How are Cinemas supposed to stay in business when they don't even provide a high quality experience?

[yepimonfire]

Watched Avengers Infinity War today at the local New Vision at Stonecrest mall. The only reason I went was because my wife insisted she wanted to watch it before it came out on Vudu/BD. This used to be an AMC IIRC. Picture was mediocre, too dim and the lens seemed slightly out of focus giving a "soft" picture appearance, contrast ratio seemed all over the place, some areas of the screen were washed out while others seemed okay.

Regarding the audio quality, both the left screen channel and subwoofer were obviously blown, I can't be certain, but it also seemed some of the speakers in the surround array were blown as well since the overall imaging seemed to be weighted behind our seats, which were approximately 1/2 way back. No LFE whatsoever and both the music was squashed to the front right speaker and pans to the left front were non existent. Isolation from the neighboring theater was lousy, apparently the subs in the room next door actually did work, as I could often hear bass leaking into the theater I was in. Do people even bother to check their AV system's performance from time to time?

Considering home theater is easily accessible from an economic standpoint to even the lower middle class, (I bought a 55" 4k display for $300 and the total street price of my entire audio system is under $1600) the only reason to even bother with the local cinema is for the larger than life presentation, and of course, early access to films not yet on BD, but what I get is a subpar experience that can't even match my budget HT.

Definitely will not be visiting again. I'll wait for the home release, at least all of my speakers work.

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[Verdinut]

Watched Avengers Infinity War today at the local New Vision at Stonecrest mall. The only reason I went was because my wife insisted she wanted to watch it before it came out on Vudu/BD. This used to be an AMC IIRC. Picture was mediocre, too dim and the lens seemed slightly out of focus giving a "soft" picture appearance, contrast ratio seemed all over the place, some areas of the screen were washed out while others seemed okay.

Regarding the audio quality, both the left screen channel and subwoofer were obviously blown, I can't be certain, but it also seemed some of the speakers in the surround array were blown as well since the overall imaging seemed to be weighted behind our seats, which were approximately 1/2 way back. No LFE whatsoever and both the music was squashed to the front right speaker and pans to the left front were non existent. Isolation from the neighboring theater was lousy, apparently the subs in the room next door actually did work, as I could often hear bass leaking into the theater I was in. Do people even bother to check their AV system's performance from time to time?

Considering home theater is easily accessible from an economic standpoint to even the lower middle class, (I bought a 55" 4k display for $300 and the total street price of my entire audio system is under $1600) the only reason to even bother with the local cinema is for the larger than life presentation, and of course, early access to films not yet on BD, but what I get is a subpar experience that can't even match my budget HT.

Definitely will not be visiting again. I'll wait for the home release, at least all of my speakers work.

Sent from my LM-X210(G) using Tapatalk

If a cinema is unable to supply a good performance with a dependable screen projection and a decent sound system, that's not good news.
The situation is happening because many people, instead of going to watch a film at the theater, wait until the film becomes available in Blu-ray or DVD format. They can get it most of the time for the price of two cinema tickets or less and there are .many advantages to it. They can watch it when they want and in a comfortable home couch. They can even pause for a pee.
In some theaters, the SPL is too loud, and one more reason not to go.
Also, they can sell it afterwards on fleebay if they don't desire to watch it again!

 

[shadyJ]

Some commercial cinemas care about the presentation, and others do not. If you ask around and talk to some of the theater managers, you can get an idea of who takes that stuff seriously. By the way, I trust that you brought these issues up with the management of that theater? They have no impetus to improve if you don't say anything.

 

[everettT]

I've got 6 cinemas with a 10 mile radius, 2 are as good as expectations. Latest projection, and current audio codecs. One has premium seating (bass shakers if desired) and only sixty four seats; that with full service food and beverage. Can go to the before noon shows for less than $6 pp.

 

[lovinthehd]

Long ago I used to have a few nice movie theaters when I was a kid back in the Chicago area, and even for many years in LA and San Francisco later as an adult. Large old style theaters, just one screen with decent audio and luxurious seating and treatments....but eventually even those fell into disrepair somewhat, not cleaned well, crappy food/drink, sound setup poorly (loud/distorted or too soft). They gradually disappeared, seemed everything went multi-screen/mall style....smaller rooms, inadequate sound isolation from neighboring theaters, poorer sound systems as well as setup poorly all to often.

Heck, it's sort of what sent me looking for bigger/better home av gear and has kept me home. I think I've been to maybe a movie a year average (and its been at least 3 years now), for almost 20 years now. I've read about nice ones with good screens/sound, good seating and even food and drink (including adult beverages)....if that one were 45 minutes away I just might treat myself once in a while for a new release, otherwise I'm waiting for the bluray....or streaming.

 

[sholling]

The only thing keeping cinemas afloat is date night. The movies and popcorn are way overpriced and whatever is playing will be on premium cable in 4-5 months. Whether it's young people looking to hang out away from parents or couples with kids wanting to do something away from their kids it's something to do.

 

[MR.MAGOO]

IMO there aren't any new movies today which would make me want to spend $$$$$ to sit in a theatre with a bunch of strangers who are most likely fiddling with their cell phones instead of watching the movie. I can go to the grocery and buy a box of popcorn (12 bags) and soda pop or other beverages, and enjoy my over 1800 movies in the comfort and relative safety of my home, alone or with friends.

 

[TheWarrior]

The AMC's and Regal's in my area offer lower quality sound than I have in my home. I got a free ticket to see Last Jedi and the theater experience soured my impression of that movie, until I got it home and realized how much more I enjoyed it.

I think they made a huge mistake trying to offer these huge new motorized couches to sit on to make it 'feel more like home'. Was performance that is second to none not a viable marketing approach?

"Sit on your fat behind and enjoy $24 worth of popcorn and soda listening to cheap speakers."

No thanks!

 

[Montucky]

Really all depends on who owns/manages your local cinema. I've had some lackluster theater experiences that mirror yours. Didn't bother going back. But then there's the wonderful small town cinema in my last town that had owners (and employees) who truly cared. They didn't have state of the art equipment but they had it DIALED. Owners were major movie buffs and with EVERY new release, they would check out each film before public viewing in order to tailor the EQ to each film. When a movie would start rolling, I'd see one of them sneak in for a bit to make sure it was looking and sounding just right. They had great prices overall (since they could depend on a full service bar to help with revenue). Even with a home setup that blew theirs out of the water (minus the size of course), they made the cinema experience totally worth it and still a lot of fun to go enjoy with friends.

I also love theaters who don't hesitate to boot out cell phone users, obnoxious guests, etc. Like the Alamo Drafthouse. Always really enjoyed that place. Been years since I've been to one, but just moved to the "Big City" and they just built a brand new one down the road. Woohoo! Can't wait to check it out.

 

[mtrycrafts]

...
They can watch it when they want and in a comfortable home couch. They can even pause for a pee.
...!

Yes, indeed. That intermission on demand is a must have.

 

[hemiram]

The last movie I went to, "Jurassic World" was horrible, like "Godzilla" was in 2014. There was no issues with the picture quality, it was all in the audio. JW was so loud, the teenagers in front of me were complaining. I said to them, "And I thought it was just me being an old man!". There was no shortage of bass there, that's for sure. I loved the quieter moments between action sequences, just for the break in the audio assaults. About halfway through, a couple of people went up and complained and suddenly, the level dropped and it was pretty much perfect from then on. Godzilla was ok, volume wise, but it was shrill to an insane level, like the treble control was maxed out, like a hearing impaired friend of mine (Worked at airbases around jets for 10 years) sets his tone controls, and the subs seemed to only work correctly when they had that weird noise when Godzilla appeared. I knew it would be bad as soon as the theme started. Some people complained during the movie, but nothing changed. I complained afterwards and got a refund. I was kind of shocked when I got cash and not a gift card.

 

[yepimonfire]

Somebody must have EQed the system haphazardly.

The last movie I went to, "Jurassic World" was horrible, like "Godzilla" was in 2014. There was no issues with the picture quality, it was all in the audio. JW was so loud, the teenagers in front of me were complaining. I said to them, "And I thought it was just me being an old man!". There was no shortage of bass there, that's for sure. I loved the quieter moments between action sequences, just for the break in the audio assaults. About halfway through, a couple of people went up and complained and suddenly, the level dropped and it was pretty much perfect from then on. Godzilla was ok, volume wise, but it was shrill to an insane level, like the treble control was maxed out, like a hearing impaired friend of mine (Worked at airbases around jets for 10 years) sets his tone controls, and the subs seemed to only work correctly when they had that weird noise when Godzilla appeared. I knew it would be bad as soon as the theme started. Some people complained during the movie, but nothing changed. I complained afterwards and got a refund. I was kind of shocked when I got cash and not a gift card.

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[j_garcia]

That's a theater issue. If I go to a theater and the PQ or SQ aren't good, I will tell them and I won't go back. Fortunately, we have some good theaters in the area. Only one Dolby Cinema screen so far, but that's the one I go see the big movies on...like Solo tomorrow Though it is $20 per ticket.

 

[panteragstk]

This is why I like Alamo Draft House for movies. They see you with your phone, get out, talk too much, same. They put what equipment is used on their site.

I went to one in Austin just to see Dunkirk on 70mm. It was awesome. That's one company that really seems to care about the experience.

 

[sterling shoote]

I see maybe a movie or two a year at my local AMC. I just can not afford it, or the expense of drinks and popcorn, especially if I'm paying for my whole family. It's much better for me to just wait for the Bluray. As said by another poster, I can lay back on the sofa, pause to pee, and have a better audio experience. In addition, I've never felt that my smaller screen diminished the fun.

 

[Montucky]

This is why I like Alamo Draft House for movies. They see you with your phone, get out, talk too much, same. They put what equipment is used on their site.

I went to one in Austin just to see Dunkirk on 70mm. It was awesome. That's one company that really seems to care about the experience.

The Drafthouse Rocks. This PSA of theirs exemplifies exactly why I love them so much. This customer got tossed for using her phone during a movie and she left this angry voicemail, which they then started showing before movies. Hahahaha
Warning: NSFW - Lots of swearing

There's a ton of great PSAs, many of which aren't posted online.

 

[panteragstk]

The Drafthouse Rocks. This PSA of theirs exemplifies exactly why I love them so much. This customer got tossed for using her phone during a movie and she left this angry voicemail, which they then started showing before movies. Hahahaha
Warning: NSFW - Lots of swearing

There's a ton of great PSAs, many of which aren't posted online.

I remember when they posted that. Hilarious.

 

[hemiram]

I wish the places around here would toss people. The last time I saw someone get tossed was about 40 years ago in Las Vegas where I was seeing The Empire Strikes Back, and some moron starts yelling at the screen and two of the ushers grabbed him and drug him out. The whole audience clapped. My favorite toss was in 1971 or so, I was watching Kelly's Heroes at the local Jerry Lewis Cinema, and there were 2 kids sitting behind me shooting spitwads. I told them to knock it off, and of course, that made me their main target. After about 20 hits on the back of my head, I turned around and loudly said, "DO THAT AGAIN AND YOU WILL REGRET IT!". The one kid believed me, I guess, but the other one didn't, so I did make him regret it. I dumped an entire large drink on him. He was shocked, and the ushers came down. I was in that place a lot back then, and they knew me. I told them why I did it, and they just took him out and pushed him out the door. He whined about calling his mom, so they let him and then made him wait outside. Oh, it was like 25 degrees outside. His mom came to pick him up in about 10 minutes. His mom complained about him being tossed out, and when she was told why, she just got in the car and left. I hope it made him think before being stupid again.

 

[Auditor55]

Watched Avengers Infinity War today at the local New Vision at Stonecrest mall. The only reason I went was because my wife insisted she wanted to watch it before it came out on Vudu/BD. This used to be an AMC IIRC. Picture was mediocre, too dim and the lens seemed slightly out of focus giving a "soft" picture appearance, contrast ratio seemed all over the place, some areas of the screen were washed out while others seemed okay.

Regarding the audio quality, both the left screen channel and subwoofer were obviously blown, I can't be certain, but it also seemed some of the speakers in the surround array were blown as well since the overall imaging seemed to be weighted behind our seats, which were approximately 1/2 way back. No LFE whatsoever and both the music was squashed to the front right speaker and pans to the left front were non existent. Isolation from the neighboring theater was lousy, apparently the subs in the room next door actually did work, as I could often hear bass leaking into the theater I was in. Do people even bother to check their AV system's performance from time to time?

Considering home theater is easily accessible from an economic standpoint to even the lower middle class, (I bought a 55" 4k display for $300 and the total street price of my entire audio system is under $1600) the only reason to even bother with the local cinema is for the larger than life presentation, and of course, early access to films not yet on BD, but what I get is a subpar experience that can't even match my budget HT.

Definitely will not be visiting again. I'll wait for the home release, at least all of my speakers work.

Sent from my LM-X210(G) using Tapatalk

Watched Avengers Infinity War today at the local New Vision at Stonecrest mall. The only reason I went was because my wife insisted she wanted to watch it before it came out on Vudu/BD. This used to be an AMC IIRC. Picture was mediocre, too dim and the lens seemed slightly out of focus giving a "soft" picture appearance, contrast ratio seemed all over the place, some areas of the screen were washed out while others seemed okay.

Regarding the audio quality, both the left screen channel and subwoofer were obviously blown, I can't be certain, but it also seemed some of the speakers in the surround array were blown as well since the overall imaging seemed to be weighted behind our seats, which were approximately 1/2 way back. No LFE whatsoever and both the music was squashed to the front right speaker and pans to the left front were non existent. Isolation from the neighboring theater was lousy, apparently the subs in the room next door actually did work, as I could often hear bass leaking into the theater I was in. Do people even bother to check their AV system's performance from time to time?

Considering home theater is easily accessible from an economic standpoint to even the lower middle class, (I bought a 55" 4k display for $300 and the total street price of my entire audio system is under $1600) the only reason to even bother with the local cinema is for the larger than life presentation, and of course, early access to films not yet on BD, but what I get is a subpar experience that can't even match my budget HT.

Definitely will not be visiting again. I'll wait for the home release, at least all of my speakers work.

Sent from my LM-X210(G) using Tapatalk

You have to experience a Dolby Cinema presentation.

 

[yepimonfire]

Yeah, I've been meaning to check out an Atmos film at the Dolby cinema at Regal but it's about a 40 minute drive from me, plus Atlanta traffic is hell. Do you know if Dolby Cinemas are check and held to rigous standards/calibration like THX and IMAX? I think the biggest problem is lots of "regular" Cinemas fail to keep on top of their systems. This is especially an issue with older Cinemas.

One other thing I've noticed when watching movies at a cinema vs at home is how big of a difference Atmos makes. Even with non Atmos tracks using DSU, that "bubble" of sound you get with the overhead speakers just sounds so much more realistic, and even with large surround arrays found in theaters, it just doesn't compare to having real overhead speakers.

You have to experience a Dolby Cinema presentation.

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