Monday, November 14, 2005
M. Night Shyamalan Feels Strongly About Theatrical Releases
Posted by Jason Dunn in "ARTICLE" @ 06:00 AM
"Director M. Night Shyamalan threw down the gauntlet Thursday night at ShowEast, appearing at the exhibitors convention to speak out against shrinking theatrical windows and rejecting the notion of simultaneous day-and-date releases of new films in theaters and on home video, cable and video-on-demand. In an interview before his speech, Shyamalan said he planned to ask theater owners at ShowEast's Final Night Banquet and Award Ceremony "for zero tolerance on this -- to say, 'If you're gonna release a movie in another medium, then you're not going to get into our theaters' -- because at the end of the day, they hold all the cards.""
After reading this article, I can't say that I really understand Shyamalan's point of view. He talks about the community-based aspect of going to the movies, but my experiences are anything but. With the exception of going with a large group of friends, there's not much community in the theatres I frequent. In fact, between people talking too loudly, popcorn bags-a-scrunching, and seats that numb my posterior, the only reason I go to the theatre anymore is to see movies that I can't see at home. I also appreciate the massive movie screen and sound system that modern theatres boast, but only for the "epic" movies (LOTR) - everything else looks just fine on my home theatre system. So I find myself wondering about how important it really is to "go to the movies" anymore. What about you? Is going to the movie theatre still an important part of your monthly routine?
After reading this article, I can't say that I really understand Shyamalan's point of view. He talks about the community-based aspect of going to the movies, but my experiences are anything but. With the exception of going with a large group of friends, there's not much community in the theatres I frequent. In fact, between people talking too loudly, popcorn bags-a-scrunching, and seats that numb my posterior, the only reason I go to the theatre anymore is to see movies that I can't see at home. I also appreciate the massive movie screen and sound system that modern theatres boast, but only for the "epic" movies (LOTR) - everything else looks just fine on my home theatre system. So I find myself wondering about how important it really is to "go to the movies" anymore. What about you? Is going to the movie theatre still an important part of your monthly routine?
