Fairly long post about movie theaters.
I think everyone that enjoys movies wants the experience to be special. Even knowing that every movie isn't going to be special. Many times when I was a kid, I think we went to first weekend showings. There were pretty good crowds there. Never sold out but decent sizes. It didn't seem to depend on the time. Early or late. And I don't remember having a bad experience.
I remember seeing Total Recall, the first one, in the theater. I still haven't seen the remake yet even though it has Kate Beckinsale. But I had zero business seeing Total Recall at my age. I can't even remember who took me to see it. It was a night showing in an open area mall theater which I'm sure doesn't exist anymore. It must have been a relatively older mall as I remember wood details. Also areas in the center with grass, trees, and benches. The area felt kind of cozy with the stores and sitting areas around the open sky.
I tend to believe even if something is old, if a designer really tried to to make something special. If they gave it a lot of thought. Then it probably should be preserved. At least to me, many old mall designs are far better than the large stores, strip malls, and restaurants that replace them. Of course things do change and also go through cycles. But still, some area changes I've seen are like turning a park into a parking lot and I don't know why anyone would want to do that.
It's probably up to the community and if the mall or main street stores that were popular in the old days really make themselves part of the community. If they are there to do more than just a job in exchange for money. But to build up a community as well. Whether it's commercial or residential.
Perhaps that's why I like the movie The Burbs so much. I remember seeing it at a night showing and coming out thinking it's one of the best and funniest movies. Of course, the neighbors come off as insane at times. They are also adults that behave like children. But it feels like a protective community. I love the speech at the end. It has a Star Wars connection too. However, I think most here have seen The Burbs.
Yet with commercial stuff perhaps it's a bit more difficult even though it shouldn't be. Here are a few movie related stories / examples. One bad and two good:
First the bad story. I remember being in a book store and seeing a sci-fi book on the shelf behind the register. It was priced at $100 or $125 on the sticker. I asked the guy behind the register if I could see it. And he actually said no. Can you believe that? I was probably a combination of too young to ask for a manager and couldn't believe what was happening. I know if I was the owner or manager and I saw that behavior, I would immediately fire the guy. And if that guy was the owner, not only would I not care if they went out of business, I hope they did go out of business. Because that behavior isn't something that helps a community. I don't know who that behavior even benefits. As even if I wasn't going to buy the book or couldn't afford it, that would have been a chance to see what I liked and check if I was interested in other sci-fi books in the store.
Now on to the first good story. I found an actual physical movie poster store once. I was just browsing and wanted to get a few posters. I was going to get a James Bond reprint poster. I never considered getting an original vintage poster as I assumed that modern technology and newer paper would be equal if not better than a vintage poster. However, the owner of the store decided to show me an original 60s Bond poster. He didn't know if I could afford it or not. But he pointed out the differences in color between the original and reprint. And the original's colors were far more vibrant and detailed. Of course a 60s Bond poster was worth far more than a $100+ sci-fi book. But that shows the difference in people. I did buy a reprint Bond poster that day. But after that poster showing by the store owner, I never considered reprints for vintage movie posters again.
And a good story related to theaters. Many times in school, I would take in a mid day movie alone. This was before someone told me that I shouldn't go to movies alone but never said why. Anyways, after the movie if I didn't eat in the theater, I would go for an ice cream shake at a Haagen Dazs store. One day, the store was empty and the girl managing the store was outside. I said hi and we started talking a bit then went inside. After she made my shake since no one else was there, she sat with me and we continued to talk at the sitting / bar area. She didn't have to do that. But that simple behavior creates return customers. And to this day, when I make ice cream shakes at home I use Haagen Dazs ice cream.
Back to the Total Recall showing. I think everyone left that theater thinking Total Recall was amazing. I thought and still think Total Recall is one of the wildest movies ever. It had over the top action, adult situations, robots, aliens / mutants, space travel, funny lines, and a bunch of twists. I only went in knowing that it was an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie.
Going to a theater shouldn't be a bet on if you'll have a good experience or not. Especially as you get older. That's why I like to see movies like I did when I was a kid without watching trailers. We would just look in the newspaper for whatever had the biggest or best looking advertisement. I didn't know if those paper advertisements would even be posters in the theater back then. But thinking about it now, it's like how Martin Scorsese said once about how movie posters invite you to dream about whatever movie you might see. I've seen many of the best movies only based on a poster.
I don't mind people talking in a theater if you can tell they love movies. Not everyone is going to be Randy in Scream. But you know it would be fun to watch movies with people like him.
This custom home theater is still one of the best designs I've seen in terms of the overall environment, flow of the setup, and feel. It truly is a home theater. There are many notable posters and some Star Wars surprises in the video too.
The designer has a bunch of other theater projects too. If you have a bunch of friends that love movies and have a home setup similar to this theater. There really isn't a need to bet on the movie theater experience. As the only thing you can't beat will be the size of the screen.
However, I don't believe in the need for a big screen all the time. The screen in the video above could be bigger and the designer does have projects with big screens. But a big screen won't help a bad movie. I remember being excited for the James Bond movie Die Another Day. Especially since people were talking about how it was an anniversary movie. And I walked out not just thinking but knowing that I really didn't need to see that in a theater.
I remember seeing the original Nightmare on Elm Street on my small TV. Something like 20 to 24 inches. The movie was possibly edited. And yet it still scared me so much that I didn't want to go to sleep afterwards or even leave my room. I haven't seen any Nightmare on Elm Street movies in a movie theater. Part of me thinks that horror movies might work best at night and at home. Unless you are watching a night showing of a horror movie with horror movie fans.
Besides, I think some theaters I went to growing up were converted play theaters. As they had upper areas and sitting areas on walls like you see in opera houses and orchestra centers. The screens were big but perhaps might be seen as average today, If not on the small side. Especially since when you are a kid and small everything seems big.
