Movies: theater or home?

You go to the theaters to watch a movie early before its released publically. There are no benefits to watching a movie at the theater.

-It's really expensive for the ticket and food.

-The chairs are uncomfortable.

-You have to sit around a bunch of loud idiots.

-No intermissions or breaks, even if the movie is very long.

-The screens are big, but the quality is usually poor.

-same for the audio quality

Unless it's a movie I've been waiting for years and I can't wait for it to come out in BR, I prefer watching it at home.

Nowadays you can bring your kid to any movie so if you plan to have a nice dinner and catch a movie afterwards you can bet most couples there brought their 3 children with...then you have the teens who won't even turn the cellphones off, then you have the idiots who yell at the screen, then you have the 15 minute break in the movie halfway through a dialogue ( >_> )...And since I really don't care for the 3D novelty (never find that it adds anything to the movie) I always enjoy them more at home.

Well I like to see movies at theater because it feels like an event, the problem, well, it is that other people exist. I go to the first showing exclusively. Usually less people but there are still some motherfuckers that don't understand that we are there to see the goddamned movie. At home I can string 3 or 4 in a row which is nice. But there are some movies that can be good seeing with an audience, I remember The Dark Knight being one of those. People applauded at good times, laughed when necessary and stayed quiet when needed to.

The problem I have at home is that I can't emote (read: cry) freely since I don't want my family seeing me like that, it is embarrassing. Yet in the theater more recently I feel comfortable enough that I'm not afraid to express my feelings, even sometimes if you cry at the end and then happen to catch a glaze of someone else that cried too the it is this sort of collective agreement, like: "I understand, me too".

I was just right know watching The Hunger Games 2 (6/10) and A Late Quartet (6/10) and I'm glad I didn't pay money to see those. Money is tight, but even if it wasn't now I only like to go for movies I think I'm sure I will like: Batman, Nolan, Fincher, Scorsese ect.

Ummm mostly theatre day 1 early shows ( Cheaper). Movies i miss on theatres i watch at home :)

Home.. I'm not a big fan of movies anyway.

Generally, I prefer watching movies at home. That way I have my privacy and can immerse myself in the setting without the most likely idiotic presence of other people.

Nevertheless, I often go to the theater as well. For movies that I have to see as soon as possible(like the Hobbit or the Avengers) and with friends(movie first and then dinner or the other way around). It has its ups as well(huge screen, more loud than I can watch movies at home) though it very much depends on the behavior of the other people. I've had teenagers that pretty much ruined my watching Skyfall and on the other hand, it was nice seeing the Hobbit an Unexpected Journey with an audience consisting of normal and kinda nerdy people who were eager as much as I was for the film.

I like rewatching movies and many only get a short time in the cinema. Likewise many of them (like Ran) will never be shown in a cinema here unless we have a specialized one, which we don't. So home it is.

It depends on the movie. Some movies can only best be enjoyed on the big screen at a decent theater. Take Gravity for example. You would be kidding yourself if you think you experienced the same movie at home that others did at the theater. And this just isn't with 3D movies. Basically any movie with extraordinary cinematographic or sound production qualities will be better in a good large screen theater.

If it's possible, always at a theatre. The screen is bigger, there's less noise, and the theatre I go to people are generally well behaved. I do enjoy watching stuff at home but in the cinema it's better since that's the way films were meant to be seen.

Obviously the theater. The movies were made specifically for theaters and then reedited later for television. I want to watch it in it's original resolution, plus the high quality and high sound of the theaters set up. It's meant to be watched at the theater so that's exactly what I do.

Any movie that I want to see I will very much watch at a theater. At home I mostly rewatch.

The two theaters I go to are very well maintained and they dint suffer from the issue of annoying people. Very much reasonably priced too.

Depends on the film. I prefer to watch dramas, indies, foreign films at home - while action, sci-fi and comedies are usually better at the theater.

Raid 2 I guess is what I will go see next

Home.

Home, I'll only see the odd movie at the cinema if it's one of the few I'm desperate to see. I grudge paying the money they charge to sit in an overcrowded room amongst a bunch of idiotic kids. Well, that's my local cinema anyway!

Always home. I haven't been to the theater in over two decades. I can't do what I want like I can in my own home. So I always wait til it releases and either buy it or check it out from the library and watch it. Plus the food at home is way cheaper and way better. Also don't have to worry about some loudmouth assclown while at home.

I see your point, and I would agree if it weren't for the standardization involved. Not every movie calls for the same experience, but the logistics of operating a movie theater require certain things to be standard regardless of the movie.

I mean, think of it in terms of other visual art. Some photographs and paintings need to be printed big. It's the content of the image that requires that, certain images require a large area for the eye to travel around in and take in the details. Other images need to be small. Printing them big just kills them. Now imagine if all paintings and photographs HAD to to be displayed at 11x14 inches.

See the problem with movies? Different movies have different needs. A bombastic fast sci-fi war epic is going to have different needs than a subtle introspective character study of two lovers. But lord knows that they're both getting displayed on the same bigass screen with the same loudass speakers in a crowded room. That's not because that's just the way movies in general are supposed to be watched. It's because in order to make money they need rooms with a high seating capacity. That requires the screen to be big if only so that everyone can see it. It also has to be loud so everyone can hear it. And lord forbid that you watch it in a crowded theater. If it gets even close to being filled, then that means that most of the people in that room are watching the movie from the wrong angle.

I get a lot more satisfaction out of watching a movie on my own setup (which aside from screen size has much better A/V quality), and of course I get privacy. I only go out to theaters when taking girls out on dates or something.

Mostly movies that I really want to watch or haven't went in a long time. Hdtv really spoil the need for theatres and meh totally broke atm.

Theater. A few idiots talking beats someone flushing the toilet, or cooking upstairs.

There are maybe 15-20 movies that I have watched more than once in my lifetime, anyways. Most of them against my will.

It's always fun going to the cinemas with friends every now and again, but you can't beat curling up to a good movie in the comfort of your own home. :)

during you parent / grandparents time ... things were different ... at least some movie got 5 minutes intermission ..... like Ghandi, Ben-hur or even Woodstock 69

Both. It really all depends on that movie is out if its worth my time and money. My next movie I want to see is Godzilla and that is going to be at the theater. Spiderman 2 I decided to wait for it to come out on video.

I rarely see movies in the theater, usually only if I am a huge fan of the franchise or source material. I also wait till they are at the local $2.50 theater, and since this theater doesn't get movies until later, there are usually an extremely small amount of people there. (saw The Hobbit: DOS a few days ago, and except for my family, the theater was completely empty, awesome)

Otherwise, I'm perfectly happy watching them at home on Blu-ray.

Is your avatar from Spore?

Home, cheaper just to wait.

Though some movies I just have to see in theater, for those I'll splurge. But I save on concessions by taking a backpack and hitting up the grocery store for cheap candy and drinks. If I care to wake up before the crack of noon some theaters have $6 movies.

i prefer watching in the comfort of my own home on my 60" hdtv in 1080p &120Hz, as opposed to going to the theater and watching a movie on a projection screen with piss poor quality.

Home. IMO, it's a much better experience and it's not even close. 60", surround sound that isn't blown out, cheap beer and a lazboy > screen with soda stains on it, kid kicking your seat and ludicrously expensive food.

Too many distractions at home. The local theaters have strict policies, so your only focus is on the movie, not phones, internet, what is the dog doing, etc. I have a 60inch and sit 10 feet away, and it is still way too small compared to even a small theater screen. If 150 inches and 4k becomes popular, then the home theater might become comparable.

• Ticket prices are set by the movie industry, concessions are the only way theatres make money.
• What kind of theatre do you go to?
• See above, most have ushers that will remove people like that.
• Most movies aren't longer than 3 hours these days, if you can't hold your fluids you should see a urologist.
• Again, what kind of theatre do you go to?
• Again, what kind of theatre do you go to?

Personally, I prefer the theatre experience, but cannot afford to go to more than a few a year. If I had a home theatre with a 120" projector, installed sound system and a Cretors GR6, I wouldn't need the theatre, but I don't have that.

• So? That doesn't change the fact that they are still expensive and that you aren't allowed to bring in your own food.
• My local regal theater in Hemet
• They will only remove the very annoying people. Even if it happens just a little, its annoying and it starts to ruin my experience.
• If people order a drink during a three hour movie, they are going to have trouble holding in their pee and thats a fact. Apparently, you think many people need to go see a doctor. A lot of people break during a movie and have to go to the bathroom when the movie is still playing. It's also distracting to other people to see people get up during the middle of a movie when they are trying to immerse themselves.

If you are paying a premium price to see a movie once, then you would want the best possible experience ever. However, a bigger screen and a bigger sound system will never live up to watching a movie in your own comfy house. I go to the theater many times a year with my friend. I don't really like it, I prefer watching movies on my computer monitor with high quality headphones at home, but I do enjoy his company in the theater.

One movie that I wish I saw at home was Pacific Rim. I saw it with my friend at the local theater, and my experience was awful. My chair was uncomfortable and the sound for the speakers was TERRIBLE. All of the big punches in the movie sounded like waves of crackling static. The theater is a rip-off, and all those people that say that movies like 300 or Gravity can only be seen in the theater are just asshats.

Home theatre, but will occasionally still go out with the wife for dinner & a movie.

What do you think of my new home cinema??

@JangoWuzHere: What are the prices for food and tickets?

Let me say again, theaters provide fucking awesome experiences

@THUMPTABLE:

$10 for one ticket

A large popcorn is about $7 (before tax)

A large soda would cost around $5 (before tax)

The best possible standard theater experience would cost you about $22. Course you don't have to eat during the movie, or you can sneak in food and risk getting banned from the theater. It's a lot more expensive then renting a $2 blu ray from red box and consuming your own reasonably priced food and drinks.

I get my monies worth

I doubt it

An imax movie is an actual theater experience, but that is far more expensive and also not worth it.

No I don't doubt my values

@JangoWuzHere: That''s a lot cheaper than down here in Aus (normal price $18) You can get tickets through other companies which you have to be a member of for $10

Home without a shred of doubt. Having a larger TV and a decent sound system is nice, but I'd rather watch movies at home even without those things.

Home is 110% better because:

• You can pause the movie and get up to pee or get refills of snacks, and you won't miss anything. Plus you don't have to wait in any lines, ever.
• You can probably lay in a bed or sit somewhere more comfy than those theater chairs. You can move around and put your feet up.
• No mysterious crusty spots
• Theater snack experience: dollar store for big boxes of candy, 7-11 for a diabetes-inducing gigantic drink and plastic nachos. If you must have the popcorn you can get much of the same flavor in microwave bag stuff. I make mine on the stove and have all sorts of flavorings for on top so I basically have the popcorn dressing station in my kitchen.
• No loud people. No other people at all. No goddamn children. Nobody texting, no phones ringing. Nobody giving a not-so-stealthy handjob to their date beside you.
• You can eat whatever you want. Ice cream, chips, pancakes. Whatever.
• It's way, way cheaper, if not free. You'll likely either get a movie off of an on-demand service like netflix or pay a one-time fee for a new release rental, or if an online 'friend' wants to 'lend' you their copy, it's free.
  
  Plus a bunch of other stuff I'm sure I'm forgetting because I haven't been to a theater in a while. But I'd always rather wait and watch something at home.

Theaters are fine IF you go to first showing that day on a non-weekend.

Beyond that you run a risk of loud, inconsiderate A-holes ruining the movie for you.

But honestly over the years I've grown more patient and have been waiting to buy the Blu-ray because it pretty much costs as much as 2 tickets and a popcorn.

Going to public movie theaters means dealing with people. People make me grumpy. The company of my couch is all I need.

I feel like I have to bump this thread after seeing Captain America 2 with my friend. Hands down, worst theater audience of all time.

The movie had TWO babies crying throughout the movie. It's annoying to hear one baby, but two if them really kills the mood. I have to say, if you bring your baby into a movie knowing full well that the movie is going to be packed and popular, you are an asshole who has no manners. Babys are annoying, and if I have to hear one cry after paying a premium price for a ticket, I get pissed.

I also had some other problems with the audience. I saw a couple people straight up messing with their phones during the move, it was very rude and distracting. People were shouting and talking to one another very loudly during certain parts. TONS of people getting up out of their seats and walking across the screen to either get more food or go to the bathroom. People LOUDLY rummaging through their popcorn and candy. It was an awful experience overall.

The theater is a terrible experience. Even my friend had a hard time sitting through such an awful audience. The picture wasn't that great and the audio was VERY quiet for the first 20 mins of the film. The movie itself was actually pretty good, but I will very likely remember the awful theater experience I had before the actual film.

Home everytime

Easily at home. I can pause the movie when I want. No ticket lines and no noisy kids. I would only go to the theatre if a large group of friends want to watch a 3D movie but other than that we all go to a house with the best surround sound system and TV.

All good points, but movie theatre is best place to watch or flirt with pretty young girls HaHa. Visiting a mall , watching tons of girls gone shopping or to watch movies is enough reason for me to prefer watching movies at theatre than watching alone at home lol.