At Cineplexes, Sports, Opera, Maybe a Movie

[DesertFox]

Brooks Barnes
New York Times
23 Mar 08

Movie theaters are not just for movies anymore.

Coming soon will be broadcasts of live baseball games, rock concerts, classic TV shows and an array of other offerings not associated with the silver screen.

From nickelodeons to drive-ins to multiplexes, American movie theaters have always evolved with the times. But the latest evolution, set off by stagnating attendance and advances in digital technology, marks the first time that movie theaters have reinvented themselves without motion pictures as the centerpiece.

“Exhibitors are heading toward showing more than just movies faster than anyone expected,” said Ted Mundorff, chief executive of Landmark Theaters, which operates multiplexes in California, Texas and New York, among other states. “Live simulcasts of sporting events or whatever won’t displace the first week of ‘Harry Potter,’ but they might displace the fifth week.”

More (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/business/media/23multi.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin)

[DesertFox]

I believe the last movie I seen in a moviehouse was 1997 to see Forrest Gump.

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

Our theaters down here have been offering these types of things for a while now. Also, companies rent out the smaller theater rooms (in the 12 & 14 plexes) for meetings, and people can rent them for birthday parties and other events. Personally I think it's a good move.

I also think the movie industry should stop focusing on cranking out movies for the "big screen." If there was a certain criteria for big screen showings -- like, you really HAVE to see movies like Titanic, Star Wars, etc., on the big screen -- and then produce the other movies for direct to DVD. It's a supply and demand thing ... to get people to GO to the theater, requires movies worthy of seeing AT the theater, not simply ones they can wait until the DVD comes out. I'd say 9.75 out ever 10 movies aren't worth spending the outrageous amounts at the theater. But there are some, I would probably spend higher JUST to see at the theater ... like the new Star Trek movie!! Can't WAIT!

[BabyBeastie]

Oh, duh!

The author of this story must have just crawled out from a cave. I'm sure his second discovery was like, "Look! Indoor plumbing!"

:rolleyes: