I’m not going to lie. I’ve never understood the appeal of a movie theater. The overused chairs. Sticky floors. Garish and bright lobbies. Waiting through trailers. Listening to the movement and breathing of other people. Abiding their reactions. Holding your bladder; unable to pause the film to address any biological concerns. Unable to change the volume. In a room that is (by my standards) often far too hot without any moving air.
The theater experience, alongside being often overpriced is a baffling one for me which seems to hold films hostage. Either forcing you to abide some public viewing in an odd, somewhat sad building managed primarily by minimum wage workers. Or wait an indeterminate, infrequently confirmed time until the dvd/home release of the film.
As someone who quite enjoys film and movies overall this is a distressing, and incredibly (it appears) uncommon perspective. There is a revelry in the “big screen”, the awe of the crowd, the dimming of the lights. Reviews regardless of genre can include segments such as “my theater lost it at this part!” and this sort of experience is considered beneficial to the overall individual experience.
I can tell I’m of a different mind, as when I hear anyone say anything in the theater at all my only thought is “I wish I wasn’t here.” or less politely “Please shut up.” I don’t even enjoy hearing the laughter of others, their screams in a delightful moment. I genuinely just wish everyone sat down, was quiet, and enjoyed the movie.
In the appreciation of film, I feel the theater experience is designed to punish those with legitimate interest. If you’re up to date on what is being produced, and when it is slated to be released; the trailers before your feature film are needless advertisements for items you had more fun discovering yourself. If you have a preference of viewing angle for a film you have to roll the dice on whether or not you can have exactly that spot. You equally roll the dice on audio quality and visual fidelity.
Quick diatribe. Whenever I watch a movie in my own house I close black-out curtains so as to prevent any light from leaking or reflecting onto the screen and ruining the image. I turn off my computer, and historically (while it is no longer relevant in my current setup) I would cover any LED’s such as those from a computer at sleep. This means that whenever I’m watching a movie in a theater and someone use’s their phone in the row ahead of me; my instinct is to pounce and kick it out of their hand. It is instantly noticeable, and it sours my mood for a few moments.
This is to say, I don’t want to ruin anyone else’s experience. Just as I often prefer to watch a film at home in perfect silence, with subtitles on, in a dark room, without any back light; and with rare communication (and only when the movie is paused). I respect the preference for someone to watch a film in a large hot room crowded with strangers and sometimes their kids. I don’t need to take that away from anyone else; I just don’t want to be forced to do it myself.
On the note of quality, something I believe theaters really have missed out on as technology moves ahead is that the viewing quality at a theater hasn’t been worthwhile for at least ten or so years now. While I’ve tried the different theaters across my city; new and old. Projection, in my opinion, is a fantastic option for showcasing something to a large audience. Projection is an awful representation of quality in film. Everything looks washed out, colours are drab, blacks are grey. A scene in the night is nearly imperceptible. And again, the individual who cares about these things has no option to modify or improve them in the theater. Compared to even entry level televisions nowadays. Something you could get for 600~ CAD can offer 4k resolution with a display so bright; you can actually tell what the heck is happening in every scene.
Quite legitimately, when re-watching movies that I was forced to see in theater at home; I make constant notes about “oh this is what is going on in this scene” or “I didn’t even recognize what was in the background, it was so blurry and dull before.” At times, the CGI in theater can look odd and when I watch it on my own display; things look right. You can see the pores on animated skin, light makes sense, colour is as it should be. Everything from The Lighthouse to Forest Gump and even modern block-busters like Avengers: Endgame each look so much better on my own display.
Beyond just how good it looks, if I need to go to the washroom. I don’t need to completely miss the thing I paid for simply because I have to go to the washroom. And maybe it’s just me, but whenever I go to watch a film nowadays. It often ends with me in an almost kidney pain inducing place of just trying to make it to the credits so I don’t miss anything. This fails at times, even on my last outing to see ‘The Northman’ when I tried to hold it. Then upon reaching the bathroom realized it was far too crowded, with a line to get in. And as an incredibly anti-social person I was already feeling burnt out with the amount of company I’d been forced to keep. So I just waited until I got home.
It has been explained to me historically that some people love the movie theater so much that it’s one of their favorite places. A sort of zen zone. A perfect date night. Which I absolutely respect, but continue to be baffled by much in the same way as how people appreciate going to clubs. The intended outcome seems to be to just do something you enjoy doing but around other people? I can really only understand it, or at-least make sense of it in reference to Warhammer 40k. In that universe there are creatures known as Orkz and the Orkz (Orcs) harness a psionic field ultimately powered by their belief. The field only has the ability to manifest worthwhile results while the Orkz are in large numbers. So in comparing them, are the screams, reactions, laughter, shuffling of shoes and chewing of other mouths part of some sort of enhancement ritual? Something that outweighs the reality of looking at a dull screen in what amounts to a warehouse with chairs in it?
Being fully cognizant of this effectively being a “me” problem I do still find it fascinating how few of these concerns seem to deter other people. That the noises of others, the flickering of phones, the abject and absolute fear of having to sit next to a stranger (especially in the context of an ongoing pandemic). Yet these are trivial (if they’re noticed at all) things to so many others. I can’t fathom the preference for having to physically go somewhere just to take part in something you’re passionate about; none the less having the experience be so entirely ruined. When the core item you’re pursuing doesn’t require it.
In a perfect world, with a private viewing booth, with specific volume controls, with worthwhile food. The baseline requirement to have to do those things elsewhere seems so needless. The only real reason I have ever spent money at a theater is because I’m forced too. It has never been by preference. Not even the films I’ve rushed to see were because of the theater experience, or “needing to see them that way”. Often, it was just to avoid spoilers.
And spoilers are indeed one of the threats at hand. Again only for those who truly care about the viewing experience. For those who don’t mind missing a bit of the movie, or are there for the big scenes, or just wanted to do something with their afternoon. These are mostly meaningless tidbits of information; if slightly annoying. To someone like myself who prefers to go in with as blank a slate as possible. A film is truly being contorted in a cage, the theater threatening “Come, pay my ransom, or I’ll send you its fingers in a box.”
I can’t say I’ve truly had a positive theater experience. Largely because I find crowds, especially large crowds; a legitimate challenge. This was even before the pandemic added a possibility of a health concern to the mix. But I fear whomever sits behind me will reach forwards and slit my throat; or that they have a gun to my head. That someone will pee on the floors, or touch me. I can feel others scanning the room, occasionally glancing over me, not even really focusing on me at all; and it makes my skin itch. Even being spotted, by so many eyes, feels like being thrown unto some spotlight on for a second then off for another until the room is dark. Then the doors entering the room aren’t often within view. So anyone with anything could enter the auditorium and you might not be able to notice them. These are, again, concerns I recognize most people don’t encounter. They aren’t obstacles between them, their mode of transportation and the front door of the theater. Yet these baser elements of the experience prevent me from going to see a grand majority of the films that interest me. If it is released digitally, for rent or purchase. I’ll have a night with a new film happily. But otherwise, all but the most specific pieces which taunt me out of slumber; can wait.
This brings me to an open ended question regarding same day digital releases. Now, I don’t mean for free. I’ll happily pay the cost of two tickets and a premium on top of that to rent a movie from home. In the case of the D+ digital releases I was one of the day one customers for those premium releases; it was my ideal circumstance. Yet my question is focused more specifically on how much was the success of the film modified as a result of same day digital release? I’m curious because the majority of release methods, outside of the D+ model. Effectively included the film in a subscription package, as per the HBO MAX model. This lead to this infantile push-back we see now “Only in Theaters” across new releases. As if, to my perspective, to taunt what was lost. Yet the fiscal loss, was it as a result of the means of distribution or the model? Did same day release films truly lose money compared to theater releases? If there were losses, were the losses as a result of the release method or a lack of marketing for the film? A lack of legitimate interest? A bad product? I can’t really fathom how releasing a movie for cost at a theater and releasing a movie for cost on digital streaming platforms equals out to less sales. The expectation I would have would be that people who wanted to see it in a theater would do that, and people who want to watch it from home would do that. No where in these options do I see someone going “ah, I can now choose between two good options to watch a movie that I want to see. I will pick neither.”
So the question really is, what the hell is going on with same day releases? Why would anyone oppose more streams of income? Because I can tell you right now, there are movies which I won’t watch until they do eventually release on dvd or digital. If it’s a film I’m only curious about, often, I’ll wait until it is a rental which means the price goes from 20~ for the two tickets or equivalent I’d be paying for at release to a 5.99~ cost for the 48 hour rental. Just as well I’ll make the note, I couldn’t care less about the cost. I don’t want to be price-gouged but just as well, I work a job to pay for the things I want and am interested in. As a result if I want to see a film, it could cost 10, 20 or 40 dollars for me to get a set of tickets and I’ll just accept that as the price of admission. However I won’t jump to pay a price that I need to be inconvenienced alongside.
Another disadvantage of being someone who enjoys film but hates theaters is that the success of a film release is often gauged on those first few weeks. The box office open. Whether or not something gets a sequel, or a specific genre/theme is explored currently defers to the theater ticket sales. Which means if you want to support a movie, but you don’t want to endure the theater experience. You’re left with few options. I have, even as recently as the release of Dune; bought tickets and given them away. Knowing that I myself wouldn’t watch the movie until I could enjoy it in my own home. Yet I still want to contribute to the analytics which inspire a movie being deemed successful; or worthy of continuation.
The reality of the situation, based on current appraisals; is that movie theaters will continue to hold film hostage. While the time between theater release and digital release is shortening. There has been (what reads as to me) excessive propaganda being pushed out into social media that represents a theater itself as the only and optimal way to experience a movie. Now I’ll admit to having tried a variety of things to alleviate the concern. Going to theaters with reserved seating, with small audience sizes, with fancy seats or massaging chairs or even proper meals and alcoholic beverages. Yet they can’t quell the frustration that arrives from having to sit in a room with a bunch of strangers; fighting through the same doors when we all leave.
At the end of all of this, I’m slated to go to a theater tomorrow. Trying to catch a midday showing, so the room will be as empty as possible. At a theater which is unpopular across the city, in an area few people live. Though I have been worried for months leading up to this moment, knowing I intended to see the film. Just wishing, and hoping, I could throw my money at a screen and watch it in my living room.
Josh Perry: Canadian Author 