There has been a lot of talk lately about how home entertainment, and in particular Video On Demand or Pay-Per-View, could cause the end of movie theatres. Might even cause the end of over a century of big screen experiences. As someone who has enjoyed going to theatres, and also was planning on going to work at one as a summer job this year, I have to admit I am biased. I am very partial to saving the Big Screen Experience.
Having said that, I can tell you that once a theatre is gone, it's gone forever, and so we have to ask ourselves how important it is to keep it.
There is something special about the movie-going experience that you can't duplicate at home. I have seen a number of films both at the cinema and at home, and I can tell you that even if you have a decent-sized TV and a Blu-ray Disc player, you will miss out if you can never go to the theatre again.
And while it is true you can't see a favorite movie at the Regal or AMC forever, and you will probably end up with a copy of it at home anyway, even seeing it on disc is more of an experience if it brings back happy memories of seeing it in a darkened cinema with your sweetheart. Or from a night out with friends. Or the time you took your kids to see their favorite film that they were just begging to see.
If theatres go away, so will those memories. And while you can make other memories at home, the ones you could have had at the local movie house will be lost forever.
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