DMGWhy Movie Theaters Suck
I used to go to the movies at least once a week. No more. I still love movies, but I'm in no real rush to see everything the week it comes out (Oscar contenders aside), and the schedules, driving, parking, lines, tickets, seating, waiting, advertising, concessions (overpriced, no coffee), and general pain-in-the-ass of going to the movies has pushed me away.
Slate and Ars Technica have a quick pair of article on the economics of movie theaters, which kind of explains why they suck so much. (Without actually causing me to feel any sympathy, of course.)
Bottom line: theater owners have traded away all the pleasures of going to the movies in favor of making more money. No surprise there, really, though it's still a mystery to me why theaters think getting crappier is going to save them.