4 ms·
People like to point at prices and bad audience behaviour for the downfall of cinemas, but I'd suggest that it also comes down to availability and home experien
by danpalmer 7mo ago
People like to point at prices and bad audience behaviour for the downfall of cinemas, but I'd suggest that it also comes down to availability and home experience.
When I was growing up we went to the cinema regularly, but the only options for watching a film were VHS rentals and the cinema, both of which required going out. Films were rare. Sometimes there would be a film on TV, but it would have ads every 20 minutes, and our TV was a relatively small CRT.
Now I have nearly every film made available to me to watch within minutes on a huge screen, in a quiet room, that doesn't smell, with no ads, at the time I want, without going out, and I can pause it to go to the toilet or get a drink rather than having to hope I don't miss anything. And I don't have a home cinema setup, I have a <$1k TV and <$200 speakers, no surround sound, very basic, very accessible.
The only time I go to the cinema now is for IMAX because that passes the bar of better than I have at home as a whole package.
Cinemas just suck.
- JKCalhoun 7mo agoAnd yet I have no interest in watching any of the current few decades of superhero crap that Hollywood has been grinding out—at home or anywhere else. Maybe movies also suck these days.
- danpalmer 7mo agoI think it has always been true in most media that the mainstream is boring and devoid of artistic value while the fringes are interesting and valuable. There are plenty of excellent films around at the moment.
- bitwank 7mo agoI totally get how much more convenient home viewing is, but there’s something about going out and watching something in a group that is special, like we do with opera or theater, sporting events or concerts.
- danpalmer 7mo agoI'm not sure I agree. If I'm there to enjoy the film I don't want to notice the audience, much like at the opera or theatre. If I've seen the film before and want to enjoy the atmosphere (like a concert or sport) then a cinema would often be a bad place for that (I've had that experience once in my life).