pros and cons of cinema vs home viewing

Things, I mean technology has come a long way and now you can have the same sound and big screen, in clear plasma or LCD to enjoy a movie..I prefer it but the feel of a movie in a theater is something different. I think it is the experience, I remember seeing Alien on the big screen for it's anniversary and it was like, "whoa" this is cool...but I also do enjoy within Alien on blu ray at home with no noisy kids or teens yelling every five minutes...

im intrested cain do you feel the films should or could be released simultaneously with the release date of the movie given the choice i would love to buy prometheus or rent it on the day or week of its general release date.

There is nothing that can replace the cinematic experience in a well-equipped theater. I didn't go out to cinema as often as I used to because: 1) Movies nowadays tend to be made for 14 year old girls & video gamers with ADD. 2) Movie audiences nowadays are mostly loudmouthed, smart-ass punks who behave like gangsta wannabes, teenage thugs, annoying douches who discusses every single turn of the movie plot with their partners, assholes with cellphones texting. And Hollywood wonder why normal college educated people & older adults stay at home

Every time (for the past 6 years) I go to see a film at the cinema I always say "never again! I hate the cinema". And usually splash some more cash at my home cinema in the weeks after. I feel ripped off. For the £20/£30 it has cost for me to take myself and the Mrs to the cinema plus get a baby sitter I don't think I get the experience that £20/£30 deserves. It seems the cinemas I frequent take no pride in their showings, the seating is bad and crammed, the refreshments/snacks are very expensive, there are massive queues to get your snacks/drinks. The sound is poor quality and sometimes the picture is out of focus. I wonder how they can't staff the drinks stands sufficiently, it is as if they don't know their own showing timetable! Why the hell do they put seats so far forward it is guaranteed to give you a bad neck?

The prices as well, as I agree with SoX2000, are not helping let alone the costs of food as well when you get inside and it is not like they can give you a refund for a crappy movie we paid over 20 dollars for...I mostly stay at home now... There was an experiment to release the film the same week as the movie came out in the theaters..it was like 80 dollars for the film and I think they were doing this for the Ben Stiller heist movie... Don't get me wrong..I will see Prometheus but I might wait till it has been in the theaters a week , I am not one for the teens there making noises and what not... But..I wish they would release it to DVD first, they would make so much more money I think as well... Yet, I will see Prometheus in the theater...because I want to experience it on the big screen but that will be the only I movie I see in theater this year along side with the Dark Knight...

We have to remember that the snack bar brings in most of the revenue for the theaters as only a small cut of the movie ticket pricing goes to the theater. Without those rediculous popcorn prices there may not be a theater at all.

If I had the choice on release day I'd watch Prometheus at home. But since I can't I will be at the Cinema. I'm going to try and find a showing at a small independent cinema if I can find one, I'm sure they'd take much more pride in their screenings. One thing I do like about Cinemas though is that no matter how much the Mrs says "turn the volume down" they won't =D I like it loud :) I have to keep my viewings at home way below the THX reference volume if she's watching.

With the size and picture quality of todays tv's, I think it is having an impact on the number of people going to movies. Yes its fun but when you can barely hear the movie because of rude teenagers its just not worth it, but in the same breath I will be going to see this movie because..I...Just.. Can ... Not ..... Wait!!!!

That's interesting the points you make. I would love to know the ages of a lot of the people on this site and the countries they live in because you mention dollars am i right in assuming your from the USA or maybe Australia ? The reason i mention it because i was under the impression the USA has a much more up to date cinema experience than we have here in the uk.

Can't stand going to the cinema anymore, most people don't know the correct etiquette for the cinema and are just plain rude... Last film I went to see was ruined by some knob-cheeese taping his feet like he was rehearsing for Broadway, he shut up when I gave him a mouthful but by then I was too wound-up to enjoy the rest of the film... With the advent of large LCD/LED screens and cheaper surround sound set-ups you really are better off staying at home.

i wish i Knew where the users on this forum were from nationality speaking to compare the experiences in the prospective countries . I was under the impression the USA had top notch facilities in their cinemas

My local cinema, an AMC outlet in Richmond, Indiana USA is nice. Four bucks for the first show in the morning, six bucks for shows up to 5:00 PM. The snacks are always pricey but that's how the theatre makes a profit. Maybe chow down before going to the show. Plus management does a good job of keeping the rowdy ones in check. And it's kept clean too. It has ten screens and I'm sure Prometheus will fill three of those on June 8.

The theater I go to is a 17-screen TInseltown. They were quick to upgrade to digital projection and have added 3D functionality in several theaters. I'd say their audio is above average. But I've been to some much lower-quality theaters, too. It all depends on location. The TInseltown is near the mall and additional, massive retail and corporate development in a wealthier neighborhood. So it gets a ton of traffic from people for whom price doesn't matter as much.

For me, Prometheus is a must to be experienced on the big screen first. I'll catch a weekday daytime showing when most people are at work - that way there'll be no chavs to spoil the experience - that's if this will appeal to chavs in the first place, which is highly doubtful. So that might be one good thing. In the Autumn, I will get it on blu-ray and indulge, savour and soak up the INTENSE experience - if SRS delivers on his promise of the 18 cut.

I live in a small town and have a three screen theater. I was really a craphole with old screens and projectors, then it was purchased locally and they did a complete restore with digital projectors, new screens and new chairs. Now it is really nice. I just found out that they are going to build a six screen complex here, which will be complete spring of 2013.

I'll be doing the same thing as Zeta, as I'm so sick and damn tired of: Fucking teenagers that never shut up while a movie is on. Those same arsehats kicking my seat. Once I turned around and said to the little prick doing it and said "Kick the seat again I'm going to snap your foot off and shove it up your arse." Of course, he kicked it again, so I stood up, turned around, (I'm about 6 foot 3 inches, and 90 kilos of muscle) and the little prick BOLTED out of the cinema after seeing how big I am. Idiots on phones. People throwing shit at the screen that ends up hitting me. The price of food. The lack of good seating. I can't sit too close to any screen as I get vertigo, and 3-d makes me puke. And most of the time, because I refuse to pay to watch advertising for 30 minutes before the movie I just paid 20 bucks to see, I can't find a seat close to the back or middle of the cinema, so I end up standing up the back of the theatre. Least I'm the first one out when the movie is over. But, for Prometheus, I'll be pre booking a seat right in the middle of the cinema for the first daily session. 9 am I'm hoping, or a midnight release if that happens. I will also be taking my lightsaber to smack any noxious little arseholes that even think about ruining this experience for me. Yes, my lightsaber is fully metal with a super strong polycarbonite blade. It's gone up against walls and taken concrete off them. Shouldn't be a problem at all against emo skulls. Sorry, I'm a bit angry at the world at the moment.

No apologies necessary, a couple of year ago the studios were experimenting with faster turn around's of cinema releases to dvd/ blue ray and to a point they still are... how would you feel about parallel releases of new films as in release dates for new films simultaneously being released on disc and download as the official theatre release date, and is it feasible with piracy so rife?

bummer; that´d be a pity, if released simulaneously in theatres as on blueray/dvd: you should mind the great spectacle in a public performance. If there was a raffle of tickets for everyone subscribed here untill now and there was free lodging included, you alteredstate wouldn´t have that negative approach. Public performance still is a form of social event that I (as well as most of my friends) don´t want to miss. By the bye I still prefer smaller theatres of my region and not those large cinema temples that, over the last 10-15 years came about to be most common here, too... and where mostly major studios flicks are performed!

I slowly built up my own home theater over the years and it is now comprised of 13 Satelites and 3 Sub woofers, DTS and 5.1 {soon to be upgraded to 7.1} Surround etc etc and a 47" LG LCD. I would not trade the experience of watching The Prometheus Blue Ray Special Extended Edition DVD when it comes out in my living room for 500 private IMAX viewings in some theater with 100 other people, although that would be cool to. But you get my point I am sure. For me the S O U N D...and S C O R E of S O U N D and E F F E C T of S O U N D in a film...all of it....everything you can hear.... Is maybe the 2nd most important thing in any film made in today's day and age.

Spartacus, don´t tell me that you haven´t had already those surveys on 'how important is it for you (as auditor) to watch a film in 3D', yet. When asked, I told them that it´s mostly sci-fi/ fantasy or action flicks or computer animated movies that I´d ‘love’ to watch in this manner. I'm sure that many can abstain from watching a polit-thriller shot in 3D but in the same line no one would complain on improvements in sound reproduction that you attach great importance to. In my opinion a smaller theatre meanwhile can match up w. big movie house auditoriums, even if not from a technical point of view. Their speakers aren´t equipped w. that large l.f.o. bass booms behind screens, indeed. But they´ve satellite speakers or horns all around as well to give you a spatial sense of sound. We have four of those smaller (indie)- theaters in our town: When our local film festival takes place, there are even more (take a converted multi-purpose hall). There, for instance, are shown films which otherwise are also performed at the 'Cannes-Film Festival' of France. Not a bit of fidgety Philip in the audience but lots of film formers!