I love watching movies in theaters.
I don’t know about you, but I have difficulty focusing when I’m watching TV or a movie at home. I honestly can’t remember the last time I watched a movie without checking my phone. Heck, without playing on my phone for the vast majority of the movie.
Except when I’m at a movie theater. There I’m able to disconnect, to focus, to let my hands be still instead of constantly fidgeting and swiping. That’s a wonderful change of pace – being able to actually, fully appreciate what I’m watching.
Going to the theater is a far more deliberate process than watching a movie at home, when you are either flipping through TV channels or streaming services until something catches your eye. You don’t (or at least I don’t) just stop by a movie theater to figure out what to watch. You have to figure out what’s showing nearby, or decide how far you’re willing to travel to see that specific movie. You have to carve out time in your day to see this specific movie at its set time. It’s a commitment. It’s a special occasion. It adds to that same focus and appreciation I mentioned earlier.
I especially love going to movie theaters alone. I have several friends who also adore going to movies by themselves, and each one claims to have been skeptical before trying it. Movies just seem like an event for a big group of friends, or a slightly awkward early date.
Going alone is very different than either of those experiences, though. It’s far more calming, for sure. Contemplative, even. I never have to worry about compromising on movie choice, or worrying they won’t like what I picked out. Even though I’m not opposed to the occasional whisper, if you’re alone you don’t have to worry about negotiating whether to talk or not.
When I was abroad, I saw something like a dozen movies in theaters – the vast majority of them alone. Clearly there’s something to this experience that I enjoy. Don’t knock it until you try it.
Nevertheless, going to the theater (for a movie or a play or a concert) is always a communal event. Yes, I can watch a movie at home with friends, but that’s not quite the same. In a movie theater I’m with strangers. I may not know anything about these people, but I can hear their gasps and laughs and cries and screams. My own emotional responses are intensified, feeding off the reactions of the people around me. I laugh out loud more. I’m more likely to cry. And, if I was willing to watch scary movies, I’m sure I’d be more apt to scream as well.
Movies are created in order to elicit emotional reactions. For me, at least, movies are most successful at that in theaters. Why would I not go see them on the big screen?
(PS: Having a glass of wine at the theater makes this experience even more enjoyable, so if you’re of age and at an artsy/European movie theater, 10/10 would recommend.)