‘I don’t touch my phone. At home, I’d be scrolling’: why young people are flocking to independent cinemas
‘I don’t touch my phone. At home, I’d be scrolling’: why young people are flocking to independent cinemas
It’s definitely something I’ve noticed as well. I’m in my early 40’s, but I’ve got the same issue.
When I’m at home, just doing one thing feels wasteful. I’m always multitasking. So when streaming a movie on my PC for example, I’m usually too tempted to do some browsing. As a result, I just don’t finish a lot of streaming movies.
Two years ago we got a new cinema, which offered unlimited movie passes. You pay 22 euros per month and can see as many movies as you like.
I saw 142 movies in cinema last year. And I have no problem seeing three hour plus movies. Because it’s a forced no phone zone, I’m actually able to focus on just the movie.
It’s something I’ve heard from other, younger moviegoers as well.
Yeah, I don't know why, but I feel it too.
It's nice to just get out of the house. I even buy the overpriced popcorn.
I recommend:
Picnic blanket under tree at nice park, just nap, read a book, or listen to music on your headphones. Ideally, kinda stoned.
Don't forget to bring plenty of water.
This sounds amazing.
Oh it is, I’m enjoying every minute of it.
Back in the early days of Movie Pass in the US, I was hoping we’d get something similar in the Netherlands. But our local cinema didn’t offer anything like that. When the new chain opened two years ago, I got their movie pass immediately.
‘Going to the movies is expensive’; that’s the common complaint many people have. But, those tend to be people who see maybe a handful of movies per year, if that. The average consumer here in the Netherlands sees three movies in cinema per year. So, they buy a ticket for Saturday night, which costs 15 euros. Now add a popcorn and drink, and it’s easily 25 euros per person. That feels expensive for the average person.
But when you look at the pass… it gets really attractive. I pay 22 euros per month. That allows me to see every movie, every day, as much as I want. No limit.
You only really need to watch two movies per month to be cheaper off with the pass. Except I’m not seeing two per month. I see on average three movies per week. Sometimes on the same day. I’ve done cinema days from 10 am to 10 pm.
And the best part? It’s a modern nine screen cinema with all luxury recliners. Every single seat.
I know I’m very lucky that I can do this, so I’m taking full advantage.
I'm not seeing movies in theaters anymore for two main reasons:
The movie theaters I did go to had strong policies about being polite and quiet. If you talked or used your phone, you'd get one warning. A second time, and they'd kick you out without a refund.
edit: I'm old. Not gen-z
I hope this is true
I haven't really seen evidence of this at my local for ordinary screenings (although kids still go with their parents, which I guess would contribute to one of those two statistics) but younger people definitely seem to love the special screening events for older/cult classic films. They are always a sellout crowd with tons of younger millennials and zoomers going along.
I don't know if that's just because its something to do on a Friday/Saturday night, or if they are film lovers themselves, but it is nice to see local independent cinemas finding a revenue stream that works for these younger generations. I feel like the big sugar hit they get from these events probably goes a long way to covering their losses from other sessions, which are usually fairly empty aside from a smattering of older cinemagoers.
As long as I'm not paying to watch corporation advertisements then I'm all for it!
Go to the movie 15 min late
Yeah, sure.
I'm not going to the cinema because I don't want to pay 20€ for a ticket, and 25€ for popcorn and half a liter of soda, to sit in a room filled with rude people talking, yelling spoilers, og standing up in front of me.
I can stream or otherwise download the movie 3 months later, and watch it in my living room where I can pause to use the restroom, or make a lassagna in the middle of the movie if that is what I want to.
This will of course depend on where you are, but from my own experience here in the Netherlands, most people are very respectful.
I went to the cinema 140 times last year; and only had two movies where I was annoyed with others. And staff promptly intervened. In about 250 movies total, I’ve only seen ONE case of people ejected from the movie after multiple complaints.
So at least here, statistically, it’s not so bad. But that could vary greatly depending on the demographic and behaviour of others who frequent your cinema.
You're quite fortunate, I have had fairly mixed experiences in the last couple of years. Too many people using their phones in the middle of the film or eating very loudly. But I keep persisting, it's worth it for the sessions where the audience is respectful or there's just no one else there.
I watched spiderman no way home in the cinema. And just before something "big" happend, 5 teenagers started yelling something behind me. I looked back at them, to see what was going on. And when I looked back at the movie, I missed the "cool" moment.... Never been to the cinema since
https://youtu.be/_r58BSAK1HE