DMGMovie Theaters Still Not Quite Getting It
"I don't know what's going on with consumers that they have to talk on phones in the middle of theaters," John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners, told the ShoWest conference in Las Vegas.
I'm with them on jamming the phones. But this is just a tiny piece of the problem. Theaters used to be the first, best places to see movies. Today, I have Netflix, and for less than the cost of one night at a movie theater, I have a steady stream of movies mailed to me. No schedules, driving, parking, lines, coffee-less concessions counters, commercials, bathrooms, or bad seats.
Theater owners don't need to reduce the reasons people stay away, they need to give us a reason to leave the house. ArcLight Cinemas gets this.
The theaters where I live have split into two camps: the big-ass multiplex near the freeway is a madhouse of 12- to 17-year-olds, and the smaller art house theater and Roxy cultivate an upscale atmosphere that keeps kids away. Managers are visible, and in suits, ushers are over 18 and wear uniforms. The Roxy has, since it re-opened about a year ago, become the only place in Camarillo that my friends and I will see a movie.