What’s different about seeing movies in a theater?

Why is it that seeing a movie in the theater makes you like it more than seeing it at home? Lately I’ve been watching a lot of movies in HD. Most of these movies I remember really enjoying, but haven’t seen since the first time in a theater. After watching them again, I think to myself, “this is a piece of crap! How could I have ever liked this?”

In fact I used to go see movies that I knew would be terrible, like Independence Day or the Godzilla remake (both by the same awful director Roland Emmerich), on opening night. My logic was that the best time to see a movie that you knew was going to be a Hollywood-shlock, was on opening night, with all the other losers that want to be there, that go out of their way to see a piece of shit (or maybe really likes bad movies).

Does seeing a movie in the theater give a bad or even mediocre movie some sort of intangible quality? Does being in a room with strangers having a shared experience adjust our perception of entertainment? The latter is certainly true with live music performances. Does anonymity allow us to let down our protective facades and engage with the characters and story on the silver screen more than the small screen?

I mean who didn’t cry watching E.T.? Seriously? Sure it was a puppet on a stick, but it had the ability to make us shed tears in front of perfect strangers. I don’t know what is more strange, that we were able to get so caught up in the with the little foam and latex gremlin or that we displayed such intense emotions in front of others.

Maybe it is these days we expect so much more from our entertainment. Last night my daughter, wife and I watched The Wizard of Oz (I promptly fell asleep). Having not seen the movie since I was a kid, I was amazed just how bad the production values were, I mean even for the period, it is pretty bad. People were tripping over sets, the choreography was awful, the lip syncing was way off. Yet, I was amazed how much of that film is engrained into our popular culture. It seemed like every scene had a phrase that comes up in common conversation today.

Is it possible for today’s films to still engross society? You don’t see a whole lot of people quoting lines from Titanic, the high grossing film of all time. In fact most people seem sick of the thought of it today and its only 10 years old.

Can a modern movie become a classic today? Or does modern film only maintain temporary status within the social consciousness? Due to be replaced with the next summer blockbuster?

And if you saw a film in your home worthy of being a classic, would you know it?

As a parent, I may only see a few movies in the theater per year. Most of the movies I see are in my home. I believe that these days there are more people like me then there are people that see movies in the theater. But while seeing a movie at home is convenient, it is hardly the best environment. My movie watching experience is often filled with distractions, preventing me from really getting engaged.

I know the creative community is morning this loss of the cinema experience. David Lynch offered his thoughts about the ridiculousness of watching movies on a phone. I think he has a really good point. But as irony would have it, I just recently watched his last film on my laptop while flying to Boston. Shot entirely with digital video I didn’t feel like I missed some defining moment in my life by skipping this one at my local multi-plex.

Will advances in technology, which will create new contexts and mediums to enjoy content, kill off the theater experience? Or will society evolve with the technology and find new ways to have these shared experiences?

I’m not sure, but until then I’m going to try and stay away from seeing movies again that I remember liking. Choosing to cherish the initial experience, rather than tarnishing the memory.