JeffTheAlpaca

Funny how we watched movies on VHS and people accepted that as a way to watch and enjoy movies.

Maybe in the not so distant future there will be technology that will match or get really close to the theater experience at home if there is nothing left to advance the technology of TVs and you run out of numbers to use before "K"

ViewAskewbian

There are some things, yeah, for sure. I think the experience of seeing Endgame with a crowd opening night is something that cannot be matched, for example, but I think I'd only miss it for the event movies.

Koby

I rarely go to the theater anymore as it is as I tend to just wait for it to be released via streaming platforms, itunes, or Blu-ray.

Theaters have very limited view times that make it hard for me to make it there to watch to be honest as they either don't start early enough in the day for me to have time or don't stay open late enough.

I think I've seen maybe 2 films this year in theaters.

I can hold it during the movie, but my daughter can't, so we always end up missing like 10 minutes of the film at some point for her to go to the bathroom. And ticket prices have soared so high (up to $13 a person here) and their drinks and popcorn ($5 drink, $8 popcorn) have become so ridiculous that it's just a ridiculous cost unless we hit an early bird discount on discount Tuesday and sneak in our own drinks and candy.

Up to $44 for just my daughter and myself to enjoy a 2 hour movie on a Saturday and have our own drink while sharing a popcorn is just flat out crazy in my opinion.

Cellar Door

It's not quite there yet, but VR technology is well on the way toward giving you the theater experience at home. Some VR video players already let you choose to watch the video in a virtual theater, that gives you the sense of being in a large movie theater, surrounded by seats and aisles and lights that dim when the movie starts playing on the giant screen in front of you. And for the communal aspect, there are some apps where an event (like a showing of a movie) is scheduled for a specific time and you can enter the virtual theater and see avatars of other people who are attending at the same time, sitting in the seats around you.

Sonic

For me it's nothing to miss. A movie theater is like going to a rich person's home who got a huge screen and huge speakers that you can't afford. I also think that movie theaters are for people who are highly sociable. With today's current technology at home like huge 4K and 8K tv sets there is nothing you won't miss much at the theater except baby cries.

Shannon Nutt

If you're lucky enough to have a high-end theater in your area. Generally though, most multiplexes have ONE theater with a top-notch screen and great sound and the rest are just "okay." I know the audio I get at home via Atmos is much better than almost everything I see that isn't IMAX. While the screen size is always better, most theaters run their projection bulbs so dim that you can't see anything. This isn't a new problem - it's been happening since the 35mm days.

Noonan

For a brand new release that I want to see? Sure. $40 isn't too much more than what it would cost my wife and I to go see it in a theater and the convenience and comfort of our home makes up the difference easily.

Like with movies in theaters today, if I don't think I'm going to enjoy it a good bit, I'd wait until it's actually released to home video and watch it cheap.

Quack

I would definitely miss the experience. I don't get to go too often anymore outside of Star Wars or Marvel films unfortunately. Baby #2 is due in a month...so even that will be pushing it.

Alan Smithee

Draven

It costs me and my wife $24 to see a movie in a theater. Add in popcorn and a drink (which I'm doing when I go to a theater...that's part of the whole experience) then we are looking at at least $40 per movie. If I take our 13 and 15 year olds? Then we're looking at around $70. So yeah, I'd gladly pay $50 to watch (and then own) a new movie on opening weekend.

I blind-buy a lot of movies digitally that I miss in theaters...because even at $20 it's still cheaper than just theater tickets for two.

JeffTheAlpaca

You can have a big TV at home but with most movies in letterbox or with black bars the picture becomes much smaller.

davidlynchfan

JeffTheAlpaca

What I don't get is how people could sit for close to 3 hrs in a theater to watch the Avengers and not complain?

It seems movies are getting longer every year and spending that much time on a theater seat is not that exciting.

DJariya

News flash it's not 1986 anymore. Theatres have recliner seats now.

Coral

Even more for me when I'm watching a subtitled film. It's not always easy trying to see everything that's going on in the frame while reading the subtitles - especially if it's a large amount of dialog and there's a lot to read. Missing an important part of dialog (subtitled or not) can really ruin the rest of the film since you might lose track of what's going on.

melasnus

Things I don't like about Movie Theaters:

1) parking/traffic
2) uncomfortable seats and sticky floors
3) screaming kids and other stupid people
4) shitty video quality
5) no PAUSE Button
6) bathrooms not 10ft. away
7) don't employ the World's Best Bartender (me)

IOW, I wouldn't miss them one bit...

B5Erik

Nothing that matters nearly as much.

And you don't sit 120 FEET away from a movie theater screen (in most cases), so the movie theater screen is always going to be a lot more impressive and immersive than your TV screen at home.

The experience is totally different.

asianxcore

Hesitantly, I voted yes.

While I love seeing films on the big screen, people can be awful at theaters.

Coral

To you, maybe... but not for me.
As long as I have great picture and sound quality - even if it's not as big or as loud as a movie theatre, it's a minor trade-off compared to the HUGE advantages to watching at home. And I don't find the video quality all that great in a theatre - it's just larger.

With my home theatre I'm not lacking great audio/video, but with a movie theatre I'm totally missing out on:

- comfortable seating
- convenience of being home
- ability to watch a movie with other people distracting me
- the PAUSE button
- the REWIND button
- a close/comfortable bathroom

You're right... it's totally different. The home theatre experience is MUCH better than the movie theatre experience.

B5Erik

Not for me. I prefer a bigger screen and more immersive experience.

Rob V

I have a 75" 4k TV with Atmos and it's outstanding. I can't think of a reason to go to a theater when I can get a more comfortable experience at home. It doesn't hurt that I have a popcorn machine and all the booze I could want. Plus, pause and rewind.

B5Erik

[Christian Bale] Good for you!! [/Christian Bale]

Most of us don't have 75" 4K TV's at home.

And even if I did, I'd still prefer the theater experience. Even with a home screen that large I'd still prefer the more immersive experience in a theater.

B5Erik

I saw Star Trek V in a theater the 2nd day it was out. Sold out crowd, theater full of Trekkies.

Even though it was a mediocre movie it was one of the most fun moviegoing experiences of my life.

The crowd had an energy and we all laughed at all of the jokes and cheered for the exciting moments. The movie was enhanced by the crowd.

You can't get that at home.

Coral

Good, I don't want that at home. I laugh when I find something funny... other people laughing doesn't make me laugh.
The cheering I find annoying. Hell, sometimes I miss part of the dialog because I can't hear it over people laughing or cheering... and I can't rewind - you don't get that feature in a theatre.

I'm an adult and I'm watching a film... I'm not a kid at an amusement park.

Movie theatres... bah humbug!

B5Erik

Wow. What an old stick in the mud.

Clearly you're a fun person to be around.