Theaters have already shrunk the theatrical window. Try this experiment: This Friday, find as many movie theaters owned by a theater chain as possible, and list what they play. I bet you’ll find it’s this:

– Fate of the Furious (sequel of the sequel of the sequel of the…)
– Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (superhero sequel)
– Beauty and the Beast (remake)
– Kong: Skull Island (reboot)
– The Circle (heavy-handed Christian propaganda)
– The Boss Baby (animated film for anyone 10 and below)
– How to Be a Latin Lover (Throwaway comedy built on lambasting stereotypes)

To see that, it’ll cost you $18 a ticket & $15 for food. And if you want a good, book it 3 weeks in advance like it was a Broadway show. Otherwise, expect to sit in the front row, staring up at the ceiling. Its not worth the price, the hassle or the unoriginal, derivative experience.

The theater industry relegates the better stuff to arthouse cinema with limited runs, which often goes unseen. That’s why nobody knows about the Best Picture nominees until after the ceremony, which wasn’t the case 25 years ago.

The theatrical release is no longer conducive with screening good quality content. They’d retread Deadpool for a quick buck rather than take the risks TV and streaming are free to take. As a result, most view TV shows as being higher quality content than feature-length cinema. If that be the case, why keep the theaters open? For nostalgia’s sake? Just for the movie lovers? Good riddance to it. Give the indie films instant streaming releases so they’ll reach the wider audience that the theaters aren’t willing to expose those films to.

Gee, I don’t know JJ, maybe we should just make theaters better instead of shrinking the theatrical window? How about that for a solution? You got the money. Go out and start and theater chain that makes the experience awesome. Big home TVs will never replace the theater experience.

I’m sorry, but this line is bullshit. Filmmakers/Producers want to make money and there are two ways of doing that: 1.) Make something people want to see (he has) and 2.) Cut out the middle man. Now the producers will do everything they can to accomplish #2, but if theaters want to have a fighting chance, they need to pick up the ball. They need to figure out how to attract casual filmgoers without alienating the dedicated filmgoers.

I LOVE the concept and execution of Dolby Cinema. I think it’s the best step in quality that they’ve made in years. However, the last time I saw a movie in DC (Fantastic Beasts), I left infuriated that I spent the extra money to see a movie in a theater that was retrofitted to accommodate the DC-experience rather than one that had been built from scratch. The Red LEDs completely washed out the screen, completely undermining the deepest blacks they advertise.

OLED TVs? I popped a blu-ray in to test drive one of them and I swear, I’ve never seen that movie look better, even in the theater. Even some Sony 4K TVs are doing the job for me.

I’m glad to see the tech catching up. Theaters chains need to be put in check after how long they’ve taken advantage of customers.