Me: We’re going to be late for the start of the movie.
Wife: Don’t worry … we’ll just miss the previews.
Me: Yeah, but I hate having to search for a seat in the dark.
The above conversation is one that would have taken place about five years ago, back before kids and also when you had an extra ten (maybe twelve) minutes tops before the show actually started. Yesterday we went to see X-Men III: The Last Stand. We walked in five minutes before show time. Over a half hour later I was already tired when the opening credits finally began to roll. Why am I being inundated with ads at a show that I paid to see? This is not free access television. As for the previews, I think I saw all the good parts and won’t need to actually see the films when they come out. It seems as if the studios have forgotten the meaning of the word teaser.
If we are going to pay for a sitter and take the time and trouble to go see a movie, then we would be willing to pay the extra couple bucks to avoid the advertisements. Since time is money, too, shortened previews would be much appreciated. We already have a surround sound system and at some point in the next several years a big screen television will be added. If the “theater experience” continues to decline, then it is only a matter of time before all of our movie viewing takes place in the comfort of our family room.
All of this leads me to the questions: Do you think it is worth it to see the first run of a movie, or would you rather wait? Will movie theaters continue to thrive, or will consumer technology make them a thing of the past?
3 Comments
Oh, I totally think that theaters will be a thing of the past what with technology advancing the way it is. Granted, there’s something to be said for the community atmosphere you experience at a theater. But really that only exists at movies for grownups, not at kiddie movies.
I went to see xmen 3 last friday and was 10 minutes late and the movie had already started! I was counting on the 30 minutes of previews and “teasers” you mentioned!
Yeah, there is something about being in a room full of people and getting the joke at the same time, or being scared simultaneously. I also enjoy the drive-in experience and we’ve got plans to go to the one near here sometime soon.
Late to the movie! If it were me I would have almost walked out and asked for a ticket to a later show (that’d be pet peeve #2.5).
Did you at least stay around after the credits to see the bonus scene?
Nevermind on that question (I just read your blog post about the movie). I enjoyed the film, but it was not on par with the first two installments. I credit this mostly to the loss of director Bryan Singer (currently directing the TV show House).
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