When was the last time you went to a movie theater?

[NurseJackie]

A survey last month by Yahoo Finance and Harris Poll found that 81% of Americans have not gone to a movie theater since before March, even if theaters have reopened in their area. 56% of respondents said they are concerned about getting COVID-19, while 20% said they fear theaters are not being cleaned well enough, and 12% said they don’t want to wear a mask while watching the movie. But another 22% said there was no movie they wanted to go see, and 19% said they’d rather stream movies at home.

When was the last time you went to a movie theater?

66 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Within the last four weeks.
	0 (0%)
	Within the last 2-3 months.
	1 (2%)
	Within the last 3-6 months.
	1 (2%)
	Within the last 6-9 months.
	0 (0%)
	Within the last 9-12 months. (prior to the Covid pandemic)
	28 (42%)
	Over a year ago.
	14 (21%)
	Over two years ago.
	11 (17%)
	Over five years ago.
	0 (0%)
	Over ten years ago.
	5 (8%)
	Over 15 years ago.
	6 (9%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[Dem4Life1102]

1. January

The last Star Wars movie.

[NurseJackie]

2. The last movie I saw in a theater was "Titanic" ...

I doesn't seem like that long ago, but when I did the math... it's amazing to realize how long it's been.

We've avoided seeing movies in theaters because neither one of us can stand the loud personal conversations; and cell phones; and unruly children. In the past, I always enjoyed the shared experience and reactions of being frightened as a group, or laughing with the audience as a group... but the folks who shout at the screen or who need to be comedians or who are loud critics and continuity checkers... it's just not worthwhile.

We just don't have the patience for rude and obnoxious people in theaters. My husband is official a grumpy-old-man and I'm officially a fussy-old-lady (with no cats).

Also (and here's a biggie) ... I miss closed captioning and being able to hit the pause button so that I can take a pee-break. Seriously.

But now, with Covid... I have one more reason to NOT go to the theater.

[Zoonart]

3. Over s year ago.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. In the day...80s and 90's ...Mr. And I went every Friday night. There was always something interesting to see. That really was the golden age of great directors and Independent Films, but the the big studios bought the indie houses and things changed.

From 2000 on we went less and less and struggled to find content we enjoyed.

I really hope this is not the death knell for theaters though. Really...every film is a big screen film.

[NurseJackie]

5. If Drive-In theaters were still a thing... I'd definitely do that!!!

[Zoonart]

7. We do have driven-ins here in the Hudson Valley.

We have gone over the last couple of years with the grand kids. They love it, but is an hour drive so only a special occasion and we have not seen them this year.

[NurseJackie]

18. It's been a long time, but I love the Hudson Valley...

... it's such a charming "back-in-time" feeling.

[Zoonart]

19. It is a beautiful part of the Country.

be well, Jackie.

[dsc]

4. I, especially in the summer, used to be a fairly regular theater goer

The last movie I saw in a theater was Knives Out which was before the lockdowns started. Movie theaters are open here now but no way, no how am I going to one. A few weekends ago our local queer film festival was online, and I streamed it. That is life now.

[Cirque du So-What]

6. It was when BlacKkKlansman was in theaters

so it was over a year ago but less than two.

My moviegoing was sporadic before the coronavirus, and I will probably stay out of theaters even after things return to ‘normal.’

[greatauntoftriplets]

8. I saw the Downton Abbey movie in a theater in 9/19.

Mostly I watch movies at home. Theater sound systems are too loud!

[luvs2sing]

10. Same, and for the same reason.

I also like the convenience of being able to hit Pause and go get more snacks without missing anything. The only thing I miss about going to the movies in their popcorn.

[FSogol]

9. In October, we attended 2 Hitchcock movies (2 trips) at a local theater.

We wore masks the entire time. There were only 10-12 people in the showing, all spread far apart. Everyone we saw was wearing a mask.

Rear Window and Vertigo. They showed 5 movies (one a week), but we saw the others on the big screen in previous years.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

11. Cost too much for something I'll get free...

Eventually. Big screen? Yeah got that. Dolby surround sound? Yeah got that...Pause button for snack breaks, for bathroom breaks, CC to be able to “hear” the dialogue over the “background”music and understand words in heavy accents. Yeah got all that.

Best of all, we can leave anytime if the movie is a dud and not feel bad about wasting money.

[NurseJackie]

17. Oh yes! I'd forgotten about that...

Best of all, we can leave anytime if the movie is a dud and not feel bad about wasting money.

Oh yes! I'd forgotten about that! There have been more than a few "doinker" movies that I stayed (because I'd payed) or that I walked out on... feeling cheated.

When I was much younger we had a "Twin Theater" in our town. New concept then. And I have switched movies if the first one was awful.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

24. Best time I ever had in a movie theater...

Let’s just skip over the teen years (movie? What movie?) back to pre-puberty times. Back then I was forced to live in a city because my legs were too short to run to the countryside.
In that city on national holidays when there was no school the neighborhood movie theater played cartoons all day...free.
My mom was an early liberated woman, she worked a great job, she would drop us off at the theater with a sack lunch, we would be there all day. Casper, Tom and Jerry, Popeye, Mickey Mouse all the popular ones at the time.

It was, in retrospect our day care. 50’s were awesome.

[doubleplusgood]

12. 4 weeks ago

Me and a friend of mine rented a local independent theater for 2 hours and watched a movie (from a regular BluRay) on the big screen. It was a birthday gift for a mutual friend who wanted to see their favorite movie. All of us have been socially isolating since the beginning of the pandemic and we all sat about 20 feet apart from each other.

[MyNameGoesHere]

13. December 1997

After falling for the Titanic hype went to see it. Walked out after about 30 minutes. I'll stay home and watch my Bollywood flicks thank you.

[Polybius]

31. Walking out of a movie requires a special kind of bad, reserved for the worst movies

Did you really find Titanic that horrible?

[MyNameGoesHere]

38. Horrid. Unwatchable. Criminally bad.

[Polybius]

39. Fair enough

I'm just cheap, I once hated a movie and refused to leave because I paid for the ticket. I should have left.

[roamer65]

63. The worst movie I ever saw was the Flintstones movie in a dollar theater.

I bitched all the rest of the night I wanted my dollar back.

[Wednesdays]

14. The last movie we watched in the theater was Downton Abbey

November 2019.

[JI7]

15. Lack of Time and Money has always been an issue for me even before Covid

[hunter]

16. My wife and I regularly went out to the movies, at least once a month.

We haven't been to the movies since late February.

It's one of the things I'm missing most.

I've been going to the movies regularly since I was four years old. This is the longest I've gone without since then.

Television is not the same. There's always too much stuff going on in our house, too many distractions.

[Kingofalldems]

20. Seabiscuit--whenever that came out.

[NurseJackie]

25. 2003

Streaming is just too convenient and economical. It's been forever since we bought a Regular-DVD or BlueRay-DVD.* And going to a theater is such a hassle and expense. It's too loud, I can't understand the dialog, no closed captioning, no pause button.

*And with Spotify... it's been forever since we bought a CD (for any artist, new or old).

[BannonsLiver]

21. Probably late January

The World War I movie “1917.”

[beachbumbob]

22. will be year(s) before we do this again

[lostnfound]

23. One of my favorite things about the place I live

Is a nice dining movie theater nearby. When I moved in I looked forward to weekly movies in retirement, and travel. That was 16 months ago.
Oh well.
Had six months to unpack, settle in, and see just a couple movies before pandemic hit.
Trivial inconvenience. But my favorite lost luxury.

[frogmarch]

26. 2003 The Da Vinci Code, and

before that, 1978 Superman starring Christopher Reeves.

[tanyev]

27. Pre-pandemic, we usually only went to the movies on holidays. Early show.

We've been avoiding crowds long before Covid came along.

[NurseJackie]

28. We enjoyed the matinees also...

... that's how it started with us. We stopped going to the evening shows (too late, too many people, other annoyances) then we went to the matinees only. Then we'd only go to the older "dollar movies" or the "ale-house" 2nd-run theaters. Then we replaced our VHS with a DVD ... then we got a large flat-screen from Costco... then someone bought us a Roku.

Well... that's how it happened.

[tanyev]

29. Yep, I have no problem waiting for most movies to be available streaming or on disc.

I don't get the OMG, MUST SEE IT OPENING WEEKEND mentality.

[NurseJackie]

30. I guess the only downside is finding out that Bruce Willis' character is a ghost...

... or that the Planet of the Apes is actually EARTH in the future!!!

[FSogol]

46. Hey, spoiler alert!

[electric_blue68]

56. Oh, man! THAT was such a Intense Reveal! Saw it in the theater several weeks in.

[ssgbryan]

35. Here in Jeebusland (rural Tn)

The time to go to the movies is on Wednesday night.

Just us heathens.

[NurseJackie]

36. LOL! That certainly makes a lot of sense!

[Polybius]

32. Last movie I saw was Joker

October, 2019.

[Tanuki]

33. In February I saw Parasite and the live broadcast of the Metropolitan

Opera's Porgy and Bess.

I miss movies and live music, among other things! Our local art/indie/foreign film theatre operates as a non-profit and I renewed my membership even though I will not be going to films in the foreseeable future. Its presence adds so much to our community and I want to do my part to help them make it through to the other side.

www.belcourt.org

[Proud Liberal Dem]

34. The last movie I saw at a theater

was Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, December 2019.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

37. Sometime before March of this year.

Don't remember exactly when or what movie.

I love going to the theater. I always go to an early show, because there are never very many people there. Definitely no teenagers. I get popcorn, bring my own bottle of water, and enjoy myself.

To me, some movies absolutely should be seen on a big screen. Of course, these days a lot of people have large TV screens in their homes; I don't. I do watch my share of TV and movies on my computer screen, so I'm not totally deprived.

I look forward to attending a regular movie theater some day.

[electric_blue68]

57. Even an 80" screen still isn't big enough especially...

... for certain movies: action/adventure, SF, Fantasy, period costumed, a movie with great scenery - landscapes, beachscapes, or the great cuties here in the USA, and around the world.

Don't get me wrong an 80" TV screen.is darn cool.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

60. I honestly have no idea what kind of screens people have.

I am somewhat of a luddite, don't have a conventional TV or screen. I do know that when I visit a particular friend who has some kind of large screen, perhaps HD, I honestly have no idea, I do enjoy watching things on her screen.

Were I to ever rejoin the normal world of such things, I'm sure I'd get the largest screen possible, and have some sort of cool viewing place.

Meanwhile, I'm happy to watch stuff on my small (I think it's 17 inches) computer monitor. Really, it's just fine.

[LiberalFighter]

40. I just threw out the last of my VHS tapes. I hope.

[NurseJackie]

41. We had quite a collection going at one time. But we donated them...

... to the Purple Heart thrift store. I'm sure they had no trouble selling them.

[LanternWaste]

42. Midway. So that was Jan or Feb, I think?

Hitting the movie theater is the one thing that's gotten me (on a micro, personal level) down about the pandemic. A friend of mine and I have (had) a tradition of hitting the movies once every month or six weeks, and then talking about it over stuffing our faces at one of the nearby taquerias. I love the big screen, movie theater experience, and it's the one thing that sticks in my craw about the roiling shut-downs.

And to top it off, Midway was the last one we saw together; of which, the only discussion we had about it was "...but at least it had ten or fifteen good minutes, so it wasn't a total waste."

[lpbk2713]

43. Took my kids to see the first run of ET.

Early 80's or so.

[NurseJackie]

44. I think you win.

[lpbk2713]

45. And those "kids" have grey hair now.

And the theater is long gone.

[0rganism]

47. Double Toasted - Warner Brothers 2021 Movies On HBO Max

Last edited Fri Dec 4, 2020, 10:25 PM - Edit history (1)

interesting nuanced take from a couple of twitch/youtube film & media critics, then a truly epic rant begins at 18:25
gotta say i'm a bit fonder of my local chain theatres than they are, but i don't have to document watching movies professionally.

[Phentex]

48. We tried to remember this recently...

we weren't big movie-goers pre-pandemic anyway but after they came out with reserved seats and dinner theaters, we went more than we used to. But I'm pretty sure it was some time last November or before.

[maryellen99]

49. October 2019- I saw a 40th anniversary screening of Alien nt

[Raine]

50. So long ago I can't even remember what movie it was

might have been Pretty Woman or the one where John Travolta was a guardian angel. I'd rather watch in the comfort of home.

[marlakay]

51. We went right before covid started

early March, reason I remember is new really great restaurant opened across from it. We stopped for a quick drink and said we will be back to dinner in a few weeks menu looks great! By then they were closed!

We did however end up eating there outside for dinner on Father's Day. Almost no one there I guess its a BBQ day, we ate outside only few other tables were taken. Food great!

[electric_blue68]

52. I love going to the movies but money...

that goes to art making, crafting, and an occasional meal out cuts into movie going.
I love being with a group watching a movie together, big screen, and a good soundtrack!

I think The Return of Skywalker was the last movie I saw.

I will look forward to seeing them again in a theater once it's really safe to do so! 💖 🎫 📽️ 🍿🙂

[Xolodno]

53. For the Rise of Skywalker...

...on IMAX. Prior to that was The Last Jedi, on IMAX. Think you can see a pattern there. Most movies we wait when we can buy it at home, for example Mulan.

There are few reasons why I would spend extra to get into a car, spend money in the form of gas and wear and tear, pay for overpriced popcorn and soda (didn't buy it last time, the line moved up by one in 20 minutes...you lost a sale Cinemark by not being adequately staffed), try to hold my bladder for two hours, then run to the over crowded bathroom because everyone else was doing the same and then drive back home.

[The Revolution]

54. 1917

The movie, not the year I believe it was out in January.

[Rice4VP]

55. To see Bad Boys For Life in the before times in January

[LeftInTX]

58. When Harry Met Sally was the last feature film I saw in a theater

[Klaralven]

59. Once a year around Christmas time. Ain't happening.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

61. "Django Unchained" in late-2012.

I won a $50 cinema gift card in the Fall of 2012 and used it to watch seven movies in a theater: Argo, Skyfall, Life of Pi, Seven Psychopaths, Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln and Django Unchained.

I think Django was the last one. Perhaps it was the last movie released among that group in 2012?

Once the gift card was used up, I didn't go back to a theater.

Edit: Most of them were the cheaper afternoon showings or I doubt that the gift card would've lasted that long. I got off work at 2 pm and the theater was just a few miles from my job.

[Kaleva]

62. It being about 100 miles to the nearest one, my wife and I would rather stream movies.

[betsuni]

64. Was a documentary about George Michael, 2005 or so.

Small theater, very few in the audience. A creepy old guy sat a few rows behind us and made weird noises, muttered to himself, then fell asleep and snored for the rest of the movie. The sound in movie theaters is too loud anyway.