What can theaters do to attract more people?

Post by **Meg** » June 3rd, 2006, 12:09 pm

I just read an article in Fortune about the different things theaters are trying to get more people to go to the cinema instead of just wating for the DVD. It got me thinking - what would you guys do to improve movie theaters?

Post by **fani** » June 3rd, 2006, 1:36 pm

Good question!

I'd do it a little indirectly, chalk it up as a "cultural programme."

Post by **Ben** » June 3rd, 2006, 2:44 pm

Naked usherettes.

With good legs.

Seriously.

-------------------------------

Actually, and while I was very tempted to leave the post just like that, I got a good demonstration of Texas Instruments' D-Cinema yesterday and what things would be like with 4k scanning and projecting. Rock steady image and a perfect "print" each time you went back.

The jump isn't as noticable to the average Joe as silent to sound, black and white to color, or even flat Vista-Vision screen size to widescreen CinemaScope or Panavision, but making projection quality paramount again would be a good step to making movies better on the big screen.

Then again, naked usherettes wouldn't be bad either...

Post by **Meg** » June 3rd, 2006, 3:46 pm

Then again, naked usherettes wouldn't be bad either...

I'll grant your wish but they'll be 65 and fat.

Post by **Ben** » June 3rd, 2006, 3:49 pm

Ooohh...this is just like Bedazzled...

I get my wish but there's a catch? I should learn to be more specific.

Post by **ShyViolet** » June 3rd, 2006, 9:32 pm

I think it would be great to have ushers again as well...maybe a curtain in front of the screen like in the old days?

Plus maybe if they CLEANED UP the place for once and got all the gum and m & ms and raisenettes off the floor, more people would go. And maybe get that cheesy smell out of the theater once and for all.

A bigger screen would be nice too, maybe IMAX everywhere. I know this would be expensive but so many people (I don't) have big screen HD TVs now. So that makes the theater much less appealing than before.

Plus strict rules for talking during the movie!

Post by **animated_guy** » June 3rd, 2006, 10:38 pm

other than the naked usherette thing

the cleaner enviroment would be nice. i dont know. i still go anyways. there is a certain something about going to a movie theater and watching the movie there instead of at home. i know the whole big screen thing but SOMETHING. i dont know. i cant put my finger on it...
~a-G

Post by **YCougar** » June 4th, 2006, 12:49 am

...Better movies?

My reasons for not going to the movies too often:
1) I'm a cheapskate and hate paying six bucks to get in.
2) The movies I get excited enough about to see in theaters only happen 1-2 times a year.
3) I love DVD releases because I'm a special feature fiend. But I won't buy a DVD until I borrow it from the library and love it enough. Again, cheapskate.

Post by **ShyViolet** » June 4th, 2006, 3:36 pm

I really think there needs to be an added thrill to going to the movies--like IMAX, or maybe a theme-park quality like in Universal Studios.

Nowadays with HD TVs, laptops, DVDs, ipods, itunes, Playstations, XBOX, the movies have become stale to some people. After all, you go to a movie and you just get the movie--no extras, nothing!

They need to find a way to make them more exciting. And occasional 3d presentations a la Chicken Little are not gonna cut it. How lame is that? This is the 21st century, not the 1950s.

Post by **Macaluso** » June 4th, 2006, 4:39 pm

Ben wrote:Naked usherettes.

With good legs.

Seriously.

this

Post by **Dacey** » June 4th, 2006, 4:39 pm

Make the gap between the film's theatrical run and DVD release longer.

Also, don't go announcing the DVD date for a movie before its even begun playing in theaters.

Post by **animated_guy** » June 4th, 2006, 5:27 pm

i agree with the price issue (over here its 7-8 bucks!) i agree with making movie theaters more exciting to go to. they are no fun i tell ya... NO FUN!!!
~a-G :Wink:

Post by **Wonderlicious** » June 4th, 2006, 6:34 pm

I think that the gap between theatrical and DVD releases could be widened, thus causing people to have more an urge to go to the movies. A lineup like in the olden days (aka theatrical shorts, "making of" pieces and featurettes could all feature as well as a feature film), causing there to be a desire to see the cinema once again as "an evening of entertainment", which is what made cinema originally so popular. Oh, and rereleases of past hits could also bring extra money to the studios; if people complain that they don't want to go to the cinema anymore as all there are now are bad movies, would you go to see one of your favourite films all big again?

Ben wrote:Naked usherettes.

With good legs.

Seriously.

Oh yeah, that's another good idea. But some moaners wouldn't like it, and the chance of seductive helpers will go down the drain. Oh poo.

Post by **PixarVixen** » June 6th, 2006, 4:26 pm

Being an employee of a movie theater, I can easily talk about this.

First of all, the whole naked usherette thing...You boys XP...There are some days when I AM an usher, but I'm not willing to go naked. I have good legs though.

But moving on...

There are several things that could be improved in my theater. I hear so many complaints about the prices of food and drinks, the cleanliness of the theater, the misbehaving kids in the rooms and hallways, and the way the films are handled in the projection room.

Half of the time it's the fault of some of the staff. They just don't seem to care anymore. Maybe if the jobs of the workers in theater were made more enjoyable, they'd do better work and keep people happier. Then again, it's usually the people who come into the theater that make things miserable for us.

~~=oP

Post by **Thalia-is-Crazy** » June 18th, 2006, 1:35 pm

It's not the movie theatres,
ITS THE MOVIES!

Make GOOD MOVIES and people will see them.
Worked for Pixar.