where’s my seat?

You probably know I’m a big movie fan. I grew up going to the movies and have kept the tradition alive. Fun to go with friends but also nothing better than hitting a matinee on a weekday by myself. So when the pandemic hit that tradition took a hiatus. I remember my last movie was Knives Out, not a bad movie to remember.

So not to let the pandemic take me down, I embraced streaming. Even more movies were being released on streaming. So I made it a point if I didn’t have other plans on a Saturday night to pick a movie. It made the weekend a little different. And I have enjoyed keeping that tradition up for what has turned into years.

I’d been planning to go back to the movie theater. But either there was nothing out. Or the Covid numbers got really high again. Or I just couldn’t quite fit the timing of a three-hour movie in. But yesterday I went to the movies. In the theater! We saw John Wick 4. I specifically picked a movie that I felt would benefit from the big screen. Lots of action. Kind of dark (visually and not just in tone).

Now John Wick is in fact a full three hours. So we found a time. Ordered our assigned seats ahead of time. It’s been so long that I’m really not sure whether you can just walk in these days. Bought some popcorn and settled in for a flick. Overall it was a fun movie and a good experience. But after so many Saturdays of sitting on my sofa, it makes sense that there would be some pros and cons.

• Pro – You get to see movies as they come out, as a part of the cultural conversation.
• Con – It is more expensive, we did matinees so it was about $15 a ticket which technically is less than an early rental which would be around $20 but if there were two of us that would be $10 each, and honestly there are so many ways to watch movies I don’t often pay to stream and if I do it’s a much lesser amount (the con of that is often I wait).
• Pro – You do get more focus and drama by watching it in the theater.
• Con – For a three-hour movie I don’t mind being able to pause to go to the bathroom (I also specifically didn’t drink extra water before I went), sitting in even the cushy reclined seats can get uncomfortable, and I think we got up before an after-credits scene.
• Pro – The visuals are definitely better on a big screen, movies can be so visually dark with all of those fight scenes and keeping track of who is who it really just works better.
• Con – I have gotten used to subtitles (which I use on probably everything except comedies and live shows) and when Lawrence Fishburn first enters (no spoilers) I honestly missed what he was saying.
• Pro – Movie theater snacks just feel more special, grabbing that bag of popcorn was good.
• Con – The popcorn actually wasn’t as good as I remember it and you know at home I can have whatever snacks I want.
• Pro – I missed previews, it was fun to see the snippets for all the other movies.
• Con – The length of time just gets ridiculous, so first I had to find a window where I could do a three-hour movie, and then I need to account for transportation and time to get snacks and sit through previews, it’s a lot.
• Pro – I want to be able to support movies and theaters.
• Con – I mean Covid is still a thing and so sitting in a theater with others could be, and could become, more of an issue.

So for me, I think it won’t be all or nothing. Seeing certain movies in the theater (Fast X!) and having those special occasions still feels super fun. But I am glad to have the option to flip through the latest selections in the comfort of my own home.

And John Wick btw was what one would expect, lots and lots and lots of fighting and some moments of humor. Three hours felt a little long but as they went through a few serious things in his journey it felt pretty engaging.

What’s your take on going back to theaters and have you seen anything good?

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