Movie Theatres Are as Anachronistic as Malls

The pandemic was the coup de grâce, but going to the movies was already as anachronistic as going to the mall.

I’ll stipulate that I’m a misanthrope who considers three or more persons mingling together a crowd to be avoided at all costs, but in the age of pandemics and terrorist attacks, I’m no longer a solitary figure who looks askance at the great unwashed.

Action and comic book hero movies rule at the box office, and fans of Star War or Harry Potter flicks would flock to movie theatres, and waiting in line and socializing with other cult members was almost as much fun as watching the film.

But now stans of a particular movie franchise can socialize with their kind in online forums, chat rooms and web sites.

Why go to a movie theatre when you need to take out a second mortgage to afford a large tube of popcorn, when many new releases are available simultaneously on streaming services?

What killed the movie theatre experience?

Wide screen TV’s! Streaming services! Fear of crowds! Spiraling prices of movie tickets! Expensive popcorn! Spree killers! Cell phones ringing sporadically! And of course, the pandemic!