Discuss: How Into Moviegoing Are You Getting?
Filed under: Fandom, Newsstand
Going to the movies is becoming an elaborate thing these days -- not only are people willing to pay big bucks for tickets to The Dark Knight (because, you know, it was never going to play again ever), but they camp out, dress up, cheer the appearance of Batman, and applaud at the credits. (Or even at the trailers!) At least, that's the phenomenon according to The Independent and, honestly, I've been noticing it too -- mostly the costumes, though. Seeing people in costume at a midnight showing used to be fairly rare, a novelty largely centered on Star Wars installments, but now it's happening all the time. I mean, people dressing up for Mamma Mia!? That's hardcore! (And don't pretend you're "different" than the Jedis and Jokers, either! A costume is a costume!) Granted, I think the Independent is exaggerating things -- this kind of excitement is really only seen on opening night; come the next afternoon, there is no cheering or costuming to be found. Moviegoing settles back into quiet and sleepy normalcy.
But it is an interesting phenomenon nonetheless. What the heck is causing it? Is it a frenzy caused by billions of dollars of movie marketing? Is it due to an unsatisfied need for a communal experience -- where else can you go to enjoy a crowd and establishment that is safe, clean, and friendly to all ages? Is it just those wacky convention types taking any excuse to dress up and loudly play the geek?
Continued after the jump...
But it is an interesting phenomenon nonetheless. What the heck is causing it? Is it a frenzy caused by billions of dollars of movie marketing? Is it due to an unsatisfied need for a communal experience -- where else can you go to enjoy a crowd and establishment that is safe, clean, and friendly to all ages? Is it just those wacky convention types taking any excuse to dress up and loudly play the geek?
Continued after the jump...
And how into it are you getting? Does any of the above describe you? I'm feeling rather left out, a quiet moviegoer who is just happy if she gets a good seat. I confess that I've clapped at trailers and movies for years -- I think the first I ever spontaneously applauded was the trailer for The Phantom Menace. (Oh, how innocent we were.) I remember clapping (and sobbing) at the end of The Return of the King. In fact, Lord of the Rings is the only series of films that I've experienced where my fellow audience members were just going ballistic, but I thought that was just because we Tolkien fans were really into Ents. Who knew it would become an acceptable practice? Frankly, it's the one facet of this that I can really get behind, as I firmly believe all good entertainment should be applauded. (Even if, as the Independent sagely points out, no one involved in the movie is around to hear it.)
But, I've never gone to a movie in costume, and have never even considered it. (Shocking, isn't it!) The closest I've ever come is when my friends and I decided to make "the worst Jedi costumes ever" a scant hour before a midnight showing of Revenge of the Sith. This consisted of buying the ugliest bathrobes we could find and wearing them to the theater -- but not before the rest of our group caught on, and came in things like "worst Luke Skywalker" and "worst Imperial Guard." It says a lot about the crowd that no one even noticed. (Except for Luke Skywalker -- for some reason people took that seriously and praised it, but that's probably because my sister's hair made her really resemble 1977 Mark Hamill.)
I'm quite curious what enthusiastic audiences will do next. I expect there will be a lull and a quiet appreciation for the fall dramas -- I can't imagine anyone applauding The Road, for example, or dressing up for The Duchess. Perhaps the fedoras and femme fatales will break out for The Spirit, but I don't expect to see another moviegoing frenzy until Watchmen. There's going to be way too many Rorschachs in line to be comfortable with.
What about you? Have you ever dressed up for a regular screening at the local multiplex? When was the last time you applauded during the end credits?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-11-2008 @ 12:27PM
stbrigid said...
I never dress up for movies, but I thought it would be fun to go to the X-Files: I Want to Believe wearing a t-shirt I got from an Amsterdam head shop years ago bearing the shop's logo: a glowing alien head w/ "Aliens in Amsterdam." I thought at least some people would find it funny. Oh, no. From the stares I got even my friends were like - "you go sit in the DARK theatre while WE go get the popcorn."
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8-11-2008 @ 12:34PM
Craig Kennedy said...
I vote for the "unsatisfied need for a communal experience."
Everything is splintered into niches with a couple hundred TV channels and 600 or 700 movies a year. We've got so much freedom to see and do exactly what we want, I think people are missing that buzz of being in on that universally cool thing.
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8-11-2008 @ 12:54PM
Angie said...
This past February one of the theaters in Austin that shows old movies was showing High Noon. So me and two of my friends who are absolutely head over heels in love with Gary Cooper dressed up in black and white (the colors of his outfit) and got sheriif's badges to wear too. We cheered when his name came on the screen and gave a little whistle at him when he appears and then we behaved ourselves for the rest of the show.
We got a lot of comments after the movie about our badges and some of the moviegoers thought it was neat to see young people (20s and 30s) so excited over a classic film. It was really a fun experience althought we did get some strange looks from the people in the ice cream shop after the movie - ha!
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8-11-2008 @ 1:03PM
Astin said...
"And don't pretend you're "different" than the Jedis and Jokers, either! A costume is a costume!"
Right on! It's honestly not that different than guys wearing a Yankees Jersey and cap. It's an expression of someone's like/love/adoration of their pastime. But it used to be relegated to certain niches.
But what's the difference between going to a movie and going to a baseball game? You spend a couple hours in a seat watching other people do things you aren't doing. You eat unhealthy food and drink after paying through the nose for a ticket. If it's fine for someone to go the game in a team uniform, why not a movie dressed as one of the characters?
Granted, it doesn't work for an unestablished story (since you don't know anything about the characters), but for something like LotR, Star Wars, Star Trek, Batman, or even Mamma Mia, there is a history behind the characters, so one can mimic them.
I expect the flood of "geek" themed movies over the past decade, combined with the Internet and increased social isolation (at least, in a face-to-face context) has really contributed to this phenomenon. Then again, people dressed up for Return of the Jedi and Star Trek movies.
I've never dressed up for anything other than a costume party or Halloween, but I can't begrudge those who do.
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8-11-2008 @ 1:18PM
Jason said...
In 93 as a freshman at Virginia Tech, my friends and I went to a late night showing of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and snuck in coconuts. Being good people, we only hit them together during the horse riding scenes of the movie. If we had thought it through, we could of realized how hard it would of been to find coconuts in the mountains of Virginia during winter.
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8-11-2008 @ 1:22PM
NvM said...
The only movie I kind of dressed up for was 300.
Now the reason we did so was because I was a big Frank Miller fan, and my friends and I both thought the trailer was really cool.
So we bought foam swords for a dollar store and cut them down to resemble greek xiphos.
Every time something cool happened we would raise our sword and cheer. Some people complained at us, especially the people in the very front, but we kept doing so because 300 is movie that' not very complex and it should be cheered because it's in the spirit of the film.
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8-11-2008 @ 1:39PM
Megan said...
The closest I've got to dressing up was wearing a Batman shirt to see Dark Knight. And I wore a replica of the Ring to see RotK. I don't really see myself going beyond that though.
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8-11-2008 @ 1:52PM
Elisabeth said...
I should probably add that I don't think there's anything wrong with anyone going in costume -- a Lara Croft can't (and wouldn't) cast stones. I'm just the type who really likes to be super comfy during a movie, and I couldn't do that in a costume.
Plus I'd probably spill popcorn on myself and get grease spots all over my meticulously researched and ridiculously expensive outfit. And that would just bring the whole experience down...
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8-11-2008 @ 2:24PM
thomas said...
When I went and saw the Dark Knight on opening day, there was a guy dressed like Mario from Super Mario Bros. His buddy Luigi didn't show up. Another guy brought a lightsaber with him to fend off the Joker. I think its fun when people dress in costumes to go to the movies. I've only seen it on opening weekend and I think it adds to the atmosphere while you're waiting in line. Surprisingly, not a single Batman showed up that night. Some employees had Joker makeup on.
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8-11-2008 @ 3:04PM
AJ Wiley said...
I've never put on a costume to see a movie, but if there's a movie I'm really excited about, I will wear a corresponding T-Shirt. I wore my fiery Batman logo shirt for The Dark Knight, and I break out my Pixar shirt when a new Pixar flick hits.
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8-11-2008 @ 3:42PM
Claire said...
I like to see people in costumes. it add a sort of camaraderie to the movie-going experience, connecting the costumers to the film and the rest of the audience. it's probably for the same reason people dress up at conventions.
however, i'd fine it a little weird seeing someone in costume without any special reason. costumes (for me atleast) are still reserved for midnight screenings/opening nights, special showings, conventions, parties, Halloween, but not everyday use.
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8-11-2008 @ 8:04PM
Brian said...
I think it's fun because you're doing something that would otherwise be completely unacceptable. My brother and I went all out for the Dark Knight (face paint and all) and it was great to see the look on people's faces while we walked through the shopping center. While our friends waited in line, we went for snacks at the grocery store, killed some time in a book store, etc.
One girl decided to dress up like a cowboy (get it? har har) but we weren't alone in dressing up.
I will be dressed up at the midnight showing of Watchmen. I'm thinking naked and blue might be more comfortable than the owl outfit...
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