Reasons are simple.

1. Hollywood got woke and preachy. STFU and entertain me, beyotch. I don't want lectures after paying you.
2. Movies got too expensive. Greedy movie execs killed the golden goose. Inflation and joblessness in America put it out of reach for many.
3. Too many other options. I can watch any movie on IPTV. It may not be fully legal but many don't care.

Especially younger adults and teens are addicted to their phones... Thy would generally rather scroll tik tok for 2 hours than sit and watch a movie for that length.

Aston04 said:

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Especially younger adults and teens are addicted to their phones... Thy would generally rather scroll tik tok for 2 hours than sit and watch a movie for that length.

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Saw a teenager fall asleep in Formula 1 this summer.

Urban Ag said:

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Did the economy still suck that bad in 81? I can't believe it was a down year for movies.

Raiders of the Lost Ark Saw it in the theater
Stripes Saw it in the theater, Francis
Body Heat Saw it on HBO about a year later. Yowzah!
Clash of the Titans Never saw it
The Road Warrior Saw it on VHS
Escape for New York Saw it on HBO a year or two later
American Werewolf in London Saw it in the theater. Great special effects for the time
Fox and the Hound Never Saw it
Excalibur Saw it in the theater, clank, clank,clank


Hollywood couldn't dream of a lineup like that in the last two decades

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HeadGames said:

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Urban Ag said:

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Did the economy still suck that bad in 81? I can't believe it was a down year for movies.

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Stripes
Body Heat
Clash of the Titans
The Road Warrior
Escape for New York
American Werewolf in London
Fox and the Hound
Excalibur


Hollywood couldn't dream of a lineup like that in the last two decades

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Down economy in early 80s?

Also, all those movies are good, a few of those have become much more popular after initial theatrical release.

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The recession of the late 70s was what got Reagan elected. It carried over into 1981.

Urban Ag said:

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Did the economy still suck that bad in 81? I can't believe it was a down year for movies.

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Stripes
Body Heat
Clash of the Titans
The Road Warrior
Escape for New York
American Werewolf in London
Fox and the Hound
Excalibur


Hollywood couldn't dream of a lineup like that in the last two decades

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You never saw fox and the hound? Do you enjoy killing puppies and putting beans in your chili, comrade?

Several reasons I can point out for this

There aren't many good movies anymore, yet alone great ones. The cost of production is so high, they have to stay in a bubble that almost guarantees success. It's too expensive to take a risk. Part of this also has to do with lost revenue from home movie sales because of streaming.

Similary, the risk of paying $100 for the family to go see a potentially bad movie is too high. There are a lot more bad movies coming out these days, but they still get high praise for some message, so it's difficult to wade through the virtue signaling to find one that's actually being received well by audiences.

Too many remakes and repeats. I thought for a while this was just me getting older, but even my teenage kids and their friends are tired of the same thing being put out over and over. How many superhero movies can they make?

Too dependent on CGI for everything. It just isn't compelling anymore. Are there any great stories anymore? I know comparing a movie to Shawshank isn't fair, but is there anything that even comes close in the past 10 years to such a great story?

Streaming makes movies available within weeks, or even the same day as the theater release in some cases.

Most of all, there just is not a culture of movie anticipation anymore. It just isn't a big deal, even among the youth.

Muy said:

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I loved going to the theater growing up. The tickets. Getting popcorn and a Coke. Sitting with a crowd. Waiting for the trailers to start. Lights dimming when the movie starts.

We'll never have it again.

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This makes no sense. You choose not go, but the experience is the same today. Actually better because you can get refills on soda and popcorn at most places and grab an adult beverage too if that's your thing

I don't like comic book movies, bloody violent movies, the remake of previous movies, science fiction movies.

The second Top Gun and Oppenheimer are my kind of shows, and they don't come around veery often. We were thinking about going to a movie on Sunday, but looked online and were not interested in anything showing.

Going to the movies is a waste of time and money. There are so many streaming services with quality content and whatever is at the movies will be on my TV in a couple of months. At that point, I can buy or rent the movie for a lot less than I would have paid for it at the theatre.

Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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What I do still really enjoying doing is going to the Alamo Drafthouse for an old movie.

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A few years ago, Fathom Entertainment brought back "Smokey and the Bandit" for one night only, and I dragged my wife there. "It'll be awesome," I said.

We were literally the only two people in the theater. Just for laughs, I went down to the front and took a picture of her sitting by herself.

About 30 minutes into the movie, two more people came in. So I felt vindicated.

Of course, the movie WAS awesome but I'll never live that down.

Smokey and the Bandit is on my bucket list to see in a theater, as it was one that I didn't get to see in 1977. I was probably too busy seeing Star Wars multiple times to even notice SATB that summer.

Bob Knights Liver said:

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Urban Ag said:

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Did the economy still suck that bad in 81? I can't believe it was a down year for movies.

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Stripes
Body Heat
Clash of the Titans
The Road Warrior
Escape for New York
American Werewolf in London
Fox and the Hound
Excalibur


Hollywood couldn't dream of a lineup like that in the last two decades

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You never saw fox and the hound? Do you enjoy killing puppies and putting beans in your chili, comrade?

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I had outgrown Disney movies at that point.

Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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Smokey and the Bandit is on my bucket list to see in a theater, as it was one that I didn't get to see in 1977. I was probably too busy seeing Star Wars multiple times to even notice SATB that summer.

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I saw it in the theater because my cousins told me how awesomely funny Jackie Gleason was in it.

Burdizzo said:

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Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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Smokey and the Bandit is on my bucket list to see in a theater, as it was one that I didn't get to see in 1977. I was probably too busy seeing Star Wars multiple times to even notice SATB that summer.

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I saw it in the theater because my cousins told me how awesomely funny Jackie Gleason was in it.

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Saw it in a drive in with my brother. When it first came out. FUN!

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Woohoo, let's see Avengers 8, Iron Man 9, Incredible hulk reboot 6, and have them all team up in a multiverse where we can thwart an existential crisis, and have a gigantic sky beam

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The last movie I went to was a comic book movie because my 7th grade son and friend wanted to see it. The plot was so predictable - two superheroes weren't getting along, existential threat arrives, they put aside their differences for the good of the world & join with other superheroes to form a team, defeat threat, and discover newfound mutual respect. All with a backdrop of tired, boring CGI effects. I was bored out of my mind. Haven't even thought about looking for another movie 7 years later.

FIDO*98* said:

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Muy said:

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I loved going to the theater growing up. The tickets. Getting popcorn and a Coke. Sitting with a crowd. Waiting for the trailers to start. Lights dimming when the movie starts.

We'll never have it again.

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This makes no sense. You choose not go, but the experience is the same today. Actually better because you can get refills on soda and popcorn at most places and grab an adult beverage too if that's your thing

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Well I don't go because there are no movies worth paying for that experience. And why do you think they offer free refills? Because they have to.

No Spin Ag said:

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Muy said:

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I loved going to the theater growing up. The tickets. Getting popcorn and a Coke. Sitting with a crowd. Waiting for the trailers to start. Lights dimming when the movie starts.

We'll never have it again.

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Sad, but true. But, at least we got to have it.

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Hitting Northcross Mall in middle school on a Friday/Saturday night, playing video games at Gold Mine then going to the movies was absolutely the best.

Yesterday said:

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I watch YouTube channels more than anything else. Cars, hunting, Sean Ryan, Joe Rogan, firearms or anything you want. Theres a ton of really creative and interesting people that don't have to make it in Hollywood anymore.

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Yep, many creatives are forgoing going to Hollywood and just producing insanely creative content under their own direction.

Urban Ag said:

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Did the economy still suck that bad in 81? I can't believe it was a down year for movies.

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Stripes
Body Heat
Clash of the Titans
The Road Warrior
Escape for New York
American Werewolf in London
Fox and the Hound
Excalibur


Hollywood couldn't dream of a lineup like that in the last two decades

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May have been addressed already (haven't read the whole thread) but keep in mind this is for SUMMER, not the entire year.
I'm. Not sure when those movies came out in '81.

1. Streaming
2. Expensive
3. Loss of manners. Who wants the hassle of having their movie watching experience ruined by obnoxious youths or people on phones?

Half the movies I went to see as a kid were Disney re-releases: Song of the South, Snow White, Bambi, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, 101 Dalmatians, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sword in the Stone, Fox & the Hound, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, The Rescuers, etc. Now you just get a subscription.

Hank the Grifter said:

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Urban Ag said:

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Did the economy still suck that bad in 81? I can't believe it was a down year for movies.

Raiders of the Lost Ark - June
Stripes - summer
Body Heat - pretty sure this was early in the year
Clash of the Titans - May or June
The Road Warrior - in the States, was a 1982 release
Escape for New York - August
American Werewolf in London - July or August
Fox and the Hound - no clue
Excalibur - spring


Hollywood couldn't dream of a lineup like that in the last two decades

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May have been addressed already (haven't read the whole thread) but keep in mind this is for SUMMER, not the entire year.
I'm. Not sure when those movies came out in '81.

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Whatever yall do, if you are in Dallas, do not go see a movie at NorthPark Mall if you value your life.

YouBet said:

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Whatever yall do, if you are in Dallas, do not go see a movie at NorthPark Mall if you value your life.

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Seriously? NorthPark is waaay nicer than any of the area theaters I could think of.

Urban Ag said:

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Wife reminded me, while driving past our local cinema, that we hadn't been to a movie since at least last summer. It wasn't a complaint.

They just aren't producing sh** we want to see. Our kids feel the same way.

I do feel bad for the kids. Movies in 70's-90's were amazing. We loved going to the movies as kids, teens, college age. Very American thing to do. But even my kids tell me 80's movies were better.

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Same here. We talked about a movie date night last week, but there's nothing out there we want to see (I want to see Superman and FF, but I can wait for them to stream).

agent-maroon said:

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YouBet said:

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Whatever yall do, if you are in Dallas, do not go see a movie at NorthPark Mall if you value your life.

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Seriously? NorthPark is waaay nicer than any of the area theaters I could think of.

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Your funeral: https://texags.com/forums/37/topics/3497798

MooreTrucker said:

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Urban Ag said:

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Wife reminded me, while driving past our local cinema, that we hadn't been to a movie since at least last summer. It wasn't a complaint.

They just aren't producing sh** we want to see. Our kids feel the same way.

I do feel bad for the kids. Movies in 70's-90's were amazing. We loved going to the movies as kids, teens, college age. Very American thing to do. But even my kids tell me 80's movies were better.

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Same here. We talked about a movie date night last week, but there's nothing out there we want to see (I want to see Superman and FF, but I can wait for them to stream).

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Superman can wait. It's average.

Can't speak to FF.

Watched almost all of Superman on a flight, hoping it would somehow get better. The dumbest Superman (hell, ANY superhero!) movie of all time. Think it's streaming for free on one of the apps but that still isn't worth your time.

Muy said:

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Watched almost all of Superman on a flight, hoping it would somehow get better. The dumbest Superman (hell, ANY superhero!) movie of all time. Think it's streaming for free on one of the apps but that still isn't worth your time.

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Gonna be on Prime, I think, but not yet.

ETA streaming but not free yet

Muy said:

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Watched almost all of Superman on a flight, hoping it would somehow get better. The dumbest Superman (hell, ANY superhero!) movie of all time. Think it's streaming for free on one of the apps but that still isn't worth your time.

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Yeah, I seem to have been the outlier on Entertianment board for this movie. It was not great.

Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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Smokey and the Bandit is on my bucket list to see in a theater, as it was one that I didn't get to see in 1977. I was probably too busy seeing Star Wars multiple times to even notice SATB that summer.

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I'm not proud of this but I didn't see until last year. Maybe the year before. Whenever it landed on Netflix.

And I get booed again.

Hollywood can't even make a decent cartoon movie for preteen kids to get their grandparents to take them to. Everything else is garbage the woke agenda driven element of society have conjured up to shove down the throat of everyday hard working Americans. It's like late night tv at the theater. Just go ahead and go broke and get out of the way.

Snoop's point exactly.

F me I just wanted to take the grandkids to a movie. LMAO

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The dumbest Superman (hell, ANY superhero!) movie of all time.

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I get the criticisms for Superman (2025), but let me introduce you to the following:

Superman III
Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (top 3 worst movie of all time for me)

Then let's throw in:
Batman Returns (was not terrible until penguins starting launching rockets off their backs)
Batman Forever
Batman & Robin (another entry in my top 3 worst movie of all time list)

Spider-Man III

It's not a high bar for Superman (2025), but these are far worse than literally anything in the new Superman movie.

There is way too much entertainment these days. Going to the movies ain't what it used to be. Who wants to pay insane money for bad food, idiot people, crowds, traffic, etc when you can watch on a giant big screen at home virtually anything you want.
I think woke is definitely having an effect as well. We've been to 2 movies in theaters since covid. The new Top Gun movie a couple years ago and Shrek for the grandkids.