of asking someone to either keep their kid quiet or leave.
As far as cell phone screens, I sit in the first or second row of the stadium so most people are behind me.
Also of concern are presentation issues, whether it's dim projection, incorrect color configuration in the projector, low audio levels, incorrect aspect ratio formatting (saw Carol matted as though it was shot 2.35, which was distracting), flashing thermostat screens in your peripheral vision, there are plenty of shortcomings from theater to theater.
I have a blacklist of theaters I won't go to as a result of a lot of these issues.
So, I agree, there are perils to going to the theater.
But here's the flipside of all of that. When it all lines up right with a respectful crowd and proper presentation (which happens most of the time), there's nothing that competes with theater viewing. Most of my problems stem from being easily distracted and having low levels of discipline.
At the theater, the screen takes up your entire field of view and you're immersed in the world. Even at 50 inches, the TV is only a small part of what I can see. If I'm watching during the day, I have the entire apartment lit up around me to catch my attention. If it's at night and I turn all the lights off, there's still a problem in that it's hard to look at the screen for a long period of time without some sort of discomfort. It stems from the fact that the TV is shining light directly at me while at the movies the light is being reflected back at me. I have no problem not looking at my phone in the theater, but for whatever reason at home I'm tempted and it takes me out of things.
Another issue is seating. At the theater it's an upright chair that focuses my attention. At home I'm slouching on the couch. I also am not a fan of recliner chairs or this new phenomenon of putting couches in theaters. I'm not there to relax. I'm there to focus on the movie and let it do the work of transporting me. I also can't get with theaters that serve food.
The fact that the theater is usually solely geared to show me the movie is a huge draw for me. It's an escape from the larger world and all of its myriad distractions.
Unless I get super rich somehow (unlikely) and am able to build the ideal home theater, I'm just not going to get that experience at home. And the experience, to me, is half the appeal. I know I'm an anomaly, certainly among the greater moviegoing public. And sometimes my fastidiousness works against me and leads to disappointment with the experience. But when everything lines up, there's just no topping it.
last four:
black widow - 8
zero dark thirty - 9
the muse - 7
freaky - 7
now reading:
lonesome dove - larry mcmurtry
Letterboxd
The Harrison Marathon - A Podcast About Harrison Ford
Understood.
For me, I spent over $100 on tickets for the Hateful 8, Ant-Man, Star Wars, Age of Ultron... and will probably due the same for Batman v Superman, Civil War, Suicide Squad.. the 37 other comic book movies over the next 10 years, the 5 more Star Wars movies...etc..etc.
So I can see this option saving me money over the long haul.
Last edited by Dukefrukem; 03-10-2016 at 08:00 PM.
Could you explain how? As far as I know you don't have kids. $100 on just tickets per trip for those movies? Are you buying four or five tickets each time you go? Curious to know how you're hitting that number.
last four:
black widow - 8
zero dark thirty - 9
the muse - 7
freaky - 7
now reading:
lonesome dove - larry mcmurtry
Letterboxd
The Harrison Marathon - A Podcast About Harrison Ford
I have never spent more than 10 dollars on a movie ticket in years.
Sure why not?
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (Rian Johnson) - 9
STRONGER (David Gordon Green) - 6
THE DISASTER ARTIST (James Franco) - 7
THE FLORIDA PROJECT (Sean Baker) - 9
LADY BIRD (Greta Gerwig) - 8
"Hitchcock is really bad at suspense."
- Stay Puft
Lazlo nailed it. I am bothered by the increasing conflation of cinema and television. The most recent Best Picture winner was well-made, but it was basically an HBO movie. On the flip side, going to see The Hateful Eight made me realize just how much we've lost over the years in terms of the movie-going experience.
Coming to America (Landis, 1988) **
The Beach Bum (Korine, 2019) *1/2
Us (Peele, 2019) ***1/2
Fugue (Smoczynska, 2018) ***1/2
Prisoners (Villeneuve, 2013) ***1/2
Shadow (Zhang, 2018) ***
Oslo, August 31st (J. Trier, 2011) ****
Climax (Noé, 2018) **1/2
Fighting With My Family (Merchant, 2019) **
Upstream Color (Carruth, 2013) ***
Yup. 5 Tickers for myself, the GF, Sister, Mom and Dad. (We love movie nights and it's kinda my thing and my treat)
I'd much prefer to spend $50 and have my mom come over and cook me a meal.
Especially now that I have a lake house and we can hang out by the water and fire pit after :-D
I dunno that I want to crap on Spotlight's aesthetics and tie it to a larger problem. It was more effective in the theater than it would have been at home, regardless of how it looks.
The Hateful Eight 70mm experience was spectacular, though less for the presentation in terms of the size and clarity of the image, and more for how the audience reacted to everything. The Overture had the remarkable effect of indicating to everyone that it was time to settle down and get ready. The calming effect and the focusing effect was palpable.
Obviously that's not going to catch on and arguably the crowd was more predisposed to be "in" on the movie.
last four:
black widow - 8
zero dark thirty - 9
the muse - 7
freaky - 7
now reading:
lonesome dove - larry mcmurtry
Letterboxd
The Harrison Marathon - A Podcast About Harrison Ford
Makes sense for you from that perspective, for sure. It's very different from my typical use case. But I'd imagine you wouldn't do that for the first viewing of something Marvel, DC, Star Wars, etc. Certainly you'd agree that the theater is more ideal presentation-wise for big movies.
last four:
black widow - 8
zero dark thirty - 9
the muse - 7
freaky - 7
now reading:
lonesome dove - larry mcmurtry
Letterboxd
The Harrison Marathon - A Podcast About Harrison Ford
And lets be clear. We haven't had a 70mm experience like the Hateful 8 in decades. So whatever you think is lost today, has been lost for decades. Directors that want to give that experience and innovate cinema will continue to provide that and I welcome it. I'll still go to 70mm premieres like that. But for the most part, I dont want to be bothered. I want my experiences to be immersive as possible. And I find at home is where I am most comfortable.
I can't say that I would. I think I would definitely use this for Marvel movies and big blockbusters. In fact, it would probably cause me to spend MORE money on movies I kinda want to see but dont want to leave the house. If anything, this tech will bring about a different way to experience movies as an in home event- like Irish's PPV example.
My home theater experience is pretty sublime.
I like leaving the house.
Glad you enjoy your home setup so much. It's just never going to be big enough or immersive enough for my tastes. Even if I were to upgrade to a larger TV, the home experience will always be second rate in my mind.
last four:
black widow - 8
zero dark thirty - 9
the muse - 7
freaky - 7
now reading:
lonesome dove - larry mcmurtry
Letterboxd
The Harrison Marathon - A Podcast About Harrison Ford
OH BTW, the $50 also gives you two tickets to see the movie at a cinema of their choice.
That's weird to me, too. If you're at all interested in going to the theater, then why not go without this service, see it as it's meant to be seen the first time, and then buy the disc or download for when you want to watch it at home as many times as you want in the future.
Anyone have a theory on why this is a feature of this service? Like, I'm going to watch it at home and kick myself for not seeing it in the theater and have the peace of mind that I can go at no extra charge after the magic of seeing it first is lost by watching it at home? That's my cynical take on it. Maybe there's a good reason I'm not thinking of.
last four:
black widow - 8
zero dark thirty - 9
the muse - 7
freaky - 7
now reading:
lonesome dove - larry mcmurtry
Letterboxd
The Harrison Marathon - A Podcast About Harrison Ford
Well, according to the article, they added it to appease the major theater chains so it would encourage people to go out and spend money on junk food.
Personally, I dont need to stuff my face for a movie.
While we're on the subject, Civil War tickets are on sale. And it's cheaper than I thought. Only $85 for 5 tickets.
If I'm a theater operator that's very weak appeasement. I'm guessing the percentage of people who actually use those free tickets will be very low. Unless they're transferrable to other patrons or a different movie.
last four:
black widow - 8
zero dark thirty - 9
the muse - 7
freaky - 7
now reading:
lonesome dove - larry mcmurtry
Letterboxd
The Harrison Marathon - A Podcast About Harrison Ford
Ridiculous.
If you want to avoid crowds, go to an Independent theater where people are typically polite, an earlier show where there's hardly anyone at all, or sit closer.
There are some instances where I would absolutely without a doubt pay $50. Paying for the special box seems completely stupid cashgrab though, why not just make it on Vudu or Amazon or any other app of your choosing?
I would split the cost between a few friends I trust. This is a direct result of every theater trip being ruined by rude assholes that the theater does next to nothing about. Two years ago I demanded my money back halfway through a dozen films, last year I saw maybe five in theater all year. I LOVE the theater. But the theatergoers have almost completely chased me away. The experience has become so consistently awful that I don't go at all. That is ticket revenue they aren't getting because they don't punish shitty people.
Would I prefer to see it on huge screen? Of course! But I've had sooooo damn many first experiences completely ruined by other people, it enrages me to the point were I would rather wait to see it on my 50" at home. And I have friends with full home theaters, so thats a no brainer.
Because of the anti-piracy software on the box. Did anyone read the articles?
Posting Permissions
forum
Reply With Quote