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I would see films in cinemas if I could be guaranteed a calm uninterrupted experience. A big problem for me is people talking, using phones etc. I don’t want to

I would see films in cinemas if I could be guaranteed a calm uninterrupted experience. A big problem for me is people talking, using phones etc. I don’t want to spoil their evening either by making a scene I think it’s just I’m no longer a cinema person - and yes I’ve tried art house places too!

8ytecoder 6y ago
Some theatres like Alamo have strict rules and enforcement around it. I stick to theatres that I know are rather quiet and enjoyable.
axaxs 6y ago
Same for me! I don't know if I just got grumpier as I got older, or the smartphone era happened to occur in the same time, but I literally dread going to a theater. Instead of focusing on the movie, I just realize how self entitled society has become.
- asciimov 6y ago
  It wasn't any better before cell phones. People still talked during the movie, kids ran up and down the aisles, people would get up in the middle of the movie to go to the bathroom. What changed was big home televisions got cheaper, and those of us who value decorum during movies can get it at home, with cheap snacks and the ability to pause the movie.
leetcrew 6y ago
if you don't mind me asking, what do you actually like about the cinema experience that you can't get at home? I get that the image quality is better than the average consumer tv, but it's not prohibitively expensive to get a good home theater setup, especially if you weigh the cost against eight years worth of movie tickets + the residual value of the equipment at the end.
- v64 6y ago
  Speaking for myself, I live in an apartment with thin walls and can't blast my sound as loudly as it would be in a theater.
  - jolmg 6y ago
    If you had good headphones/earphones, would you no longer prefer a theater?
    - v64 6y ago
      No, I don't particularly enjoy wearing them and avoid them to prevent causing hearing damage.
- est31 6y ago
  A good home theater setup alone won't give you the same experience as the quality of the content delivered to cinemas is way better. It's only scantly compressed compared to what is sent over the network via streams. A single movie sent to theaters via mail can take up hundreds of gigabytes, if not more.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- Unklejoe 6y ago
  For me, it's the fact that I'm going "out". It's somewhat of a special occasion. Similar to the difference between going to a restaurant to eat versus just getting takeout from the same place.
- magicalhippo 6y ago
  For me it's the scale. As in proper big screen. There's only three theaters in town I really enjoy visiting and then only their main auditoriums (~700-900 seats). My favorite has (or at least until recently had) the largest THX certified auditorium[1]. If I can't get the proper big screen then indeed it's better to just watch at home. That said, it helps that the audience here is for the most part quiet and sitting still. [1]: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/23154 http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/23154
banana_giraffe 6y ago
In addition, my big reason for preferring movies at home is the "Pause" button. I can sit through an entire movie, but my life is better if I can just pause things for whatever needs come along. (It's funny, I mentioned this to a coworker from the EU and he asked why the intermission wasn't enough for this. I'm still not sure it wasn't part of a joke that I didn't get, but I think at least US movies when shown in theaters around him always have an intermission.)
- ghaff 6y ago
  Way back when, longer "epic" films in the US would sometimes have intermissions. I don't go to movie theaters much but I haven't seen such a thing in decades. (With plays, of course it's normal unless it's only 90 minutes or so long.)
- soylentcola 6y ago
  The pause button is great. One thing that I find as more theaters have a bar out front where you can order a cocktail or a big 20oz draft beer is that I can't enjoy such things because I'll inevitably have to get up to hit the bathroom at some point during the movie. At home, we can pause for bathroom breaks, snacks, etc. once or twice during a movie without too much interruption but with zero missing of scenes or annoying people as you squeeze back and forth down the rows when you need to get up.
- crtasm 6y ago
  I saw a film in Malta around 2005, high end super crisp projection which half way thorough surprised me when it suddenly cut to a (presumably telecined?) battered old 70s intermission title+music reel.

8ytecoder 6y ago

Some theatres like Alamo have strict rules and enforcement around it. I stick to theatres that I know are rather quiet and enjoyable.

axaxs 6y ago

Same for me! I don't know if I just got grumpier as I got older, or the smartphone era happened to occur in the same time, but I literally dread going to a theater. Instead of focusing on the movie, I just realize how self entitled society has become.

asciimov 6y ago
It wasn't any better before cell phones. People still talked during the movie, kids ran up and down the aisles, people would get up in the middle of the movie to go to the bathroom. What changed was big home televisions got cheaper, and those of us who value decorum during movies can get it at home, with cheap snacks and the ability to pause the movie.

leetcrew 6y ago

if you don't mind me asking, what do you actually like about the cinema experience that you can't get at home? I get that the image quality is better than the average consumer tv, but it's not prohibitively expensive to get a good home theater setup, especially if you weigh the cost against eight years worth of movie tickets + the residual value of the equipment at the end.

v64 6y ago
Speaking for myself, I live in an apartment with thin walls and can't blast my sound as loudly as it would be in a theater.
- jolmg 6y ago
  If you had good headphones/earphones, would you no longer prefer a theater?
  - v64 6y ago
    No, I don't particularly enjoy wearing them and avoid them to prevent causing hearing damage.
est31 6y ago
A good home theater setup alone won't give you the same experience as the quality of the content delivered to cinemas is way better. It's only scantly compressed compared to what is sent over the network via streams. A single movie sent to theaters via mail can take up hundreds of gigabytes, if not more.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
Unklejoe 6y ago
For me, it's the fact that I'm going "out". It's somewhat of a special occasion. Similar to the difference between going to a restaurant to eat versus just getting takeout from the same place.
magicalhippo 6y ago
For me it's the scale. As in proper big screen. There's only three theaters in town I really enjoy visiting and then only their main auditoriums (~700-900 seats). My favorite has (or at least until recently had) the largest THX certified auditorium[1]. If I can't get the proper big screen then indeed it's better to just watch at home. That said, it helps that the audience here is for the most part quiet and sitting still. [1]: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/23154 http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/23154

banana_giraffe 6y ago

In addition, my big reason for preferring movies at home is the "Pause" button. I can sit through an entire movie, but my life is better if I can just pause things for whatever needs come along. (It's funny, I mentioned this to a coworker from the EU and he asked why the intermission wasn't enough for this. I'm still not sure it wasn't part of a joke that I didn't get, but I think at least US movies when shown in theaters around him always have an intermission.)

ghaff 6y ago
Way back when, longer "epic" films in the US would sometimes have intermissions. I don't go to movie theaters much but I haven't seen such a thing in decades. (With plays, of course it's normal unless it's only 90 minutes or so long.)
soylentcola 6y ago
The pause button is great. One thing that I find as more theaters have a bar out front where you can order a cocktail or a big 20oz draft beer is that I can't enjoy such things because I'll inevitably have to get up to hit the bathroom at some point during the movie. At home, we can pause for bathroom breaks, snacks, etc. once or twice during a movie without too much interruption but with zero missing of scenes or annoying people as you squeeze back and forth down the rows when you need to get up.
crtasm 6y ago
I saw a film in Malta around 2005, high end super crisp projection which half way thorough surprised me when it suddenly cut to a (presumably telecined?) battered old 70s intermission title+music reel.