Movie theaters have existed for over a century, and over that time they have resorted to all sorts of tactics to draw in customers. When the films are good, that’s usually enough to pack ’em in. When the movies aren’t so good — or when other entertainment options look more enticing — well, you know what they say about desperate times and desperate measures.
Through the decades, those measures have taken on a variety of forms. One of the most common is the introduction of a new gimmick, a marketing hook of some kind that sells a film as a unique experience in the annals of cinema history. These can include new film formats, new projection technology, or flat-out huckster nonsense.
Some of these gimmicks were so bizarre they took on the quality of the wreckage following a high-speed car crash. You didn’t necessarily want to look, but you couldn’t help yourself; you needed to see. Others were so fun they became full-fledged Hollywood trends, attached to films for years or decades as studios chased the almighty dollar as far and as fast as they could.
The list below gathers up 12 of the most notable movie theaters gimmicks, excluding the ones that are still regularly hyped in multiplexes. (Who wants to see The Fantastic Four: First Steps in D-BOX with me???) It makes you wonder: What gimmick will come to movie theaters next?
Once-Beloved Movie Gimmicks That Have Faded Away
Movie theaters have resorted to some interesting tactics to lure in viewers through the years.
READ MORE: 12 Things We Miss About the Way Movie Theaters Used to Be
The Craziest DVD and Blu-ray Box Sets Ever Made
You won’t believe some of the movie box sets that have been released through the years.
