Are the days of Theater attendance numbered?

[thomasallencummins]

With the advent of home theater technology do you think there will come a time when large cineplexes will become obsolete. If in the near future you will be able to instantly download a film to your large screen home supersystem (which will not only be your main conduit for super high speed internet access but also your home computer and entertainment center) may you finally be more inclined to watch new films in the comfort of your living room and very closely experience the depth and fidelity of a movie theater minus the audience?
I for one enjoy the movie going experience but I suspect there will be a time in the not too distant future where cinema as we know it will cease to exist. Movie theaters will go the way of the Passenger Pigeon and the 8 track tape player.

[dANdeLION]

Yes, the days are numbered. It's like infinity minus some large, multi-digited numeral.

[thomasallencummins]

danomite said:

Yes, the days are numbered. It's like infinity minus some large, multi-digited numeral.

or as I've said recently. "Since the days of the earth itself are numbered so too are the days of theater attendance." Profound I know.

[Captain Nemo]

In a shallow self-centered way I hope not. I have a contact for the occaisional movie poster. Casino Royal, Pirates of the Carribean 3, Flika, Flags of our Fathers etc.

[cail]

Home stereo and CD sales are already on the decline thanks to downloads and mp3 players, regardless of the cruddy quality of mp3s.

Home theater is a bit different, of course. If I do say so myself, my home system is thunderous. No namby-pamby little satellite speakers for me, I've got big honkin' Klipsch speakers that take a team of Sherpas to move. I've got a sick Sony ES receiver hooked up to them with cables bigger around than my thumb. Then there's 50 inches of plasma love. In other words, I watch a movie at home, and I'm in it.

That said, there's a lot to be said for seeing a film in the theater. I lose the atmosphere and the interaction of the crowd. Put simply, Snakes on a Plane or Rocky Horror flat-out suck watching at home.

[thomasallencummins]

Dang, Cail. Sounds like you are SET UP entertainment-wise. If I had a similar entertainment system I guarantee I'd pass on more films at the theater but I still think there are "event" movies that I couldn't imagine missing on the big big screen. I'm just about the biggest Iron Man fan there is. That film WILL be seen at the theater.

[cail]

Well, I will be set up if I ever get my stuff from my ex-wife.

But yeah, there are some films that just beg to be theater-seen.

[ram]

I hardly go to the theatre anymore. I've become very comfortable watching DVDs at home. Even the big event films don't lure me out like they used to, but it still really depends on the movie. A big event like Indy 4? I'll be there. The next Harry Potter movie? No.

I just hope I'm not slowly turning into some anti-social nutcase, freaking out at the merest human contact. I really should go to the movies more before I start forgetting what a theatre looks like.

[prorider514]

People don't go to movie theaters just for the sake of seeing a movie, otherwise one would just wait until it came out on dvd. I go to theaters because of the atmosphere. Even the annoying guy who kicks your chair and the sticky floors are a part of it. I wouldnt stop going even if I had a home theater. Maybe its my age bracket; teens just go to the movies( no matter how annoying or inconvenient).

[thomasallencummins]

I agree that "going to the movies" is an event. It's also useful in dating rituals to have something to do if you don't dance or sky dive or whatever. :-)