Todd Phillips Defends the Movie Theater

Todd Phillips fervently believes that a crucial aspect of watching a film is the communal experience of sitting together in a movie theater. It's time to get back to church!

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[filmfury]

Theaters are the back bone of cinema. Streaming and Theaters can coexist in harmony. Theaters will never die. I will always support them

[dbj]

Gosh I miss seeing movies in theatres. I love the atmosphere and experiencing films with random people.

[NoahIsNeon]

Even tho movies are still great on streaming because its useful for people who can't go out. Movie theaters are an experience and shouldn't go out of society

[TheTroystreet]

I actually loved going to the theatre and it’s only me and my friends in there more than seeing a movie with a huge crowd. There are some movies I enjoyed watching within a crowd but not all of them. I would much rather see a movie at home with my family or friends than in a movie theatre with a huge crowd and I’m by myself.

[le_maxarus]

"as a comedy film maker". he still didn't know what he would do a few years after.

[organicmilk]

Couldnt agree more! Im not the biggest fan of superhero movies but I go to experience it with the crowd and see how much they actually care about those movies

[TubenIt]

Live theatre is also a shared experience.

[Dhhtyu]

Not having to go to the theater and being able to watch Soul and WW84 with family at home was so SO nice.

[BMVfilms]

I’m all for accessibility and convenience but I agree it would be tragic if theatres went obsolete

[WorkstationEm]

My friend's teacher. They meet on COVID

[salvation]

Not every movie needs to be seen in theaters nor should they be. I don't know when this was filmed but there is no way in hell I'll be in a theater this year, even if they were open where I lived (which they haven't been for the better part of a year already). It's an experience where your enjoyment is predicated on how well everyone else sitting the theater behaves. It only takes one jackhole sitting around you to ruin the entire movie and it's the main reason I only go to watch 2-3 movies a year and sit in VIP theaters with fewer people as it tends weed out most of the aforementioned jackholes.

[WalkBesideMe]

Joker was one of the greatest cinematic experiences in recent memory, theater was PACKED. I can't imagine watching it for the first time any other way so I'm with Todd, we NEED theaters.

[krank]

Yeah, it's a really "important experience" sitting behind some tall asshole and constantly try to contort myself in order to see anything. Or so be stupid enough to arrive early and be blasted with a bunch of spoiler-filled trailers. People laughing at the wrong times, talking constantly, fiddling with their phones, making noise with their damn candy…

I'm sorry for the people working at cinemas who are losing their jobs right now, but the only reason I put up with all the crap that comes with watching a movie with a bunch of strangers in the same room is because of screen size and not wanting to wait for the home release. Especially now that 3D is pretty much dead, and 3d in cinemas was always kind of hit or miss anyways; home 3d is generally better and more consistent.

Do I get the *same* experience watching a movie at home, on my TV or in my VR headset? No. But in most ways, I get what I consider a *better* experience that way.

[chuckshaw]

The theater hasn't caught up with technology of the modern day camera. Theaters are outdated and aren't capable of showing modern movies in the way the director intended. Unless you go and see it in IMAX, where the projectors are newer. And the sad reality is, home theater systems can provide you with the same visceral feeling that the movie theater used to provide. It is still and experience to go to the theater, just not the one is used to be.

[SuperWhofan]

Hollywood killed movie theaters by not financing great dramatic movies so they can move franchise action movies.
Writers were forced to go to TV to sell their work

[ColinPatrickWeiss]

honestly i hate crowds. I still laugh hard, cry, and get scared, maybe IT IS different, but i feel more comfortable consuming media alone, especially as I get older. Maybe what he says is more applicable to teens and those who still get awestruck by a big social experience.

[JupGem]

I never knew I had ANYTHING to do with stupid Film. He’s right: TrAgic & short shrift.

[tonkaGuy]

Sadly, the “crowd experience” includes talking, texting, rattling candy wrappers, latecomers, endless trailers, and increasingly, ads. Somehow, the woman who has to repeat dialogue to her hearing-impaired husband, or the husband who has to explain the action to his wife as it’s happening always seem to be within earshot. We’ve seen about four movies in theaters in the last twenty years and each time we’re reminded why going to the movies sucks balls. Our final go, a couple had a fussing baby with them and rather than taking it to the lobby they took out a rattle and started shaking it. We left in disgust and asked for our money back and were given passes and an explanation that the theater was “family friendly, ” but apparently not movie-watching friendly. We’ll pass.

[mnchls]

movie theaters should defend themselves from todd phillips movies