tater03

Does anyone else seem to think that movie theatres will be no more here in the near future? I just don't see going and paying those prices when they are now making movies to go directly to internet and heck DVD releases of movies are getting shorter and shorter all the time. I'm just surprised with all this happening that theatres are not doing more to draw in the crowds. But all I ever see from them is raising ticket prices.

arppt01

I think they will be there. I will not go to that length by saying no but there will be more pressure on them because number of people going there will reduce more probably. It will depend on what kind of picture is being shown in the theatre, that will depends whether people go to theatre or not.

chrispenycate

There are films which are just not made for reduction in format, even to high definition TV, let alone the compression ratios frequently used in squeezing the stuff thhrough the web (it's not just the connections, though that's part of the problem; 300MHz by multiple strains servers and switching networks too, and that's down in the minimum for real picture quality) Others, evidently, the story carries it and absolute sound and image quality are less important.
And there's the social component; going out for the evening is a different experience to watching something on the TV, however good the TV.
Here (in Geneva, I can't talk for the entire country) the problem is the number of films coming out, against the number of good cinemas in which you can watch them. Unless you want to go at five in the evening, a popular film will frequently have no spare seats before it's pulled off for the next one, putting the one you'd missed seeing into a cinema with an inferior sound system, or poor seating (for which the prices are frequently the same)

riskey58

I think it will be sometime before movie theatres go out of business. I agre with you that the prices just seem to get higher. And I really do not think families can afford it. But I think couples use it as a night out for them. They go to dinner and a movie. I really think that is really what is keeping them alive.

vicki2

As Chris mentioned, there are just films that aren't made for seeing on a small screen. The wide screen format and larger screens have helped but there's nothing quite like seeing it on a theatre screen. My problem is living in an area where the nearest theatre is 25 miles so it really cuts down on that last minute decision to go see a film ...especially in winter with ice and snow!

tater03

See in our area you can go to a movie at just about any time and there is just not a lot of people in the theatre. I do find that the animated movies seem to be a big draw. The difference in the amount of people watching an animated movie versus a regular movie is quite apparent. At least where I live. That's what made me start thinking about it was the amount of actual people I will see at any given one time in the movie.

arppt01

I agree with tater03 that animated movies are the big draw. People are looking for changes and they will only fill up the theatres if there is something special going on. Normal movies are not going to draw much crowd.

vicki2

Maybe that's why I don't get to theatres more often ...I just never particularly liked animated films. I know that some are incredibly well done and good, but I like dramas and real actors! Animation is an art form, but one that I haven't learned to appreciate.

kelkat

I've never been a hugh theater buff - always preferred the comfort of home. But if I really like what a film stands for or is saying then I'll support it at the theaters. I usually expect to pay as much for the experience as I would for a dinner out. I just consider it an entertainment expense and leave it at that.

aicram

Although it is true that the onset of DVD's is starting to put the life of movie theatres in peril, I still believe that somehow, owners will find a way to keep their business alive. Besides, theatres offer a different thrill in watching films.