Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos Says Movie Theater Model Is ‘Outdated’: ‘Most of the Country’ Cannot ‘Walk to a Multiplex’
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos Says Movie Theater Model Is ‘Outdated’: ‘Most of the Country’ Cannot ‘Walk to a Multiplex’
Accessibility is only a tiny portion of it. Most of the US can't walk to pretty much anything useful.
Lets start looking at ticket prices, and concession prices.
Family of 4 to watch a movie starts at $70 CAD at my local theatre. $10 for a single large popcorn to share, and $5ea per water. Fountain drinks are somehow more expensive than bottled water. That's $100 for the start of an evening. Take a look at the rest of the economy, and figure out why theatres aren't seeing the traffic they used to.
Don't forget that the movie could be absolute shit.
Being unable to walk has nothing to do with it. In the UK we can easily access theatres but any screening in my town rarely has more than 10% of seats booked, and in London is max 60%
The problem is that cinema is not that great of an offer. The main reason for me is the artificial scarcity. Making the only place I can watch the movie, the cinema. If I look forward to the movie, I might pay the extra to watch it straight away. I do this max once a year. Next movie will probably be the last Dune movie.
I have a large OLED and can set the volume at a level I like. I can have subtitles if I want. The couch is bigger and more comfortable. I can pause the movie for a toilet break. I have a wife and pets I can cuddle under a blanket with.
The soda, candy and popcorn costs 1/4th.
It's just better in most ways. I think the image looks better on OLED than on a cinema screen. I also think the volume at the cinema is too high.
Lastly watching it at home is also 1/4th the price also.
I also like the fact that I can have a beer or two on a Saturday night and not have to worry about driving.
Add
The closest theater to me doesn't sell or allow alcohol.
It costs something like $14 for one ticket.
There are usually pissants talking during the whole movie.
The seats are terribly uncomfortable.
This is all before the cost of popcorn or anything.
Yeah, I'm definitely not going.
I personally love going to a theater. He is right though, there's not one walking distance from me. There's a very small one about a 10 minute drive, and a larger one about 20 minutes away. I'd probably go to a theater a lot if I could walk.
I have also put some money into my home theater, but that's better for hosting friends and talking through a movie you've already seen.
The one near me is a 5min ride away. I could walk, but that wouldn’t make a difference in going. The parking lot is huge, I see no negative to driving… even if it was 20-30min away.
It’s the content, price, and experience that tends to keep me at my walking distance home theater with 11.2 Dolby Atmos and OLED. Even when it was only 5.1 it was still a better option most of the time. And I can relax, kick back, have a beer, curl up under a blanket, pause to deposit used beer, etc.
I maybe go to the movies once a year.
Same. I'd go more if my town's theater had more actually interesting movies. The ones they've bothered showing have basically all been A24 vehicles, most other movies being your usual superhero etc slop
Everyone in here with personal large TVs and surround systems throwing the curve.
Honestly when I was in walking distance to a theater I liked (they served like pizza fries and other meal items for a good price) I went all the time. I was willing to go for movies I was less excited about rather than waiting it out cause giving up 4 hours of my time for an ok movie after driving, trailers and everything else plus cost is definitely less appealing.
I definitely think cost and spare money to spend on nice things other than food is a huge component of this all but I also would just like ease of participating.
Both time and money have felt like very precious resources in these new terrifying gilded ages.
If I had a cinema down the street I'd love to get the pass and just go check out some movies during the day (I'm an independent so I'd have that possibility, easier than evening/weekends when the kid is involved). But as it stands I have to drive there, park, pay the exorbitant parking, etc etc. And it's not worth having a pass in these conditions so paying full price tickets every time, and yeah it's a luxurious/time consuming outing.
It sucks because I personally love watching movies at the theater. I miss the days where I would see a movie every week with my $5 allowance.
Watching movies on your TV at home sucks, unless you have money for a giant TV and good surround sound. Part of the experience is the rumbling sound).$, And streaming quality still sucks. And I’m not paying to digitally rent a movie.
I have two in walking distance. I've never been to either.
Ours was outdated, small seats, cramped. We would have to drive 45 minutes for a more "updated" one. No thanks, those days are gone, plus now it is costly.
If cinemas changed to be smaller screenings of more movies, it'd be great. Streamings outdated too, when music lets you stream whatever you want from any service youd like It shows how insanely stupid it is to pay like median wage in subscriptions just to watch some of the content out there.