When movie is bad, popcorn really matters!!

Remember the days of single screen theatres? Waiting hours in the long queue with no guarantee of getting the ticket. Cramped seats. (Sometimes you could even spot a rat – No kidding!) And, hoping that out of all the releases, your favorite one is shown in your nearest theatre.  Oh...good ole days!

But the scenario changed after multiplexes waltzed in. Single screen theatres became a thing of the past, especially in urban cities. The seats got better, lines got shorter. Moviegoers now have a lot many options on their plate.  However, with good comes bad. So in this case was the exorbitant price of movie tickets. 

This resulted in a paradigm shift in viewers’ expectations. Now, the film isn’t the only deciding factor, unlike old times when people were happy watching a movie on the stairs! Current crop of moviegoers need complete value for their money. And rightly so! In a city like Mumbai, a movie along with popcorn and a drink in a multiplex can easily cost you 500 INR/person. It is even higher during weekends. To top it all, not many movies turn out to be worthwhile of the money and time spend. So it becomes even more imperative that the service offered compensates somehow. 

 

The quality of seats, sound, food, parking space contributes to the movie going experience. Wondering how?  A bad movie becomes even more unbearable because of shaky seats, ear-piercing sound, stale popcorn, the not-so-cold - cold drink and niggling worry of your car parked in the no-parking zone. But an average movie can still be enjoyed along with friends in the company of fresh popcorn, piping samosas, comfortable seats and no worry of your vehicle being towed. 

A friend narrated a horrible experience she had while watching the recently released movie, Chashme Badoor. She went to watch in a multiplex, which was a single screen theatre until few years back. (Many single screen cinema owners are doing that.) “I had to close my ears every time a song was played. So bad was the sound quality. The movie was funny but the stuffy seats and bad sound quality just spoiled the entire experience for me”, she shared. So it’s proven even a good film can suffer due to bad service. Not just the bad ones. Theatre owners, please take a note of that. 

Other factors worth considering are the staff behavior, hygiene maintained, washrooms, and ambience. With an advent in technology, one more factor is added in the list, i.e. the 3D experience. A recent piece of news featured in a leading newspaper highlighted the sloppy attitude of multiplex owners concerning 3D movies. Dissatisfied customers stated how the 3D glasses are in a bad condition, which completely ruins the viewing experience. And all that after paying at least 100 INR more coupled with deposit money for glasses! 

What makes it easy is that we as viewers tolerate the negligence. So next time when you are unhappy with the service rendered, make some noise. Because unless we speak, nothing is going to change. You don’t have to act unruly. Just make your point firmly. When you spend your hard-earned money in a multiplex, you have every right to expect nothing but the best. 

Seen any movie lately? Don’t forget to share your best and worst experiences.