Ok I’ll bite. Some movies are worth paying extra to see on the large screen with the most up to date sound systems, and some aren’t.
Some movies are worth paying even more extra to see in IMAX/3D, I for one will be going to see The Hobbit in IMAX at the opener.
Theater experience also can have a lot to do with it. I remember when Star Theaters started opening in the Metro Detroit area and my friends and I would opt to see films there at a premium because the experience of the venue was more Hollywood, more red carpet. At blockbuster openings they’d shine the search lights, they had a mini food court offering, valet parking, and it just felt more “Holywood theme park” than movie-house. Somehow, this all brought celebrity to the forefront and added to the outing. It also didn’t hurt that they had cool movie memorabilia displays in the halls leading to theater doors. One that stands out is a Ghostbusters outfit display.
Many view movies as an escape, if the venue can further that sense then it is a really fun experience. How many people catch themselves imagining the 40’s Holywood era while watching that 3D animated 21st Century logo with the spotlights?
And while I’ve noticed more and more theaters offering VIP theaters with waitstaff and alcohol licenses this is the exception not the norm.
Lots of people enjoy watching movies with a couple hundred people, the shared laughs, screams, and tears is another reason people like to get out to the cinema. I think this could be taken further. All venues politely ask patrons to switch off their cell phones, but I see a lot of potential in coordinating a live ticker feed on the screen where people in the theater can make commentary during a film, this could be a fun interactive way to engage audiences, perhaps even with a sketching overlay.