AMC Is Reopening Theaters Today With 15-Cent Tickets (cnet.com) 90
In honor of its 100th anniversary, AMC is reopening theaters across the nation today after closing down because of the coronavirus pandemic. "[F]or one day only, tickets will be priced at their 1920 cost of 15 cents apiece," reports CNET. From the report: More than 100 AMC locations are scheduled to reopen Aug. 20, including in areas across Georgia, Texas, Connecticut, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts, Indiana, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, Minnesota, Ohio, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Kansas and Oklahoma, as well as Washington, DC. Some of the movies being shown on the 15-cent day include throwbacks like Inception, Black Panther, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Grease and Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Once the 100th anniversary pricing concludes, those movies will be priced at $5 per ticket.
The reopening is the first step in AMC's phased plan for the US. It aims to have 600 theaters, or two-thirds of its operations, open by Sept. 3 in time for the launch of Christopher Nolan's Tenet, which has been repeatedly delayed due to COVID-19. The rest of its theaters will reopen when state and local officials give the go-ahead.
The reopening is the first step in AMC's phased plan for the US. It aims to have 600 theaters, or two-thirds of its operations, open by Sept. 3 in time for the launch of Christopher Nolan's Tenet, which has been repeatedly delayed due to COVID-19. The rest of its theaters will reopen when state and local officials give the go-ahead.
5 bucks a ticket? (Score:2)
So we're moving up from 100 years ago to 50 years ago?
1918 prices! (Score:4, Funny)
I'm pretty sure I can get covid for FREE.
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And a popcorn and drink will set you back $15 on top of the $0.15 ...
"We're not in the movie theater business. We're in the concession stand business"
Good luck (Score:5, Insightful)
Home theater is kicking your ass and will continue to do so.
Re:Good luck (Score:4, Funny)
Home theater is kicking only arse for people who accept mediocrity in their entertainment. Doesn't matter how much you spend on your TV and sound system, it doesn't compare to the quality of a partway decent cinema.
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A glass of wine is $15 on top of that. Madness.
All the chain theatres are rubbish.
Re:Good luck (Score:4, Funny)
Actually, the maths are with you on this one. At 15 cents a ticket, you can buy out an entire 250 seat theater for $37.50 and invite all six of your friends for an incredibly well spaced out social distancing event.
Have Sadie bring the big purse and avoid the ridiculousness of $15 glasses of wine.
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I will invite Sadie tho', that big purse is useful
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That's how they are still in business... Keep costs low by avoiding any maintenance or upgrades and you can still turn a small profit for minimum effort. Eventually the conditions will deteriorate to the point that the location becomes illegally dangerous and it will be closed rather than repaired.
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You mean... most people?
Years ago I remember having an discussion with a cousin about how mini-disc & LPs were far superiors to MP3s in terms of audio fidelity. She was right, they are... however I recognized that for most people out there, it's good enough.
Case in point: Look at piracy. The hunger for even crappy in-theater, hand held camera recordings where you hear every cough or see random people getting up to get a snack. These are well consumed, as are later (eventual) HD or better rips with multi
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Years ago I remember having an discussion with a cousin about how mini-disc & LPs were far superiors to MP3s in terms of audio fidelity. She was right, they are... however I recognized that for most people out there, it's good enough.
There's a bit of a difference between an audiophile talking about the the warm fuzzy feeling a medium gives them that people literally can hear, and watching a movie on a 77inch OLED (I bet you the op has an LCD screen) vs a 17m wide screen fed with dual Christie laser projectors with films specifically graded for the exact display with a sound system which would instantly get the police called to your house if you attempted to use it at home.
*most* people who actively enjoy movies do actually go to cinemas
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Years ago I remember having an discussion with a cousin about how mini-disc & LPs were far superiors to MP3s in terms of audio fidelity. She was right, they are...
No, they are not. A high-bitrate MP3 has better fidelity than a mini-disc, and LPs degrade just sitting around, let alone every time you play them. They literally won't sound the same on two successive plays.
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Which part, exactly, cannot be replicated at home?
Re:Good luck (Score:4, Funny)
I refuse to spill soda and popcorn all over my floor to make it all sticky and greasy, thank you very much.
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I refuse to go to sticky unclean cinemas. What's your point? It sounds like your local cinema is run by a bunch of grubs, maybe try another at some point.
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You assume there is another cinema to go to.
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I refuse to spill soda and popcorn all over my floor to make it all sticky and greasy
Where do you live?
I haven't been in a theater like that in 30 years.
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To be fair, I think last time I went to the cinema was in 1990.
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Well if you have a 18m wide screen in the living room, dual 8k Christie projectors, and a sound system which will make the police show up for a noise complaint before the Universal logo has finished playing then sure you probably could replicate it at home.
But I am willing to bet that people *accept* far lower quality, not that they replicated the movie quality at home.
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How much 8K media actually exists? Do you like to sit in the front row of the theater?
You can replicate a similar experience is a smaller space with smaller gear without compromising on quality. Yes, I can get my neighbors to call the cops if I crank the stereo, but I like my hearing so that ins't necessary. Most theaters don't actually have very good sound, its almost never tuned properly.
I have a friend that used to work for THX, its not as impressive as you think.
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How much 8K media actually exists?
Quite a lot. You just don't get it on your home cinema.
Do you like to sit in the front row of the theater? You can replicate a similar experience is a smaller space with smaller gear without compromising on quality.
Instead of writing a whole post, just say "I've never been to a Dolby Cinema and thus have no idea what I'm talking about". It's much shorter to write.
I have a friend that used to work for THX, its not as impressive as you think.
THX hasn't been relevant for 20 years in cinemas. Hell man they abandoned cinema completely and are now owned by Razor (Yay THX enhanced gaming mice). The fact you brought up THX just really shows how out of touch you are with cinemas. Yeah, I'm sure your high end home cinema probably does replicate a cin
Re: Good luck (Score:1)
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https://carltonbale.com/home-t... [carltonbale.com]
Arguably, even for a large size theater screen, at 8K you'd need to sit within about 25 feet of the screen to see the 8K resolution. Like I asked previously, do you like to sit in the front row of the theater?
You must be far sighted or fooling yourself if you think that 8K movie really looks a lot better. When you sit on the beach and look down at the sand next to you, you can count the individual grains of sand. But when you cast your gaze out a few feet it becomes very
Not sure about that (Score:2)
Home theater is kicking only arse for people who accept mediocrity in their entertainment.
You don't have to spend all that much now to have pretty good surround, and a good projector that supports UHD...
Then you also get to tune the sound system to your liking, most of the theaters I have been to think a great sound system means as much base as possible. I saw Rise of Skywalker in multiple theaters which was pretty interesting as I got to compare a number of different places, there was only one theater wh
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You don't have to spend all that much now to have pretty good surround, and a good projector that supports UHD...
Comparing that to going to e.g. a Dolby cinema is like saying you don't need to spend all that much to get a tape deck in an era which compares it against CDs.
most of the theaters I have been to think a great sound system means as much base as possible
Most of the theaters I go to don't get to decide what it means, that requirement is given specifically by Dolby who will come out and test/certify that its setup correctly. It sounds like you're going to some crap cinemas.
I do agree there are some shit cinemas out there. Don't give them your money, in that case you may as well stay at home.
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Most of the theaters I go to don't get to decide what it means, that requirement is given specifically by Dolby who will come out and test/certify that its setup correctly.
Are they coming back every year to re-calibrate?
It's all well and good they are building to a standard, but you can easily do the same kind of adjustments at home with good audio gear. It's pretty easy now to dial in a home audio system and a wide range of speakers sound really good now.
It sounds like you're going to some crap cinemas.
No
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I saw Rise of Skywalker in multiple theaters
And that says all anybody needs to know about your taste.
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The liquor-licenced adult only cinema is a lot better though still has a texting problem, but it's very expensive and has a very limited selection of movies.
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I'm not sure what area you live in with shitty people who use a phone or talk during the movie. I go to about 2 movies a week and the number of times there's talking or a phone distraction can be counted in seconds over the entire year.
I agree with you if that is your local experience then home may be best. But man that sucks.
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90% of the enjoyment of a movie experience is determined by the quality of the content -- the quality of the delivery mechanism moves the needle, but only by a modest amount.
Specifically, a really good movie watched on a mediocre television set will still be much more enjoyable than a bad movie seen on a giant movie theater screen with top-of-the-line sound.
That, plus the ability to watch any movie you want, for about a tenth of the price, the ability to pause/rewind the movie if you need to, and not have t
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That is true, I'm still waiting for a justification on "kicking arse" though. Prior to COVID-19 cinemas were the ones kicking arse just fine with the ones in this country quite healthy and several of them expanding. Hell there's a new cinema *still* being built in my city and the operator (who operates 3 other cinemas in the city) still projects patronage to be 1million people per year.
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Unfortunately most cinemas are not decent.. They have old equipment, dirty uncomfortable seating etc.
A screen at home may be smaller, but you can sit closer to it so it fills just as much of your field of vision as a cinema screen.
You can sit in the optimal location to get the best view as well as the best surround sound, in a cinema you may end up sitting far to one side or too close / too far etc depending on availability of seats.
You won't have anyone tall sat in front of you at home, or any amorous coup
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That is quite sad. I think every cinema locally here has some unique hook, be they IMAX screens, Dolby Cinema screens, or some theatrical service (which I don't like).
Mind you I've never had most of the problems you describe. Even a monster or a man sitting in front of me wouldn't obscure the screen (I did have that once in a shitty French cinema though). The same goes for everything except the pausing. That is the one true benefit I understand.
Temperature is a funny one. We don't have AC at home so have s
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My local one has IMAX and THX sound and all that stuff. Still not as good as decent home cinema system. They crank it up too loud for a start, and the image quality is well short of what a decent 4k OLED can deliver.
The main issue is that most people don't have the space for a good home cinema system and in apartments noise is an issue. That's getting better though as modern sound systems measure the room and adjust to compensate for any limitations of the physical space.
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My local one has IMAX and THX sound and all that stuff. Still not as good as decent home cinema system.
THX sound? So your cinema hasn't been upgraded in 20 years? Yeah I can see why you'd think your home system is probably better. A lack of a modern cinema is probably also why you think any OLED TV could compare to modern IMAX laser projector. Sadly your best TV on the market gets beaten in every metric, brightness, contrast, colour reproduction, you name it.
I highly suggest finding a cinema built in the last decade before declaring a home cinema to be even slightly superior.
A Bargain (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A Bargain (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A Bargain (Score:5, Informative)
Depends on the place doesn't it. Here in Europe my local cinema is probably the place where you're least likely to catch coronavirus.
a) it's half empty.
b) they are seating people in ways that leave way more than 1.5m between them.
c) they spray down the entire cinema after every showing.
d) masks are required.
Not everyone is playing stupid games. Some of us play smart games.
Re:A Bargain (Score:4, Informative)
b) they are seating people in ways that leave way more than 1.5m between them.
There is nothing magical about the 1.5 m (6 ft in America) separation. It is just a number pulled out of someone's butt.
d) masks are required.
There is nothing magical about masks either. Some epidemiologists estimate they cut transmission rates by about 50% when worn properly. Many of them will not be worn properly once the lights dim.
Theaters are cooled. The virus persists longer in cool environments. This is one reason that meatpacking plants were transmission hot spots.
Some of us play smart games.
Not so smart, IMO.
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Fuck that Slashdot is the only site in the entire world that has a problem with smart punctuation. I'm not turning it off just for one shitty website.
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There is nothing magical about the 1.5 m (6 ft in America) separation. It is just a number pulled out of someone's butt.
Then you're saying a completely packed cinema with close proximity is just as much of a risk with two people sitting on opposite ends of the cinema? Of course not. Separation is one of the key prevention measures. The 1.5m model is also based on all knowledge of influenza spread. It's an actual "magical" number designed to achieve a certain protection factor against potentially getting the number. Please leave immunology to immunologists, they don't just pull stuff out of their butts.
There is nothing magical about masks either.
Sigh. The point is not
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Then you're saying a completely packed cinema with close proximity is just as much of a risk with two people sitting on opposite ends of the cinema? Of course not.
Logical fallacy: ridiculous example. The theaters aren't going to restrict themselves to two people sitting on opposite ends of the cinema.
Separation is one of the key prevention measures.
Irrelevant fact. 1.5m is not enough separation to do any good in a dark room. Even outside in the sun it is frequently inadequate.
The 1.5m model is also based on all knowledge of influenza spread.
Covid-19 is not influenza.
It's an actual "magical" number designed to achieve a certain protection factor against potentially getting the number.
For a different disease.
Please leave immunology to immunologists, they don't just pull stuff out of their butts.
But you do.
There is nothing magical about masks either.
Sigh. The point is not about living in a bubble.
So what is it about? Just more of your denialism?
I for one will follow guidelines from immunologists and the local medical organisations rather than some dude on the internet's "opinion".
Nice claim, but not supported by the evidence if you're still claiming six feet is enough separation. For example, these immunologist [jamanetwork.com]
15 cents in 1920 to amounts to $1.94. (Score:2)
Looks like they have really high operating costs now than a century ago.
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Also, insurance and liability is much more expensive than it was a century ago, and as a flip-side of that they have to spend that much more making sure everything is "safe".
It's harder to get people in the door; there's many more entertainment options than a century ago and movies aren't novel anymore. So they spend a lot more on comfortable seating, bigger screens, brighter screens with better picture quality, better
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Is your health worth 15cents? (Score:4, Insightful)
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You could pay me $60/hr to watch a movie at a theater. That'd be about the minimum I'd accept. Otherwise, I'm staying home to watch it on my television. At least nobody will bitch if I get my laptop out and get some work done while the movie plot drags on . . . and on . . . and on.
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Or bust out your bong...
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Apart from COVID-19 and other diseases, the risk is paying 15 cents too much for an overhyped Hollywood movie.
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You do you.. I can't imagine EVER going back to a movie theater. Consider it has been over 10 years since I went to one. If/when there is a movie from Hollyweird that I want to see, I simply wait till its in RedBox, I rent it for a night, rip it to my media server, and then watch it as many times as I want on one of my 42" screens. If it turns out to be a turd, I'm out less than 2 bux and I just delete it from the media server. I get as many pauses as I want to get popcorn/pissbreak/answer phone, plus ZERO
Covid Roulette! (Score:4, Funny)
I'd like 8 tickets back-to-back please (Score:2)
I'll be evacuating from fires soon and need a place to stay.
Don't go (Score:5, Insightful)
We are most likely a year away, maybe two, from it being safe to open movie theaters. They are a "super spreader" location because you're in a poorly ventilated room for a few hours.
And they plan to make their money on concessions, so it's unlikely they'll let you buy out the theater.
Do not die for a crappy movie. Do not let people die for a crappy movie. Talk to your Congressman about a better response to the pandemic.
Sadly I do not think we can save the movie theaters. They'll come back, but not for a long time.
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do you drive the wrong way down freeways with your eyes closed?
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Drive the wrong way down freeways? You don't even know where he's going. [youtube.com]
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Most of the ones near me have giant parking lots and good projectors.
They would be better off making drive-ins.
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There are still drive-ins all over the place, too. Many of them still have their screens, though some don't. There's one up here in Humboldt county that's now an RV storage, but Humboldt doesn't believe in Covid really. Too many good old boys who think they're smarter than doctors and don't respect classes or research. They took down the screen at the one in Santa Cruz which became parking for a nearby medical center, but I guess they're a bit too busy running away from fire right now to think about that no
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And yet ... (Score:2)
AMC Is Reopening Theaters Today With 15-Cent Tickets
Still no movies worth it ... hmm.
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1917 wasn't a bad war film. Not great... but not bad for 15 centavos.
Of course, this fall, they will only be showing one movie: 1918.
Such irresponsibility during a crisis. (Score:3)
I mean we all want to get back to the movie theaters, but charging only 15 cents during a COIN SHORTAGE is just asking for trouble.
Also some older movies playing (Score:1)
One of the things that theaters are opening back up with is Empire Strikes Back. There could be other classics, I think maybe Back to the Future is being offered as well... going to see ESB in a digital iMax theater just to compare to home theater and see what the difference is for content I know pretty well.
Sorry NO (Score:3)
They couldn't pay me to sit in a theater. Frankly the at-home experience in my living is more than good enough as far as I'm concerned.
first showing: (Score:5, Funny)
Contagion
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Outbreak and many others. ;)
Not open in County I live in (Score:1)
Not open hear nor here.
Nice advertising gimmick though. Just my 2 cents worth, uh, 7.5 times I guess.
Great Time for a Private Movie! (Score:4, Insightful)
Buy all of the tickets for a first show of the day (the cleanest time).
In the smaller theaters (in the megaplexes) this would be at most $10.
Enjoy the show.
I feel for them... (Score:2)
15 cents a ticket (Score:2)
But 100$ for consession food for a typical family
Shut them down unless... (Score:2)
Researchers and the CDC are saying basically all corona transmission is via indoor recirculated air. They are urging changes to ventilation systems ... And basically no one is making the changes because they are not mandatory yet
https://www.qut.edu.au/news?id... [qut.edu.au]
Unless AMC have made changes their HVAC setting to 100% outside air and no recirculation, it is dangerous: Do not go.
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Unless AMC have made changes their HVAC setting to 100% outside air and no recirculation, it is dangerous: Do not go.
That's not going to help as much as you think it is. [cdc.gov] The air has to move through the room in order to get to an exhaust vent. Without updraft/downdraft ventilation, you're still breathing in what someone else breathed out.
Greed (Score:2)
Theater quality home projection? (Score:1)
I have an older LED projector (not changing bulbs is quite important) that can throw a decent 80" image on a screen at the foot of my bed, which works pretty well in a darkened room.
I'd like something that can work sufficiently to fill the field of view in a room that seats 2-10 people. I'd be open to trying to achieve an IMAX-style wraparound e
in other words (Score:2)