Movie Theater Experiences

[soundchaser]

An interesting article a friend sent me about the current problems with multiplex projection:

Bad Projection is Ruining the Movie Theater Experience

I've noticed a lot of keystone at AMC especially lately.

[therewillbeblus]

Same, AMC has been rough for a while. My screening of Knock at the Cabin also seemed out of focus for a significant chunk of its runtime

[Brian C]

They’ve all been rough for awhile - the major chains in general. Contrary to what the article implies, shitty projection long pre-dates digital projection becoming a thing in 2009.

I have to laugh at the idea that projectionists back in the day were highly-skilled experts. And I say that as someone who was a projectionist for several different chains. Aside from a small number of unionized booths, projectionists were mostly bored kids like myself, and troubleshooting anything more complicated than changing a bulb required a visit by a regional tech who was stretched between a dozen or more theaters - just as the article describes still happening today.

The problem with not moving the 3D gate is especially stupid, since that’s been automated for at least a dozen years now. So most likely, the automation broke and there’s just no one to move it manually, if it can even be moved manually in the first place in its disrepaired state.

I’ve probably said this before, but it bears repeating as much as possible: the major chains DO NOT CARE about projection quality and never have. I’ve worked for almost all of them at one point or another, in a few different parts of the country. And none have ever showed the slightest bit of concern about the issue. It’s been almost 10 years now since I’ve worked at a theatre but I think the evidence is overabundant that things have not improved for the better since then. In fact, it’s probably more true than ever, because digital projection was basically sold as a magic bullet to avoid having to worry about projection - the issue is probably less on their radar than ever.

One thing I was happy to see mentioned in the article was how they’ve decided that they just don’t want to pay for masking. This actually is a relatively recent development - until the last decade or so, it was rare to go to a movie and see the letterboxing on scope movies. But now they’ve all seemingly decided at once that hey, who cares. Just another sign that the quality of presentation is just simply zero concern whatsoever.

[hearthesilence]

I rarely go to chain theaters anymore, mostly due to taste - everything I want to see is usually at an arthouse theater - but it really is hit or miss. The last time I went to Regal at Union Square was a very long time ago, and they clearly chopped off the perimeter of the film because they clipped off the edges of the opening credits. The AMC in Lincoln Square seems a bit better, but I only see one or two films there a year.

[Black Hat]

That place would also check your bag like a criminal. I think I only saw two movies there, Shallow Hal and World War Z, horrible, good riddance.

Brian, that was a great post, with every word absolutely correct.

[ballmouse]

For some reason I had this quasi-deja vu feeling as I read the article. Then I realized it was because I had watched Kings of the Road last month and my mind was playing back the movie theater scene.

[Michael Kerpan]

I'd like to think that Landmark cares a bit more than most, but maybe that is just wishful thinking....

[Brian C]

I was never really impressed with Landmark’s Chicago theater - lots of dim/dirty screens there. I never worked for them, though, so just speaking as a customer.

[beamish14]

I was never really impressed with Landmark’s Chicago theater - lots of dim/dirty screens there. I never worked for them, though, so just speaking as a customer.

I had horrible experiences at the Nuart (their single screen theatre in West Los Angeles) and their multiplex at the now-defunct Westfield shopping center location, both of which pertained to not assisting a guest with a physical disability

[Michael Kerpan]

Kendall Square Landmark in Cambridge is one of the better places in the Boston area.

[Roscoe]

I saw TWILIGHT last night at Lincoln Center's Gilman Theater, and would have enjoyed it so much more if the theater didn't have so much light pollution inside the theater. The screen was visibly washed out during the darker and pitch black night time scenes, with a yellowish cast coming from those damned floorlights. The corners and sides were visibly dimmed. Add to that audible rattling from the speaker system during the deeper bass elements in the soundtrack, and audible intrusions from the soundtrack in the adjoining cinema, and I won't be going back to that particular cinema -- the movie will undoubtedly look better on my TV, where I can make sure all the lights are out in my living room.

I'll make damn sure to see WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES at the Walter Reade.

[Aunt Peg]

Went to see Infinity Pool tonight.

Firstly, the few of us that were in the cinema where sitting there for 20 minutes but which time I got up and advised to staff that nothing was playing. No advertising, no film, no nothing. A few minutes later on came the advertising which went for 20 minutes. They really should have skipped the ads and started directly with the film (which is what happened at the same cinema the week before The Survival of Kindness - though in that case the prior screening of some Hollywood classic had ran overtime due to a confusion with the running time) so the cinema staff were prepared and acted accordingly.

Anyway, the film starts and I'm really enjoying it but at about 20 minutes into the film the sound cut out. At first I thought it may have been a choice the director made but after about 3 minutes it was clear that it wasn't and there was a problem with the sound so we walked out, reported the issue and asked for a refund which was given.

I'm not going back for another dose of this crap so I've pre-ordered the UK edition of Infinity Pool which I understand is the uncut edition which is also the version of the film screening in my part of the world.

Very disappointed when these things happen but I'd rather it happens at a commercially released film that a limited festival screening where one may never get the opportunity to see the film again.

[Rayon Vert]

Lastly, while this is probably more appropriate to place in the Movie Experiences thread, my advanced screening demonstrated just how awful some moviegoers are with the worst kind: Guy Who Points Out Things That Just Happened On Screen With No Personal Spin On Them. Just flat-out screaming what he watched, like the infamous Schwarzenegger commentaries. If we see a Fiat, "That's a Fiat!", if someone doesn't make a jump, "He didn't make it!", during the Big Jaw-dropping Stunt when the movie intentionally goes silent as you stop breathing to take in what’s happening..“Is this real?” I locked eyes with the guy and he stopped for about twenty seconds, then just kept going til the end. What kind of person has zero self-or-external consciousness? The evil A.I., and this guy, that's who

Incredible isn't it? Always boggles my mind. And somehow they're allowed to live around us and breathe the same air.

[yoloswegmaster]

Bit of a strange question but is it normal for a random person to choose the seat next to you even if there are a lot of empty seats? The local theatre lets you choose your seat in advance and provides a preview of the available seats, and I noticed that someone decided to choose the spot right next to mine despite the screening not even being close to full. I would understand if the screening was full but to me it's just bizarre to sit right next to me when the rest of the row that we are sitting in is free.

[Drucker]

I mean are you sitting in a great seat? Like right in the center of a theater?

[yoloswegmaster]

Here is what the seats look like right now (the yellow highlight is where I'm sitting):

[willoneill]

Bit of a strange question but is it normal for a random person to choose the seat next to you even if there are a lot of empty seats? The local theatre lets you choose your seat in advance and provides a preview of the available seats, and I noticed that someone decided to choose the spot right next to mine despite the screening not even being close to full. I would understand if the screening was full but to me it's just bizarre to sit right next to me when the rest of the row that we are sitting in is free.

I have a favorite seat at each of Ottawa's local independent theatres, and at one of those theatres there's a gentleman who also seems to have a favorite spot directly behind me (and he sits there at least half the times I go). Personally I'd at least leave a buffer seat, but maybe you're just in a really great spot.

Alternate explanation: the Cineplex online booking tool placed them in a seat be default and they never bothered to change it, and are strictly adhering to the theatre's policy of sitting in their assigned seat.

[yoloswegmaster]

I have a favorite seat at each of Ottawa's local independent theatres, and at one of those theatres there's a gentleman who also seems to have a favorite spot directly behind me (and he sits there at least half the times I go). Personally I'd at least leave a buffer seat, but maybe you're just in a really great spot.

Alternate explanation: the Cineplex online booking tool placed them in a seat be default and they never bothered to change it, and are strictly adhering to the theatre's policy of sitting in their assigned seat.

Funny enough, they could have just chosen the spot right in front of me if they really wanted a great spot since that entire row was empty this morning (which is when I had originally noticed the person). Not the end of the world of course but it's still strange to me as I've honestly never encountered anything like it.

I just tested your booking tool theory on different showtimes on different dates and the system kept automatically putting me at seat G6 (which is not where I'm sitting), so it's more likely that the person purposely chose that spot.

[Drucker]

I mean based on the image you shared it sure seems like everyone is clustered in the center of the theater so yeah I'm not surprised they took the seat next to you.

[Swift]

I personally would find that so odd that I'd just end up moving a few seats further away myself.

I almost had a similar situation where I got to a screening early and so was the only person in the screening. One other guy walks in and sits in the seat directly in front of me. I was feeling very awkward for a few minutes until thankfully, a few other people ended up showing up so we weren't just two random dudes sitting so close to each other in this vast space.

When booking my seats online, I definitely try to leave at least a four seat gap unless it's obviously busy and unavoidable.

[therewillbeblus]

Bit of a strange question but is it normal for a random person to choose the seat next to you even if there are a lot of empty seats? The local theatre lets you choose your seat in advance and provides a preview of the available seats, and I noticed that someone decided to choose the spot right next to mine despite the screening not even being close to full. I would understand if the screening was full but to me it's just bizarre to sit right next to me when the rest of the row that we are sitting in is free.

In a Psychology of Motivation class back in college, I had to run a social experiment and chose to measure what a person would do if another person came and sat right next to them at library tables in conditions where there were plenty of other seats available (we were going to do lecture hall settings as well, but the library felt like an unstructured space where we wouldn't need to consider one's anxiety getting up in the middle of a teacher's lesson, attracting attention of peers who are mostly lost in their own worlds in the lib study halls, etc.) I volunteered a few friends to be the independent variables, and we did a variety of tests on different days with different genders, etc. My findings were not that surprising: People almost always moved away, at least a little bit. However, one of my friends felt pretty bad since most people moved away harshly or stood up and left immediately when he sat down vs. the others, who were typically more staggered, with subtler chair movements, taking time and looking around uncomfortably for a minute or so before moving, etc. I think the biggest outcome of the experiment was that my friend's self-esteem took a hit. But also, people get creeped out when you sit right next to them when the whole row is open. It was interesting to observe at the time, though I don't think it'd fly today since the design was to make people uncomfortable and especially when pairing men with women, that isn't very trauma-informed... It wasn't a particularly well-controlled experiment to begin with.

[yoloswegmaster]

The good news is that the guy took the seat on the right of his original choice, which created a buffer seat between us before I even got there. Luckily no one's self-esteem had to be bruised today.

The bad news is that I had a terrible time at the Mission Impossible screening. The people sitting in the row directly behind me also wouldn't shut the fuck up despite me telling them to stop talking twice. They would be quietly talking to each other during the not-as-loud moments and then increase their volume when the film got louder, to which I can only assume the thought-process being that no one would hear them if the movie was loud (which isn't true at all). The misery didn't end there as there was a family in the row in front of me that consisted of an older couple and what I assume to be their 3 young grandchildren, with the 2 youngest being complete brats throughout the film by not sitting still and leaving their seats every 10 minutes and talking loudly to one other throughout the entire time, all the while constantly asking the grandma what was happening in the film. It makes one wonder why they would even bring 2 kids who are clearly under the ages of 10 to a film like this when they have a low attention span. I felt bad for the oldest child since she actually wanted to watch the film and was constantly telling them to stop being annoying while the grandparents simply couldn't be bothered with. The worst moment is when Tom Cruise is doing the cliff jumping stunt and the entire theatre goes quiet and everyone is immersed in this sequence but then one of the kids ruins this by loudly exclaiming "FORTNITE JUMP!"

The sad thing is that this is just a regular occurrence at any screening I go to and at this point, I genuinely have lost all interest in going to the cinemas anymore. I'm probably only going to go for special occasions like 35mm or 70mm screenings and will just wait for any new release to be released online (god bless the shortening of the theatrical-to-streaming timeline.)

[therewillbeblus]

That's why I try to attend screenings at arthouse theatres for the most part, or during press screenings or festivals if at all possible, because those theatres take talking/phone use seriously and sometimes patrol with security. My Mission Impossible screening had security to scan for people taking video, but because it was a giant auditorium, no one was going to surf through twenty seats to eject the guy behind me. Going to these wider releases reminds me of how awful some people can be.

I'm sorry you also had a terrible experience. I kept wishing Tom Cruise would leave the screen like Purple Rose of Cairo and make his next impossible mission shutting people up who think this is only their experience

[yoloswegmaster]

You must have some great arthouse theaters near you, as the arthouse theaters near me have the same problem with rude patrons who apparently have this massive urge to converse constantly and owners who don't give that much of a shit. This is why I'm excited to go back to the Toronto Film Festival this year, as I had such a great time last year watching multiple films with an audience that understood the importance of proper theater etiquette.

I just read your own terrible M:I experience that you had to go through and that sounds even worse than what I went through. I'm surprised that you nor anyone else directly told the guy to fuck off.

[therewillbeblus]

I generally don’t find aggressive negative feedback produces the desired result. It typically triggers a defensive resentment and increases the behavior you’re asking to extinguish. The guy turned his head down towards me every time I turned around when he spoke, and I figure that anyone who locks eyes with your frustrated disposition (which nonverbally but explicitly communicates that you’re disrupting others and should tap into self-conscious drives) and then goes back to doing whatever they want thirty seconds later, is unwilling to accept feedback in friction with their solipsistic defaults