Reclining Seats, Other Extras Try to Lure People to Movie Theaters

CryoSynth

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Jun 2, 2011
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I've a range of options near me. There's the super budget place that has ticket prices as something like $7 for adults and less for kids. Then there's regular cinemas. And then there's one that has recliner options for an extra $10 or so.

My experience is that I would rather not go at all if it is to the cheap one. It is always 100% packed, massive lines and lots of screaming kids and mess and such.

The normal ones too can be unpleasant at peak times. People take your allocated seats, it's often packed and noisy.

On the other hand, the recliner rooms are always mostly empty at any time. I find I prefer to go to them whenever possible, simply because it does remove a lot of the bother of the regular cinema experience.
 

ZZoMBiE13

Ate My Neighbors
Oct 10, 2007
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I dunno. A plush seating option sounds pretty great to me. But I have a bad back injury that I've been suffering from for years, so naturally it's appealing to me.

Still, I pretty much hate going to the movies anymore. I'll go for the MARVEL films because I think the large screen actually improves the experience, but that's about it. And that's really only because I'm such a life-long comics nerd more than a movie fan.

Still, if the extra cost gets me a comfy seat that may make me less likely to avoid the multiplex like I do now. If they bring this to my local cinema I could see spending the extra ducats to give it a try at least.
 

jelock

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Nov 29, 2009
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When done right this is good. There is a chain here in New Zealand that does this but they have specifically designed theatres that only have about 30 seats. Comfortable and you know the other people actually want to watch it too. Its about 2.5 times the normal price but worth it, though obviously not all the time.You can even order proper food and drinks to be bought to you during the movie. I once had 3 course meal.
 

008Zulu_v1legacy

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Sep 6, 2009
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It's people talking and using their mobile phones that keeps me away from cinemas. Well, that an my local cinema doesn't use digital projectors for their non 3D showings, and the sound system (for the non 3d showings also) seems to have an almost imperceptible white noise running behind it.
 

Hairless Mammoth

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Yeah, not gonna work. How about the Hollywood fuckers quit shafting the places responsible for showing their blockbusters. Someone already said theaters don't get a large percentage of the ticket sales(depending on contract, they get an increasing amount each week but the won't be much for a film with bad word of mouth of something like Avengers where the contract probably would state less royalties to the theater than a typical film). Maybe theater owner's should use what little leverage they have left to stop getting screwed so easy. Even if Hollywood bypassed them with straight to video, they'd screw it up by charging $50 per DVD or demanding ridiculous rental fees knowing they couldn't control the amount of people watching a new film that way. Theaters are still a big part of the movie market (especially for the "hang out" crowds like teenagers or couples with no plans for the evening).
SonOfVoorhees said:
Need to sort out the cost, getting stupid how much they charge. Especially when you cant guarantee you can watch the movie without arseholes spoiling it. Before you used to have ushers (years ago) who walked the aisles telling people to stop talking or just telling them to leave. Now you have to put up with noise, chatting or idiots on their phones. Havnt been to a cinema since 2010.

Also they need to stop with all the 3d rubbish and all the new stuff they are bringing out. Like that chair that moves and blows air and water at you. Sorry, but thats just damn annoying when you just want to relax and watch a film.
I used to work at the local theater, before and (regrettably) after it became AMC. One of their rules was you could not disturb anyone once the movie started unless another guest(they also banned the word customer, because they might as well be pretentious pricks while we're at it.) complained about them first. That also meant as long as you could get that full piece Popeye's Chicken meal to your seat without being noticed, the only way we could get you to surrender it was if some else felt jealous that they spent $40 on a couple sodas, bag of popcorn and maybe a hotdog.

I also can't believe they're all still trying to push 3D and the seat motion thing. 3D alone requires much more expensive projectors and screens along with the continual costs of higher wattage bulbs(darker screen and multiple polarizing filters darken the image, a lot. Stay far away from any 3D movie that looks like it will mostly have dark scenes.) and the electricity to run them.[footnote]AMC also wants to use cheaper blulbs that don't last long and have a early failure rate that gives the Xbox 360 a run for its money. Plenty of times I either had to change a bulb super fast or we had to cancel a show because a lamp failed. In fact one lamp of the same brand did blow, grenade style, in one of the more robust 35mm projectors right before we went all digital. That never happened to our old brand even when we went WAYYY past the warranty hours. Good times, that was.[/footnote] All for something that looks like ass until you get a headache then looks worse when you take off the specs. I'd agree, I wouldn't want a theme park ride every time I watched a movie. They're coming up with gimmicks that grab attention for a few months then turns into a waste of money. It's like the motion control fad in games.
Gizmo1990 said:
I have never understood why 3D and expensive food put people off going. If the food is expensive, don't buy it. If you don't like 3D, don't see a movie in 3D.
The problem with 3D is they force it on you with the two theaters by me for some movies, especially older ones or limited run films. They either only run 3D shows, giving you no choice, or have maybe one or two shows a day that aren't 3D, but are usually at inconvenient times like 9:00 AM or 11:30 PM, while the other 3-5 are in blur-o-vision. Same thing with the IMAX. If a 3D version is available for a certain title, they will only show the 3D one and WILL charge you the extra $3.50. (Our IMAX isn't even worth it since it's just a conversion where they squeezed the biggest screen they could in an auditorium, took out the front row seats, installed fancy equipment (which glitched all the time) and charged an extra $1.50-3.50 a seat for the "experience". It's like they don't care you don't want 3D and they will milk you for extra money if you give in to them.
WhiteTigerShiro said:
You know how basically every theater has little side-kiosks that are never open? Yeah, they actually used to keep those staffed[footnote]In fact, back when I was a teenager, I worked at my local theater for a while and actually worked in the side kiosks from time to time before they got closed for good.[/footnote]; now they don't even put people in there during the busiest times. That's how badly theaters are doing right now.
Howdy, fellow theater vet. My building had 2 of those side stands, too. They had everything you needed to function as a concession stand. I remember up until late 2009, maybe 2010, we'd open them at least once a weekend (and as a manager I had to count all the stock moving around, ugh). Then things fell quiet, and soon A[sub]sshole[/sub]M[sub]ovie[/sub]C[sub]orporation[/sub] came in, raised prices, lowered refills and drove off business for the weekend. I don't think they've been opened since I left 2 years ago, more so since they probably never open after 2010 at all. In fact one probably can't open legally, or at least the poor souls running it will be running back and forth for utensils and cleaning, since the 3 compartment sink in the cramped back room was ripped out to put a IMAX glasses dishwasher in its place. I'd also bet the pop syrup hoses have such nasty old stuff in them, they'll have to be replaced if they ever opened again, flushing ain't cleaning them out this time.

Times are a changing, and the movie theaters are oblivious to the fact they aren't going in the right direction.
 

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
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Jul 18, 2009
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Gizmo1990 said:
If you don't like 3D, don't see a movie in 3D.
Not everyone gets that choice. They might've earlier, but now in my country every movie that is made for 3D will get shown in 3D and nothing else. And if you don't like it, then you're just shit out of luck.

Honestly though I stopped going to the movies long before 3D became a thing. I just stopped caring for having to trek miles to the nearest movie theater to see a movie I can just rent 3 months later, and probably focus on it a lot better in the comfort of my own home. But now that my local videostore is dead I don't even have that anymore, and I still don't care about going to the movies. I could get Netflix, but I've heard bad things about the streaming quality. And I'm not going to pay 90 bucks a year for the off chance I want to rent a sub standard version of a movie I only have a passing interest in. Hurray for the digital age.
 

Someone Depressing

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There are a few theatres like this only a few miles away from where I live. Except they somehow make money. Expensive food, bad Spanish rip offs of big CGI movies that nobody watched when they came out, and they're absoloutely disgusting. Seriously, it smells like the inside of a bus.

I think comfy seats are just going to make that worse.
 

rofltehcat

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Jul 24, 2009
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So people don't go to the movies because the theaters are filthy, because the entry prices are high and because food prices are astronomical? Better take expensive measures, requiring future price hikes!

It is really that simple:
Clean up! This possibly requires LESS comfy chairs that can actually be washed. Cushioned seats and carpet in a place where people eat in the dark? Who ever thought this was a good idea? The chairs need to be washable, so the cushions can be taken off and industrially cleaned. The floor needs to be cleaned wet every day, maybe even twice a day, so there also may be no seat mounts in the way either.
Lower your f'ing food prices! It is the same fallacy theme parks have: Just because you are the only one selling food doesn't mean you can dictate unrealistic prices. Sure, people will still buy popcorn but they'll just smuggle in their drink and maybe some gummy bears. Lower your prices to what a normal restaurant close to you takes. If you really can't make money on that while every restaurant can (while requiring more service personnel!) then you're doing it wrong. Also take quality into account. Just because I'll happily pay ?8-13 for a good burger at my burger place of choice, doesn't mean I'll pay ?6 for a microwave-defrosted pile of cardboard&turd.
 

Colt47

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Oct 31, 2012
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rofltehcat said:
So people don't go to the movies because the theaters are filthy, because the entry prices are high and because food prices are astronomical? Better take expensive measures, requiring future price hikes!

It is really that simple:
Clean up! This possibly requires LESS comfy chairs that can actually be washed. Cushioned seats and carpet in a place where people eat in the dark? Who ever thought this was a good idea? The chairs need to be washable, so the cushions can be taken off and industrially cleaned. The floor needs to be cleaned wet every day, maybe even twice a day, so there also may be no seat mounts in the way either.
Lower your f'ing food prices! It is the same fallacy theme parks have: Just because you are the only one selling food doesn't mean you can dictate unrealistic prices. Sure, people will still buy popcorn but they'll just smuggle in their drink and maybe some gummy bears. Lower your prices to what a normal restaurant close to you takes. If you really can't make money on that while every restaurant can (while requiring more service personnel!) then you're doing it wrong. Also take quality into account. Just because I'll happily pay ?8-13 for a good burger at my burger place of choice, doesn't mean I'll pay ?6 for a microwave-defrosted pile of cardboard&turd.
Well, to be fair I think they are trying to match the consistency of cardboard with the nachos and cheese. At least I hope they are considering my last experience with those things two years ago.
 

Hdawger

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Jun 8, 2010
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My local Carmike Cinema recently introduced new plush seats that can rock slightly back and forth. I prefer the old seats though.
 

Elementary - Dear Watson

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I have 2 local cinemas. One is a large corperate multiplex, with loads of viewing times and comfortable seats (some of which that recline). They do offers and it's generally a nice place to go and watch a new release.

The other, however, is a much smaller scale affair with 2 screens. The seats are comfortable and the staff are friendly. It also has a bar. That is the best bit... you can buy a pint and take it into the film! AWESOME! :p The food/confectionary prices are also a lot more resonable than the big companies and it has a small seating area to meet with friends for a pint before the film starts. This is how it should be!

Then again, we don't go that often. In my accomodation on my military base we have some communal living rooms (I haven't got a picture, but I found one of our dining room online that I have put in the spoiler box below!) In one of these rooms, every Tuesday, we have a showing of the latest big release blu-ray on a projector. It's just like being in the cinema, but everyone has their own armchair and we have an attached bar! We pay for it all monthly out of all the people living in the mess, so it's damn cheap... For most films it's worth the extra couple of month wait before I can watch it in the building I live in!

 

michael87cn

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Jan 12, 2011
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As someone who has been to one of these new 'cushy chair' cinemas, I gotta say, they are just as uncomfortable to me. Also, my chair was STICKY because someone clearly had spilled soda on it, and nobody bothered to clean the chair.
Also, they are kind of embarrassing. The person next to me started to recline (you can recline btw) and it sounded like they let off a massive fart. Not even kidding, not being childish. Heads were turned and we were embarrassed. Also, unless you recline, there's still no headrest so don't expect to be as comfortable as you are at home. You're still going to be hunching awkwardly forward and feeling squeezed in.

IMO, going to the movies is about as unpleasant as it gets. Very rarely do I have a pleasant time. There's always a fucking cell phone screen in my face, blinding me and preventing me from enjoying the film. And you know what? Even if the theater is nearly empty, people also fucking sit next to or in front of you. And I try to sit in the back of the theatre so people can 'enjoy the middle' all they want. Nope, they sit right in front of me on the far left/right side of the very back of the room. Great. I'm not antisocial, I just fail to see how a cell phone screen in my face for 2-3 hours is a social experience.
 

DTWolfwood

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Oct 20, 2009
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I love my local AMC theater for exactly this reason.

You know what would help too? Get rid of 3D. More people are willing to spend $10-$12 on a movie than $19-$22 on a movie and headache. You can also bring the spectacle wearing population back to the theaters too instead of alienating them with uncomfortable feeling plastic glasses over glasses of 3D.

But hey, its not like a giant corporation knows when to abandon a thing right?
 

SecondPrize

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What is this? Movie Theaters are great. You should know though, that when I say movie theaters, I mean the local Brew and View that sells good local beers, food and 2 dollar movie tickets. That place is fucking great.
 

redisforever

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Oct 5, 2009
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Well, that's nice for AMC. Shame that the only AMC theatre anywhere near me closed about 6 months ago.

I used to go to the theatre a lot. Recently, I only go once a month or so, if there's a movie playing that actually benefits from being seen on a huge screen. I'm also really glad the theatre I go to plays different older movies, for half price every month. I've seen so many of my favorites that way, from Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Last Crusade, to several Bond movies, Lawrence of Arabia in 4K, and so on. Best part? There's almost nobody in the theatre to see those movies. I can always get a good seat. That's how you do it right. Give the audience a good deal.
 

Saetha

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Jan 19, 2014
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Oh, sure, they could put in plush seating or whatever...

...Or they could just look at what Alamo Drafthouse is doing and do that.

I mean, honestly, special showings of movies like Rocky Horror Picture Show and other quote-alongs? Or special showings devoted to decades-old classics you're unlikely to find on Netflix? Or movie marathons for special occasions like the Harry Potter lock-in when Deathly Hollows was coming out? You know, events and experiences that only that theater offers.

Or how about the strict no talking/texting policy. The age limit where those who are under 18 have to be accompanied by an adult, who will get kicked out if they can't control their child. The nice seating, the spacious theaters, the wide-range of menu items, the discreet waitstaff that'll bring food directly to your seat without interrupting the experience of the movie. It's not even that expensive. I can get a movie ticket, a large popcorn, and a soda for under twenty bucks - and the popcorn and soda come with free refills.

Honestly people, if you can go to Drafthouse, go to Drafthouse. They're a small chain and mostly just in Texas, but man, I avoid other theaters like the plague now. Why doesn't everyone just do what they're doing?