Do You Go Out to the Movies or Wait for the DVD?

SpecialAgentXXX asks "After I see a movie, I usually end up buying the DVD to see the deleted and behind-the-scenes bonus material. So I not only pay for $20 the DVD, but also $24 for a pair of tickets, $8 for parking, and $12 for popcorn & drinks. But now that I have a home theater system, I've mostly stopped going to the movies and just wait half a year for the DVD. The only exception is watching a movie in DLP or the IMAX Experience like Harry Potter since those are better qualities than a DVD. Are more people doing this? The cost of going to the movies is now more than double that of a DVD!"

Comments

Thinking of switching...

[Tomahawk]

I used to enjoy going to the cinema to see a movie, and certainly some of the really require a look in at the cinema - big screen, and all that.

However, I do find that other people in the cinema are annoying. Generally there are:

- people talking;
- people eating stuff from noisy bags;
- people slurping the last few drops of their drink;
- kids kicking the back of the seat;
- any number of other annoyances.

It's getting more and more difficult to actually enjoy watching a film in a cinema these days. With the advent of high-quality DVDs and home theatre systems, I'm moving more and more towards waiting for the film to come out on DVD and watching it, in peace, at home.

Here, a trip to the movies is a little cheaper that in the US. And DVDs are more expensive. But I think it's worth the extra money and waiting a big of time.

Granted, some films have to be seen in the cinema. I'll be there the 'Return of the Sith'. Sorry, but even if it's a terrible film, I will have to see it.

T.

Re:Thinking of switching...

[sgant]

I don't find this at all in theaters...in fact, it's the opposite for me.

Watching at the theater, the movie has your undivided attention. At HOME is where the movie experience falls short.

I don't have a ton of money, so of course I don't have a home theater so I have to watch everything on a 27" TV...

But watching a movie at home you have:

-people talking openly: wife asking who is that, what happened there, did you hear what happened to so and so down the street...it's even worse when her family is over here to "watch a movie" which includes everything other than actually "watching the movie".

-kids running in and out of the room with various things/problems

-The ability to pause and go to the bathroom...now many people think this is an advantage, but it breaks up the movie experience and cuts into the flow of the story etc etc.

-Phone calls in the middle of the movie.

At a theater I get none of these things. Yes, there are other people there, but when the movie starts, we get so absorbed into the movie that I don't notice the guy slurping his drink, or really anyone talking. Has it happened in the past? Oh sure, you hear a cell phone go off or one or two people whispering/talking a little, but STILL it's not as distracting as all the things I mentioned above when watching a good movie.

I also don't have a short attention span, so I'm not easily distracted by minute and harmless things.

I stay home and wait

[agent dero]

By waiting, most people will either say it's good or bad.

Also there's been a loss in the "movie-going experience"

I mean, commercials in the intro, those stupid "No Smoking" jingles, at home, I can just watch the movie

Depends a lot

[Jesrad]

... on how much DVDs cost where you live ! Here they are about 5 or 6 times the price of a ticket (30 euros compared to 5 or 6 euros at most cinemas). Can you say overpriced ? That's why my collection of DVDs can be counted on a single-digit.

I still go to the movies, especially since they built that huge multiplex to replace the two smaller cinemas. The main difference is that I'm more demanding of the whole experience : I generally pick a morning session during work days of the second or third week after release, so that there are about 4 or 5 other spectators besides me in the room.

Another advantage of reduced audience, in addition to the total silence during the movie, is that you can just go to the other spectators and discuss the movie with them afterwards.

It's missing

[SimianOverlord]

Your cost estimate is missing the amount you presumably shelled out to build that state of the art home cinema experience. How much "savings" from cheaper DVDs are you really making when you add that in? Or, in other words, how many DVDs would you have to buy instead of cinema tickets to make up for the value of your huge TV / surround sound? My pulled-out-my-ass guess is >1000 at least.

Of course I realise its nice to have a big TV and sound system for other reasons, but really...

Re:Missing option: Refuse because of the trailers.

[numbski]

I wouldn't mind the trailers, per se, but the last movie I saw was AvP, and it had been a year and a half since the previous time I'd gone into a theater. 3 things stuck out at me:

1. The 'downloading movies is a crime' signs all over the theater. WTF? I just spent $7.50 to get into the movie, and you're preaching at us not to steal. Right.....and this was an afternoon matinee.

2. 22 minutes of trailers. !!!!!!!!!!!!! That is just flat out insane. Without excuse. Commericals commercials and more commercials. There's absolutely no excuse for it.

3. I made the mistake of not eating luch before I went. No big deal, just grab popcorn and a soda. I know it'll hurt, but I haven't been in a while....go up, toss a $5 bill on the counter, and place my order. They bring back the soda and popcorn, then tell me that I'm $3 short.

WHAT. $5 not only won't cover popcorn and a soda anymore, but THE PRICE OF THE TICKET WON'T EITHER. That's right, popcorn and soda now cost more than seeing the movie itself. Of course it's summertime, so I can't get away with wearing my coat and bringing in whatever I want...it's just wrong.

The theater is basically a scam to make you a captive audience for commercials and overpriced goods. Sad that's it has degraded so far. :(