The American Theater

Going to the movies to see the newest film has been an American pastime for around a century. For the most part, the film industry hasn’t had reason to worry about that pastime dying off anytime soon.

And while the advent of streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu probably have put a dent in the market, especially because having something on demand is a huge convenience, things still happen to hit theaters before they make their way to streaming platforms.

I remember going to the theater often when I was growing up. For whatever reason, it was something that happened at least every two months. Now, though, I can’t tell you the last movie I saw in theaters, nor how long ago it was. It’s been over two years, I can almost confidently say. Things have just changed and my time has been allocated elsewhere as I’ve entered adulthood.

Anyway, one of the best parts of going to the movies was eating the different candies and popcorn during the movie. Being able to get lots of butter and different flavored salts on my popcorn was the absolute best. And the candy they had there? I’d never seen it anywhere else.

Well, it’s funny how my perspective changed as I aged. When I was no longer a kid and I began paying my own way into films, I realized how expensive everything from a drink to popcorn to candy really was. No wonder my parents would only let us pick one candy to share. The candy boxes in theaters were sometimes 8 bucks a box!

To combat this expensive problem, though, we got smart. We began getting candy boxes of our own from grocery stores to take in. And while there was no “security” that checked what was on you when you entered, we’d always have someone’s girlfriend or mom hide the candy boxes in their purses in order to sneak it in. And once you were in your seat and in the dark? Well, it didn’t matter what candy you were eating then. Everyone had candy and no one would know the difference.

Part of me wonders if I don’t go to the movies anymore because I’ve “outgrown” that stage of me. Another part wonders if it’s because I can watch all kinds of mostly new movies on Netflix from home for pretty much free. And another part is that I just don’t have the energy and dedication to make it to the theater on a weeknight because I’m too worn out from the day, and my weekends are spent relaxing or hanging out with friends instead.