Movie Theaters in New England are Different Now, and I’m Not Sure How to Feel
Last night I went to the movie theater for the first time in what feels like 10 years.
Needless to say, a LOT of things are different now. Some for the better...some for the worse.
Since I do not go to the movies often, I know this may be a little dated; however, some of the changes to movie theaters blew my mind away.
1. Picking your seats ahead of time.
An amazing idea that just does not make sense. I get it. I do. I think the concept is sound. You want to know if you are going to be in the front vs back, close to an exit or not, etc.
Here is the issue - you cannot change your seats upon arrival. So if you reserved a seat and a kids birthday party is next to you, you cannot relocate - you're stuck. Thats CRAZY TO ME.
If you are sitting next to a texter, or a couple of teenagers making out...you are stuck. So I am not too sure I love this assigned seating thing.
2. 30-minute previews.
Um, I thought they were about 10 minutes - not anymore. I sat for 32 minutes in my seat watching previews before my movie finally got started yesterday. I was furious.
If preview time is going to be more than 10 minutes, the theater should tell moviegoers that REAL start time. Because I wasted 30 minutes waiting, not going to the bathroom, loading up with food at the wrong time, etc.
3. Intermission?
I would greatly benefit from a halftime or an intermission. I feel like movies always used to be less than an hour and a half (or about). Now, I don't think I have seen a new movie released that is below 2 hours and 20 minutes. If it is that long, give us a 5-10 minute recess.
4. The seats.
One massive improvement are the seats in the new era of movie theaters. Put your feet up and lean back - now THAT is a way to watch a movie.
5. Prices.
Movies used to be somewhere between $5 - $10. Yesterday when I went it was over $45 for two tickets. That is steep. I do appreciate the better seats so the trade off is worth it - but I was shocked to see how expensive they were.
6. The sound.
This could just be me getting gold but WOW was it loud in the theater. I mean, I am all about an immersive experience, but for over two hours my ears were working!
Perhaps I am getting old, but I think the theaters have gotten louder.
All of these changes are to keep the theaters in business- one day we may see a world where there are none. So with that in mind, I am fortunate to be a part of the movie theater attending era.
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