# Why I'll never go to a movie theater again



## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

This isn't exactly a Tivo topic, but since a lot of us watch movies via Tivos and other sources I figured it was something worth discussing so here goes.

I hadn't been to an actual theater in quite a while so I ducked out of work late one afternoon last week and went to see Guardians of the Galaxy at a local cineplex (really worth seeing, BTW). I got there about 15 minutes before showtime and figured I'd be sitting through the usual movie trivia stuff mixed in with previews and the usual movie pre-show fare. I stopped at the concession stand on the way in thinking I'd grab some popcorn and a soda to tide me over. One quick glance at the prices and I decided it wasn't such a good idea after all so I proceeded into the theater to grab a seat.

The time was mid-afternoon and the movie was in it's 3rd or 4th week so there was only one other person in the theater and I had my pick of just about any seat in the house. What I wasn't prepared for next just got me totally turned off to the movie theater experience. Instead of the usual movie trivia and other entertainment related shorts that I had been accustomed to seeing I was subjected to a solid 15 minutes of commercials trying to sell me crap. Had I paid for concessions on top of the movie ticket I probably would have thrown them at the screen and stormed out to the ticket stand demanding a full refund.

This kind of BS is totally unacceptable. I remembered that movie houses were showing a commercial or two during the pre-movie videos, but I never realized that they had switched over to them exclusively. I don't know if this is becoming common practice in all theaters, but considering it's an industry that seems to be suffering (or so they tell us), I can only see it hurting attendance rather than bringing more people into the theaters. 

I, for one, am done with movie theaters. I've got a nice big screen TV in my home theater (60") and a surround system that's generally better than anything my local theaters can offer. I can make a fresh batch of popcorn and have a beer with it instead of a soda and it won't cost me $10. For the cost of a single senior/matinee ticket, a large soda and a bucket of popcorn, I can own the movie on Blu-Ray when it comes out so it simply makes no sense to subject myself to the high prices and commercials. I felt like the chicken (now it's the mad scientist) in the opening credits of Robot Chicken who's strapped to a chair and subjected to unwanted videos. Since most of use DVRs to skip commercials, I figured we should be able to do it in the theaters as well rather than pay extra and be forced to watch them.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

The simple solution is to arrive at the theater 15 to 20 minutes after the official start time to avoid the commercials.


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

tarheelblue32 said:


> The simple solution is to arrive at the theater 15 to 20 minutes after the official start time to avoid the commercials.


And avoid a decent seat. I take my iPad and browse or read while the commercials are playing - noise is noise, I didn't pay attention to the hot dog jumping into to bun and I don't pay attention to the Ford commercial.

I have a media room with 110" screen, but some movies just need to be seen on the big screen. I also think we take ourselves way too seriously - "How dare they put advertising on the screen, my time is way too valuable"

Meh...


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

Yeah, no one cares if you are on your phone playing games or whatever during the commercials.

I thought it was going to be about people texting or something during the movie. Not the commercials!


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## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

There's a whole lot of reasons not to go to most movie theaters before you need to resort to them showing commercials prior to the film starting as an excuse.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

bradleys said:


> And avoid a decent seat.


If you are going to a movie on opening weekend of a blockbuster, then obviously you can't get there 15 minutes late and get a decent seat. But if you are doing what OP is doing and going to a movie weeks after opening, then you can get there late and still get a good seat.


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## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

tarheelblue32 said:


> If you are going to a movie on opening weekend of a blockbuster, then obviously you can't get there 15 minutes late and get a decent seat. But if you are doing what OP is doing and going to a movie weeks after opening, then you can get there late and still get a good seat.


Unless it's a digital theater, by then you're also usually having to watch a very scratched up (and likely re-spliced) print.


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## BriHiFi (Jan 16, 2013)

I feel your pain. Unfortunately these are the times in which we live. Let's say you get past the price of the snacks and find a decent seat there's still no guarantee that you're going to have a great experience. I'm fortunate to live near Regal Cinema that is constantly updating its projectors, screens and audio equipment. I used to install and set up these systems so I know what is involved in the upgrades. A lot of effort goes into creating the best experience, all to have it ruined before the movie starts. I have a dedicated theater in my home. Which exceeds the quality of most commercial theaters. This helps with the movies that I can wait to come out on Blu-ray. But, I still enjoy a big screen blockbuster with a packed movie theater from time to time.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

dswallow said:


> Unless it's a digital theater, by then you're also usually having to watch a very scratched up (and likely re-spliced) print.


Um, I think most first-run theaters have now gone digital. The major studios are ending the distribution of film prints. I think Paramount has officially ended all film print distributions and gone all digital, and the other studios won't be far behind. I have read there is controversy over the ending of film prints being a blow to the second-run theaters. We have a local $1.50 theater and a local drive-in theater that say they can't afford to upgrade to digital projectors and will likely have to shut down in the next year or so because of the end of film print distributions by the studios.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

mr.unnatural said:


> This isn't exactly a Tivo topic, but since a lot of us watch movies via Tivos and other sources I figured it was something worth discussing so here goes.
> 
> I hadn't been to an actual theater in quite a while so I ducked out of work late one afternoon last week and went to see Guardians of the Galaxy at a local cineplex (really worth seeing, BTW). I got there about 15 minutes before showtime and figured I'd be sitting through the usual movie trivia stuff mixed in with previews and the usual movie pre-show fare. I stopped at the concession stand on the way in thinking I'd grab some popcorn and a soda to tide me over. One quick glance at the prices and I decided it wasn't such a good idea after all so I proceeded into the theater to grab a seat.
> 
> ...


You must not have been to a theater in very a long time. This has been the norm for many, many years now. During the recession it made a huge difference with AMC by them getting extra revenue from the commercials. I have no problem with it since at AMC the commercials are dispersed between other content. And besides it's much better than the old days when the movie theaters had a slide proector showing still ads from local merchants.

The movie hasn't started yet anyway so I don't care what they show. i could spend the time on my phone during that time period. Besides you will then get bombarded with 15 to 20 minutes of more ads for upcoming movies anyway. And those upcoming movie ads have been shown for the 4+ decades I've been going to the movie theater. So that advertising is nothing new.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

tarheelblue32 said:


> The simple solution is to arrive at the theater 15 to 20 minutes after the official start time to avoid the commercials.


The few times I have done that the movie is running, they know what I want to do and get to me.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Um, I think most first-run theaters have now gone digital. The major studios are ending the distribution of film prints. I think Paramount has officially ended all film print distributions and gone all digital, and the other studios won't be far behind. I have read there is controversy over the ending of film prints being a blow to the second-run theaters. We have a local $1.50 theater and a local drive-in theater that say they can't afford to upgrade to digital projectors and will likely have to shut down in the next year or so because of the end of film print distributions by the studios.


Even $1.50 isn't worth seeing a movie on film. That is one of the best things that happened around here a few years ago with AMC. They went all digital. Either with Sony 4K projectors for 2D, or DLP projectors with 3D. So you can see a movie that has been out for weeks, and it will look just as good as the first showing. Unlike film which degrades with every showing. Even the second showing will not be the same as the first.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

aaronwt said:


> Even $1.50 isn't worth seeing a movie on film.


Speak for yourself. Ticket prices are now around $10 in my area, and our state legislature this year, in their infinite wisdom, has passed a 50 cent tax on each movie ticket sold, which will further increase the price. If you are taking a family of 4 to the movies, $6 is a lot better than $40.


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## tomhorsley (Jul 22, 2010)

They must collect money from the ads even when there is no one in the theater. The closest theater to me did finally close, but for years and years if I went to a movie there I saw at most 1 or 2 other people in the seats. I never did figure out how they lasted as long as they did.


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

Movie theaters make very little money from ticket sales - concession sales and advertising are where most of the revenue comes from.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Don't they split 50/50 for the first week, then it goes UP from there? (I agree with your general point though.)

Heck, I rarely go to theaters, but definitely wouldn't say I'll never go again. I just play with my phone to avoid the ads.. and yes, show up closer to the actual time.

I still think a theater is a much better experience than a TV, but I don't have a home theater. If the "netflix for movie theaters" ideas had become common back when netflix started to become big(ger), I could see doing that... But the only one that exists now ends up being something like $600/year IIRC. (There was talk in the off topic forum a year or two ago.)


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

No,

During the film's opening week, the studio takes 70 to 80 percent (more for blockbusters) of gross box office sales. By the fifth or sixth week the percentage the studio takes will shrink to about 35 percent.

The movie itself is a loss leader, the theater makes most of it's revenue from concession sales and advertising/trailers (based on actual eyeballs)

So, my guess is the theater won't miss mr.unnatural very much...


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## mchief (Sep 10, 2005)

It's probably been 50 years since I was in a theater. Guess I haven't missed much.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

mchief said:


> It's probably been 50 years since I was in a theater. Guess I haven't missed much.


It really depends on what you want out of a movie-watching experience. Some people would rather watch a movie in the comfort of their own home, without any distractions from an audience around them, and there is nothing wrong with people who want that.

But I have to say that there is something very thrilling for me about going to a highly-anticipated movie on opening night when all of the hardcore fans go. You can almost feel the excitement around you from an audience that is really into a movie and is loving every minute of it. That kind of atmosphere in a movie theater actually makes a movie more enjoyable to watch for me.


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

I took my daughter to the midnight opening of the Avengers - we had a great time!

For us, there is definitely the "large screen" category of movie - and we enjoy the experience. And personally, I am not going to begrudge the theater from making a few dollars - especially when it is so harmless.


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## christheman (Feb 21, 2013)

I've been to theaters recently, and my favorite is when they use what looks like a very small, late 1990s-style office projector, commonly used to project Powerpoint slides in a meeting room of maybe 10 people, to fill an entire theater screen for the commercials. The quality is only SD, and the picture is very dim and fuzzy like it came off a cable access channel at 3 in the morning. The sound is graciously too soft to hear. All you hear are people chattering. Like I said, that is my favorite scenario.

My least favorite scenario is when I go to see a nice peaceful movie, and they show the loudest trailers they can possibly put together in one place. Explosions, more explosions, and sledgehammer-to-the-gut bass thumps all the way through. Ridiculous and completely unnecessary. Different theater of course.


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## Johncv (Jun 11, 2002)

tarheelblue32 said:


> It really depends on what you want out of a movie-watching experience. Some people would rather watch a movie in the comfort of their own home, without any distractions from an audience around them, and there is nothing wrong with people who want that.
> 
> But I have to say that there is something very thrilling for me about going to a highly-anticipated movie on opening night when all of the hardcore fans go. You can almost feel the excitement around you from an audience that is really into a movie and is loving every minute of it. That kind of atmosphere in a movie theater actually makes a movie more enjoyable to watch for me.


Except, when parents cannot afford a babysitter and YOU are sitting behind the brat who whining, taking, and kicking YOUR seat. Also, the parents are gabbing about the movie. The LAST time I went to a move this happen to me. I ask politely to have their "child" to behave and for them to be quite. When it came to the third time, I was not so polite, I yell at them to shut the f**k up and for their f**king brat to stop kicking my seat. You should have seen the looks on their face, they acted like this was normal behavior and got up and move to other seats only to annoly other people setting behind them and they got up and moved. Miss about 20 minutes of the movie. I was so mad that after the movie I went the manager explain what happen and request my money back which was refunded. Never went to another movie after that.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

tarheelblue32 said:


> The simple solution is to arrive at the theater 15 to 20 minutes after the official start time to avoid the commercials.


The previews started at the official start time. The actual movie didn't begin until about 10-15 minutes later. By the time the previews began, there were quite a few more people in the seats. I never had a problem getting there early in the past because I always knew I could find a decent seat. I also enjoyed the movie trivia and other short features they showed. It made the few commercials much more tolerable.



aaronwt said:


> You must not have been to a theater in very a long time. This has been the norm for many, many years now. During the recession it made a huge difference with AMC by them getting extra revenue from the commercials. I have no problem with it since at AMC the commercials are dispersed between other content. And besides it's much better than the old days when the movie theaters had a slide proector showing still ads from local merchants.
> 
> The movie hasn't started yet anyway so I don't care what they show. i could spend the time on my phone during that time period. Besides you will then get bombarded with 15 to 20 minutes of more ads for upcoming movies anyway. And those upcoming movie ads have been shown for the 4+ decades I've been going to the movie theater. So that advertising is nothing new.


I hadn't been to a theater in well over a year. I think the last movie I saw was The Avengers. Back then they tossed in just a few ads for local businesses and I found it to be annoying, but still tolerable. I wouldn't have as much of a problem if there was other content mixed in between the commercials, but it was non-stop ads from the minute I took my seat. I suspect had I gotten there even earlier I would have been subjected to many more.

My point is that if I have to sit through commercials, there's not a lot of incentive to leave my house and pay extra for the privilege. Big screen HDTVs and surround systems bring the theater experience right into your home so there's even less of a reason to go to a movie theater anymore. I do enjoy the big screen experience of an actual theater on occasion, but mostly I find that I enjoy movies much more at home these days.

PPV and premium movie channels don't force you to watch commercials so I shouldn't be forced to watch them on top of paying for the movie ticket. I understand that theater owners need to get revenue from various sources to keep their doors open, but at some point the patrons are going to realize it's just not worth it anymore and stop showing up.


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Um, I think most first-run theaters have now gone digital. The major studios are ending the distribution of film prints. I think Paramount has officially ended all film print distributions and gone all digital, and the other studios won't be far behind. I have read there is controversy over the ending of film prints being a blow to the second-run theaters. We have a local $1.50 theater and a local drive-in theater that say they can't afford to upgrade to digital projectors and will likely have to shut down in the next year or so because of the end of film print distributions by the studios.


Our local drive-in which is run by a non-profit group upgraded to digital equipment last year for this reason.

Scott


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

mr.unnatural said:


> My point is that if I have to sit through commercials, there's not a lot of incentive to leave my house and pay extra for the privilege. Big screen HDTVs and surround systems bring the theater experience right into your home so there's even less of a reason to go to a movie theater anymore. I do enjoy the big screen experience of an actual theater on occasion, but mostly I find that I enjoy movies much more at home these days.


As others have said, you're making way more a of big deal about this than is warranted, especially since the practice has been going on in theaters forever. And it's not like you have to watch commercials during the film.

There's plenty of reasons to not want the theater experience (unruly kids, texting/chattering teens, overpriced concessions, dirty theaters etc.), but this is probably the least of them. I kind of enjoy all the movie previews personally.

And I don't feel sorry for the cheapo theaters that can't afford to upgrade to digital, film distribution should have died 10 years ago. They either get with the times or go under.


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## allan (Oct 14, 2002)

The commercials were far from the only reason I quit the theater, but they were a factor. The fact is, the theater is a much worse experience than watching at home. I can pause when I have to pee, I can FF past the ads, and I don't have someone behind me kicking my seat and crunching potato chips in my ears. That more than compensates for the smaller screen & mediocre sound on my TV.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Johncv said:


> Except, when parents cannot afford a babysitter and YOU are sitting behind the brat who whining, taking, and kicking YOUR seat. Also, the parents are gabbing about the movie. The LAST time I went to a move this happen to me. I ask politely to have their "child" to behave and for them to be quite. When it came to the third time, I was not so polite, I yell at them to shut the f**k up and for their f**king brat to stop kicking my seat. You should have seen the looks on their face, they acted like this was normal behavior and got up and move to other seats only to annoly other people setting behind them and they got up and moved. Miss about 20 minutes of the movie. I was so mad that after the movie I went the manager explain what happen and request my money back which was refunded. Never went to another movie after that.


The theaters are usually pretty quick to issue a refund or a free ticket to another movie or free popcorn etc. When my GF and I go to the theater, any issue that crops up we bring to the attention of the manager. We get coupons for free movies and popcorn several times a year. When we go we usually go to a showing before 12 noon at AMC theaters. The tickets are only around $7 to $9 then compared to $14 to $18 later in the day.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

allan said:


> The commercials were far from the only reason I quit the theater, but they were a factor. The fact is, the theater is a much worse experience than watching at home. I can pause when I have to pee, I can FF past the ads, and I don't have someone behind me kicking my seat and crunching potato chips in my ears. That more than compensates for the smaller screen & mediocre sound on my TV.


My girlfriend always wants to sit in the back of a section because she seems to be a foot magnet. I've had it happen to me a few times when I've gone by myself and sit much closer to the screen. But I have no problem telling the person to stop. The weird thing is, it is rarely a child doing the kicking. It is almost always an adult. An adult acting like a 4 year old with no control. I have never understood why some people need to kick the chair in front of them.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Speak for yourself. Ticket prices are now around $10 in my area, and our state legislature this year, in their infinite wisdom, has passed a 50 cent tax on each movie ticket sold, which will further increase the price. If you are taking a family of 4 to the movies, $6 is a lot better than $40.


Thanks, McCrory. I am at the point where I will rarely pay to see a movie in the theater. GOTG is the only one so far in 2014. It was worth it to see it in IMAX, but it will probably be the only movie I see in the theater this year. My 64" Plasma at home is good enough for almost anything.

-Ted


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

slowbiscuit said:


> As others have said, you're making way more a of big deal about this than is warranted, especially since the practice has been going on in theaters forever. And it's not like you have to watch commercials during the film.
> 
> There's plenty of reasons to not want the theater experience (unruly kids, texting/chattering teens, overpriced concessions, dirty theaters etc.), but this is probably the least of them. I kind of enjoy all the movie previews personally.
> 
> And I don't feel sorry for the cheapo theaters that can't afford to upgrade to digital, film distribution should have died 10 years ago. They either get with the times or go under.


I wouldn't agree that this has been going on forever, at least not where I live. It's clearly becoming a widespread practice in most areas based on the other posts I'm reading. Whether I consider this to be a bigger deal than you doesn't really matter except that I find the practice annoying and reprehensible. I paid to watch a movie and I don't expect to be bombarded with commercial advertising. This is basically a live PPV experience and it should be presented as such. If the theater can't survive without paid advertising then perhaps they should find a different business to get into. High ticket prices and outrageous concessions are bad enough, but making me watch commercials non-stop is the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I don't have a problem watching previews and actually enjoy them. They are part of the movie theater experience as were the other shorts and trivia that I was used to seeing.



allan said:


> The commercials were far from the only reason I quit the theater, but they were a factor. The fact is, the theater is a much worse experience than watching at home. I can pause when I have to pee, I can FF past the ads, and I don't have someone behind me kicking my seat and crunching potato chips in my ears. That more than compensates for the smaller screen & mediocre sound on my TV.


I agree with everything except the part about the small screen and mediocre sound, as least with respect to my home theater setup. My screen size is just about perfect for the room it's situated in and my surround system rivals most, if not all, systems I've heard in any local theater. The nice thing is that I can adjust the sound level to my tastes and not be forced to listen to everything at ear splitting levels, and I tend to turn my system up loud. I just watched Godzilla last night and my wife complained about the sound level because it caused the whole house to shake. My system is in the basement and she's up on the 2nd floor, but having a subwoofer with an 1800-watt amp tends to cause a few vibrations.


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## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

Annoying but would be 4th or 5th on my complaint list.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

What's funny is that so many people using Tivos generally skip commercials at home, but it doesn't seem to bother them when they have to pay extortionist prices for a movie ticket and popcorn. Does anyone but me see the irony in this? 

I don't want to watch commercials, except in extremely rare instances, such as the Superbowl. I don't watch them on my DVR and I don't use streaming services or VOD that inject them into the video stream. I strongly dislike being subjected to them after paying for a ticket to watch a movie and some previews. Theaters should have a disclaimer posted in front of the ticket office letting customers know that commercials will be shown prior to the start of the movie.


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## squint (Jun 15, 2008)

aaronwt said:


> My girlfriend always wants to sit in the back of a section because she seems to be a foot magnet. I've had it happen to me a few times when I've gone by myself and sit much closer to the screen. But I have no problem telling the person to stop. The weird thing is, it is rarely a child doing the kicking. It is almost always an adult. An adult acting like a 4 year old with no control. I have never understood why some people need to kick the chair in front of them.


This happened to me once during the second or third _Lord of the Rings_ movie. The theater wasn't packed and I had gotten there pretty early. During the movie, someone began kicking my seat non-stop. I turned around and gave the person a dirty look and it was some woman in her 50s. The kicking continued so I turned around again and asked her to stop. She asked me if I could move. I did not and instead sat up as tall as possible. The kicking didn't resume though.

I go to theaters perhaps once a year and usually because someone in my family wants to go.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

mr.unnatural said:


> . . . my surround system rivals most, if not all, systems I've heard in any local theater. . . .


I want to hear more about your sound system. (and not just the 1800 watt sub-woofer.)


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

mr.unnatural said:


> What's funny is that so many people using Tivos generally skip commercials at home, but it doesn't seem to bother them when they have to pay extortionist prices for a movie ticket and popcorn. Does anyone but me see the irony in this?


I don't like to watch commercial because it wastes time. I can watch an hour TV show in about 45 minutes by skipping all the commercials. However, at a movie theater, the movie starts when in starts. The commercials they run before the movie starts don't really bother me, as I would have to be sitting there in silence waiting for the movie to start anyway if they weren't there. Now if they ever started having commercial breaks in the middle of movies, then that would really piss me off.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

aaronwt said:


> I have never understood why some people need to kick the chair in front of them.


Usually we aren't aware of it. (ADD or whatever???) However, if I notice I'm doing it or someone says something to me, I always stop.


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## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

mr.unnatural said:


> What's funny is that so many people using Tivos generally skip commercials at home, but it doesn't seem to bother them when they have to pay extortionist prices for a movie ticket and popcorn. Does anyone but me see the irony in this?


No. You have to get to the theatre early if you want a good seat so it isn't like you can save time by skipping commercials. You usually leave early for a movie too because traffic could be bad or there might a line for popcorn or maybe the movie starts a minute or two early. No one really plans to get a movie on the exact minute for reasons like this.

And if you know the movie isn't going to be crowded and you know there are 10 minutes of commercials then you know you don't have to show up that early.

Anyway not saying it isn't annoying but there is a difference.

I actually get annoyed with all the previews. The previews are all a big hurry up and wait. Previews are so easy to make look good. And who wants to see the best 4 jokes in a movie before they see it? And then theatres show more previews than ever before a movie starts and sometimes they are so unrelated to the type of movie you're seeing. More and more I'd rather know nothing going in.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

mr.unnatural said:


> What's funny is that so many people using Tivos generally skip commercials at home, but it doesn't seem to bother them when they have to pay extortionist prices for a movie ticket and popcorn. Does anyone but me see the irony in this?
> 
> Theaters should have a disclaimer posted in front of the ticket office letting customers know that commercials will be shown prior to the start of the movie.


Good lord, you must not have been in a theater for a decade or more. If you want snacks and drinks you sneak them in, everything else you can ignore.


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## allan (Oct 14, 2002)

slowbiscuit said:


> Good lord, you must not have been in a theater for a decade or more. If you want snacks and drinks you sneak them in, everything else you can ignore.


You mean they don't have trained dogs to sniff out illegal snacks yet?


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

trip1eX said:


> I actually get annoyed with all the previews. The previews are all a big hurry up and wait. Previews are so easy to make look good. And who wants to see the best 4 jokes in a movie before they see it? And then theatres show more previews than ever before a movie starts and sometimes they are so unrelated to the type of movie you're seeing. More and more I'd rather know nothing going in.


I actually kind of like the preview trailers for that reason. Hollywood has gotten so good at cutting trailers, that the trailer is often better than the actual movie. Most movies they preview I will probably never see anyways, so it's kind of nice getting to watch all the best parts of those movies in a theater in under 3 minutes.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

Uh oh, I have to agree with the OP.  The movie theater experience is terrible. I'd much rather watch stuff at home, on my schedule, with my own food and drink. I know a lot of people who go to the movies often, but its more of a social thing. I'll watch the movies when they come out on Blu-ray/rental.

What pisses me off though is how they restrict distribution. They should have VUDU/iTunes/Amazon rentals available on day 1, and let people decide where they want to watch. If people still like theaters, and they survive, then good for them, but people would at least have the option to watch at home. I think the only reason the theaters would survive is because people have no clue how to set up a decent home theater that gives a cinematic experience.



bradleys said:


> I have a media room with 110" screen, but some movies just need to be seen on the big screen.


I.e your media room.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

Bigg said:


> What pisses me off though is how they restrict distribution. They should have VUDU/iTunes/Amazon rentals available on day 1, and let people decide where they want to watch. If people still like theaters, and they survive, then good for them, but people would at least have the option to watch at home. I think the only reason the theaters would survive is because people have no clue how to set up a decent home theater that gives a cinematic experience.


If they ever did allow digital rentals of new release movies on day 1, expect to pay $100+ for a rental on opening day. It would be a luxury rental for the upper classes with their high-end home theaters, who don't like to go to public theaters filled with the riffraff.


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## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

tarheelblue32 said:


> I actually kind of like the preview trailers for that reason. Hollywood has gotten so good at cutting trailers, that the trailer is often better than the actual movie. Most movies they preview I will probably never see anyways, so it's kind of nice getting to watch all the best parts of those movies in a theater in under 3 minutes.


But it isn't that they are getting so good at it. IT's that anyone can make a good trailer. It's easy to make promises.

I really can't tell if a movie is going to be good from the preview. And then if I'm going to see it I'd rather not hear about it. So what's the point?


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

tarheelblue32 said:


> If they ever did allow digital rentals of new release movies on day 1, expect to pay $100+ for a rental on opening day. It would be a luxury rental for the upper classes with their high-end home theaters, who don't like to go to public theaters filled with the riffraff.


Actually, I am noticing more movies available for rent the same weekend as they open in the theater. I have recently rented Veronica Mars and Snowpiercer on iTunes on opening weekend. They tend to be smaller, niche movies, but I hope the trend continues.


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## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

ncted said:


> Actually, I am noticing more movies available for rent the same weekend as they open in the theater. I have recently rented Veronica Mars and Snowpiercer on iTunes on opening weekend. They tend to be smaller, niche movies, but I hope the trend continues.


Yep noticed this too. They are experimenting with this.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

ncted said:


> Actually, I am noticing more movies available for rent the same weekend as they open in the theater. I have recently rented Veronica Mars and Snowpiercer on iTunes on opening weekend. They tend to be smaller, niche movies, but I hope the trend continues.


Those movies only opened in a few hundred theaters and only grossed less than $2Million opening weekend. Also, I think Veronica Mars, as a part of their kickstarter campaign, promised a free digital copy of the movie to everyone who helped fund the movie, so I'm not too surprised those movies were available for rental that quickly. But if you're hoping that big hollywood blockbusters will be available for digital rental opening weekend, I think you will be waiting a very long time for that. And if it ever does happen, they will price those rentals so they make more money than what they will lose from the reduced box office revenues, which is why I predicted $100+ rental fees.


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## poppagene (Dec 29, 2001)

bradleys said:


> And avoid a decent seat.





trip1eX said:


> No. You have to get to the theatre early if you want a good seat so it isn't like you can save time by skipping commercials.


Most of the movie houses in the Wash DC area have gone to reserved seating.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

poppagene said:


> Most of the movie houses in the Wash DC area have gone to reserved seating.


Really? That kinda sucks if you like to amortize your movie ticket purchase by theater hopping.


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## squint (Jun 15, 2008)

I think Snowpiercer was released overseas beforehand. I think it was already on BitTorrent before it showed in US theaters.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

poppagene said:


> Most of the movie houses in the Wash DC area have gone to reserved seating.


The only AMC in Northern VA I'm aware of with reserved seating is at Tysons.

I wish they would add it to the two AMC locations we go to.

I'm still trying to check out the Regal theaters near me with a Dolby Atmos theater. Tysons has a Dolby Atmos theater too. But being only five minutes away from the Potomac Mills theater has me spoiled. If I get out of movie at 1Am I am home in a few minutes. While those other theaters would be around a 30 minute trip.


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## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

The best seats are the very front row, because you can stretch your legs out as far as you want and try to trip the usher who is walking by with a flashlight. I've never had a problem getting a front row seat and I always show up late for the reasons stated above. Always wear cargo pants and stuff the pockets with snacks from the dollar store before going to the theater.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

shwru980r said:


> The best seats are the very front row, because you can stretch your legs out as far as you want and try to trip the usher who is walking by with a flashlight. I've never had a problem getting a front row seat and I always show up late for the reasons stated above. Always wear cargo pants and stuff the pockets with snacks from the dollar store before going to the theater.


On the front row you have to look up to see the screen. And can you even see the whole screen from the front row without constantly turning your head? I prefer to be able to see the whole screen in my field of view and to be at eye level with the center of the screen. With stadium seating, that's usually about 3/4 of the way back.


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## randian (Jan 15, 2014)

bradleys said:


> For us, there is definitely the "large screen" category of movie - and we enjoy the experience.


Unfortunately they aren't doing large screens anymore. I think the last 70mm film I saw was Terminator 2. The line encircled the theater building. I haven't seen lines like that since.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

slowbiscuit said:


> Good lord, you must not have been in a theater for a decade or more. If you want snacks and drinks you sneak them in, everything else you can ignore.


YEah, like bringing in snacks only started in the last decade.. riiiiiight.


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## tenthplanet (Mar 5, 2004)

squint said:


> This happened to me once during the second or third _Lord of the Rings_ movie. The theater wasn't packed and I had gotten there pretty early. During the movie, someone began kicking my seat non-stop. I turned around and gave the person a dirty look and it was some woman in her 50s. The kicking continued so I turned around again and asked her to stop. She asked me if I could move. I did not and instead sat up as tall as possible. The kicking didn't resume though.
> 
> I go to theaters perhaps once a year and usually because someone in my family wants to go.


 Get a manager, they would have kicked her out. Unruly behavior is not allowed in most theaters.


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## tenthplanet (Mar 5, 2004)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Really? That kinda sucks if you like to amortize your movie ticket purchase by theater hopping.


 They can prosecute you for theater hopping, it's considered theft.


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## Worf (Sep 15, 2000)

bradleys said:


> And avoid a decent seat. I take my iPad and browse or read while the commercials are playing - noise is noise, I didn't pay attention to the hot dog jumping into to bun and I don't pay attention to the Ford commercial.


Sounds like someone WAS paying attention to the ads. Which is entirely the point. You might have been trying to NOT watch the ads, but guess what, you remembered the ads!



> I have a media room with 110" screen, but some movies just need to be seen on the big screen. I also think we take ourselves way too seriously - "How dare they put advertising on the screen, my time is way too valuable"
> 
> Meh...


Well, you're a rarity - most people don't have 110" screens at home to watch movies on. Hell, most people don't have surround sound systems, and use the speakers that came with their 40" TV to which they sit 6' or more away from. (Do the math - there's no way to see 1080p at that distance for the screen size).

That said, I don't usually go to the theatre - I have a 50" screen, a surround sound system. The only time I visit the theatre is to see a movie in a properly calibrated system - i.e., I pay for the IMAX or IMAX3D showing. Because the regular auditorium showings frankly suck. Hell, I got sick once watching in a regular theatre with my friends - someone had cranked the bass to smack you in the stomach.

At least a system like IMAX requires proper audio and video calibration in order to retain certification as an IMAX screen. This means the audio is also well-balanced - the subwoofers can give you a punch in the stomach, but only when they need to (and not on every syllable) and the room is calibrated to get rid of annoying resonances and ensure the viewer gets a good experience.

So yeah, I got highly pissed off when I finally made time to go see Transformers (something I was planning on for over 2 years - including taking advantage of special discount passes that expire Dec 2014) and ... the IMAX showing was off. So was the Atmos ones. Only one left was regular theatre.

So I gave my discount pass to my friend. I had purchased 3 in anticipation of the event, too (I had used two earlier for a different movie, so I didn't waste it). Of course, when it was all said and done, the three passes cost the same as two regular passes.

Yeah, that was my fault, but it was a really bad month for me (a bout of depression does wonders for messing you up to the point where even something you really, really, really, really wanted to do and made plans for gets cancelled for lying around in the dark at home). And I saw what other movies were coming down the line, decided that none interested me, and gave it to my friend.

I rarely go to the theatre - last time was this year, but before that was 2011, then 2009, then 2007. And before that was 1996. Don't see anything worthwhile to go either. Instead I just wait for the Blu-Ray release.

And the revenue of theatres is completely messed up. Opening weekend all ticket sales go towards the production company - the theatre only makes money off concessions and ads.


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## tenthplanet (Mar 5, 2004)

poppagene said:


> Most of the movie houses in the Wash DC area have gone to reserved seating.


 Most of the better ones in Los Angeles have done the same thing, 90 percent of the films I've gone to have been reserved seating. I wouldn't have it any other way.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

tenthplanet said:


> They can prosecute you for theater hopping, it's considered theft.


Of course they CAN, but a theft of $7 worth of intangible property isn't usually something the police will deem worth their time to track you down over, or something a prosecutor is going to deem worth his time to prosecute.


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## tenthplanet (Mar 5, 2004)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Of course they CAN, but a theft of $7 worth of intangible property isn't usually something the police will deem worth their time to track you down over, or something a prosecutor is going to deem worth his time to prosecute.


 That doesn't make it right.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

tenthplanet said:


> That doesn't make it right.


Neither is driving 1 MPH over the speed limit. Have you ever done that?


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## tenthplanet (Mar 5, 2004)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Neither is driving 1 MPH over the speed limit. Have you ever done that?


 Try not to, and on that rare occasion that I'm not being tail gated I don't.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Neither is driving 1 MPH over the speed limit. Have you ever done that?


Going over the speed limit your not taking any money from somebody else, going to more than the movie you paid for is the same as shoplifting and can be dealt with in the same way, do you shop lift and keep what you take $7 and under ? as you seem to feel that one can steel $7 or under without any moral problem.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

lessd said:


> Going over the speed limit your not taking any money from somebody else, going to more than the movie you paid for is the same as shoplifting and can be dealt with in the same way, do you shop lift and keep what you take $7 and under ? as you seem to feel that one can steel $7 or under without any moral problem.


Driving over the speed limit is arguably much worse. Speed limits are there to protect peoples' lives. By violating the speed limit laws, even by a little, you are increasing the risk of injuring or killing other people. Same goes for talking or texting while driving.


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## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Driving over the speed limit is arguably much worse. Speed limits are there to protect peoples' lives. By violating the speed limit laws, even by a little, you are increasing the risk of injuring or killing other people. Same goes for talking or texting while driving.


You have to drive over the speed limit in order to go at the speed limit the road is designed for since it's being labeled lower than the design limit to account for people going over the posted limits. Repeat.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

dswallow said:


> You have to drive over the speed limit in order to go at the speed limit the road is designed for since it's being labeled lower than the design limit to account for people going over the posted limits. Repeat.


I could just as easily say that movie tickets are priced so high to account for a certain percentage of people theater hopping.

There is no increased risk of killing people by sneaking into a movie. And if you purchased a movie ticket and go into a second movie on the same ticket, most state laws would probably not consider it theft, it would probably fall under trespass laws instead. And trespassing is usually considered to be a more minor crime than speeding.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

tarheelblue32 said:


> I could just as easily say that movie tickets are priced so high to account for a certain percentage of people theater hopping.
> 
> There is no increased risk of killing people by sneaking into a movie. And if you purchased a movie ticket and go into a second movie on the same ticket, most state laws would probably not consider it theft, it would probably fall under trespass laws instead. And trespassing is usually considered to be a more minor crime than speeding.


I never understood why people are so cheap that they need to go to a second movie. Or try to sneak in . I never did it when I was a teenager and certainly not as an adult. And if I see someone trying to get in by the side doors when we leave the theater, I make sure the door closes and they can't get in. If they try to give me crap about it then I report them to management.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

aaronwt said:


> I never understood why people are so cheap that they need to go to a second movie. Or try to sneak in . I never did it when I was a teenager and certainly not as an adult. And if I see someone trying to get in by the side doors when we leave the theater, I make sure the door closes and they can't get in. If they try to give me crap about it then I report them to management.


Sneaking in and not paying for a movie at all would be much more serious. That could be considered burglary under state laws. That isn't what I'm talking about doing.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Driving over the speed limit is arguably much worse. Speed limits are there to protect peoples' lives. By violating the speed limit laws, even by a little, you are increasing the risk of injuring or killing other people. Same goes for talking or texting while driving.


Your disregarding a different law by going over the speed limit than to take property that not yours to take, such as sneaking into a movie you did not pay for, thief is thief period, going over the speed limit is not thief, it may be dangerous as texting on a cell phone when driving is, but totally different than sneaking into a movie. How one could justify that sneaking into a movie is OK because most people speed is beyond me.

Paying for one movie does not give you any more right to go to a 2nd movie than sneaking into a movie without paying for even one movie.
Walking through an open door in a public building I don't think is B&E, in the daytime many theaters don't have any ticket collectors after the place you pay for your ticket so one could sneak in pass the ticket place.


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## christheman (Feb 21, 2013)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Sneaking in and not paying for a movie at all would be much more serious. That could be considered burglary under state laws. That isn't what I'm talking about doing.


I think I know what you mean. I have a couple buddies that do that with me sometimes. We are middle-aged guys. There are times when you can tell a movie just plain SUCKS after sitting about 5 or 10 minutes into it, and that seems to happen fairly often these days. So it is not something we are conspiring to do and getting away with, it is a matter of jumping ship for the duration of one movie. There have been times we jump ship 3 or 4 times before we decide to settle in and watch an entire movie. The movies are really that bad lately. Part of it may be due to lack of prior research on our part, and the other part being that many movies are just copy and paste jobs that don't live up to the lobby cards or advertisements. It is what it is.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

lessd said:


> Your disregarding a different law by going over the speed limit than to take property that not yours to take, such as sneaking into a movie you did not pay for, thief is thief period, going over the speed limit is not thief, it may be dangerous as texting on a cell phone when driving is, but totally different than sneaking into a movie. How one could justify that sneaking into a movie is OK because most people speed is beyond me.


I'm merely pointing out that speeding is a far worse crime than theater hopping because speeding potentially puts lives at an increased risk.

Also, whether or not it is "theft" is debateable. What property have I actually taken from the movie theater? I still purchased a movie ticket, so they aren't out that money, and I would not have bought a second ticket, so they aren't out that money either. So just what actual property of theirs did i steal? It's very ironic that we are having this discussion on a TiVo forum. Studios and networks sometimes claim that you are "stealing" from them when you use a DVR to record a movie or TV show off of cable or OTA. But I guess you don't see that as stealing, do you?


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

tarheelblue32 said:


> I'm merely pointing out that speeding is a far worse crime than theater hopping because speeding potentially puts lives at an increased risk.
> 
> Also, whether or not it is "theft" is debateable. What property have I actually taken from the movie theater? I still purchased a movie ticket, so they aren't out that money, and I would not have bought a second ticket, so they aren't out that money either. So just what actual property of theirs did i steal? It's very ironic that we are having this discussion on a TiVo forum. Studios and networks sometimes claim that you are "stealing" from them when you use a DVR to record a movie or TV show off of cable or OTA. But I guess you don't see that as stealing, do you?


The SC has said I can record for my personal use so it not stealing, unless I sell admission to see what I recorded.

So I guess if you purchase one copy of some software for one computer and install it on more than one computer you don't think that is stealing?.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

lessd said:


> The SC has said I can record for my personal use so it not stealing, unless I sell admission to see what I recorded.


And before the SC ruled, people were still doing it. Were they stealing then? And I don't think the SC has ruled on whether skipping through commercials or transferring/archiving media files is theft, but people still do that anyway. Is that theft? And has the SC ruled on whether or not theater hopping is considered theft? I don't think they have, so until they rule on that issue I might as well keep doing it too.



lessd said:


> So I guess if you purchase one copy of some software for one computer and install it on more than one computer you don't think that is stealing?.


It could be a violation of the software license that you purchased, which is more of a contractual issue than a criminal issue. In many ways, that is a very good analogy to what we are talking about with theater hopping. Purachasing a movie ticket and going into a different theater would be similar to a license violation, not a theft of property.


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## tmesser (Apr 12, 2003)

aaronwt said:


> When we go we usually go to a showing before 12 noon at AMC theaters. The tickets are only around $7 to $9 then compared to $14 to $18 later in the day.


$14-18 is crazy. I've never known a theater to charge that much, unless it was some type of premium experience (reserved seating, IMAX, 3D, food/drink to your seat, etc.). Even the AMC River East in downtown Chicago "only" charges $12 for a full-price regular ticket.

Discount tickets are everywhere these days. I can get Regal and AMC tickets through Angie's List for $6.50, or through my employer for $7. (I don't particularly care that they can't be used until a movie has been out for two weeks--crowds are smaller by then.) Groupon has $5 tickets for my local Studio Movie Grill all the time. I frequently see movies at Landmark Theatres, and they sell a coupon book that brings the price down from $11.50 to $8. (They're good for any showing, even new releases, and they never expire.) Even the Music Box Theatre in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood has a discount card that saves $3 per showing.

I go to theaters several times a month and I can't even tell you the last time I paid full price for a movie.

Now, don't get me started on those damn texters...


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

Haha how's your neck?


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

tarheelblue32 said:


> If they ever did allow digital rentals of new release movies on day 1, expect to pay $100+ for a rental on opening day. It would be a luxury rental for the upper classes with their high-end home theaters, who don't like to go to public theaters filled with the riffraff.


My point was that they should be available at a reasonable price, like $10 for a rental.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

Bigg said:


> My point was that they should be available at a reasonable price, like $10 for a rental.


Why should they if it would cause them to lose more money at the box office than they gain in rental fees? If you can rent a movie for $10 opening day and show it in your home theater to 7 or 8 of your family and friends rather than them having to go to a movie theater, the studios would lose a lot of revenue. That wouldn't be a very good business decision.


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## Worf (Sep 15, 2000)

Why even bother sneaking in? I mean, just download it - it'ls the same thing, and arguably "better" for the theatre if you did that rather than trying to sneak around. Same effect in the end anyhow.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Why should they if it would cause them to lose more money at the box office than they gain in rental fees? If you can rent a movie for $10 opening day and show it in your home theater to 7 or 8 of your family and friends rather than them having to go to a movie theater, the studios would lose a lot of revenue. That wouldn't be a very good business decision.


Not if they got more people to rent because it was actually available. I often forget about movies because by the time they come out for rental, no one is talking about them.


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

Worf said:


> Why even bother sneaking in? I mean, just download it - it'ls the same thing, and arguably "better" for the theatre if you did that rather than trying to sneak around. Same effect in the end anyhow.


Actually it isn't - the theaters don't make squat on ticket sales, you pay for the first movie, grab popcorn and soda - that is the revenue for the theater... You get head counted for advertisement reimbursement to the theater...

The theater is fine, it is the movie brokers that are out money!

(I haven't double featured since we had kids)


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## javabird (Oct 13, 2006)

tenthplanet said:


> Get a manager, they would have kicked her out. Unruly behavior is not allowed in most theaters.


Unfortunately then you have to leave the movie to go find a manager, and that kind of ruins the movie too.


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## squint (Jun 15, 2008)

javabird said:


> Unfortunately then you have to leave the movie to go find a manager, and that kind of ruins the movie too.


Yeah, I really need to bring a flashlight with a tactical strobe mode and use that on the culprit instead.

Kidding...somewhat.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

Guess I might as well add my 2cents to this amusing thread.

I like going to the movies but I am very selective about it and normally pick movies I think will be enhanced by going to the theater over watching on blu-ray latter and I do check them out on Rotten Tomatoes. Last few I saw where: Guardians of the Galaxy, Lucy, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Edge of Tomorrow, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. All where good (ok Transformers was a little weak) and I think enhanced by seeing them in the movie theater.

Normally I will go to early shows which are anywhere from $5 to 6.50 depending on what theater I go to, now and then I will go to the $1-2 movie theater. I like the CineMark Tinseltown USA theater the best all stadium seating never crowded at all for the early shows which are $5.50 (3D or IMAX cost more).

I really don't mind all the stuff they play before the time the movie is going to start as I normally miss most of it as there is no reason to be early the times I go, always lots of room any place in the theaters you want to sit.

I haven't had an issue with other people in the theater for years normally to spread out to matter what they are doing.

Regarding theater hopping - one movie at a time is more than enough for me. But I highly doubt it is actually a "crime" you don't sign anything saying you will only see the movie you bought a ticket for when you entered the theater and none of the theaters I have been in has anything posted that my eyes can read, so all there is the fine print on the ticket (which I have never read) kind of like breaking the terms of service on some web site/service (like this forum) about all that happens is you can be asked to leave. Breaking into the theater without buying any ticket is likely another matter but again I doubt it is more than a trespassing violation.


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## tomhorsley (Jul 22, 2010)

There is another reason for theater hopping: When they give you a ticket to the wrong movie. I had that happen a couple of times. I remember once the movie they gave me a ticket for was one of the "Jackass" movies (I don't remember what movie I was going to, but the name could not possibly have been confused with "Jackass"). I wondered at the time if distributors of really really bad movies were paying off the cashiers in theaters to increase their ticket sales numbers .


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## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

I saw Brave with my kids when it came out and watched it for free because there was no one staffing the ticket counter. I waited and waited and no one came so I took my kids and went into the theatre and watched it. IT turned out the showing was 3d so I had to go back out and grab some glasses out of the recycled bin and wipe 'em down. And then we watched the whole thing. No charge. 

I don't think I saw an employee going in or out. lol.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

If I was still like 12 with nothing to do all day I'd consider theater hopping. Nowadays it just takes too much time out of my day to go out to a movie and I don't have the time to sit through a marathon without the ability to take a break and not miss part of the movie. I'd also never walk my kids into a theater without paying for the tickets. I mean, what kind of message are you sending when you do that? You basically told your kids it's OK to steal.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

tomhorsley said:


> There is another reason for theater hopping: When they give you a ticket to the wrong movie. I had that happen a couple of times. I remember once the movie they gave me a ticket for was one of the "Jackass" movies (I don't remember what movie I was going to, but the name could not possibly have been confused with "Jackass"). I wondered at the time if distributors of really really bad movies were paying off the cashiers in theaters to increase their ticket sales numbers .


If you purchase a ticket to a first run movie but the ticket you get (but don't notice) is for a 4th run movie the theater makes a lot more money, the correct way is to return the ticket for the correct one, but most people don't notice or care to take the extra time and just go the movie they wanted in the first place. With reserved seating this error will not happen so often.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

tomhorsley said:


> There is another reason for theater hopping: When they give you a ticket to the wrong movie. I had that happen a couple of times. I remember once the movie they gave me a ticket for was one of the "Jackass" movies (I don't remember what movie I was going to, but the name could not possibly have been confused with "Jackass"). I wondered at the time if distributors of really really bad movies were paying off the cashiers in theaters to increase their ticket sales numbers .


I doubt it, although it's not impossible. Especially since no one looks at the tickets, the customers or the theater...



lessd said:


> If you purchase a ticket to a first run movie but the ticket you get (but don't notice) is for a 4th run movie the theater makes a lot more money, the correct way is to return the ticket for the correct one, but most people don't notice or care to take the extra time and just go the movie they wanted in the first place. With reserved seating this error will not happen so often.


Most theaters have open seating (reserved would make it even worse than the horrible experience it already is- what are they dinosaur-like legacy airlines with assigned seating now?!?), and most of them don't check tickets or have anyone around anyways, so you could go to whatever movie you want. Maybe it's part of their business plan- they figure that some people might watch a couple of movies on one ticket, but stop for a bathroom break in-between, smell the popcorn, buy some, and then watch another. If they don't make money off the movies anyways...


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

atmuscarella said:


> .........................
> 
> Regarding theater hopping - one movie at a time is more than enough for me. But I highly doubt it is actually a "crime" you don't sign anything saying you will only see the movie you bought a ticket for when you entered the theater and none of the theaters I have been in has anything posted that my eyes can read, so all there is the fine print on the ticket (which I have never read) kind of like breaking the terms of service on some web site/service (like this forum) about all that happens is you can be asked to leave. Breaking into the theater without buying any ticket is likely another matter but again I doubt it is more than a trespassing violation.


Looking at an old AMC ticket stub from when we saw The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

The back of the ticket stub says



> The license granted is for a single viewing at the designated time.
> Violation of the Code of Conduct will result in revocation of license and removal from property without a refund


So at least AMC has it right on the stub. By getting that ticket stub you have agreed not to go to other movies other than the one purchased.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

aaronwt said:


> Looking at an old AMC ticket stub from when we saw The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
> 
> The back of the ticket stub says
> 
> ...


Well, so now we know what the AMC theater thinks theater hopping is. They think it is a simple license violation (not theft, larceny, or burglary) and that the penalty is that you will be escorted out the door without a refund (not arrested and prosecuted).

I just looked at my most recent ticket from a Carmike theater. There is nothing on the back at all. The front does say "GOOD ONLY FOR DAT". I assume DAT = "day and time". Really, all that says to me is that I can't come back later and try to use the same ticket to get past the ticket taker again.


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## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

I've never had the cashier ask me if I want to buy a ticket for a second movie that starts after the one I'm seeing ends. Maybe if they started asking, then some would feel shamed into buying a second ticket and others wouldn't try to see a second movie because they might think they would get caught. 

They could also sell an all day pass. You're bound to want to buy some concessions, if you are there all day. Plus, most people wouldn't have the stamina to see more than two movies and some would only see one movie even after purchasing the all day pass.

Parents might want to drop off their kids at the theater as a baby sitter.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

shwru980r said:


> I've never had the cashier ask me if I want to buy a ticket for a second movie that starts after the one I'm seeing ends. Maybe if they started asking, then some would feel shamed into buying a second ticket and others wouldn't try to see a second movie because they might think they would get caught.
> 
> They could also sell an all day pass. You're bound to want to buy some concessions, if you are there all day. Plus, most people wouldn't have the stamina to see more than two movies and some would only see one movie even after purchasing the all day pass.
> 
> Parents might want to drop off their kids at the theater as a baby sitter.


All day pass, talk about binge TV watching. That assumes you have 3 or more movies you want to see, and the movie distributers would never go for this anyways.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

lessd said:


> All day pass, talk about binge TV watching. That assumes you have 3 or more movies you want to see, and the movie distributers would never go for this anyways.


You'll never be able to buy any sort of multi-movie pass in a theater, especially not with first-run features. The ticket receipts get reported so that the studios know how much money the movie made. I have no doubt that the numbers get fudged along the way due to errors and such. I have the Flixter app on my smartphone and it always reports the box office receipts after each weekend and lists the movies in order with the highest draw listed first.

I have seen smaller local theaters that show movie marathons for a single ticket price, but they're usually older movies that have been out of circulation for a good while. Then there's always the small budget theaters that show movies at the end of their distribution cycle that you can see for about $1.00, but I think all the ones in my area have pretty much vanished from existence.

I still remember back when I was a young kid. There was a local theater that only charged $0.35 admission if you were under the age of 12 and the soda machines only charged a nickel for a coke. While it was slightly before my time, I remember when they used to show the old serials at the theater in addition to the main feature. You had to come back each week to see the next chapter. I would love to see something like that revived in the theaters to play prior to the main feature.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

mr.unnatural said:


> ... Then there's always the small budget theaters that show movies at the end of their distribution cycle that you can see for about $1.00, but I think all the ones in my area have pretty much vanished from existence...


We still have one of those, Cinemark Movies 10, it was built new to be a discount ($1-2 ($3 for 3D)) late/after cycle theater. It isn't stadium seating but pretty good seats and earlier shows are never crowded, so no real issues with seeing around tall people.


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## javabird (Oct 13, 2006)

lessd said:


> All day pass, talk about binge TV watching. That assumes you have 3 or more movies you want to see, and the movie distributers would never go for this anyways.





mr.unnatural said:


> I still remember back when I was a young kid. There was a local theater that only charged $0.35 admission if you were under the age of 12 and the soda machines only charged a nickel for a coke. While it was slightly before my time, I remember when they used to show the old serials at the theater in addition to the main feature. You had to come back each week to see the next chapter. I would love to see something like that revived in the theaters to play prior to the main feature.


I do remember when theaters used to have "Double Features" where they showed 2 new releases on the same ticket.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

javabird said:


> I do remember when theaters used to have "Double Features" where they showed 2 new releases on the same ticket.


Me too. Double features were quite commonplace back in the day. I saw Dr. No and From Russia With Love with my Dad when I was very young (before they started rating movies or else my Mom probably wouldn't have let me go). I also saw Cat Ballou and Darling on the same bill.

Back when they still had a lot of drive-ins it wasn't unusual to see 4 or 5 movies being shown in a marathon that lasted into the wee hours. Of course, most of them were schlock films that nobody watched anyway as they had other things in mind with their dates.  I think they salvaged all of the speakers from the drive-ins when they closed down and sold them to fast food restaurant chains for use in their drive-thru lanes.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

javabird said:


> I do remember when theaters used to have "Double Features" where they showed 2 new releases on the same ticket.


And at that time many movies ran continuously so you had to remember when in the movie you came in so you could leave when you got to that part again. Much different experience than today, as a kid my local theater cost $0.19 for daytime admission.


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