Sunday, February 14, 2010

Doubling Down at the Cineplex

All this Avatar hype got me thinking about how mega-blockbusters (i.e. recent movies that reach near the $1 billion mark) are able to make so darn much money at the Box Office.  Seems that they (Titanic, The Dark Knight, and now Avatar) are able to generate such huge returns by getting repeat customers, people coming back again and again.  So, I tried to think of the movies I have paid to see more than once in the theater, and the list is pretty short. (This year, I actually saw a couple films more than once: Star Trek and Angels & Demons, though it was mainly to spot myself in them -- and out of the couple times that I saw each, I only paid for one admission, Star Trek opening night.)

Sometimes when I really enjoy a movie -- recently, Benjamin Button, Up in the Air, An Education -- I think I will go see it again, but often don't.  In fact, the last movie I paid to see twice in the theater was the brilliant little music movie, Once, a couple years back.

Prior to that I saw the Star Wars films (Eps I-III) multiple times (even though I was tremendously disappointed for the most part...) and the 90's re-releases of Eps. IV-VI -- the first time I can actually remember seeing those classics on the big screen. 

I also ventured down to the cinema to see Jurassic Park a few times -- I even paid to see Spielberg's dinos again at a midnight show last year.  And the first movie I remember going to see more than once was another James Cameron movie, 1989's The Abyss.  I went three times -- my young, male brain LOVED the underwater stuff and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.


And that's it.  That's pretty much my whole list, though there might be one or two others I'm forgetting.

What about it?  Will you pay to see a movie in the theater more than once?  If so, which ones?  Avatar?

8 comments:

  1. In high school I somehow got suckered into seeing Anaconda three separate times in the theater.

    That pretty much burned me out on multiple viewings.

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  2. I'm sure you'll laugh, but I saw Titanic like 2 or 3 times in the theater. Pretty sure I saw Air Force One two times in the theater. I also saw My Big Fat Greek Wedding twice in the theater.

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  3. I saw Face/Off a minimum of 6 times in theaters. I only paid for it two or three times though. That may seem strange, but if I hadn't, I might not be married today. Though that probably seems stranger.

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  4. I love John Woo as much as the next actioner fan, but SIX times? wow!

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  5. Oh, I LOOOOOOVE Once -- I've seen it quite a few times myself. The ending is brilliant!!!!
    And yes, my husband and I first became acquainted talking about Nic Cage, unnecessary flips and doves. Classy.

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  6. yes, LOVE the ending of Once - so good...

    As for Face/Off: well, that explains a lot ;)

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Thanks for commenting!