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Comment by murukesh_s | Hacker News Reader

"lack of crowds at theaters" > I am also not a crowd lover, i too love it when visiting not so popular theaters where i could stretch myself in between the movie, but sad thing is it won't last long isn't it.. either the theatre closes down or the maintenance goes really low it starts to stink..

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That is strange to me. For me there is no other feeling like enjoying a movie with hundreds of strangers. Everyone laughing at the same time, people choking back tears, the "class clown" that hoots and hollers at the appropriate time. When the local theater started serving dinner and beer my friends and I became regulars again. Maybe it's just a nostalgic Oregon Trail Generation thing?

Complimentary anecdote: I grew up playing Oregon Trail on the Macintosh, yet I also make a point to always wait at least a week before seeing any movie release so 1) the crowds die down, and specifically 2) so everyone there is there to see the movie and is unlikely to make any sort of noise (ESPECIALLY the class clown, who IMO ruins the movie-going experience)--ideally so I feel like I have the gigantic screen all to myself. If I _did_ have a theater-sized screen all to myself, I'd never go to the movies.

Maybe it's something like an introvert/extrovert thing, rather than a generational thing?

> the "class clown" that hoots and hollers at the appropriate time

This is exactly why I don't like theaters. I go to enjoy the movie, not have a shared social event. The extend of the 'social' aspect is my wife or friend next to me maybe getting an ear whisper, but even that is rare. If I want a shared social movie event I'll go watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Edit: I also grew up playing Oregon Trail

I like those things too, except for the crying baby and teens that won't put their bright cell phones away.

those are the things that keep me out of theaters. it was happening often enough to be an issue. (larger city)

At our local theaters it now seems like the older generation can’t put away their cell phones either.

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