Anything Sci-Fi I will go see in the theatre. I love the genre so I support it in the theatre.

Everything else lands along the guidlines you layed out.

I still enjoy going to the theatre with friends and family. I don't think that will ever die.

-Jim

My decision to see a movie in a theater is solely based on whether i believe it looks fresh, original, and and if it looks like it can sustain my attention for 120 mins or however long the run time.

Put it this way...last weekend I saw Thor in 3D at the theater. Today I received "The King's Speech" from Netflix.

I'll Wait for Hangover II on demand...but will be hitting the theater for Capt. America, Transformers 3, & Green Lantern.

If I had the time to go to the theater and see every movie that interest me, I would. It's less about the movie for me and more about the experience. I love the theater atmosphere. Always have. Spending all my quarters on the arcades. Walking around looking at the upcoming release posters. There's no place like it. But I will say that I prefer to see movies with big budget, lots of CG, and high concept in theaters.

If it's something that will clearly benefit from the theater experience AND is supposed to be good, I'll see it in theaters. Action, thrillers, blockbusters, sci-fi, horror, that kind of thing. I think comedies can fit this bill too, if they are a) heavily stylized (think Wes Anderson or Edgar Wright) or b) Crowd-pleasers. Laughing in a big group is more fun than chuckling by yourself at home. This criteria also applies to indies and dramas with a lot of production value, such as period pieces (loved seeing Jane Eyre in the theaters earlier this year).

I won't see something with mixed reviews since there's a chance I won't like it. I really wanted to see Green Hornet (big fan of Gondry), but saw the mixed reviews and waited for video. I'm glad I did, because it's awful.

I also won't see most indies or documentaries in the theater -- both because the theater doesn't add much to the experience, and because indies are added to Netflix streaming far more often than major studio films are, making them easy to catch up with at home.

Yes.

Almost all Rom-Coms I can wait for DVD / HBO. Comedies for the most part too.

I also think there's another factor -- What's playing this weekend?

I'll go see movies I didn't really want to see simply because I have a hankering to go see a film, go on a date, or whatever.

So, some times it's less about the genre and more about what is available RIGHT NOW.

Currently a moot point for me as the country I'm living in has no theaters! However, usually I'm with Scott, but also agree with others about the holistic experience of going to the theater. Even with a schmick projector and surround sound at home, it's never quite the same. And for some reason, home-made popcorn just never tastes quite as good.

Lately, I've been catching all my theater movies at a second-run chain in L.A.. Tickets are $1.50 on Tuesdays, so I'll see two or three in a row with very little criteria except that the films be something that remotely grabbed my attention earlier and doesn't seem like I'll regret giving up two hours of my life if I watch it. Am getting a very good grasp for what has been making it through the development gauntlet these days. I do layout full-price admission and hit something like the Arclight or AMC at Century City for some of the big blockbusters, but I've felt so cheated by these over the past two or three years and am so over 3-d these experiences are becoming fewer and farther between. Clash of the Titans last spring may have been the nail in the coffin. Damn - that movie promo'd like a gem... and was a total lump of coal. I begged three friends to go with me on opening night and ended up feeling like I owed them $15 each and a repayment for a night out of their lives! One friend called me on it and asked me to see Thor with him, which I had no interest in seeing, and told him I was simply repaying my debt. Thor was better than Clash by a big margin, but it was still quite forgettable in the grand scheme of things.

A film has to be screen worthy for me. A visually striking picture I want to see on a screen. Genre doesn't mater. I can wait for a thoughtful talkie unless it seems to have content that makes the shared experience worthwhile.

Recent screen worthy films: True Grit, Girl with Dragon Tattoo, Hurt Locker.

There are very few movies I have to see in a theatre. I don't mind waiting for the Blu-Ray or even Netflix streaming if it's not a visually important film. I like my couch, so sue me.

However, I saw Tree Of Life over the weekend and man, was that a beautiful film. I'm really happy I caught it on the big screen and will probably see it again this week.

For Terrence Malick, I will gladly fight traffic and spend $16 for a ticket plus $2 in parking.

Yes, I guess, if by type you mean a film that I think will be any good.

I also stretch that comfort zone a bit when I take advantage of weekly free tickets. Pretty easy to see a film you're not sure about if it's free.

Mostly, however, I don't ever feel I have to absolutely watch a film in the theater. If I get to catch it in the big screen, cool. If not, there's always Netflix.

I usually make my decision on the trailers, and not in the way that when you see them in theater you turn to the person you are with and say "I want to see that."

Some trailers are just terrible these days. The worst ones are when you can tell they show you all the funny parts trying to get you in the seats and when you watch the movie you already know half the stuff they will say. The second is when they go through the trailer and you still have NO idea what the movie is about. They try to go for big explosions, funny one liners, big initial laughs, etc. I just don't feel fooled by them.

When I sit down and watch a good trailer where I get a sense of what I will be watching for 100 minutes, then I'll go see that movie. Otherwise I'll catch them on DVD.

I'm pretty open. But you got to give me a reason to come watch.

I have to feel a very strong emotional and intellectual connection to the movie being marketed in order to see it in a theater. There must be an unstoppable level of anticipation.

Usually this happens with dramas or indies.

I respect film as way to dramatize thought ...and if a movie seems empty and not thought-provoking, there's no way I'm going to see it.

I would never go to see a Transformers or Hangover. When I visited relatives who played their Transformers DVD non-stop, it was torture to me.


However, aside from a thought-provoking concept that I emotionally attach to.... I can also be drawn to my favorite actors or a director whose style I respect. Anything that suggests a level of mastery (whether its acting, writing, directing, etc) will draw me.



If I just have a "meh" reaction to the trailers and preview stories, I just wait for the DVD.