How long has it been since you have attended a movie theater? I’m sure most of you have returned post pandemic. As for me, I finally returned this past year (2023) in July. Before that, the last time I watched a movie in the theater was Jan/Feb. of 2020. Pre-pandemic, I was going to the movies almost every weekend, catching the latest films, indie films and Q & A’s. There is nothing like having that full movie experience topped with a Q&A at the end. Discussing the film, answering questions and so on. I have been very fortunate to attend so many wonderful Q&A’s and the star power that I have been in the presence of. (Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, Benicio del Toro, Margot Robbie, Quentin Tarantino, Natalie Portman, Keanu Reeves, Viola Davis) just to name a few.
Something shifted with the whole movie experience… oh yeah, a pandemic happened! It changed how we consume films as a whole. On top of that (for me) 2 of my favorite theaters I would frequent shut their doors. (The Arclight in Hollywood and The Landmark in L.A. on Pico & Westwood) I was devastated to hear the news. Too many years of memories in both theaters, gone!
Maybe part of me is bitter that my favorite theaters closed their doors and therefore I don’t want to attend any other theaters, ha! Or maybe it’s that the pandemic completely changed everything. We can now watch any film in the comfort of our own home, no need to travel and spend more money than we need to, I guess it’s a little bit of both.
Before, when a new movie would come out, we would get excited to attend the theater to watch it. The almost immediate option of watching it at home was not there like it is now.
Let me paint you a picture of MY movie experience before the pandemic….
It would all start with reading movie blogs or articles of new up & coming films. (indie, big budget or somewhere in between) My movie buddies and I would discuss and decide on a movie and plan a day that worked for us. (usually on Friday or Saturday evenings)
As I mentioned above, we would attend The Arclight or Landmark theaters. We’d plan to meet up and grab some dinner prior. If it was at The Landmark, we would find a restaurant nearby. If it was at The Arclight, we would eat at the restaurant there. I can’t tell you how many times we saw celebrities having dinner at the Arclight, across from us, next to us or having a drink at the bar.
After dinner, we would grab a drink to take into the theater with us. We would find our seats and settle in for the experience. After the movie, on most occasions, we would head over to a cute cocktail bar and discuss the movie over some drinks. If there was a Q&A after the film, then we would definitely stay for that and then head over the theater bar for a drink.
Here are a few pictures from some of the Q&A’s I have attended. The quality of some photos are not so great because phone cameras suck under low lit environments.
I really do miss the movie going experience before the pandemic. For me, things don’t feel the same anymore. I have very little desire to attend a movie theater. It would have to be a film I really want to experience on the big screen.
It’s crazy to think that it took me a little over 3 years to attend a movie theater. It took a film like Oppenheimer to get me back into a theater, I’ve only been back one other time after that. I hope I get that desire and excitement back like I used to have, fingers crossed.
I recently read that The Arclight will be re-opening in 2025, not sure how true it is but if it does re-open, I will definitely be attending!!
Creatively Crazy 