Do you try to see a movie during the opening weekend?

[yoda313]

So with all the blockbuster movies out this year do you try to see a movie during the opening weekend?

I've seen Indy 4, Mummy 3, and X Files 2 on the opening weekends this year. Only X Files 2 was a disappointment. I didn't have a problem with the story it was just slow. I would have been happier seeing it on a direct to video or a mini-mini series on tv in the fall.

I have seen Dark Knight but didn't see it until the second weekend. I really liked it but not quite as much as the first. I thought it dragged a bit and could have been trimmed a bit.... No real complaints though.. will probably buy it on bluray.

So how about you? Do you wait to see a movie? Skip the theater alltogether? Wait for the dvd or bluray release? Shun modern movies completely?

[MOVIEGEEK]

I wait for it to come out on DVD/Blu Ray,I can't stand the theaters anymore.
The last movie I saw at a theater was War Of The Worlds.

[yoda313]

last movie I saw at a theater was War Of The Worlds.

Ouch I feel for you. I saw that in the theaters and that was hard to sit through (I'm assuming you're talking about the Tom Cruise remake...). However I still brave the theaters for the fun of it...

[Soopafresh]

In the bigger cities, getting tickets early, parking, traffic, etc, makes going to the movies an all day event. No chance of showing up 20 minutes before the show to get in. And then there are the 20 minutes of commercials before the movie starts. And I'm not impressed by images of dancing popcorn boxes.

[yoda313]

Actually the commercials are a step up as far as I'm concerned. Those damned slide shows drove me nuts. They'd cycle so fast you'd see the same things over and over again.

Sure the tv commercials are the same but at least its a little easier to watch then the darn slides..... I'm reffering to the PRE-Previews of course - you know the ads BEFORE the trailers......

[Epicurus8a]

Depends on if I want to see it badly enough - otherwise I'll wait awhile

I love the theater experience. Unfortunately there are many films that warrant getting out of the house.

[gadgetguy]

I generally like going to see movies in the theater, but I haven't seen anything this summer. Nothing has grabbed my attention as a "must-see" movie this summer. I seldom see a movie on opening night/weekend. I prefer to go to matinees during the week. Cheaper and smaller crowds.

[budz]

If I do go to a movie at a theater which is very rare, it's the matinee shows for me. Because the ticket prices are cheaper during the matinee showings. I usually wait until the DVD is released but I did see "Dark Knight" the weekend it opened up. Heath Ledger did excellent portrayal of the Joker. I think Christian Bale is the best Batman yet.

[yoda313]

I think Christian Bale is the best Batman yet.

I don't know. I still like Michael Keaton's first Batman. But Bale is very good. I'd say Bale 1 Keaton a very close second.

[Constant Gardener]

I like to watch movies in a crowded theater; the audience reaction is much of the experience. Not that I go out to many. Once in a while, though, something catches my fancy. "The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy", "Stranger than Fiction", and "Casino Royale" come to mind. Oh, the latest "Indiana Jones" fantasy was fun - but there were only twenty-seven people in the theater - should have waited for the DVD.

[John]

Well im single so going to the pictures, would involve a date. wouldnt go on my own, besides which there hasnt been anything seeing lately. last time I went to the theatre was to see The Last Samuri, so thats a good 5 years. and yea I dont think ive been on a date since then.

[Midzuki]

Q.: Do you try to see a movie during the opening weekend?

A.: Not anymore. Over here( "3rd World" ), going to the movie theaters
keeps getting more and more expensive, the theater rooms getting smaller
and smaller, and the average frequenters getting more and more "contemptible"
The last movie I saw during its opening Friday was "Revenge Of The Sith".

[yoda313]

The last movie I saw during its opening Friday was "Revenge Of The Sith".

Actually all the prequels were Wednesday openings I believe. Perhaps the third was on a Thursday. At least here in the US that is.......

[Xylob the Destroyer]

Been doing it a log more this summer than ever before.
We usually go to the first showing on Saturday morning -- no lines, no crowds, no ******* teenagers...

[Midzuki]

The last movie I saw during its opening Friday was "Revenge Of The Sith".

Actually all the prequels were Wednesday openings I believe. Perhaps the third was on a Thursday. At least here in the US that is.......

In the Antarctic Japan, things are somewhat different ---- or not
Since "sometime after 1984", the new films are released on Fridays,
however there can be exceptions to the rule ---
--- e.g., The Matrix Revolutions was released on a Wednesday.

[yoda313]

@ Midzuki - yeah for the longest time here in the US it was ALWAYS a Friday release. Then the studios got greedier and wanted a longer opening weekend. So then you have Wednesday releases or rarer Thursday openings for the mega blockbusters.

Not all do it on Wednesdays but ones like Spiderman and Dark Knight are destined for early openings to jack up early sales figures.

[TBoneit]

I usually go to Matinees, cheaper and less crowded. Since I hate noisy crowds I would never go to a opening weekend showing.

Fortunately legal ways to view in the home while still in the theater are starting to appear. Per a message thread over on www.dbstalk.com where it looks like DirecTV is getting ready to implement it.

Been doing it a log more this summer than ever before.
We usually go to the first showing on Saturday morning -- no lines, no crowds, no ******* teenagers...

If that's happening in the audience then think of it as free amateur adult video.

[Nitemare]

Usually I wait for DVD, but this summer I saw Indy 4 (after 2 weeks) and Dark Knight on opening night. I have kids so most of my theater experiences involve family films.

Waiting is a tricky proposition these days. I waited until I had free time to see Iron Man and then, after 3 weeks, there were no theaters in the area still running it. I missed it entirely.

What killes me is the 16 screen multiplex down the road... they were showing the same film on 4 of them. 16 screens and only nine films playing, but Iron Man was gone after 3 weeks? How is that smart business?

[cal_tony]

Until it's out on DISK..any kind of disk, it's not a movie yet. Oh man, I don't want to say it but I will. Last time I was in a theater to watch a movie was to see Rambo 2. and that was much more than a while ago. I have such a good abstinence record going that even Batman will have to wait til DISK time.

Tony

[Rich86]

We occasionally go to the movies - we prefer live theater - we watch tv and have all we want on dvd/hd-dvd anyway! 8)

[dadrab]

The cost of movies these days is stupid high. I generally wait for DVD releases, but my kids go routinely.

On the other hand, I'm so slack about going to movies - even ones I've been dying to see - that when they come to the $1 theatre, I still don't go.

The wife and I did make a family thing out of going to see the new Indiana Jones flick, but I still have yet to see Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Batman - basically all the movies I'd really been looking forward to.

Oh well.

[usually_quiet]

I don't remember ever going to a movie on the opening weekend. Now, I only go to a movie theater a few times a year. Usually its a family outing -- sombody's birthday, or relatives are visiting.

The only second-run theaters left are too far away, and it is too expensive to go to the others on a regular basis. I wait until a few weeks after the DVD is released so I can rent without too much difficulty. I do miss the theater experience, though, especially the big screen. However, if I can watch a rental with someone else, it does make it more enjoyable.

[dadrab]

I forgot to mention there's a real drive-in theatre in my area. I've done that with the wife and kids a time or two. It's not like in the old days where you had to put the speaker in your window and still could hardly understand what was going on. Now, you tune your car stereo to a particular channel and get the sound in stereo.

During the fall of the year when the weather's really nice, we'll go, park the car, set up a picnic blanket and some munchie food, break out the boom box with the portable Bose speakers, set out some lounge chairs and relax.

Care for a couple of glasses of a nice Shiraz with your movie?

It's not for everybody and it's not for me all that often, but it is nice for a change.

[pstedman]

Going to a movie on any weekend is a tall order for my wife and I as we need to find a babysitter. Like others have mentioned it's sometimes hard to justify the the whole process/cost of the theater when you know the movie will be out on disc in a few months. That and dealing with those damn teenagers! :P

Just to keep our sanity we do go out from time to time - we're just very selective. One thing we've seen lately is several niche-style theaters. Instead of having 24 screens they have two or three at most, but deliver a high degree of service (ex. 21 and over shows, full bar, honest-to-god recliners for seats) that makes the whole experience more fun. We shoot for those when we decide to see a movie.