In Defense of the Movie Theater: Movie theaters have long been underappreciated, so let’s give them their due before it’

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All the theaters near me are fantastic, but then again, this is L.A. We take our movies very seriously around here.

Lots of good points in that article.

"It’s increasingly becoming harder to find public spaces where diverse groups of people spend their leisure time together"

Hadn't thought about it, but this is true, and unfortunate.

Sound quality, big screen, the experience of viewing a film in a theatre -- all good and valid points.

I would hate for theatres to go the way of bookstores, but the reality is I haven't gone for years. The main reason being there are so few new releases I have any interest in seeing. For the few I do, I can wait. I'm not into the "blockbusters," couldn't care less about the many franchises, so there's no incentive for me to go. Plus now the price of tickets is too high.

I think theaters are better than ever, to be honest. Every multiplex near my house has reserved seating with extra-wide, reclining leather seats, cupholders, and big aisles that allow people to move in and out without forcing others to get up. Sound quality and picture quality have also improved. Even the choice of snacks and beverages far surpass what was available in the past. I can't speak to the cost of the experience in today's dollars vs 20 -30 years ago, but I think in all other respects, theaters are at their high point.

People never change so there will always be people disrupting other audience member's enjoyment. The thing that has changed is the price of a movie ticket and concessions vs the quality of the movie. There isn't much originality or good movies being made in the past couple of years. I still go to the movies but I wish there were better movies available to see. I don't mind paying more as long as the movie is worth the cost.

In my home town,we already have a good theater,cheap tickets...but i don't have the time to go to cinema...only on "special ocassions".

I feel similar to Dazed with this comment: "I like the big screen experience but other people always ruin it and tickets are too expensive for that not to matter."

People have become measurably ruder over the last ten or twenty years. Ten years ago EVEN cineplex audiences were better behaved than they are now.

I've been to 4 movies at the theater in the last 10 years or so.
I have a 70" TV and a projector and an 8 channel surround system.

Every time I go to the theater I always ask why.
To me it's just not worth the hassle of dealing with other people and the lines at the theater.

20 years ago was a better experience only because the above options weren't available to consumers or were
too much money.