Like so many others I like to go out to the movies on occasion. I really like the drive-in theater, but those are just about extinct. Certainly not one anywhere near where I live. So I’m limited to going to the standard indoor theater with teenagers making lots of noise and unknown substances sticking to my shoes. In this case, Dickinson Theatres[1].
In a rare moment of aligned schedules my wife and I decided to go to the movies and see Hancock[2]. The first shock came with the $7.50 ticket price, we were up to $15 before even getting inside. Oh well, move on to the concession stand. For me going to the movies without getting popcorn is just wrong, and popcorn necessitates a drink - so we spend another ten bucks on a bucket of cold soggy popcorn and a watered down drink.
Considering we were already seven minutes late, I expected the previews to be nearing completion and the “Feature Presentation” to be starting soon. No such luck, the previews had not even started yet. We were presented with about fifteen minutes of ScreenVision[3], which is basically a bunch of advertisements thinly veiled as some sort of entertaining preshow. Our tickets were for the 7:10pm showing of Hancock and it’s now about 7:30pm when the host of ScreenVision thanks us for watching (like we had a choice) and announces that we will now have a few words from our sponsors before the coming attractions and then the feature presentation.
Of course by this time I’m a little more than upset and any hope of an enjoyable experience has been destroyed. Still, I’m thinking the movie should start sometime soon, right? Wrong. The sponsors were KIA and Vitamin Water - each of which were several minute long commercials. Finally at 7:40pm after the “preshow”, some more commercials, and a few previews, the movie starts. I’m ready to go home…
Now wait just a damn minute! We’ve just paid twenty five damn dollars to see forty minutes of freaking commercials and get some old soggy popcorn? Where’s the f’n manager?! For $25 I can get two movies from iTunes and a whole damn box of popcorn. Then I can watch them on my iMac whenever the hell I want! All this shouting is in my head of course, I remain seated and hope that my wife and I will have an enjoyable evening when the movie gets around to starting.
The disappointment and anger does not stop there. Throughout the movie the picture was out of focus, the volume was set way too high and there was serious distortion on the right channels of the sound system. Really, for $25 I would think that the sound and picture quality could at least be decent.
So when did we as consumers start accepting this sort of crap? Why do we pay to see commercials? If you ask me, there are plenty of advertisements on broadcast and cable or satellite television. we do not have to go to the theater to see even more. i will not be going back in the near future. If my wife wants to watch a movie I will spend $9.99 on iTunes and we will watch it home.
Now that I’ve gone back over and read a few parts of this post I realize that I’m not really sounding like me. It looks as though I’m blaming the theater or the industry for this whole thing. Well I’m not. I blame the consumer. That’s right - the complacent, do-nothing consumer! You see, although I will not go back and spend my money on this crap, there are far too many people who will. Sooner or later the industry will push even further and people will have to sit through an hour of advertisements - or the movie will stop so more ads can be run in the middle. Surely there will be others who are disappointed, but I would bet that most of them will never complain to management even if they decide not to return.
If the business can continue to charge for advertisements, charge for tickets, and charge for snacks, why shouldn’t they? Their job is to make a profit. If the consumers keep paying they will keep doing it.
oh who cares you did not like the movie shut up and get over it
Just think of your carbon footprint by driving a car to the theater and all the power wasted to run the building and the lights and the air conditioning.
People like you are killing this planet for your amusement.
Gee, nice fella, remind me not to invite him
to the boogerpicking party next week.
Dang Bob Normals
Maybe steve o wants to pay for your loss?
I am with Malagent. Did you express yourself to the theatre
management? I would not either, but I only go to a theatre
about once a year (if that). In addition to things Malagent
has mentioned, they are expensive, and for me it involves
a trip of 25 miles one way (a total of about 50 for the
evening). That too takes time, and with the rising cost of
gasoline, gives one pause as to whether it is worth it.
We recently subscribed to Netflix instead. I am a little
tired of the tendency to flip off and to use coarse language.
To me it is an indication that the producers have not much
else to say, and that, sadly, is an indication of a decline
in both education and intelligence. Yeah, I know I’m not
welcome in today’s so-called culture - - - that’s OK, I can
do without it, and hope to keep myself free of debt and
independent, with a clear mind until my natural death.
Myrtle,
Thank you for the comment.
I did contact the theatre, both this time and shortly after my prior trip in Aug. 2007. I had a netflix subscription for several years simply because with my business I was entirely too busy to be going to a theatre or even a video store. Often I found myself watching the movies I received in 30 minute chunks before something would pull me away.
Now with more free time I like to own the movies if I can so I use DVD Planet.
Regarding coarse language…
I am at times rather foul mouthed myself. I think I picked up a lot of that from my years on patrol. However, I refrain from using such language on my web sites or in the company of all but a few of my closest friends - who tend to use language that makes mine seem like a conversation on 1950’s television.
To me it is a matter of respect for others.
I do not mind the use of profanity in films when it is a legitimate part of the story. To me it is somewhat similar to special effects - no replacement for a good story.
Immediately before I read your comment, I read a short article by Chuck Norris over at Human Events that covers the topic…
Gee if it makes the veggie burgers feel better, I would
make biodiesel out of waste cooking oil and drive with
that and it is ORGANIC WOOHOO, and it don’t make
a big black cloud, just a little puff of white smoke and
it smells like tater tots!! Wow! Yummie!