M. Night Shyamalan Feels Strongly About Theatrical Releases

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001391595' target='_blank'>http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001391595</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Director M. Night Shyamalan threw down the gauntlet Thursday night at ShowEast, appearing at the exhibitors convention to speak out against shrinking theatrical windows and rejecting the notion of simultaneous day-and-date releases of new films in theaters and on home video, cable and video-on-demand. In an interview before his speech, Shyamalan said he planned to ask theater owners at ShowEast's Final Night Banquet and Award Ceremony "for zero tolerance on this -- to say, 'If you're gonna release a movie in another medium, then you're not going to get into our theaters' -- because at the end of the day, they hold all the cards.""</i><br /><br />After reading this article, I can't say that I really understand Shyamalan's point of view. He talks about the community-based aspect of going to the movies, but my experiences are anything but. With the exception of going with a large group of friends, there's not much community in the theatres I frequent. In fact, between people talking too loudly, popcorn bags-a-scrunching, and seats that numb my posterior, the <i>only</i> reason I go to the theatre anymore is to see movies that I can't see at home. I also appreciate the massive movie screen and sound system that modern theatres boast, but only for the "epic" movies (LOTR) - everything else looks just fine on my home theatre system. So I find myself wondering about how important it really is to "go to the movies" anymore. What about you? Is going to the movie theatre still an important part of your monthly routine?

[bluemax]

I still enjoy going to the theater and sitting in a crowd and watching a show. It's particularly fun when the whole crowd gets the same joke I think is funny. It's more than just the big screen and my sound system at home is better than many theaters in my area. It is that sense of community and sharing a fun time with a room full of people - even if I don't know any of them.

You are right though, there are a lot of rude people yacking on cell phones and others who think they can jabber through the movie. I will drive to a more distant theater to spend my $16.00 (ticket and popped corn) so I can get some assurance the other members of the audience have some respect for the people around them. There are several theaters that are closer to home that I will no longer patronize because of chatty, rude customers.

Bill B

[Damion Chaplin]

I now actively avoid movie theaters, unless it's a big-screen type movie. LOTR and ROTS being good examples. I found Batman Begins just as enjoyable on my big screen at home. Besides, how many movie theaters allow you to smoke, drink and put your feet up on the coffee table? We do have a theater in the area that plays second-run movies that has couches instead of seats, with coffee tables in front of each one. And they sell beer. And their tickets are $5. If all theaters were like that I might consider going more often, but as it is, it's just not worth the $9 per person...

Sorry, Mr. Shyamalan, the community-based aspect of going to the movies is precicely why I never go...

...That and directors like you keep putting out movies that I'm not interested enough in to spend $9+ on. I didn't see a single one of your movies in the theater, but I have rented all of them. What does that tell you?

[mcsouth]

I still enjoy going to the theater and sitting in a crowd and watching a show. It's particularly fun when the whole crowd gets the same joke I think is funny. It's more than just the big screen and my sound system at home is better than many theaters in my area. It is that sense of community and sharing a fun time with a room full of people - even if I don't know any of them.

Well stated! I agree with your thoughts - there can be additional enjoyment from watching a "good" movie in a theatre with lots of other folks - as long as they are there to watch the movie!

My wife and I seldom go to the movies by ourselves (last we went was to Mr &amp; Mrs Smith), but we go fairly often to take our kids. It can be a lot of fun, and a great family activity, to go with the kids, see the movie on the big screen, and then relive the movie in conversation afterwards. I took my kids to Wallace and Grommit's The Curse of the Were Rabbit just a few weeks ago, and we really enjoyed the show, even though the theatre was full.

Part of this might come from my background - growing up in a rural area in Manitoba, going to the nearest theatre (17 miles away) was a real treat, and not something we did very often - so I have fond memories of some of the movies I saw as a youth. I would like to hope that my kids get some of that as well.....

Cocooning at home can be great as well, but being in a public environment has its rewards. My kids have a good sense of what is appropriate in a theatre, and talking, making noise, or generally doing things distracting to other viewers is not acceptable. Maybe there are too many people out there that did not benefit from this type of instruction when they were young!