A lot of us care about keeping movie theaters around, but it’s getting harder for them to compete when many home TVs now look and sound better than a standard theater experience.
IMAX is one of the few things that still makes going to the movies feel special, and right now, we have to drive hours to get that experience…
Vermont might really benefit from having an IMAX theater someday!
Rutland doesn’t even have a movie theater
Our closest movie theatre is a neat mom and pop one in Springfield.
Springfield or Middlebury, yeah, then Lebanon, Bennington, or Queensbury. It's frustrating.
Randolph
The little artsy one in Randolph is around the same distance away, maybe a hair closer.
Playhouse is a nice theater with great sound quality actually. It's been there forever too
That is wild.
The Paramount never shows movies?
Do they make enough money with only live events?
And are there any movie theaters in any neighboring towns?
The paramount might on occasion, but not reliably.
There are small movie theaters in Bennington, Springfield, and Randolf. There are bigger ones in Glens Falls and Burlington area.
Even the bigger ones wont have much ROI for an imax screen
My dude we barely have hospitals
Okay hear me out. A hospital WITH an IMAX
I’ll be the first book watching my own colonoscopy on that bad boy!
Sorry, the IMAX was covered, but the projectionist was out-of-network. Here's your bill.
Two hours at minimum wage, plus hospital administration fees brings you tooooo.....$7800.
Fucking real
You read my mind
Sadly I doubt there's enough population density to economically justify it to any company that could afford to build one.
Idk I think in the greater Burlington area there’s enough people plus you have the college crowd 🤷🏻♂️
An IMAX theater would probably create fewer than 10 jobs and go out of business quickly.
Essex Cinemas has their large T-Rex screen and good sound. I've always thought of it as a bootleg IMAX. Honestly a solid viewing experience, IMHO
Agreed, Dune 2 and OBAA was excellent there
I heard that their original plan- including the branding “T-Rex” was to hopefully convince big movie studios to embrace it as an IMAX-lite standard. It actually makes a lot of sense. I have seen movies in IMAX that didn’t warrant being shown that large. But T-Rex is large enough to still involve peripheral vision.
It’s a good theater
I thought there was an IMAX theater in EJ. I lived there for 7 years and could have sworn there was an IMAX near the outlets.
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Bennington’s movie theater is better than regals. The seats are huge, soft cushioned leather. They recline and have heat or ac. You can fall asleep in them and $6 daily matinee’s. I never saw a huge difference with IMAX tbh, except the sound was better, they have them in Albany.
And a discount card that drops them to $5.50
I remember when it was Cinema 1-2-3!
Cinema 1,2,3 was by Ames wasnt it? It’s now a dollar tree and Ames is a Home Depot. We had 2 movie theaters back then. I think cinema 7 has always been cinema 7, just changed ownership once or twice. Remember the one downtown that burned down? That’s going way back I was only 5 or 6, in the late 80’s.
Yes by Ames!!! I remember the change to Cinema 7 - big deal! I grew up in Bennington (and ended up going to Bennington College) so I spent a lot of time at that cinema!!!
The Hart Cinema was downtown and burned down in the early-mid 90s… I went to junior high with some of those boys that were responsible for that…
https://preview.redd.it/4d0uxdouc59g1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=35bcef10157d82a2342ea29cfca1605a7e15f555
I remember it but you are mistaken. Cinema 7 is headed towards Price Chopper, stand alone movie theater. Cinema 1-2-3 was renamed Movieplex for a while. Here’s a cool article on it talking about both theaters and how they’d be competing with each other. Although there was never real competition bc I remember they worked together and always played different movies, never the same movie at both. 1997, wow, almost 30 years ago. I can’t believe it said Theater 1 could hold 270 people 😳. What a different time!
Oh! It’s been a while! I know the 1-2-3 was by Ames then the 7 was a new big building… haven’t been back in a decade! I graduated MAU in ‘97!
I can only imagine one in Burlington simply because of population density. It would not make sense anywhere else. But, even BTV, I can’t imagine it being profitable long-term.
Also, i wouldn’t drive the hour and a half it takes me to get to BTV to watch a movie.
I hate to get sll edgy hipster douche bag here but i think its more than just everyone has a big TV now.
No doubt that is contributing to the decline of theaters but I think the fact modern movies are pure garbage is far more of a factor.
Personally im dont with super heroes/comic books, star wars, fantasy or any genre than infantilizes adults. And it'd all remakes or fantasy/sci fi/comic books
When was the last really good comedy released? Super bad?
I think our culture is too trash now to produce movies that have artistic value
I think it depends on the theater. Commercial theaters like Marcus and AMC are going to show the lowest common denominator blockbusters. But I used to live near an Alamo Drafthouse and it was a superb experience - actually enforced no phones and no talking, comfy seats, and great film selections current and old. There are plenty of great movies being made today but they won't be played at the big theaters or even some of the mom and pop theaters we have here.
I would say a good comedy from this year was Friendship! Sinners was an awesome film from the year too along with Sorry Baby, One Battle After Another, Bugonia, The Phoenician Scheme, Wake Up Dead Man, and many more I haven't been able to see yet that have been widely acclaimed that aren't Marvel or remakes or slop!
You’re looking at surface level IP like Disney as the only releases. There’s no denying that is where the money is being thrown, but Anora for example was a comedy released a year ago and it won best picture. This year we had (IMO) great comedy movies like Friendship, Eddington, and Mickey 17. The big studios aren’t pumping these movies out like they used to, and people simply don’t mind waiting to see these things at home.
Anora and Friendship were both phenomenal. Low budget but big impact, I wish we could get more of these kinda films.
Going to the movies over the past 2 decades has been a disaster. People talk, scroll their phones, bring their cranky toddlers. I occasionally go to a matinee on a weekday where I basically have the place to myself. Otherwise, I'll wait and stream the movie--and I'll pop my own popcorn for 50¢ rather than $4.
I see these kinda comments on /r/movies a lot and just assume it's in the big cities that this happens. Where in Vermont have you experienced this?
I go to the Essex cinema regularly and haven't seen this once. Granted I generally go to more 'adult' oriented movies so perhaps it's different in kids movies but once the previews start 99% of the time people are quite and phones are away. I've never seen someone pull out there phone for anything more than quickly checking the time.
Essex and Williston. We've exclusively been going to matinee shows for well over a decade, so maybe people have changed...I dunno. I remember our last prime-time R-rated movie was one of the Mission: Impossible movies (no idea which one) but two people behind us kept asking things like "who's THAT guy?" "Wait, what just happened?" "Is that a good guy or a bad guy?" and that's when we stopped going to evening shows. That was the final straw, after experiencing the other stuff I mentioned on multiple outings.
Not saying it happened every time we went, but I just feel it's not worth the money to take the chance on having a crappy experience. I'll wait and watch at home.
Interesting, that sucks! I only go on evenings, and mainly now I go to Essex on Monday nights since every movie is $5.
That's interesting, I didn't know that they had a discount night. Being a Monday night, maybe that kinda weeds out the weekend "party" crowd?
Trying to figure out how to word this, but, maybe folks who go to the movies on the weekends are going just to go out and because hey it's the weekend!, and have only a passing interest in the movie. Nothing wrong with that if they respect others around them.
Totally could be! I also go to a lot of live music and I regularly experience crowds that are there for the music, locked in and quite, and then an often different Saturday night crowd talking in the front how just there to hang out... certainly could be the same kinda crowd at theaters!
I agree with you there. I used to love going to the movies but now it's not worth the $ to spend on the nonsense that comes out.
Inform yourself on all of what’s coming out. If you loved the movies in the past, I really think you are capable of getting back to it. Not saying from a place of judgement, rather as someone who got back to the theater 2 years ago and have happily made it a part of my life again. There’s still great movies most months of the year.
Your advice sounds good until you realize that both local theaters in Chittenden County sometimes (or maybe often) show the same movies. I'm glad that there are independent cinemas in Burlington now. I've never been a big "go to the movies" guy and that's because Hollywood stopped making movies that I liked and switched exclusively to superhero movies.
There is a non-superhero movie out in theaters literally every day of the year. If we go and see them, Hollywood will make them more often
Nothing that makes me want to pay to watch something not on my 110" projector screen.
Agree to disagree, continue blaming the filmmakers instead of supporting our local theaters if you love Netflix like that
Assumptions make an ass out of you.
Took the words out of my mouth
I don't really go see comedies much but there have been tons of original movies that are fantastic or at least interesting in the last few years, here are some I'd recommend that aren't anything you said you're not into, none of these (except one) are remakes:
Obviously you've gotta filter through the junk but to be honest that's always been true, I was one of the first employees hired at The Majestic 10 and watched every movie that came out one year ~20 years back and this was before Super Hero movies were big (OG Spiderman came out that year) and the percentage of good movies was similarly low back then too.
I’d prefer a roller skating rink first. Maybe we can make it a proof of concept. If there isn’t the population to support a rink, then for sure we couldn’t support an IMAX.
Plus I just really want to roller skate to music on any given day.
Vermont is a poor rural state, basically West Virginia that benefits from proximity to Boston and NYC/CT/NJ.
Agreed, can finally watch a Chris Nolan film properly.
The Providence place mall is only a 4 hour drive.
It's 3 and a half hours from Burlington to Jordan's Furniture IMAX in Reading
"Deserve"?
We don't have the population nor disposable income to support an IMAX. It would be a financial loser and I'm sure that's why we don't have one.
Our regular theaters are suffering, and you think an IMAX would be profitable?
Is there even enough of a market for an IMAX theatre in this area? We have the excellent Essex Cinemas.
Why so my kids can step on needles and look at graffiti
Meh... the Latchis in Brattleboro is close enough.
Does Vermont deserve anything?
No thanks! I don't think it would get much use. Vermont doesn't need to have everything other states do just to have it.
Why would i want to go drive & pay for an at best mehhh experience at an IMAX theater, When I can have a much better experience for a fraction of the price at home?
Yeah the last time I went to a theater was 2019. The behavior/talking/phones of other theater patrons is just too distracting for me. After three bad movie experiences in a row, I decided I was done with theaters.
same, I put on my VR headset and pull up my own personal IMAX theater.
I don't know if I've been to a movie theater in the last two years. Too expensive and I haven't seen much worth seeing.
VT has never had the market density for an IMAX, and the market for IMAX theaters has only been shrinking for many years.
Just not gonna happen.
The only location I can think of that has the parking, the easier access, and perhaps could draw people is the Essex Cinemas. But a commercial IMAX can cost between $10-$15 million. Hard to finance and harder to pay off the debt incurred.
Montreal and other cities have them. I’ll take the Trex all day in Essex. Movies have to be filmed in IMAX to make it worth it as well. And let’s not forget the sound system as well.
More John Waters movies, I say!
The Sunset Drive-In in Colchester (screen 1) is way larger than (your typical) IMAX screen - just food for thought. VT will never get an IMAX branded screen. We can't even keep regular screens going
I saw the first Avatar at the sorta IMAX in Hooksett,NH. Even better was the experience at a real IMAX at the Museum of Science in Boston. It was an amazing film about Everest.I always wondered how they got those cameras (which especially back then were big and heavy) up there.
If you like movies I'd really put going to an IMAX theatre on your bucket list. It's like if you are a sports fan attending a playoff game in person is something special even though it's cheaper and more convenient to sit at home.
We always go to the one at Crossgates in Albany, and for regular releases, as weirdly Jesus-y as the Bennington movie theater is, I’m still grateful it’s there at all. I’d really settle for “any movie theaters at all outside of Chittenden County” at this rate.
That ain't gonna do it. Let's get a place in Burlington that serves alcohol and food as well as movies. I'd go then. Easier to just stay home
You should check your comments for distracting errors before posting.
Theatres are closing all over. You can barely support the ones you've got. Who is going to invest in that when nation wide attendance has dropped horribly since covid?
Montreal has like 5 of them and is less than 90 minutes from Burlington… Albany has one and is less than 90 minutes from Rutland
I mean if one can survive in Hooksett, NH surely we could manage one in Burlington...?
Back when I lived in NH, my friends and I would drive 45 minutes from the lakes region pretty routinely to see a movie there. So they have a bit of a draw factor.
As others have said, it's an exceedingly rare occurrence for me to forego my home setup for a run of the mill theater experience. But I could see myself getting out a few more times a year if I had an IMAX nearby.
If they got one they would be closed 4 days a week lol
First, who are we trying to convince that Vermont needs an IMAX? Are we calling it to a vote somewhere? I’d love to have one nearby, but I can’t build one. If you’ve got the time and inclination, please do. I’d definitely go probably a few times a year maybe. I try to go to the cinema pretty regularly, and there’s usually a small handful of movies per year that I’d make a bit of extra effort to see in an imax if I could. It might take a whole lot of mes to keep the theater afloat, though.
Second, if you care about movie theaters, go to them! This isn’t directed at OP specifically, but is a reminder that it’s easy to stay home and say “a dang shame we’re losing cinemas in this state” while forgetting the obvious solution to the problem.
A number of cinemas are running discounts on Tuesdays, and I’d absolutely recommend taking advantage of them. I know that at least Capitol Theater in Montpelier, and Majestic 12 both sell $5 or $6 tickets on Tuesdays, but I doubt they’re the only ones.
Third, while I can’t speak to how to improve ticket sales, I only sorta buy the argument that the technical improvements of home theaters is a significant enough factor in cinemas’ decline that building bigger and fancier theaters would solve the problem.
A decent screen and sound system are important, but to me going to the cinema is about a lot of things. It’s about showing up for a film when it counts the most. It’s about going with my partner, my kids, or friends, and chatting about the movie on the way home or at a pub after or something.
It’s about the experience of making time to go see a movie. You buy your tickets, you show up time and get your snacks, and you settle in. You can’t second screen, and you can’t pause to go to the bathroom or make food in the middle so you’ve got nothing better to do than lock in and enjoy the movie.
It’s about seeing the movie in public with a crowd. Being in a room with others and all experiencing the emotional roller coaster of a good movie isn’t something you can get at home.
Basically, it’s about participating in society, which is a pretty cool thing to do, it turns out.
Eh, I doubt it would survive. People don’t have that much interest in going and spending crazy money on seeing a movie when they could do it at home for a more comfy and usually just as good experience. I agree people can’t get imax quality at home, but idk if there’s enough demand for that in VT.
Vermont deserves better cell service. The IMAX is just fluff.
I'd take an Alamo Draft House instead.
Screw imax, bring back the drive in theaters. So few around anymore.
We need ed tech centers and green housing first, friend. Boston has IMAX though.
IMAX tickets are insanely expensive and there aren't many films shot in 70MM and the ones that are sell out for weeks in advanced. I'd rather just have a decent indie theater with 2-3 screens.
Vermonters could t afford to go to it.
You also have to have a lot of people in a given area. With 80" TVs being $500 or less and streaming services, the only people going to movie theaters are only going because they like theaters specifically.
Movies are also kind of a dead format. You dont have to try to shoehorn a complete story into 2 hours or less since the technological limitation of media is no longer present along with the physiological limitation of trying to keep someone in a seat for over 2 hours if you run long. You can just do 10, 1hr episodes and stream it....and have multiple seasons.
Poor guy has to drive hours to get to an imax, hours! What is this world coming to??
What I would give for either an IMAX theater or an Alamo Drafthouse. I didn't fully appreciate those when I lived near them.
The issue is the upfront cost. The only place you could build one is in chittenden county because of population density. When you consider the price of the real-estate, the permits which you're going to be sued by essex cinemas and majestic 10 under act 250 and delayed and operating cost. The math just doesn't math
The one in Montreal isn't bad, I make the trek for the big releases (Dune, Chris Nolan films) and you can do a matinee with large popcorn and soft drink for like 10USD. The parking there is free too.
It should be in central Vermont so it’s closers to everyone. Maybe around rutland.
Central VT never gets and will never get anything cool. This area is a fucking nursing home.
Haha we can barely support any movie theater. Business leaves here not comes here due to taxes and restrictions.
Bro Netflix just bought WB, you’ll be lucky to keep that imax that’s 250 miles away. Vermont barely has enough people and customers to support regular theaters.
Someone correct me, but I thought the Majestic 10 had an imax cinema called the Rex or something
This is what you want to talk about?
Insurance is insane, groceries crazy expensive. People overdosing in b the streets, huge homelessness. Our education system in shambles.
But not, we dont want to drive 90 mins to a Canadian imax.
I agree we should have one, but can we please show that we are smart enough to focus on the important stuff?
When I lived in VT we would drive to Montreal to see big movies. Always felt funny driving to another country for that. There was always this anxiety that we accidently bought tickets to the French version.
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You're saying "the libs" are responsible for private companies deciding to put smaller footprint stores in one of the least populated states? Our biggest city has just over 40k people. What size store do you think we're going to get?
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I mean, so does Chittenden County! Between Williston and South Burlington, we have more Big Box Stores than Plattsburg.
I will say yes to liberals doing that lol. The town of Bennington fought Walmart from expanding for 10 years until they paid a kings ransom to expand, installed a bike path, redesigned the road for additional traffic, all while flipping the bill. Target, Barnes and Noble, Best Buy, Applebee’s, Denny’s and probably more have wanted to set up shop here. But since our town “managers” are also local business owners, they fight tooth and nail preventing any big box competition. Or straight up turn them down. It’s why Rutland with relatively the same population has so many more options than Bennington.
You want Vermont to be like New Jersey.
No thanks.
I prefer Vermont the way it is. The last thing I want here is a ton of franchises and big box commercial buildings.
I’ve lived in places like that. It’s awful.
No one is asking for VT to be NJ- im asking for some normal stores.
Different states are known for different things whether it's stores, hiking, traffic, beaches, massive subdivisions, outdoor sports, malls, or orange groves... I'm totally ok with not having as many stores and subdivisions and billboards and traffic as other states, in fact, it's great imho.
I didn’t say a Chick-Fil-A lol a different commenter did. Plz I don’t want Vermont to be NJ. That’s a stretch, asking for a couple more restaurants or stores. I think Rutland has a good selection for its size. Bennington is lacking 2 or 3 imo
Yeah just read about the Walmart there and the very small but dedicated opposition to it. So at least those liberals are against it! I'll grant you that. But also sounds like Bennington is getting a Harbor Freight, Marshall's, and some other stores as well. So not total opposition to non-local businesses opening. They might just hate Walmart.
But there's 3 applebees in the state (and one in Lebanon, which almost counts). There are no Best Buys anywhere near a typical Vermont-sized town anywhere in the area (outside Chittenden County), and the same with Barnes and Nobles. Denny's is actively closing restaurants around the country.
Bennington has 15k people and has no bigger city near it. That wouldn't even qualify as a town in the types of places many of these national corporations look at, especially ones that aren't naturally on some sort of supply route for them, and Vermont is just out of the way for them.
Well I mean Troy, NY (where Albany and the capital region start, over 1 million people metro) is only 20 miles, 25 minutes away. We go there for our nightlife, chick fil a, etc. Pittsfield is also only 25 minutes and is actually larger than Burlington lol
I always forget the Albany area actually has people lol (especially compared to Vermont).
So many of these corporate decisions are based on how regions/districts/territories are carved up and made relative to populations, so who knows how they figure out "SW Vermont is already served by this Albany restaurant" or whatever.
Yes lol. It’s also why Bennington is kind of a forgotten place for Vermonters. We’re actually included within the capital district, any news happening here is covered out of Albany. It’s pretty bizarre because we aren’t NY but Vermont news rarely talks about us. We’re the only county in Vermont that is actually considered part of the greater Albany viewing area. We just don’t fit in anywhere 😝
Every business you listed sells cheap, foreign made crap that doesn’t last, or serves frozen shit “food” that makes you fat. That’s what you want to support vs the local businesses owned by the town managers?
It's not the food that is making people fat. It's overeating and not exercising.
What's not 'normal' about the Target and Costco we do have? I'm also curious to hear how 'the libs' made them not normal?
Idk what they're going on about with "the libs" thing but our target is a mall target and is a fraction of the size of a real target.
It's not a necessary and they are anti LGBTQ+
No we don't? What do we need that garbage for?
Who goes to IMAX theaters anymore?