When you go to the movies... (Chandler: renting, homes, neighborhood)

[Mike from back east]

Haven't been to a movie house since 2019; if I ever go again it will be to a Harkins, like the new one up here in Four Corners that has real food and drinks.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by Goofball86

Harkins all the way. Since Covid though and maybe this was before Covid going to the movies is a pain you got the assigned seating which I do not like and everything is so expensive, especially getting something from the concession stand.

Back in the day 20 or more years ago, I'd go every week to the movies heck saw Titanic like 20 times lol now maybe once or twice a year if that and it has to be a really good movie like Mission Impossible, James Bond, Transformers, avatar etc for me to wanna go.

The lack of good movies really does play into this. I would prefer sitting on my couch and being able to pause whenever I want. There are some that need to be seen on a big screen but for the most part we wait till hit hits Amazon and just buy/rent it there.

[evening sun]

Cinemark is the main one around here, in the next town, In my town we have an independant one. I go to both.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

The lack of good movies really does play into this. I would prefer sitting on my couch and being able to pause whenever I want. There are some that need to be seen on a big screen but for the most part we wait till hit hits Amazon and just buy/rent it there.

Thank you. Being able to pause and go take a pause that refreshes is what I need with my bladder an prostate issues. I'm not alone, millions are in this boat. In some 110-minute movies I've had to leave my seat and go to the men's room 3 times during a movie, plus on arrival at the theater and again on the way out. Not fun. Old age is not for sissies. I've a killer sound system at home, not quite the Dolby experience at a theater but close enough to rattle items hanging on the walls, at which time she who must be obeyed (SWMBO) makes an appearance in the man cave. The bruises are gone now.

People's behavior in theaters is also an issue, we all know what they are; at home that's not a problem. I just wish more new releases were available. I wouldn't mind seeing the new Taylor Swift movie at home, I hear that so many girls are screaming in the theater that you can't hear the movie. Good grief.

[Voebe]

Originally Posted by WSPHXPELON

I used to go to the AMC here downtown at Arizona Center. But this summer they shut down the theater due to the AC dying. I'm assuming that it is fixed now, but in the interim I ventured out to the Harkins in Tempe, and well, they have those leather reclining lazy-boy chairs. I don't think I can go back to regular theater seating now, even tho I would prefer to support local downtown business.

I, too, like to support local business - and Dan Harkins is certainly a local boy, although he no longer is actually running things.

Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised

In the past 20 years, I've been to the theater maybe 2-3 times. I watch at home. I have better video and FAR superior audio quality than any typical theater. Including most people's home theater. There are all kinds of technical reasons for this. So it ain't close! I have thousands of movies using one of these https://www.kaleidescape.com/

Though, I do miss getting out of the house. I just cannot stomach the lack of quality.

But the point isn't just to get out of the house. The movies are ideally intended as a group experience, and a sort of cocoon to shield you from the distractions of home.

[pathrunner]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Thank you. Being able to pause and go take a pause that refreshes is what I need with my bladder an prostate issues. I'm not alone, millions are in this boat. In some 110-minute movies I've had to leave my seat and go to the men's room 3 times during a movie, plus on arrival at the theater and again on the way out. Not fun. Old age is not for sissies. I've a killer sound system at home, not quite the Dolby experience at a theater but close enough to rattle items hanging on the walls, at which time she who must be obeyed (SWMBO) makes an appearance in the man cave. The bruises are gone now.

People's behavior in theaters is also an issue, we all know what they are; at home that's not a problem. I just wish more new releases were available. I wouldn't mind seeing the new Taylor Swift movie at home, I hear that so many girls are screaming in the theater that you can't hear the movie. Good grief.

Thanks for the laugh! And you reminded me of when I went to see The Beatles at Dodger Stadium. They arrived in a limo from behind the stage, played 20 mins, nobody heard a thing, and then they left out the back way. Wish I could remember what my parents paid for that ticket.

I rarely go to movies, although the past couple of times I've gone the audience has been well behaved. Probably got lucky.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by Voebe

I, too, like to support local business - and Dan Harkins is certainly a local boy, although he no longer is actually running things.



But the point isn't just to get out of the house. The movies are ideally intended as a group experience, and a sort of cocoon to shield you from the distractions of home.

Sitting quietly in a dark room and staring at a screen isn't a "group experience". Rather, last Friday night, a group of 8 went out to dinner. We all fit in our neighbor's huge SUV. That was a group experience! My home theater (especially the audio) annihilates a Harkins theater Klipsch speaker system (meh). Rather, I own these https://us.kef.com/products/ci5160refm for the bed layers and I have a 7.6.2 system. The reality is there is no visceral impact in a large commercial theater. It's paramount to have that part of the audio experience. It doesn't happen in a large commercial theater because there are technical reasons why it won't work for an entire huge, multi-row theater (Google "Standing Waves"). If they tried, some seats would have massive hot spots (waves adding) and other seats would have huge nulls (waves canceling). The laws of physics are in play. But, this Harkins-specific room I linked to has a chance because it has a total of three rows https://www.harkins.com/premium-experiences#the-freezer. Plus, it is much smaller (huge rooms don't scale the same way as smaller, in-home theaters. But I suspect my personal room still sounds a good deal better. I digress...

To finish with the analogy, if we went out for dinner for a group experience that was worse than I could make at home, that doesn't sound smart to me. BTW, On Friday night, we went to a Northern Indian cuisine restaurant called Feringhee in Chandler https://www.feringhee.com because the place came highly recommended. And it was amazing!!! The Old Dehli butter chicken was to DIE FOR! It was well worth the drive! I'll return. Back to Harkins, I might have a shot of enjoying myself if I went to their "Freezer" theater room I linked above. But it is exclusively at the Camelview at Fashion Square location. And it's "only" $1100 for the room. I'll be staying home.

[AZtoCO1]

Haven't been to an AMC or Harkins in a really long time, but when we lived in AZ, we enjoyed going to Studio Movie Grill in Scottsdale for quite a while, than changed it up to Roadhouse Cinema. We liked that they had a full bar and the food was decent. Made for a fun date night.

[KO Stradivarius]

All I know is that AMC is cheaper. They have more matinees, each of which is cheaper than Harkins, and their full price tix are slightly less expensive at night. They are less crowded as well, which is usually a good thing.

For example, I just looked at the "Killers of the Flower Moon" for today's showtimes, comparing Harkins Santan Village to AMC Mesa Grand 14 for similar times. This may vary depending on where you are comparing:

Matinee:
Harkins 12:30am $9.50/$9 Senior*
AMC 1:45pm $8.39/$7.29 Senior

*Note that Harkins has many premium large screen showings throughout the day that are "Cine XL" which are the only shows available at many times, and they cost $12.50/$12 matinee. AMC has more standard screens, less expensive.

You could say the premium screens are optional, but depending on the location Harkins doesn't have many standard screens available so you have to pay the premium price, or else the available times for std screens are sparse.

I also noticed that Harkins matinees generally are not offered as late into the pm as AMC matinees are. Harkins starts charging full evening prices earlier.

Evening:
Harkins 7pm $12.50/$10.50 Sr. (Standard)
Harkins 8pm $15.50/$13.50 Sr. (Cine XL)
AMC 7:30pm $11.99/$10.49 Sr. (Standard)

You can say that it's pittance, but if you can't go at 7pm then you're paying $3.50 more. We have saved a few bucks each on weekends on matinees at certain times when comparing the two at a particular time.

[Mike from back east]

I wish these firms would do something more creative on occasion. One thing that would make a fun day is a Kentucky Derby party in a theater. Women dressed in fancy hats, like we see worn at Churchill Downs, would get half priced Mint Juleps, etc. The race would be shown on the big screen. Perhaps a mobile off track betting operation could be set up for the day, or various horse racing days.

I once wrote to Harkins suggesting they convert one theater screen/room to have a sports book room like seen in major Las Vegas casinos/hotels. Year round. Especially on the days of Triple Crown horse races. Bar and food service. Fun day without having to go very far. Not sure it's possible from legal and construction perspectives, but all it takes is imagination.