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Do you like going to second run movies?
The recent closure of the Beaver Valley movie theater in Beavercreek brings to mind something that I don’t hear much in the discussion of moviegoing: the second-run experience.
Somewhat surprisingly, I don’t go to second-run houses much anymore. That’s partly because I do most of my moviegoing in first-run houses because of this blog.
However, it’s also because, I have to admit, I don’t find the second-run theater as appealing as I once did. I’ll go every once in awhile, but I’m a stickler for presentation, and by their nature, that’s not the best feature of second-run houses. I’ve been rather spoiled by the big screens and digital sound of the megaplexes, and you don’t typically find those in a second-run house. Moreover, by the time the prints reach the second-run theaters, they tend to be beat up and scratchy, and for me, that takes away from the experience.
Probably most importantly, I’m not personally fond of the second-run places here. The Danbarrys in Huber Heights or behind the Dayton Mall are OK, but I’ve seen better second-run places. It would be nice if, for instance, someone would take the old Showcase Cross Pointe and turn that into a sub-run, but that seems like wishful thinking.
Considering all the stories about the recession and how moviegoing supposedly booms in such times, I find it curious how news stories very rarely mention how well second-run houses fare in such times. Since they’re not telling me anything, let me ask you:
Do you go to second-run movie theaters, like the Danbarrys? Why or why not? If you do, do you go to second-run houses instead of first-runs, or in addition to them? What has your experience been there?
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment | Categories: Moviegoing
Comments
By Sheryl Cowers
October 1, 2009 8:13 AM | Link to this
What I would love to see is a theater regularly running older movies, and I don’t mean Rocky Horror ad nauseum at midnight. But I like the Danbury, and don’t mind waiting.By irishguy
September 30, 2009 1:35 PM | Link to this
Why would anyone want to blow $50-60 to take a family of 4 to see a movie, when you can wait a few weeks and do it for $20?? That’s how I do it, but I’m cheap. On the downside, you’ll have to put up with the riff-raff.By Jeremy
September 30, 2009 1:34 PM | Link to this
I used to work at Danbarry a long time ago. Haven’t been back to it since I don’t think. First run or DVD for me.By Tony
September 30, 2009 1:13 PM | Link to this
I prefer first run theatres, but as has already been stated, do not have the resources anymore to go. Second run is okay but at this point would rather utilize my home theatre where I also have control of the movie for the purpose of obtaining snacks, going to the restroom, etc…Movies used to be good but just like everything else in recent memory prices have went up but income levels are going down.By Familyoffour
September 30, 2009 12:32 PM | Link to this
My family of four loved Beavervalley Cinemas! We could often be found there on one of their 2$ Tuesdays. It was great especially for children’s movies. If we were to take our kids to one of them at a first run movie theatre on a Tuesday night it would be over 40 dollars! Add popcorn and drinks in and you have a VERY expensive family outing. Not all of us have the resources to be able to make the choice to see a movie first run. The Danbury theatres are ok, but there isn’t one very close to us. Sadly, family movie night out is just one more tradition of ours that will apparently die in this awful economy!By Rob
September 30, 2009 12:26 PM | Link to this
The problem with second run for me is two-fold. a)There just aren’t that many movies I care enough about seeing to see them in the theaters that I don’t also care about enough to want to see as soon as they come out in the 1st run. b)Anymore it seems like by the time a movie comes to the 2nd run theater it’s about a week from having its DVD released.By Zack
September 30, 2009 11:48 AM | Link to this
It’s funny, Eric, I was actually thinking the other day that if I had the resources, I would totally turn the Cross Pointe into a neighborhood 2nd run house. To answer the question you pose, I don’t attend 2nd run much, and it’s also for presentation reasons. In today’s wintry economic climate, I’m finding it easier to put off the $10 first-run experience, but if I’m waiting, Blu-ray or even DVD is going to be a better experience than a theater like the Danbarry.