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Is this the end of the cinema?


Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

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https://www.redsharknews.com/is-this-the-end-of-the-cinema?

I read a comment there that poo-pooed going to the movies as it is not 4K. I have not been to a movie since Feb 2020. Once the corrosive virus hit that killed the cinema for me. I used to go to a handful of movies a year. It was something different, everything does not have to be 4K. People still shoot muzzle loaders and process B&W film in their bathrooms. Low tech has its own charm. Unless you got a nice home theatre, lots of distractions at home. Being at the cinema kinda forces you to stick with the film. 

As an archivist I work with some really messed up films. Lots of vinegar syndrome and multi-generation dupes. It is as far as you can get from 4K. After dealing with the archival material, I'm happy with Blu-ray at home. But that does not mean I would not move up to 4K if $$ was no object.

My only regret is not photo-documenting all the old time theatres in L.A. while growing up there. You take them for granted and boom...one day they are all gone.

 

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The extra resolution of 4K matters more if you're sitting closer to the screen. Plus, the resolution of a traditional film print (not an original negative) is not exactly "4K." Also, there are 4K UHD blu-ray's available now with HDR. Depending on the display you're watching these on, you should get brighter highlights and a deeper black level than you get at a theater, unless it's a Dolby Vision theater. 

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I just attended my first public screening since Covid at a little theater in the middle of nowhere and it was empty. I don't know if people are ready yet, but people are also busy worrying about other things like finances. It's for sure a "soft" launch and I bet once theaters open nation wide, they'll start advertising more for the new movies. That will help drive the regular public back. 

I think the cineplex is doomed tho...

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It'll be interesting to see what happens when all the studios have their own streaming platforms.  With enough subscribers, why spend all that money on promoting a movie for cinema release. If the demand for seeing a film on the big screen stays low, cinemas might become a niche thing. I hope not.

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