All,
Grab your popcorn and soda, we’re going to the movies.
I saw “The Invisible Man”, a modern retelling of the classic horror film when it premiered March, 2020. There were moments of suspense, mystery and dread throughout the movie. I didn’t think anything of the experience outside of enjoying the movie. I saw the movie three days before the world shut down due to COVID.
Going to the movie theater was high on the list of things I missed during the pandemic. I missed the excitement of seeing a new blockbuster and the dread of watching a horror film. The pandemic shut down theaters all around the world, and millions of people missed out on seeing anticipated movies on the big screen.
Production companies had many major issues during the pandemic, a big one being what to do with the movies they had already finished. They couldn’t wait to release them in theaters because it would push films farther down the release schedule, ultimately costing them more money in the long run. Instead of waiting, many of them decided to release movies on their streaming services along with the theatrical release.
Two of the more notorious examples are HBO Max and Disney Plus. HBO Max allowed all users to see their films on their platform the day they came out. As of today, major releases to premiere on HBO Max and in theaters include, Godzilla Vs. Kong, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Mortal Kombat. Disney Plus took a much different approach for their at-home releases like Mulan and Raya and The Last Dragon. Disney decided to charge a fee to see these films on top of the subscription payment and then releasing them a few months later to the rest of the members.
During this time, I watched most of the HBO Max films the day they premiered in the service. And to be honest, I really enjoyed it. My friends and gathered around our TV and watched with excitement, we could finally watch new releases! I was really starting to enjoy the at-home movie experience. “Maybe this should be how movies are distributed,” I thought.
That was until yesterday when my friends and I saw “A Quiet Place Part 2” (without wearing a mask!) at the Emagine Theater in Macomb and I was immediately reminded why I loved going to the theater.
The sweet smell of the popcorn mixed with the sound of candy rattling around (my favorite is Buncha Crunch) felt right was we walked to our seats. The lights around the room turned down and the trailers stared playing and we began critiquing everything that played. I was most excited by the Top Gun sequel trailer.
We were greeted by a video of director John Krasinski thanking the audience for coming to the theater to see the film.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for coming, and I hope you enjoy the movie.”
The movie started and the whole theater went quiet. Everybody watched with intent, and intrigue and memories of my family talking at home during the at-home premiere rang in my head.
“Can we pause the movie? I have to go to the bathroom.”
“I need more popcorn, pause the movie real quick?”
“Turn the volume down, it’s way too loud.”
Jeez, what a nightmare.
Movies are back and I cannot be more grateful. I missed everything about the movies, and I don’t see them going anywhere once more people become vaccinated or feel comfortable.
Jacob