Hacker News Reader

Comment by jtcond13 | Hacker News Reader

I tip my cap to all the loyal users of MoviePass out there; I have long waited for the day when investors would be willing to subsidize my hobbies and you've been living in that world for months. Bravo, ladies and gentleman.

I have to wonder, though, why you'd want to go to the movies regularly these days, with all the dreck that Hollywood has been putting out in recent years. Maybe it's time for you guys to hit the $1.99 rentals on YouTube/Amazon/iTunes more often.

View on HN

To get out of the house with my girl and not spend a fortune.

To use it as an excuse to join other members and see more films with new friends.

To get out of the hot summer sun and enjoy a few hours of entertainment inside a nice cool theater.

To simply enjoy blowing movie pass investor money that they were too dumb to hang onto because it’s hard to spot a unicorn and pets.com was taken this cycle.

its really amazing how many people don't realize that money is simply thrown around as frivolously as it is in this sector

The movie theatre experience is one of a kind. You can't come close to re-creating it with your phone or tv.

You can with a VR headset though.

Most movie theaters don't give me headaches and make me feel like I'm getting carsick.

Carsick?? Why would 1 to 1 movement make you carsick?

Are you talking about gearvr? Or other “not really vr” headsets?

None of them are hi-res enough to really do that job.

I think the StarVR will get there one day. Here's a review of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvFBUvfpQJ8

The only problem is right now they are targeting business, but I hope to see a consumer version one day and if they can get it lighter, comfortable for 3 hours of continuous wearing and can replace a theatre screen.

I don't see why it can't replace a TV or movie experience.

I would have agreed when I was a kid and a huge TV was a 27" 480i CRT. But now you can get a 85" 4k HDR screen at home, I'd say you can come close. Better than many theaters.

It's not only the A/V that goes into the experience. Not saying it is a perfect experience, but a large TV or even a projector isn't really the same.

Indeed. It is the same as saying that one should never go out for a walk, because you can easily walk some rounds around the table in the comfort of your own house.

It's the 'out' part that is important!

Except a theater isn't out, you are just trading one dark room for another.

Bikeshedding

You committed the fallacy of posting a fallacy without support.

In a theater, you sit in the dark, if you are a good citizen, you don't talk. 90% of any social piece to going to a movies happens at dinner before or after, which you can still do and then go home to watch a movie.

The theater itself is not the experience. The 'out' thing is, though.

You can still have the "out", like Dinner and coffee at a restaurant. But the specific watching a movie part is "in" whether it is at a theater or your living room.

My 9 foot projection screen with dolby surround sound in my light controlled living room would say otherwise.

Can't argue taste! I really like the recent blockbusters (eg all the marvel stuff). The more ridiculous, the better! Looking around at the cinema I feel like I'm not the only one with that opinion. Usually when I go watch some Iron Man 8 kind of movie the room is filled with faces of eager anticipation.

Going to the movies is just asking for a talker or phone user to ruin it. Most of the major chains have a warning about it, but it continues to happen on a regular basis. You have the options of either risking a fist fight or missing a good 10+ minutes looking for staff.

I want a "movie theater" that is essentially a private room with a TV that me, the spouse, and kids can watch it in. We can also pause for bathroom breaks and get food ordered/delivered. That's often why I just wait for the BluRay release and watch at home, the experience at the big chains is terrible.

I don't know if Alamo Drafthouse is in your area, but it's a movie theater with a very strict no talking/phones policy. If you violate that policy they promptly kick you out of the theater.

Watching movies there has really made me appreciate the benefits of the big screen again.

Unfortunately we don't yet. I'd definitely give them my business if we did.

I’ll state it here again, but if anyone reading this lives within a reasonable distance to an Alamo Drafthouse, it is absolutely worth it.

I live in Dallas where we’re fortunate to have a half dozen of them. They’re all great, the food is excellent, staff is great, and on and on and on. I love this place and I go at least once a month probably and more during busy months.

It’s worth it!

The downside of course being the constant background noise of chewing, drinking, glasses clattering, lights under every table, and subpar quality projectors.

Can’t have it all.

Yeaaaa I go once a week and this is not a thing. I think this place literally has it all.

- Never noticed chewing / drinking / glasses

- The lights under the table is so dull I honestly don't even know where it is or how they even see it. I've looked under the table and can't seem to find it

- This may just be me but their projectors are just fine

I've not noticed any of this in my local theater, but it's possible that it happens in some locations.

Well, except for pausing the movie and if you are okay with the private room being your car...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/america/fif...

Talking is maybe more of an issue, but taking a phone call in the middle of a movie doesn't work around me. It has only happened once, near the emotional peak of The Aviator in 2004. The theater wasn't that crowded, and after just a few seconds I yelled "Take it outside, buddy!" across twenty seats. He took it outside. I was ready to stand up and yell again, and walk over to him and yell again, if necessary. If he's ruining the movie for me, I'm sure as hell going to ruin his phone call. But that was the only time it has ever happened to me, and I see a medium number of movies. I saw an unusual 14 movies in my three month MoviePass membership before I canceled, with zero phone calls or talkers.

I have visited theatres that perfectly match your description in Taiwan, with the exception that the film has to be out on DVD. You choose the size of room you would like (some rooms are large enough for parties, some are comfortable for two), pay for the amount of time you would like to book the room (with discounts for longer amounts of time or late night bookings), and choose from their library of DVDs. You are shown to your room and the movie is played. There is a phone to call the front desk and you can order food and drinks to be brought to your room. The chain I visited a few times is called U2MTV [1].

[1] http://www.u2mtv.com/

Reply on news.ycombinator.com