[AMC Nicole Kidman Intro]
…TO LAUGH, TO CRY, TO CARE…YADA YADA YADA — HAVE YOU HEARD THAT SPIEL ANYTIME RECENTLY? OR DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT SPIEL I’M TALKING ABOUT? ODDS ARE THAT NICOLE KIDMAN’S INFAMOUS AMC INTRO AD MIGHT BE FOREIGN TO YOU. A 2023 SURVEY FROM STATISTA FOUND THAT 50% OF PEOPLE BETWEEN AGES 18 AND 34 RARELY OR NEVER GO TO THE MOVIE THEATER…ONLY 12% IN THAT AGE GROUP SAY THEY GO OFTEN.
I, FOR ONE, AM IN THE SMALL MINORITY THAT LOVE THE MOVIE THEATRE — SO MUCH SO THAT I’M A MEMBER OF AMC A-LIST, A SUBSCRIPTION THAT ENTITLES ME TO SEE 3 MOVIES A WEEK FOR $20 PER MONTH. A STEAL IN MY EYES, A WASTE OF MONEY IN OTHERS’.
IN A RECENT VISIT TO THE LOCAL EVANSTON AMC, I WAS GREETED BY A GHOSTLAND. POPCORN MACHINES FULL OF UNSHOVELED KERNELS, A HUNDRED-SEAT THEATER FILLED BY MYSELF AND ONE OTHER SPECTATOR.
I KNOW, I KNOW, COVID AND STREAMING SERVICES PROBABLY EXPEDITED THE DOWNFALL OF MOVIE THEATERS. BUT I WANTED TO KNOW WHY NORTHWESTERN STUDENTS SPECIFICALLY STAY AWAY FROM THE BOX OFFICE.
[Jane Olney] Usually show times and selections are fine, but pricing could be improved because I’m not made of money. Additionally, I feel like they could do better with advertising. I don’t see AMC anywhere anymore.
THAT WAS JANE OLNEY, A NORTHWESTERN SOPHOMORE WHO STRONGLY PREFERS STREAMING A FILM FROM HER BEDROOM.
OLNEY HAS ONLY GONE TO THE THEATERS ONCE IN THE LAST YEAR — AND IT WAS FAR FROM A SCINTILLATING OUTING.
[JO] I don’t go to the movies more frequently Because last time I went to see Super Mario Bros, I had to leave halfway through because I got a stomach ache due to the large amount of candy that I consumed.
STILL, OLNEY THINKS THERE’S PLENTY TO BE DONE TO IMPROVE THE MOVIE-GOING EXPERIENCE.
[JO] I think the movie theater experience would be better if it was social, because that’s the one thing that it could have potentially over like watching a movie on a streaming service. And also, it would be more fun that way because normally when you go to movies with friends, it’s just silent. And the only times you get to interact with them are before the movie and after the movie because we get shushed for speaking during the movie, but like movies, you can like dress up for like Barbie, that situation that was fun.
[SODA SLURPING SOUND]
THE EVANSTON AMC OPENED LAST SCHOOL YEAR, FACING PLENTY OF RISK AND AN UNENCOURAGING HISTORY. IN 2020, THE CINEMARK THEATER, WHICH LEASED THE SAME LOCATION THE AMC NOW OCCUPIES, CLOSED ITS DOORS. IT ANNOUNCED A PERMANENT CLOSURE IN 2021.
SO WHAT DID AMC SEE IN THE DOWNTOWN EVANSTON MARKET, PRIMARILY COMPOSED OF COLLEGE STUDENTS, THAT CINEMARK DIDN’T? I ASKED VERONICA SILVOSA, AN RTVF MAJOR AT NORTHWESTERN AND A FORMER AMC EVANSTON EMPLOYEE, WHAT SHE SAW IN HER TIME WORKING AT THE BUSINESS.
[Veronica Silvosa] Like it was just a little boring, I guess because I actually didn’t have too many customers actually because I usually worked on the weekdays not on the weekends. And usually on the weekdays barely any people came so there’s a lot of it was just kind of me sitting around waiting for someone to come up so I can check their ticket.
SILVOSA WORKED AT THE AMC FOR MOST OF HER FRESHMAN YEAR, SCANNING TICKETS AND SERVING CANDY.
LIKE OLNEY, SHE THINKS MOVIE-GOING WOULD BE BETTER OFF IF FILMS WERE MORE SOCIAL.
[VS] Maybe having more things with people like you know, like, Barbie and Oppenheimer, like people dressing up to go like making it more of an event rather than just let’s go and watch a movie. It’s like, oh, let’s go and watch a movie and let’s dress up and then maybe hang out before after like a little. Yeah, just having doing more than just watching the movie making it more of a social event.
[THEATER AMBIENCE]
IT’S NO SECRET THAT THEATERS APPEAR TO BE ON THE WAY OUT, BUT FOR A MINORITY OF PEOPLE — SILVOSA AND MYSELF, FOR INSTANCE — HEADING TO THE MOVIES IS A SACRED TRADITION AND ONE WORTH SAVING.
SILVOSA TOLD ME SHE THINKS THE AMC IS HERE TO STAY, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS OFTEN DESOLATE DURING HER SHIFTS. AS MUCH AS I LOVE THE OPTIMISM, I FEAR FOR THE THEATER’S LONG-TERM VIABILITY; IT TURNING INTO ANOTHER CINEMARK SEEMS LIKE THE MOST LIKELY OUTCOME.
FOR WNUR NEWS, I’M JOHN FERRARA.
[CROWD CLAPPING]
