Post Aa2ilAAfrZGFMS9Kc4 by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
(DIR) More posts by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
(DIR) Post #Aa0dRQ6zzwCSvDHF6e by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-22T01:00:12Z
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I'm one of those rare birds who still likes to see movies at a cinema. Sure, the place I live at the moment has a huge TV and a very impressive set of speakers. But even if we watch movies at night with all the lights out, it's just not the same.Anyway, I can't help but notice that almost every time I go, I'm one of a handful of people in a cinema with dozens or even hundreds of seats. This creates 2 problems for cinema as an industry. (1/?)#movies #cinema #entertainment
(DIR) Post #Aa0dpCiBTHlmJO0ki0 by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-22T01:04:34Z
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First, every one of those empty seats represent more lost income than all illegal downloads put together. Because a cinema seat is something people actually pay for. I doubt I'm the only person who's downloaded a screen rip of a movie I'm feeling iffy about, which has then convinced me to see it at a cinema, and take some friends.Second, the while point of going to the movies is to share the experience with a roomfull of people. Routinely empty screenings are lacking something.(2/?)
(DIR) Post #Aa0ecKxPbRpY4gYvKq by TonyaCanning@mstdn.social
2023-09-22T01:13:24Z
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@strypey Last time I saw a movie in the theatre a kid screamed out what happens in the end about ten minutes in. I'vd always been iffy about the inflated costs at the theatre, so I took that as a sign from the universe to never go back.
(DIR) Post #Aa0ezQpRwGKYwfqmjg by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-22T01:17:35Z
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So why aren't many people going to the cinema anymore? The most obvious reason is that it's too expensive.Whole families can watch unlimited movies on a streaming service for a month, for about the same price as an adult cinema ticket. A couple taking their 3 kids to the movies costs about the same as 3 months of NetFix. Double that if you buy them all popcorn and a soda at the ludicrously inflated prices they charge for movie snacks.(3/?)
(DIR) Post #Aa0fLUig9ZkxNpCh6m by leadegroot@bne.social
2023-09-22T01:21:32Z
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@strypey we've got a projector, so we actually get very close to the cinema experience at home.But I noticed while booking when we recently actually went to the movies recently (first time since you know!) that the cinemas are now MUCH smaller, like 40-50 seats and there were a LOT more of these much smaller cinemas (good seats, too, very comfy armchairs!)
(DIR) Post #Aa0g0yuenhZitmaZrU by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-22T01:29:07Z
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Some of the fixes here seem obvious;* Generous group discounts, especially for family movies. Eg every person you add to your party drops each persons ticket price by $2. So going by yourself costs $20, but if you drag 5 friends along, you get in for $10.* Generous concession prices for the unwaged. At least during off-peak hours like weekday afternoons and late sessions on weeknights, when people with jobs generally can't go. But hell, why not all the time? Those seats are empty now.(4/?)
(DIR) Post #Aa0gD8rtc1NdFZ61Eu by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-22T01:31:19Z
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* Halve the prices for kids outside school holidays. If 2 adults can take 10 kids for the price of 5, they're more likely to go, filling seats that otherwise be empty and improving the experience for everyone.* Do similar discounts on snacks, where the more people you bring to a screening, the cheaper you can get your popcorn, or jaffas to roll down the aisle.(5/?)
(DIR) Post #Aa0hGiuIB5F7qRULTc by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-22T01:43:08Z
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The less obvious problem is that they're not screening the stuff that people really want to see together. Even the arthouse cinemas seem to dedicate a lot of their screen time to stuff that few people will pay to see. As for the blockbuster mind-cheese that's been getting worse over the past few years (yes, I'm looking at you Star Wars 8-9 and MCU phase 4-5), the less said about that the better.People just aren't going to pay premium prices to watch worthy yawnfests or steaming garbage.(6/?)
(DIR) Post #Aa0hzBk0KoAu0usYi0 by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-22T01:51:12Z
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I remember one time I saw a cinema packed to the gunwales. That was when they screened the Doctor Who episode that featured Peter Capaldi's first outing as The Doctor. Local Whovians were attracted by the novelty of seeing what had become a big budget special effects series on the big screen.I remember saying at the time that I would buy a season ticket to go once a week, and watch an entire season on the big screen. If the prices was right. Imagine watching Game of Thrones that way!(6/?)
(DIR) Post #Aa0ib8Pp9B8yhiXAQq by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-22T01:58:03Z
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There's also a lot of classic movies that I would go to the cinema to see. If childhood favourites like The Dark Crystal or The Neverending Story turned up in cinemas, I would take my friends' kids. Or just go with a group of my friends who also loved those movies as children.I rewatched The Mask the other night. I really enjoyed it, but there's something kind of sad about watching comedy alone. Imagine laughing along to a classic comedy at a cinema, with a roomfull of strangers.(6/?)
(DIR) Post #Aa0jjzpaX6zqdlNGzY by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-22T02:10:52Z
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In summary, the cinema industry definitely faces challenging times. But to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated.Like radio, I think the cinema medium fills a unique niche. It survived the rise and fall of free-to-air TV and video libraries, and it's still alive and kicking well into the streaming era. Even despite the pandemic.But if cinemas want to thrive, rather than merely running on fumes, the people running them need to get creative.(9/?)
(DIR) Post #Aa0kTn6QBoLUU65Isi by Amon_Rudh@mastodon.nz
2023-09-22T02:19:06Z
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@strypey yuuup. I went to a movie this morning at the local flash new cinema, and I was one of maybe a dozen people there. That hasn't been an exception either. Even the fuller movies I've been to have been maybe 1/2 or 2/3rds full. There was a screening of the original Jurassic Park I went to a few weeks ago that was decently full, though that's an exception.In the before times, I went to plenty of full (or near full) screenings of big-name movies, but now they're barely half full, if that.
(DIR) Post #Aa0l18paQNeHQk73ke by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-22T02:25:10Z
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@leadegroot> smaller cinemas (good seats, too, very comfy armchairs!)Here in The Tron there's a range of comfort, even within the same multiplex. Some cinemas have mistaken themselves for airlines, and charge a premium for comfy seats. One of my favourite local cinemas serves good coffee, and there's a platform by your seat to sit your coffee cup on. They do concession prices too.But I think the viral marketing aspect of an escalating group discount would get a lot more people in the door.
(DIR) Post #Aa0mRsHSAPXNsASUPw by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-22T02:41:13Z
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@Amon_Rudh> There was a screening of the original Jurassic Park I went to a few weeks ago that was decently fullProof-of-concept! Cinema owners (and movie right-holders) take note.
(DIR) Post #Aa0nl2hJlC9XdZGCLg by discorobot@mastodon.nz
2023-09-22T02:55:50Z
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@strypey agree with all of this. I love seeing films on the big screen but I had to donate a kidney to get all the family to Barbie and half to Oppenheimer on the same weekend.Really like the idea of screening older films. My local had a double feature of the first Mad Max and Fury Road. I was the only one there.
(DIR) Post #Aa0oea43PB6t37NTIO by Amon_Rudh@mastodon.nz
2023-09-22T03:05:53Z
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@strypey yea, it was great for folks like me who weren't able to see it in the cinema back when it originally released (I was much too young). If only they'd do that for more movies...Though, there is one cinema way across the other side of town (~45 minutes drive) that shows a few older films, though I haven't heard of many of them. From what I've seen, some sell out and others aren't as successful, though they do things like give you a nice cup of tea during the intermission for example.
(DIR) Post #Aa2brRNA7d7mlj2Lom by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-22T23:51:48Z
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@discorobot> My local had a double feature of the first Mad Max and Fury RoadJust the first one? The Road Warrior is by far the best Mad Max IMHO : )
(DIR) Post #Aa2bvPw5PDEHTHGiPI by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-22T23:52:34Z
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@discorobot> My local had a double feature of the first Mad Max and Fury RoadJust the first one? The Road Warrior is by far the best Mad Max IMHO. So good that they borrowed most of the plot for Waterworld : )
(DIR) Post #Aa2dr0FbA26eYlPz8q by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-23T00:14:19Z
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Speaking of Waterworld, that's a film that's ripe for a reboot. It's an intriguing premise for a sci-fi story, and The Mariner was a classic 90s anti-hero. But given everything a creative writer could do with it, the wannabe Max Max 2 plot they gave us was... disappointingI'd love to see some edgy writer and director like Lexi Alexander handed the project, and left alone by the studio to do it their way.#movies #reboots #Waterworld@discorobot
(DIR) Post #Aa2eOPO2j4Pg4gITKa by discorobot@mastodon.nz
2023-09-23T00:20:21Z
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@strypey I'm not sure I've ever seen it- though I went to the Universal Studios show. It's going on the list!I'd really like to see Sorcerer on the big screen. Such a great but neglected film.
(DIR) Post #Aa2fWbKeIVa3OQBDFY by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-23T00:33:02Z
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@Amon_Rudh> it was great for folks like me who weren't able to see it in the cinema back when it originally releasedI feel that way about the first two Star Wars films. I was only just old enough to see RotJ when it came out. I would definitely pay to see the original theatrical cuts of the original trilogy on the big screen. The ones that were saved from Lucas in the edit;https://piped.video/watch?v=GFMyMxMYDNk... and then unsaved by Lucas in the digital re-edits.
(DIR) Post #Aa2gl3f5rgMLGSCTC4 by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-23T00:46:52Z
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@discorobot> I'm not sure I've ever seen itThe Road Warrior or Waterworld?> I'd really like to see Sorcerer on the big screenhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorcerer_(film)
(DIR) Post #Aa2hWMOA3YYIxHprVI by discorobot@mastodon.nz
2023-09-23T00:55:19Z
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@strypey Waterworld.
(DIR) Post #Aa2iYRfvTKRvstheHg by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-23T01:06:59Z
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@discorobot> WaterworldThere's a long opening sequence where the character of The Mariner is introduced, which could be enjoyed as a short film. Once gets to the floating village, if you've seen The Road Warrior, you pretty much know the story.
(DIR) Post #Aa2ilAAfrZGFMS9Kc4 by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-23T01:09:18Z
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@discorobotI'm just watching Reminiscence, and the opening scenes remind me that cities with significantly raised sea levels are becoming a regular feature of sci fi. The Expanse is similar in its landscape shots of Earth cities.
(DIR) Post #Aa2jF2pphebtIPeLtA by Amon_Rudh@mastodon.nz
2023-09-23T01:14:40Z
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@strypey that would be really cool. The only Star Wars movies I've seen on the big screen were the recent offerings, which were... less than ideal.
(DIR) Post #Aa2p0T60NodA7jeAfw by pseudo_ursus@universeodon.com
2023-09-23T02:19:12Z
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@strypey Elevated sea levels have been fairly common in sci-fi novels since at least the 90s, though it would from time to time before that.
(DIR) Post #Aa2ueeKuVhqkL6b8eO by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2023-09-23T03:22:34Z
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@pseudo_ursus > Elevated sea levels have been fairly common in sci-fi novels since at least the 90sYes, I presume the creators of Waterworld got the idea from novels that had existed for a while when they started writing the screenplay in the early 90s. But as far as I remember it was the first sci-fi movie or TV show to feature it.