Will the movie going experience be lost forever?

[Missy]

Regal Cinemas Shutting Down All United States and UK Theaters.

Regal Owner Cineworld Considers Closing All Theaters in US and UK

Move follows MGM's decision to push James Bond film "No Time to Die" from November to 2021

www.thewrap.com

So many additional jobs now lost


I wonder if this will change the movie going experience forever.
Will we ever recover all we have lost?



Please share your fond and not so fond cinema experiences.

 

[Missy]

I have fond memories of attending the cinema when I was young and in my twenties and thirties. Changes in the early 2000s had me re evaluating the theater going experience. My DH and I have not gone to a movie theater for at least 10-15 years with one exception and I don't really miss it. I did at first because it was so much fun going with friends and my DH and making a whole evening of it. Dinner, movies and an overall fun and entertaining experience. But now, I enjoy watching movies in the comfort of my own home and with my clean bathroom and fridge full of food. Hanging out with the kitties as we watch on our comfortable couch and able to pause and go to the bathroom as necessary.

What don't I miss? People who talk during the movie as if it is in their own living room and there are not others there trying to enjoy the movie and not hear their chatter.

Sticky floors. Dirty bathrooms. Holding it in (as in having to pee) so you don't miss part of the movie. Or rushing to the restroom and back and inevitably missing an important scene. Others checking their phones and the lights distracting. People coming in late and pushing past you blocking your view as they sit. Non graduated theaters where others sit in front of you blocking your view. And so on and so forth.

Yes there is a special something you cannot get at home when watching movies on the big screen. But at least where we are the movie theater experience had gone down from what it had been and hence we stopped going to the theater.

And now with Covid 19 who knows how long cinemas will be closed and if they will ever recover.
Regal shut down. Will others follow suit? Or can they recover?
Will drive ins make a comeback? I had never experienced a drive in movie theater and it's expensive in cities to set that up but perhaps that is an option?

I hope movie theaters can recover and will go on because it would be so sad if the children and future adults never got to experience the movie cinema experience.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

I personally don't care for cinemas but I do hope they will come back so others can enjoy them.

I think for that to happen though you guys will need either:

1. a vaccine
2. Mass lockdown to squash numbers and a massive track and trace force (if there's no vaccine ever)
3. Everyone goes into spanish flu mode and you all go to the movies anyway

In no way am I advocating any particular method (well I hope you guys get a vaccine) but realistically one of these 3 needs to happen before you can do anything again.

PS: I'm personally waiting for buffets to come back but have resigned myself to believing they will be a thing of the past. My son will tell his grandchildren about how when he was a little boy he was taken to something called a buffet by their great grandmother.

That makes me sad.

Although making it to great grandma status would be awesome!!!

 

[dk168]

It is sad news, as I love going to the cinema, on my own or with friends.

Although I can make popcorn with butter sauce and a milkshake at home, I cannot replicate the joy of seeing a film in a darkened room on a big screen with surround sound.

There is something magical about sharing the sadness, excitement, joy, astonishment etc., in an auditorium with complete strangers.

I do hope the closure of Cineworld cinemas is a temporary casualty of C19, like other sectors such as tourism and hospitality.

I do not go to the Cineworld nearest to me in another town as I prefer another cinema slightly further away with better seats and food options.

I went to a new to me cinema in a different town for the first time last month to see Tenet. It was week day afternoon, and there were about 6 people in the entire auditorium that could seat a couple of hundred! Unless the numbers for weekend shows are significantly higher, then no wonder they are struggling.

I felt safe though, as social distancing was easily practiced with so few people in the auditorium.

I strongly believe it will revive eventually in good time, as going to the cinema, as well as the theatre and concerts etc., are important leisure activities that people enjoy, myself included.

DK

 

[Missy]

I strongly believe it will revive eventually in good time, as going to the cinema, as well as the theatre and concerts etc., are important leisure activities that people enjoy, myself included.

I hope you are right! There is something magical about being in the theater. When all the conditions are perfect. Which around here is rare to come by. Before Covid I mean.

PS: I'm personally waiting for buffets to come back but have resigned myself to believing they will be a thing of the past. My son will tell his grandchildren about how when he was a little boy he was taken to something called a buffet by their great grandmother.

That makes me sad.

Although making it to great grandma status would be awesome!!!

Haha I hear you about making it to great grandma status and I hope that happens! As for buffets I don't care for them myself but I get their allure. I hope everything people enjoyed before Covid 19 makes a comeback after the pandemic is over.

 

[dk168]

@mellowyellowgirl I do hope self-service buffet style eating will come back too, as I love them!

DK

 

[dk168]

I had the pleasure of watching Gone With The Wind, my all time favourite film, on a big screen, a restored version for its 40th anniversary, and the experience cemented my views about going to the cinema.

DK

 

[Missy]

I had the pleasure of watching Gone With The Wind, my all time favourite film, on a big screen, a restored version for its 40th anniversary, and the experience cemented my views about going to the cinema.

DK

Despite all the brouhaha about that movie it’s one of my favorites. And you’re right. The movie going experience cannot be recreated at home. If and it’s a big if (for us) all conditions are perfect at the theater.

 

[OdetteOdile]

I love going to the movies. It is something I have thought about and missed during this time. We usually go to a fun summer blockbuster on my birthday, and I missed that this year.

 

[MeowMeow]

oh man. I miss the movies. I haven't gone in a couple years now because no childcare lol. I'm super grateful I can still pop some delicious buttered and salted popcorn on the stove, have a soda, and watch on our TV at home together. It's almost as good. Just something about that movie popcorn is so different. And the giant screen. I hope eventually we will be able to watch movies again. But for now I appreciate being able to watch them from home at least. I hope they will be streaming Dune somewhere as I am dying to see it.

 

[dk168]

I was looking forward to see No Time To Die, and am disappointed it has been delayed yet again, hey ho!

DK

 

[Austina]

I’m honestly not sure what’s going to happen. If a safe and effective vaccine is available, I could see people going back to regular cinema trips. Before Covid, we often went, usually to a Monday matinee and really enjoyed seeing films on the big screen. We do have a satellite TV package that includes films, so often see films 6 months after their cinema release. When we we able to fly, it wasn’t unusual for me to watch 5 films on the flight to visit DS, and they were all recent cinema releases.

 

[msop04]

Lost forever? Nope, not for me or anyone I know. We're happy most of ours are open again. Although I rarely go, I enjoy it when I do.

 

[pearlsngems]

Until / unless the pandemic is over and there is a vaccine in wide use, I won't be going back to the cinema. I wish they would bring back drive-ins, though. Some movies are best seen on a big screen. I could definitely see our local cinema being closed down permanently.

 

[Skyjems]

Covid only SEEMS like it's going to go on forever...

 

[lyra]

I love seeing movies at the theatre. I've actually been craving it, which is funny because I rarely went due to the cost for the premium VIP shows with the nice seats and food service. I think movies aren't targeted at my age range so much anymore, so it'll depend on what becomes available after the pandemic.

 

[redwood66]

We only go once or twice a year and save it for big action flicks worthy of a giant screen - Star Wars and the like. DH hates going to the theater. I hope they are able to hang on though. We have a little local owned one that started showing movies on the side of their building so people could watch in their cars. We never went so I'm not sure how popular it is. Maybe the Drive-In will come back? Problem is it takes so much property and zoning would likely be an issue in some places. We used to go when I was a kid.

ETA - Just checked and our local big theater complex is open.

 

[redwood66]

Well I checked a bit closer and our Regal is having screening of old movies throughout the rest of the year. The Big Chill, The Shining, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, etc. I wonder if it is to keep some people employed while still allowing those who like the theater to go? Some days have quite a few movies playing while others don't.

 

[TooPatient]

We didn't go for a long time for all the icky parts you mentioned. Then I discovered a different theater and we liked it so much we joined the membership club that gave a free ticket every month plus discounts on the food and drink. 21+ so no kids. Never had a problem with people talking. The seats recline and are really comfortable. Big, wide aisles. Delicious food for reasonable $$. It actually costs less for a hamburger there anywhere other than nasty chain places. Delicious soft pretzels with a yummy warm cheese sauce or very nice spicy mustard. The salmon with quinoa is great. I loved their vegetarian black bean burger. Good wine.

We do have a home theater so can replicate much of the movie itself. Light controlled room with reclining sofa, large screen that fills most of the field of vision, surround sound with really nice speakers, etc. It just isn't the same as relaxing in front of a movie with wine and food just a button push away. It was nice to be able to relax and have dinner and drinks brought while lounging in a comfortable chair.

I sure hope it is around as we get through COVID!

 

[Arcadian]

Drive in down here is doing lots of business...

 

[SallyBrown]

I was looking forward to see No Time To Die, and am disappointed it has been delayed yet again, hey ho!

DK

Me too.
The James Bond flicks are always better in the theater.
I also love watching the Mission Impossible series on the big screen.
I miss going to the movies, even with all the rude people and sticky floors.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

We miss movies!!!!!!! I'd love to see the new Bond, soon. But not gonna happen. Yanno a drive in would be great!!!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Rons Wolfe]

Obviously it depends on when and how the Rona situation ends, as we all know. I don't think it'll come all the way back for a while, there's just to much long-term effects that'll remain. Speaking only for myself here, although I know others are in a similar situation. Because my husband is immune-compromised courtesy of the Rona, I'm pretty sure I'm seen the last of the inside of a theater for as long as he's alive. Which I hope is longer than I'm alive.

As for fun theater memories, I can sum it up in 4 words; Rocky Horror Picture Show.

 

[kenny]

Back in the 80s I loved going to one of the huge art-deco 1920s theaters in West Los Angeles.
The sound systems were state of the art, and even for this introvert the attentive enthusiastic crowd contributed much to the experience.

There were no stupidphones.
I stopped going when those phones showed up.

Drive ins do not have the awesome trillion-dollar sound systems.
Plus, even though it's outside and others are in their cars, a thousand people in a small area may have their windows open on a warm Los Angeles summer evening.
It seems reasonable to me that the level of risks will be above zero.
No thanks.

I'm positive I'll never set foot in a theater again.

 

[Rons Wolfe]

As a child of the 60's and 70's, I can tell you that drive-ins were a blast. What I can't tell you in the name of any of the movies I ever went to see.

 

[redwood66]

Obviously it depends on when and how the Rona situation ends, as we all know. I don't think it'll come all the way back for a while, there's just to much long-term effects that'll remain. Speaking only for myself here, although I know others are in a similar situation. Because my husband is immune-compromised courtesy of the Rona, I'm pretty sure I'm seen the last of the inside of a theater for as long as he's alive. Which I hope is longer than I'm alive.

As for fun theater memories, I can sum it up in 4 words; Rocky Horror Picture Show.

LOL. One of my HS classmates played Rocky every weekend.

 

[Bron357]

My favourite cinema here in Sydney was the Cremorne Orpheum. It was built in the 1930s and had a Wurlitzer Organ because back then the movies had no sound. It was all beautifully renovated and it was a joy to watch genuine old films accompanied by the Organ. It was and still is a stunning Art Deco building and one of my favourites.

 

[Missy]

Lost forever? Nope, not for me or anyone I know. We're happy most of ours are open again. Although I rarely go, I enjoy it when I do.

You are so fortunate @msop04 the infection rate is rising again where we are and now the NYC Mayor is talking about closing schools in 9 districts and closing the restaurants there as well. I fully support closing businesses and schools where the infection rate is rising to prevent a huge second wave. I hope it remains well and quiet by you!

 

[Missy]

My favourite cinema here in Sydney was the Cremorne Orpheum. It was built in the 1930s and had a Wurlitzer Organ because back then the movies had no sound. It was all beautifully renovated and it was a joy to watch genuine old films accompanied by the Organ. It was and still is a stunning Art Deco building and one of my favourites.

Oh yes we have some gorgeous historical buildings where there are theaters and it is a wonderful experience for the eyes. I have been fortunate to have been to them and it is mind blowing. They don't make buildings like these anymore.

 

[Missy]

As a child of the 60's and 70's, I can tell you that drive-ins were a blast. What I can't tell you in the name of any of the movies I ever went to see.

I am sad we never experienced that. I am a child of the 60s and 70s as well but I grew up in Brooklyn and to my knowledge there were no drive in theaters near us and I definitely never experienced one. Wish I had.