Home Theater vs. Cinema: When Did Watching Movies Out Become a Hassle?

Remember the thrill of the opening credits in a darkened theater? Lately, for many movie enthusiasts, that pre-movie anticipation is often overshadowed by the dread of who we'll be sitting next to.

The contrast between the potential for cinematic immersion and the reality of movie theater distractions has become stark. I've thought a lot about the state of movies today and find myself less inclined to visit the cinema. The allure of my own home theater, where I can escape without worrying about someone talking or lighting up their phone, increasingly outweighs the traditional movie theater experience.

I’ve thought a lot about the state of movies today. I don’t go to the theater often. The theater experience has diminished for me not because of the movies on the screen, but the people in the seats... or in one particularly bright instance, someone seemingly live-blogging the film on their iPad.

When I go to the theater, I try to be strategic. When’s the crowd likely to be thinner or more engaged. I go see Marvel movies (and the upcoming DC movies) on Thursday. The audience that goes on opening night is more likely to be there to watch the movie and not be distracting. If I don’t make it on Thursday, I go on Monday or Tuesday. From my days working at a movie theater, I know these are off days and more likely to be empty and limit the potential for distracting patrons.

When I don’t follow these guidelines is when I experience situations like Gladiator II and it’s those moments I find my finger hovering over the Buy button and wondering how long it’ll be before it comes to streaming or digitally.

To paint a clearer picture of why my theater visits are dwindling, let me recount a few tales from the darkened aisles.

The Frustrations of Modern Movie Theater Etiquette

I looked forward to seeing Gladiator II and on a whim I decided to go to the evening show on Thanksgiving. Suffice it to say, my Thanksgiving evening took a nosedive faster than the price of Black Friday TVs. The movie was 15 minutes in and two of the people in the row in front of me pulled out their phones and started scrolling. It was distracting for me and took me out of the experience. When there was action on the screen, they put the phone down, but as soon as people started talking they started scrolling again.

This was not the first time this occurred and its become more the norm than the exception. I remember an instance when Rise of the Planet of the Apes came out. This was before you selected a seat and you could walk in and sit where you want. A mom and her young son chose the row right behind us and talked for the first 30 minutes of the movie. I’d finally had enough and turned around and ask them if they could be quiet. The mom stared at me in wide-eyed disbelief. You'd think I'd asked her to juggle chainsaws while reciting Shakespeare, not just politely requested a bit of cinematic silence.

The movie theater is not your living room where you get to do whatever you want. It’s a communal place and has a set of expectations - respect your neighbors, don’t talk and put away your phone and escape into film for a few hours.

Then, you get reports like this from viewings of The Minecraft Movie, which does not increase my inclination to head to a theater to watch it.

The notice at the Cineworld reads: “Any form of antisocial behavior, especially anything that may disturb other guests such as loud screaming, clapping and shouting will not be tolerated. Anyone who is found to be acting in this manner will be removed from the screening and not entitled to a refund.

The Impact of Fewer Movie Showtime Options on Theater Attendance

Another reason I don’t go to as many movies as I’d like is the lack of options for showings. Pre-pandemic, there were usually showings starting at 9 or 10 a.m.. On several occasions, I’d head to the theater for a 9:30 showing and be done by noon to run my errands. Now, most of the theaters near me don’t have a showing before noon, and in many instances the first showing is after one.

I understand theaters are struggling and paying employees and running all the equipment incurs a cost. And I’m sure the owners have data to support why they don’t start movies earlier in the day, but with fewer options it’s more likely the theater I’m in will be more crowded and increase the odds of annoying patrons.

The Benefits of Waiting for Home Release: Cost and Convenience

I have a nice-enough home theater system. The area isn’t that large and I have Sonos speakers that replicate a 7.1 system with Dolby Atmos. When I upgraded some of the speakers last year and put in John Wick 4, it felt exactly like it did when I was sitting in the Dolby Atmos theater at my local AMC. I felt the punches during the opening scene.

That’s a reason why I’ll skip the theater and wait for a movie to be available at home.

For example, I wanted to go see Love Hurts in the theater, but when I couldn’t get there the week after it’s release I found myself wondering how long I’d have to wait to see it at home and if it was a movie I needed to see in a theater.

I looked up the preorder information and snagged the 4K disc which was set to arrive in a few weeks. I’d rather spend the $24 to buy the 4K and watch it at home than the $20 for the ticket, plus $7 for popcorn or a drink to see it in the theater. It’s a gamble to buy the movie without watching it, but with ticket prices in my area so close to the price of buying a physical disc, it’s worth it. If I enjoy the movie and watch it multiple times I’d earned my money back.

Even without my home theater experience, the advantages of being able to start a movie when I want, pause and not pay extra for soda and popcorn is tough to beat. I decided I wanted to watch a movie at 8 a.m. last weekend and popped in a disc. The theater is five minutes from my house, but to go see A Working Man I’d have to wait until 6 p.m. for the first showing.

Potential Solutions to Improve the Movie Theater Experience

Having worked at a movie theater, I’m not sure how much they can do to eliminate the human interference. I know I don’t want to get up in the middle of the movie and walk to the manager to tell them someone’s being distracting, because then I’ve missed several minutes of the movie I paid to see on top of the distraction.

Having employees do regular theater checks could be one solution. We did this at my theater. We required employees to walk through each movie at least twice during its showing. We were able to catch any disruptions, but it also allowed patrons to flag us down and let us know if something was going on and only stopped when we arrived. If we identified someone, we asked them to leave the theater.

A far-fetched option is having some sort of call button in theaters that could alert management to check the theater. At least a patron wouldn’t have to walk out of the theater. Most theaters have areas where people can’t be seen as they enter or exit the theater, so people would not have to worry about being seen to make the report.

It doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility for theaters to install cameras in their theaters. I’m sure people will decry this as an invasion of privacy, but if managers can see what’s going on in the theaters, maybe they’ll be able to catch disturbances.

Conclusion

I fully realize this might come off as sounding like an old man shouting at the clouds about the way things used to be, but it does not seem like too much to ask for a theater audience to be there to watch the movie.

Ultimately, while I still cherish the idea of the communal cinema experience, the increasing prevalence of annoying people at movie theaters and the undeniable comfort and control of a home theater setup are pushing me towards my couch.

It truly feels like the responsibility falls on both moviegoers to be more considerate and perhaps on theaters to implement better strategies to combat these movie watching disruptions.

So, let's talk – Join the Conversation! What's Your Movie Theater Horror Story?