Since I was young, I have enjoyed going to the movies. I still remember seeing “Ratatouille” in 2007 with my dad, where we showed up late and had to sit in the front row, forced to watch the movie looking up the whole time since we were so close to the screen. I remember seeing “Mamma Mia” with my mom and sisters when I was in second grade and I ran into two of my friends from my class who were seeing it too. We sang the whole time and decided to add our Mike and Ikes to our slushies (talk about a sugar overload).
Whenever my family and I want to spend time together, we often decide to go see whatever is in theaters. We’ve spent many Mother’s Days, Father’s Days and birthdays eating movie theater popcorn and candy that we would sneak in from the Dollar Store. The theater gives a movie experience that can’t be replicated anywhere else. With the Oscars this past weekend, it really made me think about the magic of the cinema and the importance of keeping theaters alive.
There were so many amazing movies and actors nominated for Oscars this year. From “Wicked” to “The Substance” to “Anora,” this was a stand-out year for movies. Over fall break, I went to the theater and saw the 10-time Oscar-nominated film, “Wicked,” with my family. My older sister grew up obsessed with the musical, causing us to follow suit (since we had the soundtrack blasting in the house 24/7, we all grew a liking to it). I can wholeheartedly say that my thoughts and opinions on the film would be completely different had I watched it from home.
Sure, I would’ve enjoyed it due to the sentimental connection my family has with the musical, but the bright visuals and loud effects could only have been brought justice through a big theater screen. The surround sound in the theater made it seem like I was really there, seeing the adventures of Elphaba and Glinda right before my eyes. I will admit, when I saw the movie was going to be just under three hours, I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to sit through something that long. But since I saw it in the theater where I was able to fully immerse myself in the world of Oz, the three hours flew by like a blink of an eye. Had I watched it at home, I wouldn’t have been able to give the movie my full attention due to too many distractions. There were so many hidden details and easter eggs in the film that I wouldn’t have caught had it been on a smaller screen and had I looked away for even just a few minutes, I would have missed it. I think so highly of this film and believe it was worthy of winning every award it received on Sunday (I think they should’ve won more, but that’s okay there’s always next year for part two). That is because I saw the hard work, detail and dedication that went into this film on the big screen.
The other day, my roommate and I watched “Longlegs” starring Nicolas Cage. I enjoy psychological thrillers and had seen how creepy Nicolas Cage looked in it from TikTok, so I was excited to watch it (spoiler alert: he is, in fact, super creepy in it). My roommate had seen it in theaters and thought it was so good and freaky that she wanted to watch it again with me. She said it was one of the scariest movies she’d ever seen. Watching it in my living room, in the comfort of my own home, I enjoyed the film a lot, but I wasn’t super terrified by the end. Don’t get me wrong, it was definitely a good, spooky film, but because I was watching it at home with the lights on, I was able to sleep soundly that night. My roommate agreed that watching it at home made the movie not nearly as scary, but she told me to imagine watching that film in the dark, in an isolated theater, with surround sound. I told her right away that I would’ve been petrified and would’ve had to sleep with the lights on had I seen it in a movie theater. This is a prime example of how movie experiences are altered by how and where you watch a movie.
Not once, but twice it was brought up at the 97th Oscars that the movie theater industry is dying. Director of the five-time Oscar-winning movie “Anora,” Sean Baker, accepted his award with a written monologue asking for the people to save the world of movie theaters. He noted that everyone there fell in love with movies in the theater and that thousands of theaters have closed since COVID-19and more continue to close each year. The speech is really great and Baker does a fantastic job of describing how the movie-watching experience is different in theaters. “Filmmakers keep making films for the big screen, I know I will,” Baker said. “Distributors, please focus first and foremost on the theatrical releases of your films. Parents, introduce your children to feature films in movie theaters and you will be molding the next generation of movie lovers and filmmakers. And for all of us, when we can please watch movies in a theater and let’s keep the great tradition of the moviegoing experience alive and well.” Even Oscars host Conan O’Brien did an elaborate skit encouraging people to go to the theater during the award show. It was meant to look like an advertisement, asking viewers if they were tired of streaming movies from their couch. If so, they should go to CinemaStreams, which is essentially just a movie theater. The fact that this topic was brought up multiple times goes to show that this is a serious issue affecting the movie industry, even so that actors, directors, and all who make movies possible are seeing it too.
Movie magic is real and can only really be experienced in a theater. So next time you can, grab your friends and sneak in some snacks to go see a movie at the theater. Trust me, it will totally change your movie-watching experience for the better.