We have a locally owned theater that we go to all the time and have a blast. They only charge $7 for matinee ($9 regular) and do the whole table/dining experience. There was another just like it that got bought out by Regal around a decade ago and Regal ran it straight into the ground to the point that they just boarded it up a couple of months ago.

I dont know that the issue is with theaters so much as the issue being with everything being owned by some mega corp with sky high prices and poor quality service.

that's cool. jealous. i used to have theatres like that around me but none of them do that anymore. post covid they just play boring repetitive stuff and third/fourth run hollywood movies, and do these of identity themed festivals for weeks at a time that are full of bottle barrel amateur movies. occasionally they might get a 70mm cut or something, but that's once every few months. these are places i used to hold memberships to and go a monthly or more basis... now it's been years since I've been.

Play good movies and I will come to your cinema. But they just... don't. i just looked at one place i used to go and nothing in the next two months looks interesting to me unless i want to see a bunch of 90s crappy movies and/or reruns of big hit movies from '24. it's no wonder they are struggling so much... garbage programming.