Anime at the cinema

[Buzz201]

You should just go, dude.

I go to the cinema for anime by myself every time.

It's not a case of not wanting to go alone. It's that I have this weird irrational thing where cinemas make my very very nervous, and my body starts reacting weirdly (my digestive system shuts down and I get very cold), and I have had breakdowns before. If I have another breakdown or similar incident, there won't be anybody there to sort me out, so I'll kind of just be stuck alone in a cinema watching a film that's part of an enormous franchise I've never even seen before.

 

[Neil.T]

I sympathise with you. That must be rough.

 

[Jaysgba]

You should just go, dude.

I go to the cinema for anime by myself every time.

It's only the really distant cinemas I usually end up having to go to alone; apparently four hours on the train to Glasgow to watch A Silent Voice isn't appealing to my brother, but just under 2 hours for Sheffield is for some reason.

If it's at a local cinema, I can usually find someone to go with for anime films. Non-anime films are actually more of a pain to find someone to go with.

 

[IdiomaticLynx]

From my perspective the UK is actually great with regards to anime at the cinema. Seeing the announcements of anime films getting (limited) runs in cinema, is something I could only dream of over here. Having to travel by bus or train for, say 1 or 2 hours, to get there, seems like a luxury.

Now I did manage to go to SLA last year (mainly for Koe no Katachi). While I truly did enjoy it, it's quite the hassle to take days off, book a flight, place to stay the night and the tickets. All that, for just watching two anime films...

 

[Neil.T]

Most of the times I've been to Scotland Loves Anime by myself, I end up chatting to folk either in the queue or in adjacent seats and kind of end up watching the film 'with' them. I've been able to get some good recommendations for stuff I haven't seen that way, and also offer some in return.

That's another one of the things I like so much about it.

 

[Jaysgba]

It's not a case of not wanting to go alone. It's that I have this weird irrational thing where cinemas make my very very nervous, and my body starts reacting weirdly (my digestive system shuts down and I get very cold), and I have had breakdowns before. If I have another breakdown or similar incident, there won't be anybody there to sort me out, so I'll kind of just be stuck alone in a cinema watching a film that's part of an enormous franchise I've never even seen before.

If I wasn't already watching it at my local on Saturday. I'd book train tickets to wherever your local is and go with you.

 

[Rui]

Old people don't always live near family members or anime-sympathetic friends too. I'm lucky as I am married to someone who enjoys my frivolous outings but if I wasn't I'd definitely be going to the cinema alone most of the time. And at that point social anxiety is definitely much more of a thing.

Not going to see Yu-Gi-Oh! at all because I hate it and straight up don't watch dubs, and I don't feel guilty about not supporting that one.

R

 

[Neil.T]

I very much like to support anime at cinemas, too, but I'm also going to give Yu-Gi-Oh a miss.

 

[Buzz201]

If I wasn't already watching it at my local on Saturday. I'd book train tickets to wherever your local is and go with you.

Thanks for the offer. I might have sorted it with a last minute brainwave. Turns out occasional Discorder dzhx, was considering going, but didn't want to go on his own too.

So provided all goes well, I will be there for Yu-Gi-Oh! DSOD tomorrow.

 

[thedoctor2016]

Yeah Im missing Yu gi oh as i tried that dub a few years back when I only watched dubs and found it awful then so I cant support 4K at all

 

[Just Passing Through]

I used to love the cinema. Went all the time, mostly by myself as I'm a no-mates sadsack . The real reason being when cinema tickets were between £1.50 for my local picture house, to under £5 matinee showing up in Leicester Square + £2:50 return rail fare, I could go whenever I felt like it a the drop of a hat. I'd watch at least a movie a week. At those prices, you don't mind grubby, cramped seats, kids kicking the back of them, the odd people talking. It was atmosphere.

Then someone invented smartphones. Ticket prices shot up, for cinema and for rail, so a trip to London to watch a movie will cost me around £20 now, I doubt I'll see change from a tenner for a local cinema. When it's cheaper to buy a movie for new on BD than it is to watch it in the cinema, what's the point? The big screens that I used to watch are dead, replaced by multiplexes which are little more than big TVs, and I really, really hate other people now. There's a selfishness in society that has killed community. You're no longer an audience in a cinema, you're 300 individual people, pissed off at everyone else for being there. Cinemas don't sell movies any more, they sell experiences. You want the expensive seats right, the sofa, you want a hot meal and beer with your movie? And you can't even take your own munchies any more without being sued by the management and being barred for life.

Last time I saw anime in a cinema was about eight years ago, at an anime festival. Cinemas filled with anime fans, all there for the same reason... you'd think. A couple of movies were still marred by ****s in the audience.

HD TV, Blu-ray player, 5.1 Surround, I have my cinema in my living room, and that's all I need. Don't say I'm not an anime fan because I don't tolerate the hoi polloi!

 

[qaiz]

I have a 60 foot IMAX screen and a huge multiplex 10 mins from my house with Ghibli films being played on the regular, feels good.

 

[KingJimmeh]

See, I want to go watch anime at the cinema, but I only go to Cineworld due to having the Unlimited membership. I'm more than happy to drive the hour and a half to either of the two which are closest to me, but neither shows anime often. If I want to use my membership and see anime (or a really arthouse film ala The Neon Demon), I have to either drive 2 hours over to Newport or Cardiff and pay the bridge toll or travel the hour and a half+ to Exeter and then pay for a ticket at the independent cinema there.

I wish Cineworld would pull there finger out of their arse and have more of their cinemas show a wider variety of movies. That said they do show a bit of Hindi and other Asian films, but rarely Japanese.

 

[Jaysgba]

Isn't the issue there that Cineworld own Picturehouse, use Picturehouse for the more niche releases, and can't legally have a Cineworld near a Picturehouse?

 

[Buzz201]

Isn't the issue there that Cineworld own Picturehouse, use Picturehouse for the more niche releases, and can't legally have a Cineworld near a Picturehouse?

There were competition concerns about them owning branches of both, but it doesn't seem to be that rigid as they do own two separate cinemas in Cheltenham literally next door to each other. (One is Cineworld branded, the other is branded as The Screening Rooms.) The Screening Rooms has sadly never had any anime releases.

 

[ayase]

See, I want to go watch anime at the cinema, but I only go to Cineworld due to having the Unlimited membership.

Same boat here, it was a little galling that the pretty large Cineworld 10 mins walk away didn't show GitS but the out-of-town Showcase (which is a pain in the arse for me to get to and would have probably cost over £20 in all, more than my Unlimited membership costs for a month) did.

 

[Jaysgba]

Same boat here, it was a little galling that the pretty large Cineworld 10 mins walk away didn't show GitS but the out-of-town Showcase (which is a pain in the arse for me to get to and would have probably cost over £20 in all, more than my Unlimited membership costs for a month) did.

National Amusements own Showcase, so it's to be expected.

 

[Buzz201]

Same boat here, it was a little galling that the pretty large Cineworld 10 mins walk away didn't show GitS but the out-of-town Showcase (which is a pain in the arse for me to get to and would have probably cost over £20 in all, more than my Unlimited membership costs for a month) did.

Cineworld seem to not be receptive to anime in general. I suspect the use of National Amusements for behind the scenes legwork has perhaps caused them to be more cautious than other chains.

YGO DSOD is the first anime film my local Cineworld has shown, and based on what I've heard, I'd guess it will probably be the last. (Apparently Wednesday's screening was "empty", and the one I attended earlier was at best half full.)

 

[Yami]

Isn't the issue there that Cineworld own Picturehouse, use Picturehouse for the more niche releases, and can't legally have a Cineworld near a Picturehouse?

Not quite; when Cineworld bought over Picturehouse a couple of years ago, there were some specific areas that drew the attention of the Competition Commission - Aberdeen being one, as it already had 2 Cineworlds and a Picturehouse (and a Vue) and Cineworld were given the choice between selling one of the Cineworlds or the Picturehouse.

Then someone invented smartphones. Ticket prices shot up, for cinema and for rail, so a trip to London to watch a movie will cost me around £20 now, I doubt I'll see change from a tenner for a local cinema. When it's cheaper to buy a movie for new on BD than it is to watch it in the cinema, what's the point? The big screens that I used to watch are dead, replaced by multiplexes which are little more than big TVs, and I really, really hate other people now. There's a selfishness in society that has killed community. You're no longer an audience in a cinema, you're 300 individual people, pissed off at everyone else for being there. Cinemas don't sell movies any more, they sell experiences. You want the expensive seats right, the sofa, you want a hot meal and beer with your movie? And you can't even take your own munchies any more without being sued by the management and being barred for life.

Last time I saw anime in a cinema was about eight years ago, at an anime festival. Cinemas filled with anime fans, all there for the same reason... you'd think. A couple of movies were still marred by ****s in the audience.

HD TV, Blu-ray player, 5.1 Surround, I have my cinema in my living room, and that's all I need. Don't say I'm not an anime fan because I don't tolerate the hoi polloi!

That's unfortunate, but I suspect that there's geographical variation. I have a Blu-Ray collection I'm pretty happy with, but I've paid on more than one occasion to see a film I own in the cinema. And on more than one occasion I've developed a different view of the film because of the reaction of an audience - despite seeing it several times before, it wasn't until I saw Rear Window with an audience that I appreciated how funny it was and how it played the crowd.

 

[Joshawott]

Regarding the Cineworld/Picturehouse situation, Cambridge has one of the cities @Yami mentioned. Following a campaign from local residents, the Cineworld ended up being the one that was sold, to The Light. The Picturehouse in Cambridge has had every recent theatrical anime release, while The Light has only had The Tale of Princess Kaguya. The Vue in Cambridge however, has had Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F', Your Name and Yu-Gi-Oh: The Dark Side Of Dimensions.

As I needed to be in London on Thursday morning though, I travelled up to the city the night before and saw Yu-Gi-Oh! there. Tickets at Odeon were only £12 for a pair of adult tickets, compared to £27 at the Cambridge Vue...and £37 at a London Vue. Ticket prices fluctuate like mad yo.