Watching movies theatrically vs. at home

[Spike Spiegel]

I was watching a trailer for the live-action Wonder Woman on one of my recently purchased blu-rays, and I noticed how much more clear and vibrant the colors seemed in comparison to when I saw the film at the local theater, even on a living room sized TV. The grass on the island was lush and green, and I could see how well the colors/visual design captured that comic book aesthetic.

With 1080p and 4k formats, along with home theater options for sound, do you think we are at a point where watching films at home is as good or better than seeing them theatrically?

[DestronMirage22]

Whenever there's a movie I really want to see, I always go to the theater to see it. But I also rewatch it as soon as it comes out on DVD. That way I can pay more attention to the story without the distractions of the theater and I'm more comfortable, resulting in a better experience than when I saw it theatrically.

[Krutch]

Considering if you watch a big blockbuster type movie at a theatre these days, it's mandatory you can only see it in 3D and wear those stupid sunglasses, of course it's going to look brighter and more vibrant at home.

[TigerClaw]

I always watch the movies at the theaters first, seeing them on a giant screen and in 3D, then I would buy the 3D Blu-Ray version of the movie, I have a device that converts the 3D Blu-Ray to Anaglyph 3D, so that I can watch my 3D Blu-Rays in 3D on my regular HDTV.

[Cure]

Sounds like you people just have ****** theatres. The one I go to has state of the art errthang and looks dope. It even has recliners, boi.

Also I've never even heard of a theatre that has only 3D showings.

[TigerClaw]

Originally Posted by Cure

Sounds like you people just have ****** theatres. The one I go to has state of the art errthang and looks dope. It even has recliners, boi.

Also I've never even heard of a theatre that has only 3D showings.

My theater is pretty good, has stadium seating and the 3D is the RealD kind, plus the theater has 2D and 3D showings.

[Cure]

I would think stadium seating is the standard by now, at least.

[Allio]

If it's a movie I'm curious about, I'll go see it in theatre.

if it's a sequel to another movie(Alien: Covenent) or it's part of a series (ie. MCU, DCEU) then I just wait for it on blu-ray. I mean, I'm not going to not get the film since I have all the other films.

Usually the only time I go to movie in theatre for a series I'm already invested in is usually if I'm a reall, REALLY big fan of it (Godzilla) or if I have a morbid curiousity (ie. Platinum TMNT/PR2017)

[sdp]

The bigger issue with theaters is cellphone use and all it takes is one jerk out of everyone there to annoy you with their texting during the movie. This happens very often to me unless it's like a midnight show where everyone is there to watch the movie.

[CyberCubed]

Wonder Woman did look a bit washed out at my theater too, but I figured that was intentional.

But yeah everything looks better when you buy the blu-ray or watch it streaming at home than the theater. Probably because we're all sitting in front of our TV or computer screen at home versus in rows looking up at a big movie projector screen.

[ProactiveMan]

Originally Posted by Spike Spiegel

I was watching a trailer for the live-action Wonder Woman on one of my recently purchased blu-rays, and I noticed how much more clear and vibrant the colors seemed in comparison to when I saw the film at the local theater...

You probably need to calibrate your TV. Regardless of personal preference, movies aren't necessarily intended to be as bright and saturated as they look on most TVs out of the box. Even in cinema mode, the brightness is usually set too high. You may think it looks better that way, and more power to you, but chances are it's not the way it's supposed to look.