Now in cinemas

I was just thinking about the movie industry, and then I realized the Oscars are this weekend.  Chalking it up to serendipity, I thought I'd write was I was thinking about.

I've been wanting to see Cloverfield. I was very very careful to avoid spoilers.  I know nothing about it, really, even though I did happen across a photo online of a prototype collectible action figure of the monster.  Dammit.  I hit "back" on my browser real quick.  I'm hoping it wasn't real.  


Anyway, since I don't work on Fridays, and Eric does, and since he never wants to go to the movies, I thought I'd go see it today.  Either that or U2 3D.  I had my mind made up for me when I discovered that Cloverfield isn't playing in Johnson City any longer.

How long has that movie been out? Like, a month?  What is it with the Opening Weekend Phenomenon?  Has DVD really made such a difference that movies only run for a few days before being pulled from the cinemas?

I think back to the '80's, and even the early '90's, the heyday of the VCR.  Movies still played for more than a week then.  I used to see movies I liked more than one time.  I think I saw Ferris Bueller's Day Off seven or eight times at the cinema.  As late as the '90's, I went to see Pocahontas at least three times.  You can't do that now- unless you see it twice on opening day and once the very next day.

Anyway, it's not about seeing things multiple times that I'm writing.  It's that I wish the distributors would allow things to play a bit longer, so that wishy-washy people like me, who don't decide to go see something till they've heard about it from others who have seen it, will actually have the chance to see the movie!

Oh, and I didn't see U2 3D.  I was productive and painted the kitchen cabinets instead.