Stories about the place called the movie theater ① | Comparing the past and the present

The layers of time in a movie theater

Movie theaters these days are very comfortable.
You choose your seat via an app, enter smoothly with electronic payment.
You can even pre-order popcorn online.
There is no need to wait in line.
You can see at a glance whether it is fully booked or not.

As someone who goes to the movies often, I am truly grateful for this efficiency.

But, I suddenly remembered the old days.

In the past, you wouldn't know until you went there.
You had no choice but to head to the theater to see if it was full.
If it was full, you waited for the next screening.
Waiting for three hours was not uncommon.
There were no smartphones either.
The ways to kill time were limited.
Even so, I wanted to watch it somehow.

Tickets were paid for in cash at the counter.
Some people would ask about the size of the screen or the best viewing position while choosing.
I also had a seat I absolutely had to have, and I was particular about it at the counter.

Inside the theater, staff with flashlights would guide you to your seat.
During the screening, it wasn't as strict as it is now.
People would change seats.
There was standing room too.
Some people would even sit in the aisles.
You could also continue watching the next screening right there.
There were also double features.

There was the sound of paper tickets being torn at the stub.
That 'rip' sound felt like a small ritual before the movie started.
Although when I was in a hurry, I sometimes thought, 'Hurry up'.

The projector used film.
It was a habit of mine to turn around and check if there was someone in the projection room.
I suddenly wondered what it's like now.
I realized I haven't looked back recently.
There was the sound of machinery.
It wasn't organized, but it had a certain vitality.

Things are different now.

It's all reserved seating and a rotation system.
Empty seats are visualized, and the experience is optimized.
The sound is three-dimensional, and the large IMAX screen is overwhelming.
The screen is bright too.
The quality of the experience has definitely improved.

In the past, there was a strong sense of entering 'the space called a movie theater'.
There was a unique smell.
I think that smell is a sensation that only those who knew the old days can understand.
I wonder if anyone relates to this.

I feel like now there is a stronger sense of participating in 'the experience of that screening'.

I can't say which is better.

But, the light of the flashlight and the sound of the ticket tearing,
that excitement of heading there without knowing if it was full,

I think those are scenes that will never return.

Even so, I like movie theaters today too.
The fact that I don't have to wait in line.
The fact that I can definitely watch it.
The fact that I can comfortably immerse myself.

Movie theaters have layers of time.
The atmosphere of those days, and the quietness of today,
I believe both were truly movie theaters.