Cough, cough, phone lit up, talking, pricey tickets, cough…

This feels mosssstly like a Movie Theater failure, not a Hollywood failure: though I’m always happy to blame them for everything, I wouldn’t in this case.

The NY Times just did an article on why Oscar-baity movies are failing (mostly) at the box office. Covid isn’t to blame, anymore, at least not wholly—superhero movies, Top Gun, have shown folks will still show up. Some folks.

The comments on NY Times itself are awesome. Many of them reflect the reality:

1. folks talking,
2. on their lit-up phones,
3. reserved seating so you can’t move,
4. super pricey tickets (double what they used to be)
5. let alone concessions,
6. Covid/coughing,
7. crazy high volume (this one is huge for me—I remember a decade ago being in physical discomfort at Man of Steel with my buddy Ryan; we were both relatively young)
8. no subtitles for those who appreciate it,
9. endless commercials these days, then more endless commercials
10. no ability to pause/bathroom,
11. bigger better TVs at home,
12. and, in the background, in America, a fear of gun violence.
13. What’d I miss?