There is a reason that I’m called the MovieDude and it should be rather obvious; I LOVE movies. I live movies. I have since I saw my first one (Star Wars, age 3). When I was able to read, I loved going by the local movie theater marquee just to read the titles. And when I finally got to enjoy seeing a movie in the theater (Sesame Street Presents Follow that Bird, age 4), I was hooked. Huge screen, bouncy seats (hey I was a kid), LOUD sound. Any time someone even mentioned going to the theater, my Pavlovian reaction would commence. In my teens, I got to see movies with my own money and by my late teens, I went to the movies every week and saw everything I could. By that point, I was going to more than one theater as some screens showed movies the others didn’t. That was when I realized that different theaters had different attributes. The first and most underappreciated was when I found stadium seating. No longer did I have to worry about sitting behind an NBA player and having to contort myself to see the screen. But then I noticed differences in project, sound, theater soundproofing and even the actual seats themselves. For some, these conditions don’t matter. But as movie ticket prices increase, theaters are trying to find ways to lure people back to the theater. Some of these ways are truly innovative and some are simply gimmicks. But do you really want to take a risk when paying on average nearly $30 per summer blockbuster? That’s why I’m here to help.

First off, let me explain that most metropolitan centers have a lot of options, but most theaters are not in metro areas. Some are in lower-middle to middle sized cities that may have one or two theaters in them. I really can’t help you there unless you wish to suggest to your local establishments of making certain changes, though please be understanding of their circumstances. Theater owners aren’t as well-off nor make as much as their Hollywood cohorts.

With that out of the way, let’s start off with picture. There’s three varieties of picture that are most prominent. There used to be film projection, where film strips are moved through a machine that pushes light through it at 24 frames per minute. This is bare bones and only few very cheap theaters still have this. A lot of film purists are out there that think such machines are the only way to see a movie. If you ever saw a film in theaters three weeks into its run, you realize that there is a flaw in this: film fades the more it is subjected to intense light. The only good projection would be in a 35mm format, which gives a crisp and fluent picture that purists are quick to point out. Filmmakers like Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino will film specifically for the 35mm effect so you might be interested to check it out.

Thanks to James Cameron and Avatar specifically, most theaters have switched over to digital projectors as it is cheaper to show 3D films without buying and installing special equipment. This keeps colors and images sharp for 2D images as well since the picture comes from a digital source. That said, digital is susceptible to data corruption, but that’s not much of a worry unless the theater is horrible at maintaining their equipment. The new standard in film projection is 4K Digital, which produces a sharper image and makes 3D pictures much brighter to counter the dim caused by the glasses. Most IMAX screens use this kind of projector for the obvious reasons. We’ll be talking about IMAX more in a little bit.

A lot of theaters love to make a big deal about their sound systems, and for good reason. George Lucas singlehandedly make stereo sound in theater a vital part of the movie watching experience when mixing his Star Wars trilogy. As blockbusters continued to immerse audiences in their worlds, they tend to do so through the sound mixes. But a sound mix is only as good as the speakers and subwoofers that it goes through. Most low-end theaters tend to use standard stereo surround sound, usually from Dolby. Now Dolby sound systems can be very powerful, especially since they came out with their ATMOS system nearly five years ago, but they also market to lower-end competent systems as well. But they aren’t the only ones in the game. One of my personal preferences used to be the DTS system. Since the late 90s, DTS created an entire system that would divot sounds to specific speakers instead of generic locations. But the cost of DTS systems mean that only a handful of theaters could afford this system, but it’s so worth it. But when it comes to hands-down the most immersive sound system in movies, it’s IMAX. Again, we’ll talk about that in just a little bit.

The most recent changes in theaters might be the projectors, but the most fascinating changes in theaters is seating. Back in the 80s and 90s, seating tended to be a cushioned bottom and back with uncushioned armrests that you had to share with your neighbors and consider yourself lucky if you had a cup holder. As the megaplex craze started in 1995, seating was getting a huge overhaul. The first thing was stadium seating as mentioned before. Another thing reconsidered were the armrests. First, they started to become cushioned and more comfortable, but they also become retractable so that couples could snuggle up or allow the heftier more room to sit without feeling like a sardine. Some theaters allowed for some reclining to increase comfort. Today’s theaters are taking it even further, though this next wave is still in the early stages. First is the concept of reserved seating which allows audiences to pick the best seats online or at the ticket booth as to remove the need for lining up to the theater. The next is fully leather seating. The first time that I have seen this was in the AMC Prime format (more on Prime later), but recently my local AMC Willowbrook 24 remodeled the entire theater with all-leather seats WITH full reclining capability. That’s correct, you can literally turn your seat into a bed with a few pushes of a button. And yes, there is enough space to get around people lounging like this. Some seats have even more, like an independent subwoofer that activates along with the movie. Having seen Godzilla with this feature, it is possibly one of the best seating innovations today. Another that has been around for nearly a decade is D-Box. This feature allows the seat full-motion capability synched with the film to move, shake, rattle and jump along with the movie. This function would typically be a feature considered gimmicky (and rightfully so), but in some films (most notably for me Inception), creates an interactive element that makes the movie more immersive.

Over the last few years, larger theater chains have been creating package-deal theater screens that are generically called “large format theaters”, but have listened names by their respected chains. A few that I’m familiar with are AMC Prime, Cinemark XD and IMAX. I’m sure there are others out there and are advertised prominently by their respective chains as they tend to sell tickets for these at a premium rate. These screens are typically be best-style format to see epic blockbusters if you are looking for an immersive experience. They tend to have the largest screens, the best sound and other advantages not found in other screens. The reigning king of these large format screens is IMAX as it is also the oldest and most renowned. Older IMAX screens tend to be the largest screens still to date, the one in Houston nearly 100 feet tall. IMAX used to use 70 mm film which was vastly superior print to anything available at the time. But the powerful IMAX lamps would easily not just fade the print but burn completely, making these strips very expensive. As IMAX started to move into more theaters, many of which smaller by degrees to their originals (detesters call these “FauxMAX”), they started to use top-of-the-line digital projectors instead. That said, the one thing that IMAX didn’t reduce was the sound system. IMAX sound mixes are easily the best, utilizing a unique sound system that bombards from all sides. Due to the power of the sound system, they also utilize the best soundproofing of all large format theaters. This might not mean much unless you’re in the screen next door.

If asked what the next best system out there would be, I would say AMC Prime. Prime hosts a screen on par with “FauxMAX” size and a sound system and 4K picture that is deeply satisfying, the thing that sets it apart is its reclined leather seats, personalized armrests and individual subwoofers in the seats. And I have just been told that AMC Primes across North America are being refitted with a new Dolby projector that could in fact put it over IMAX. As I have yet to see it for myself, I cannot say for certain. But I can vouch for the current technology.

And then there are the restaurant theaters. Most of these are theaters that serve prepared food and drinks (including alcoholic) during the movie. The most notable of which is the Alamo Drafthouse, but not because of the food or drinks (or at least the food). Restaurant theaters utilize more than edibles to attract audiences, they also tend to go after the nostalgic or obscure movie fans as well through selective programming. This was brought on specifically due to the Drafthouse due to the fact that they tend to mix things up daily. Things like showing cheesy old martial arts films or turn their films into interactive events such as Rocky Horror Picture Show or Quote-a-thons with such movies as The Princess Bride and The Big Lebowski. For the more playful, events like these are memorable while for others they can be big distractions.

As for the future, there is a Californian theater that proclaims a 4D experience by utilizing not just sight and sound, but smell and atmosphere. Imagine watching Twister with a gust blowing into your face or the Battle of Hoth with simulated snow falling on you. Again, I cannot vouch for this, but it does allow for more unique film experiences that depending on how much you want to spend, could be something you might want to look into.

As for me, it’s Summer Blockbuster season. Bring on the explosions!