$2.2 Billion "Theater Enhancements" Package to Include Pickleball and Ropes Courses

[AndyDursin]

If this isn't a sign the end is near for the movie going experience...

[Paul MacLean]

Why would I want to go to the cinema to play pickleball?

[Monterey Jack]

All real movie fans want is good projection, clear sound, comfy seats, ticket and concession prices you don't need to take a bank loan out for...and, oh yeah, movies worth leaving the house for.

[Paul MacLean]

...and, oh yeah, movies worth leaving the house for.

That's the only thing that will get me into the cinema.

[jkholm]

Why would I want to go to the cinema to play pickleball?

It's not a matter of doing both, it's doing one or the other. When my wife and I went to see Twisters, it was at a place called Strike + Reel which has a theater, bowling alley, arcade games, pinball and bumper cars. I don't know the economics but I would guess that owning a business with games is more consistently profitable than a movie theater alone.

The fact that theater owners are spending tons of money on upgrading the theater "experience" with laser this and state-of-the-art that implies they see Hollywood continuing the blockbuster model into the foreseeable future. And when there's not a blockbuster playing, people can always play pickleball.

[Monterey Jack]

And when there's not a blockbuster playing, people can always play pickleball.

Or they can take a chance on a well-reviewed indie movie, small-scale comedy or drama. But why do that when Kung Fu Panda 4 or Fast & Furious 11 is playing?

[AndyDursin]

That's definitely going to be even more of an issue going forward it seems. All these chains are going to be showing is whatever big franchise IP has been recycled and little else.

It's definitely an acknowledgement that attendance is down so in transforming some of these big multiplexes into mall-like "entertainment centers" they can offset the loss of revenue from movies with pickleball and whatever. But to me, in the big picture, it's all bad news, because it means the "theater experience" is going to become secondary or less integral to the teens who come in for ziplines or adult leagues coming in for pickleball. Naturally, some of these theaters will be better at handling this than others, but what happens when they stick the loud birthday party gathering for a ropes course next to some theater playing a quiet movie? Or you can hear the pickleballers yelling or whatever? Plus, Pickleball right now seems to be a fad not unlike racketball which was popular back in the 70s and 80s. What happens when that dies down?

If they want to get the adults back into theaters, this doesn't seem to be a good recipe -- not if your local movie theater starts looking like a teen-infested food court -- but they really have little choice at this point in time.

I just don't think a lot of theaters are going to handle this well, but it's a sign they're on the endangered species list. One local Showcase in Seekonk, Mass., with stadium seats built in the late '90s, is about to be torn down locally because they sold it to a Market Basket supermarket! Another theater near me (or within 45 minutes) in Newport shut down a few months ago. So the writing is on the wall and the programming and attendance aren't enough to support the marketplace on a week to week basis. The feast or famine "go for broke" $1-billion blockbuster model helps Disney or other big studios but not the people who work and run these theaters every day.

As I've said for many years, movies are going to become the local amusement park for expensive blockbusters coming through town and that's it -- and this will keep that model right in line. MJ won't have to worry about the small indie film, because that's definitely NOT going to be part of the programming. They'll stick "Generic Disney IP" #3,289 on half the screens and give the rest over to the old people playing pickleball!

[mkaroly]

While they're at it they should put in a putt-putt miniature golf course too.

Maybe they should just close movie theaters and bring back drive-ins...at least drive-ins would be more natural of an environment for all this ridiculous stuff they want to do.

[Paul MacLean]

While they're at it they should put in a putt-putt miniature golf course too.

Maybe they should just close movie theaters and bring back drive-ins...at least drive-ins would be more natural of an environment for all this ridiculous stuff they want to do.

Actually, there is a place south of me that has a drive-in (with two screens), a pizza parlor, burger joint, ice cream place, video arcade, karaoke and miniature golf! No pickleball tho!

Of course this place is located near Letchworth State Park (which NY State touts as "The Grand Canyon of the East") so there's plenty of summer business.

Perhaps this is the future of movie-going...

[mkaroly]

Wow - cool! That makes a helluva lot more sense than what theaters are looking to do.