7 Things Killing Movie Theaters (& How to Save Them)

Things are looking dire for movie theaters this summer so I broke down seven things that are driving people way and seven ways to get them back to the movies!

YOU CAN GET ALL MY SHOWS ON AUDIO NOW!

[michaeladkins]

I used to go to the movies several times a month. Between higher prices and worse, the other people who acted like they were in their living room, I just stopped going.

[dinoden]

Going to the cinema used to be a cheap luxury that felt special...

Now its an expensive luxury that often feels like a chore or a let down

[MariaVosa]

Dan's deep dive into the inflation issue, disproving the notion that tickets and concessions are much more expensive - but then doing a *deeper* dive pointing out salaries have *not* been keeping pace with inflation - is why his show is better than almost every other media outlet. To me, he is the Walter Cronkite of YouTube: immediately trustworthy.

[espenstoro]

FINALLY someone mentions it. The overall economy matters. We're not reckless lunatics with infinite bank accounts for fun who just choose to spend lots of money on other things all of a sudden, if a lot of us are going to the movies, we have to sacrifice something else. "But people are spending lots of money nowadays". Yeah, because everything is stupid expensive! We're going broke on the basics in the most literal sense.
I think I'm going to the theater two or three times this year. That's it. That's reality for us who live in poverty.

[TXMusicalNerd]

They don’t enforce theater etiquette on Broadway anymore. You wouldn’t believe the behavior I’ve seen. Last week I saw someone take a call mid act.

[chazzer]

the amount of times i've had to tell people to get off their phones or stop talking just this year is insane, i always hate doing it cause im just a scrawny teenager but i sometimes just have to do it

[pixelneer]

Alamo Drafthouse is GREAT about enforcing the 'no phones' and 'no talking' rules.. they take pride in doing so. Which makes it my first choice for a theater.

[davidmylchreest]

I live in Scotland and after COVID my local cinema actually cut their prices and stuck to it. Tickets are £5 no matter what the screening or seating. Tickets for a family of 4, with popcorn sweets and drinks for the kids amount to about £30. It's a real money saver when you have to entertain the kids during the rainy school holidays.

[ViperChief]

I used to go to the movie theater all the time. I liked the theater going experience up until recently. I hate having to be in a cinema hearing people talking and using their phones. It’s like bro you can turn your phone off for two hours. lol

[nataliedeniseallen]

Decorum and common decency is needed everywhere. Being in retail I’m in shock at people’s audacious behavior and if you say something you’re met with such entitlement and rudeness. What happened to politeness?

[brucecrawford_]

Thank you for addressing the fact of people's disregard for other moviegoers at the theater when they're on their phones and constantly talking through the entire film! It's so frustrating that people don't care and have no sense of awareness anymore. It's one big factor for me why I've stopped going to the theater as much, especially for repeat viewings.

[Chibibotan]

I've lived in Japan for many years now, and the theater experience here is like night and day compared to the US. Everyone is silent, keeps their phones away for the whole movie, stays until the credits are over (even if there is no end credit scene). It's great if you just want to enjoy a movie in peace. I have heard other people complain about not getting the "audience" experience because people don't laugh out loud or clap or cheer, but I have been in full theaters where you can feel the excitement without needing to shout it. Overall, I can't see myself going back to a theater experience in the US after having a way better experience in Japan.

[njpsychopath]

The biggest difference I've noticed in my media consumption nowadays is that I rarely seek out anything specific. It's less "I want to see this so let me make the time" and more "I have the time, what is available right now?" There is just so much stuff out there, its hard for anything to stand out as a must see - especially when you consider the barriers of going to a movie theater.

[alexp]

For me the biggest problem with movie theaters was how easy it was for other people to ruin the experience by talking and texting during the movie. Felt like everytime I went I was playing roulette, I MIGHT get a respectful crowd but most likely won’t. I think theaters made a MAJOR mistake by not taking more action to resolve this and enforce a quiet respectful environment.

[defnotkevin]

As someone who's worked at one of the big chain theaters I'll say that the corporate mindset is cutting hours for staff is the first thing they do when business starts to slow, which leaves theaters understaffed to keep the place running most days, much less running well. Also most employees are not looking to work at the theaters long term and it is kind of a crappy job, which makes it hard to get invested in keeping the place nice. But even if you do make an effort to do so, the managers often don't care if you report say a projection issue like the masking curtains not shaping the screen properly. I can't tell you how many times I would report some sort of technical issue to be greeted with a shrug. A lot of the technical and audience problems stem from the workers being paid too little to care, which is pretty valid imo. Really enjoyed this video and I hope theaters can improve and thrive.

[jasonvagner]

When I went to see Fall Guy the movie didn’t start until 40 minutes after the posted showtime. We’ve all seen the commercials a million times, no one cares about Noovie, the trailers are all on YouTube, and I don’t want to see those incessant Coca Cola commercials another 1, 000 times. I’m guessing movie reviewer previews don’t subject reviewers to all of those things too?
EDIT: to clarify, the annoyances keep me from going to the theater too often contiguously. I used to love going to the theater every week. Nowadays, given annoyances, I can maybe do it once a month. And I’m in the movie club. Also, bring back the bulk candy bins.

[ChelseaLewis]

It’s the people. 100 percent. My husband and I loved going to the movie theater but recently we have had so many experiences ruined by phones, talking, etc. During Dune 2 in IMAX opening night, the person next to us was snoring so loudly.

[raptors]

I used to be a manager at an AMC. They will fight you tooth and nail to get anything fixed. We had a projector down for 9 months. An entire auditorium we couldn't use. We're the only first run theater for 100 miles, and people do travel to go to this theater. You would think they would make sure that theater is well taken care of, but nope. They did give the theater a half assed renovation 5 years ago, but cheaped out and now the theater is back in ruins.

[briar]

We have a really bad AMC here in Oregon. It used to be a privately owned place with restaurant food that would be delivered to your seat, brewery, good snacks, living room style seating and luxury seats, then AMC bought it and it went to hell, in total disrepair, seats falling apart, the restaurant closed, etc. AMC is not maintaining their theaters.

[Dean...]

Cinema became brutally expensive including cinema food and drink. Prices are insane .