Movies aren't the only reason to go to the theatre

Posted to Arts and Entertainment by Eric Rees at 10:00 a.m., Oct. 19, 2009

Who doesn’t love movies? The action, the drama, the scaring you out of your seat scenes? Scary movies are a social experience when seen in theaters. Experiencing a full motion picture in theaters is an activity that will never die, but going to the theater isn’t only about the movie.

As soon as you open up the front door of the theater, you can smell one reason why coming was a good decision: movie popcorn. Yes, it's popping right there behind the counter in the massive glass case; golden yellow, salty and buttery just waiting to be bought in a bathtub-sized bucket and be devoured by everyone seeing the flick. And movie popcorn flavor cannot be reproduced anywhere but the movie theater. No matter how many times the box states its product is “just like the movies,” it’s not.

With gallon of soda and huge popcorn bucket in hand, viewers make their way to their seats for the second part of the holy movie trinity, the previews. Good trailers suck you in and make you want to go home and look up more information on each new movie, and you can also channel a Roman ruler, giving each preview a thumbs up or down. Each trailer is like a mini-movie in itself.

By this time, the popcorn is half gone and the previews are over and you forget why you’re at the movies, until the movie comes on and then you get excited all over again.