12 Things We Miss About the Way Movie Theaters Used to Be

I love movie theaters. For my money — and I spend a lot of my money in movie theaters — it’s still the best way to see a film. Give me a huge screen, booming speakers, a cushy chair, and a good flick and I’m a happy guy.

Still, even the most die-hard movie fan like myself must admit that theaters are not what they used to be. In a few ways, that’s for the better; I think the overall quality of projection has improved in the last few years, and the sound systems in most modern multiplexes are mind-bogglingly good. (When I saw Twisters over the summer, the sound was so intense, i could feel it in my butt.)

It’s also great that you can buy most tickets in advance. That’s a vast improvement over the old system, where you would drive to the theater hoping the movie you wanted to see wasn’t sold out. (If it was, you had three choices: You could wait for the next showing, see something else, or go home.) And if you wanted to know the showtimes and couldn’t find a newspaper you would have to pick up your landline phone, call the theater, and listen to a prerecorded message from a pimple-faced teen who worked there, reciting the day’s showtimes on an endless loop.

All of those changes are improvements. But there are aspects of that old, less high-tech moviegoing experience that I do miss. Some involve the overall atmosphere, ambiance, and decor; other involve the food and entertainment options. Others involve the types of theaters — and types of screenings — that used to be prevalent and now barely exist.

The disappearance of the 12 items on this list below are not going to deter me from going to the theater; I’ll still be there, almost every week, enjoying the latest release and probably a large Cherry Icee. That doesn’t mean I don’t also look back fondly on the way things used to be.