Monday Morning Poll: Going to the Movies...To Watch Sports?
Filed under: Sports, Critical Thought, Newsstand
Declining ticket sales are forcing theater owners to
get creative, and as soon as next year you may be able to go watch your local sports team up on the big screen...in
3-D! In a bid to keep up with technology (ie: Us being lazy and not wanting to leave the couch), theater chains are
looking to expand into something like a gigantic living room.
Shari Stone, the President of National Amusement Inc., put it best when she said, "We want to transition our theaters from being traditional movie theaters to being community entertainment destinations, and what better way to do this than sports?" Hmm. While this space would usually be reserved for sarcasm, it's weird, but I kind of think this would be a good idea.
Could you see yourself going to the movies to watch some Sunday football? If not, what else could theaters do to attract more people, aside from lowering their absurd prices?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-27-2006 @ 12:03PM
Film Junk said...
I definitely think this is a smart idea. Personally I probably wouldn't go to watch sports in a theatre but I know lots of people who would. There's something to be said for watching a game with lots of other fans around you. I'd be interested to see what kind of atmosphere they can create.
Also I think they've already been somewhat successful by showing pay-per-view wrestling events in theatres. Hey, if people aren't coming to the theatre to see movies then they might as well try something different.
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3-27-2006 @ 1:02PM
Christopher Campbell said...
I worked for National Amusements for many years and was a bit familiar with them showing Red Sox games throughout New England, where they are based. Thankfully, as a Yankees fan, I didn't have to work at one of those theatres that have been involved, but I also can't say how successful they have been.
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3-27-2006 @ 1:29PM
Adam said...
I would consider it for major sporting events, like the Super Bowl or World Series and it might be great for the World Cup, so I could watch it with other soccer fans instead of my friends who don't know anything. But for your regular game, I'm just too lazy to go all the way to the theater when its right there on TV.
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3-27-2006 @ 1:42PM
Tom said...
Beyond just sports, once upon a time I helped start a community theater company and we were constantly on the prowl for affordable space to produce our shows. While not optimal space for traditional theater, they would work fine.
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3-27-2006 @ 4:54PM
mike said...
I fear the potential of 'transition our theaters from being traditional movie theaters to being community entertainment destinations.' If this idealistic sense of community comes from sports (arguably a prime source of contention) at the expense of being able to enjoy a flick without some chump jabbering or being generally disruptive, then count me out. Sure, let people watch sports, but don't sacrifice the MOVIEgoer's venue just to take an additional chunk of the market share.
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