A couple of my fondest memories involved a cinema or drive-in, not always movie related. A trip to the cinema is all about just that… it’s a trip. It’s a mini holiday you can take without leaving your home town. I hope that they will always be around… but then where are all the drive-ins these days.
It makes sense that no director wants to go straight to phone or TV, and that they want to hit the big screen, but with the increasing use of VR and the improvement of the quality of the headsets a trip to see a movie with great sound on the big screen might be easier and better to do on your couch. For one the drinks and candy is cheaper — to the point where after 10 movies you’ve probably paid for a high-end VR headset, the kid isn’t kicking the back of your seat, your bladder won’t burst while you wait for the cliffhanger moment, you’ve got a more comfortable seat, you don’t have that really tall person in front of you, and Mr “Chew crunchy snack with my mouth open” isn’t frustrating you….
I’m not saying that it’s better than a visit to the cinema, it ticks a lot of the same boxes but it’s still different. I remember seeing Something About Mary at the cinema and the audience laughing made it ever funnier… not something you want canned for movies and you’ll miss out on VR.
It will be interesting how cinema and VR develop.