The Movie Theater Experience & My Aunt Sandra
The air was heavy with excitement as Aunt Sandra bustled around the house getting us all ready for our trip. She packed extra napkins to mop up any spills and ran us through the rules of appropriate movie theater behavior (no talking, no running in the aisle, and most importantly, be respectful!). We were each given a few coins for bus fare – a tiny taste of independence that made us feel grown-up enough to deal with the long ride ahead.
Finally, it was time to go. As we stepped out of the door, we had no idea just how special this day would turn out to be. The bus ride downtown was filled with anticipation, as we all talked about what movie we would see and what snacks we’d buy. When we arrived at the movie theater, it felt like stepping into a magical world. The lobby was full of life, with people chatting and laughing, the smell of freshly popped popcorn wafting through the hallways, and posters plastered everywhere declaring “this week’s must-see showings”. We could hardly contain our excitement!
As we settled into our seats and the lights of the theater began to dim, the feeling of anticipation heightened. After the trailers ended and the feature presentation started, I finally lost myself in the world up on that screen. For those few hours, nothing else mattered. Nothing else existed outside of that theater – not even me. I was free to forget my worries and just lose myself in that movie experience.
When the credits rolled and the lights came back on, none of us wanted to leave. We reluctantly shuffled out of the theater, entranced by the experience that we had just shared together. That day proved to be one of the best outings of my childhood – a day filled with adventure, possibility and pure joy. Sadly, many kids will never experience such a wonderful trip to the movie theater, but I will always remember it and look back fondly on those moments. 
The Movie Theater Survival
At the end of the day you have to look at the situation around movie theaters directly, and it is a bad one. Theaters all over America and the world are closing at increasing rates. This includes chain theaters like Landmark theaters and it also includes independent theaters as well. All in all, theaters are not in a good spot. This is something that anyone can see from the outside looking in, and something which can be explained by one main thing.
Theaters everywhere are all falling victim to the same exact thing. Streaming services are single-handedly killing off many movie theaters one by one. By releasing their movies either close to when they release in theaters or even releasing them the same day as they release in theaters, theaters everywhere are forced to compete with a free-watching experience. This is a battle that theaters cannot win. They can’t win this battle for a number of reasons. But one of the main reasons why people choose streaming services over the movie theaters is the prices at the movie theaters.
Video edited on Kapwing
