It has now been over a month since the last time I stepped into a movie theater. I saw Bad Moms, which is not the movie you want to have as the last movie you saw when you are writing a love letter like confession. And it’s not like Bad Moms is at fault here, it’s all the other little things that get in the way, and before you know it, you miss it…
You miss the little rush into the theater, the dark path between the doors and the theater, filled with expectations, hope and promise of a great movie. You miss the anxiety of discovering who you are sitting next to, or if nobody sits next there and you can dump your bag and overcoat on that seat next to you. You miss watching the trailers on big screens, and whispering your thoughts about it to your friend or your group of buddies. You miss the moment when the lights go out, when you realize the movie is about to begin, and you even miss the commercials before the movie. You miss the rustling of feet and clothes, when everyone is settling themselves and finding the most comfortable sitting position. You miss the opening titles of the movie, the production logos and the moment when the movie just invites you in. You miss the smell of popcorn, and the sounds of people chewing. You miss poking your friend when something cool happens on the screen but you don’t want to disturb the moment with your conversation. You miss the gasps and the small laughs, the big laughs, the unique laughs, and the silent tears that you yourself might be letting out. You miss the annoying movie goer who you have to discipline, and you can feel the support from the entire movie theater of people who were also annoyed by this person, but were not brave enough to do what you did. You miss the twists and the feeling of surprise that quiets the whole theater, and you miss the silence that overwhelms you. You miss the disappointment of finishing your popcorn or candy before the movie ends. You miss the possibility of having to go to the toilet in the middle of the movie, and the fear of missing something important. You also miss the option of walking out the theater completely because the movie is so bad that you can’t handle another second of it. You miss watching a person walk out of the movie theater and to never come back. You miss the little moment, right after the movie ends, when everyone in the theater is still for a millisecond before rushing to get to the door. You miss the look between you and your friends, that tells them how you felt about the movie, and how they felt. You miss the first sentence uttered between yourselves that breaks the illusion of the experience. You miss the joy when you discover you didn’t spill any popcorn, or that the spill was minimal at least. You miss standing in the isle, because you don’t want to squish yourself between the flow of people. You miss slow walking down the stairs. You miss thinking if you left anything behind. You miss wondering if you just lost your friends to the crowd right before you notice their heads. You miss exiting through that small dark tunnel that was filled with expectations, hope and promise of a great movie. And you miss the realization that the tunnel was right, that you had a great time, and you miss that feeling you get after watching a movie, either good or bad. But what you miss the most, out of everything else, is that promise of returning there days later, a week later, to experience everything all over again…
This is great. I’m also seeing a lot less movies in the theater than I used to. And I agree, even the annoying stuff that can happen while watching a movie (the talkers, the texters, the poor projection…) it all creates an experience. And, yeah, I miss that at times too.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this.. I think a bigger audience inside a room can affect your thoughts on the movie a bit as well, like, you would love a comedy more if the audience was laughing more, and vice versa. I think the atmosphere can make and break a movie sometimes. I miss that too.
This described everything I love about the movies but could never explain it like this. Wonderful! Thanks so much
That is the biggest compliment I could have received! Thank you!
I haven’t been to a movie theater since early June. I do miss going into a movie theater and find a good seat. The smell of popcorn and seeing a movie in the big screen. I don’t miss the texting bullshit and all of that modern crap. Yet, I think part of the reason I haven’t gone to see a new film is the fact that there hasn’t been a lot of good movies lately and the ones that I want to see are often 20-30 minutes from where I live or they’re here one week and gone the next.
I hate the mobile phones too. I actually told off one guy at the cinema who was sitting there and PLAYING on his phone. He left, never came back. Granted, Monuments Men was a bit dull but that’s no excuse to disturb others! And I think there have been good movies, Bridget Jones’ Baby, Deepwater Horizion, but I think I’ll miss them both before I get to the cinema.
Aw, this is one of the most beautiful things I’ve read. You’ve summed it up perfectly! I don’t get to go to the cinema nearly as much as I’d like to. I hope you get the chance soon!
– Allie
Thank you so so much! This means a lot to me. 🙂
Lovely post. I always love going to the movies. People in theaters can be annoying, but there’s just something about the big screen that’s more alluring than seeing it at home where so many things can distract you.
Totally agree with the at home distraction. I think my consentration at the cinema is a lot better than at home, and I’m glad that I’ve seen some amazing movies at the theater because I’ve realised their full potential, that I might have missed at home.
I am so with you. I haven’t been for 4 months now and I won’t be going any time soon and I really miss it!
Oh my, I hope you still make it to the cinema soon! There’s a “Baby cinema movie” in our local cinema, which is a cool concept, because obvious reasons. I feel like it would be a great recommendation to any movie theater – a whole new audience to reach, moms!
Omg, this speaks to me so much. It’s been like three months since I last went to theater. I want to tell studios it’s not their fault necessarily, but just that my nearest one is two hours away and I rarely have the car. I miss all of these things so much. Watching movies at home is great and convenient, but there is a little magic to actually going out to see a movie. <3
Oh my god, that’s so bad. So many have said they haven’t been in months as well and that makes me sad! My theater isn’t far, I work in the same building, but I just haven’t had the time nor people to go with. I think I’m just going to go alone this week!
Oh I love this post! It kinda sums up what I felt when I was in the university and found it hard to be regularly present at the cinema. Now, things are different, but I guess I would need to anticipate if similar things happen in the future. I bet it will, but in the meantime, I’m gonna enjoy it as much as I can.
Thank you so much! I still haven’t broken this absence but I hope to.. soonish.