My Dream Movie Theater

A few weeks ago on Twitter, there was a prompt to describe your dream movie theater; if you were able to run a movie house, what would you do.  I thought this was fun, but way too much work to put into 280-characters, and so because I have made it through this week (presumably-I'm writing this in advance and this is one of those weeks where I genuinely am like "will I make it through the onslaught of stress that the world wants to heap on my shoulders?"), we're going to do a little bit of fun on this Friday.

I think the first question that comes up with a movie theater is what kinds of films are you going to show and how many screens do you want.  I think there's a lot to argue in favor of both one or more screens.  I live in movie theaters, going as often as money & time will allow, and I try to frequent myriad options.  The single-screen is arguably the most romantic, as it's just one picture, like we would've seen when movies were first coming to be in the 1920's & 30's.  But there's also something to be said for the multiplex.  I know some consider this gauche, but I love a gigantic movie house, armed with twenty screens & thousands of audience members (optimistic!) coming in each day to catch the movies-a film for each taste.  So we're going to settle in the middle with four screens, which will kind of give me the best of both worlds.

In terms of movie types, I'd want to represent under-appreciated films, so I'd gravitate toward my theater having an arthouse vibe.  I think movie theaters do need a personality, and while I applaud a place like AMC or Regal where you get to see all of the big movies (if you've read this blog for a while, you know I'm not an opponent of the blockbuster), I wouldn't want that for my theater, though I might make exceptions if the right picture comes along (or it's May and the art house scene is bereft of content).  So we'd go arthouse: Oscar contenders, British comedies, documentaries, and non-English movies, all taking up my theater.

I would want this to be a cinematic haven, though, so I'd want to include some theme nights.  We'd likely do a "secret movie night" where we show a classic film each week on the same day (maybe Thursdays, headed into the weekend), where you spend $5 but don't have a clue what picture you're about to watch on the big screen.  I'd also want to do some retrospectives, especially on Sunday matinees, where we feature a Star of the Month (stealing from myself there on the blog), getting to know a film-a-week.

In terms of concessions, I know this is something some object to, but I'd want a pretty robust selection.  I like the idea of dinner & a movie translating to the theater, even though I'm aware this is likely hell to clean up.  I'd want at least a few warm food options (pizza, chicken tenders, warm pretzels) in addition to the standard-fare soda, popcorn, & candy.  I also think a themed cocktail would be lovely (perhaps themed around that month's star!), and at least some beer.  I think having some warm food, having it feel like your home, gets at what people are trying to do with movie theaters-be an extension of their favorite parts of an at-home movie experience (preferred snacks, comfort, variety), but in a communal big-screen location that, despite what some may protest, can't really be duplicated anywhere else.