I love movie theaters. For my money — and I spend a lot of my money in movie theaters — it’s still the best way to see a film. Give me a huge screen, booming speakers, a cushy chair, and a good flick and I’m a happy guy.
Still, even the most die-hard movie fan like myself must admit that theaters are not what they used to be. In a few ways, that’s for the better; I think the overall quality of projection has improved in the last few years, and the sound systems in most modern multiplexes are mind-bogglingly good. (When I saw Twisters over the summer, the sound was so intense, i could feel it in my butt.)
It’s also great that you can buy most tickets in advance. That’s a vast improvement over the old system, where you would drive to the theater hoping the movie you wanted to see wasn’t sold out. (If it was, you had three choices: You could wait for the next showing, see something else, or go home.) And if you wanted to know the showtimes and couldn’t find a newspaper you would have to pick up your landline phone, call the theater, and listen to a prerecorded message from a pimple-faced teen who worked there, reciting the day’s showtimes on an endless loop.
All of those changes are improvements. But there are aspects of that old, less high-tech moviegoing experience that I do miss. Some involve the overall atmosphere, ambiance, and decor; other involve the food and entertainment options. Others involve the types of theaters — and types of screenings — that used to be prevalent and now barely exist.
The disappearance of the 12 items on this list below are not going to deter me from going to the theater; I’ll still be there, almost every week, enjoying the latest release and probably a large Cherry Icee. That doesn’t mean I don’t also look back fondly on the way things used to be.
12 Things We Miss in Modern Movie Theaters
While we still love movie theaters, they have changed through the years. And not always for the better.
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