AMC Ford City 14 The Xavierite
Even as home viewing options improve and movies arrive on streaming services faster than ever, to me, the classic experience of seeing a film in theaters will always be the best way to watch movies. While some people may see movie theaters as obsolete, I believe they’re an important institution that will never truly go away.
When was the last time you went to the movies? Was it for Marvel’s most recent outing or the legacy sequel for your favorite 80s movie? Was your theater empty, or did you have to “excuse me sorry” your way to your seat? Was the popcorn good? Will you be back soon?
In the early 1900s, with dramatic theater too exclusive for the average American, nickelodeon’s, a kind of cheap movie theater, answered America’s need for entertainment.
Warner Bros, Universal, and MGM gave people an avenue through which they could dream, a way to experience art that was affordable, innovative, and comfortable. Over the next hundred years, these theaters and the scope of cinema only grew.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the film industry has seen a lot of turmoil in the form of strikes, theater closures, delays, and bad business practices. Movies now hit streaming services within weeks of their release, and in mainstream culture, there’s less care for films that are original or low-budget.
Even with film culture in flux, and staying at home becoming more favorable every day, movie theaters still mean something. They always will, to me at least.
As a child, nothing was as special for me as going to the movie theater. The grandeur of it all swept me away, from the posters in the windows to the giant theater lobbies. I even loved the cardboard cutouts and the ad roll before the movie started.
Cinema is truly eternal; the joy of seeing “The Lego Movie”, “Rogue One”, and “Black Panther” still lives with me to this day.
Whenever a birthday came around, the day had to involve me going to the movie theater or I would be disappointed. Into my adulthood, this passion for film has only grown. I’m always checking the AMC app for showtimes, and if I do nothing else with my money I’m going to buy a movie ticket.
I’ve had some beautiful experiences watching movies at home. Seeing “Everything Everywhere All At Once” on my laptop had me crying for the first twenty minutes, and it was from the comfort of my bed that I first saw Neo accept his destiny as The One.
But his triumph had so much more power when the sound of Don Davis’ score surrounded me in theater twelve. The grit and horror of “Alien: Romulus” still lives on repeat in my head two months later, and I’ll always thank “Top Gun: Maverick” for kicking off one of the best summers of my life.
Sure, movie theaters have their flaws.
I die at the sight of a cell phone, which immediately kills my immersion. People are loud and annoying everywhere, though that volume and irritation increases tenfold within a cold, silent theater. As much as I was moved by “The Batman”, the people around me were driven away by the noisy children sitting in front of them.
When everything falls in place though, movie theaters have their own gravity.
It’s just you and the screen, and nothing can come between the bond the two of you will form. Nothing compares to the rush I get when the lights dim, and when that AMC ad with Nicole Kidman plays, I feel like I’ve come home.
At the end of the day, you could watch a movie from anywhere. The back of a train, the top of a mountain. On a sunlit beach, or a park in the afternoon. But the true magic of cinema does not truly come to life until one steps foot in a theater.
Movie theaters are holy and sacred. They must be protected at all costs, because without them, we have one less place where our dreams can breathe.
There’s a quote from the song “Cinema” by my favorite band Kero Kero Bonito that I think perfectly describes what movie theaters are for me.
“Even now I still stop by. Most stories look better wide. And I feel at peace here cause while the adverts might’ve changed. The popcorn tastes the same, and in the end, the day’s always saved. So once the picture starts, I let the hours pass. Distracted in the dark.”
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