National Cinema Day: The value of movie theatres

By Diego B. Gonzales

Blog Content Contributor

This past Sunday was National Cinema Day, a day where participating theatres lower movie ticket prices to as low as $4.00 to make the movie theatre experience incredibly accessible. A noticeable price point for sure, as the cost of going to the movies is seemingly only getting higher.

With streaming services making it easier than ever to watch movies at home, consumers may ask themselves “What makes it worth going to the theatres?” I discuss with members of Texas State’s film club about what makes a movie theatre experience special and why some may prefer to watch movies at home.

To film club member Leia Mendoza, an important part of the movie theatre experience is the audience.

“The audience makes it so much better,” Mendoza said. “We’re all watching something new together. We’re all experiencing this movie that we’ve never seen before so we don’t really know what’s going on. The audience’s reactions really help make the movie-going experience better than just watching it at home.” Mendoza adds that going to theatres may be the best way to support the writers and actors on strike.

“The best thing we as consumers can do is go to the movies and support these films because we wouldn’t have these movies without writers or actors,” Mendoza said. “By showing up and showing appreciation it shows the studios that these positions are invaluable. We need writers and actors to be paid and I think going to the cinema can help prove that.”

Zachary Daly, a film club member and one of the founders of the Mezzanine Film Festival, a San Marcos film festival made to highlight local talent, provides his thoughts on why some may choose to skip the theatres.

“It’s just so expensive now and I feel like a lot of people are kind of catching on to the fact that a lot of movies are just the same thing over and over,” Daly said. “When you go to the theater, you know that’s a bare minimum $12 ticket but then you’re also gonna have to buy a $12 M&M box. You might walk out going ‘that was an okay movie’ and some people don’t really think that it’s worth it anymore.”

Film club member Laura Quiñones explains what she loves about watching a movie in a packed theatre.

“I love their big reactions,” Quiñones said. “I think back to when ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ came out and there’s that one scene with Captain America standing there and he catches the weapon in the subway and everybody just starts jumping and cheering. It’s exciting because I feel like it validates how you feel. You get to share your excitement immediately when you watch something at the theatre.”

National Cinema Day comes from The Cinema Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to support the movie going experience. More information about the cause and organization can be found on their website. https://www.nationalcinemaday.org