Advances in technology have made it possible for individuals to watch movies from home. However, many people agree that nothing can replace the experience of seeing a movie in a movie theater. For years, going to see a movie in a movie theater was considered a treat, especially during times of economic instability like World War II. However, even in those times, movie theaters were considered one of the cheapest forms of entertainment, especially one that kept children occupied. In the past century, watching a movie in a movie theater has been considered one of the most common American leisurely pastimes.

• Movie theaters are one of the few places that people of almost every age and income bracket come together with a common interest. There are other places like this, such as amusement parks. However, even amusement parks are considered expensive compared to the price of a movie ticket. Legal and illegal programs have developed within the last couple of decades that have made it possible for individuals to see almost any movie they want without leaving their home. Movie rental companies like Blockbuster took a hard financial hit as these programs grew in popularity. Renting movies with companies like Netflix is a cheap alternative to renting a movie at Blockbuster, plus the individual does not have to leave their home or worry about a quick return date.

• The proximity of movie rental companies did not hurt many movie theaters financially. Piracy has. Piracy is when someone illegally copies or downloads a movie from the computer. Many websites have made it possible to download a movie, even a new release. An individual can then burn the movie onto a DVD. However, even though almost any new movie release can be downloaded illegally, movie theaters are one of the few businesses that continue to flourish, even in times of recession. Technology like blue ray DVDs, which improve the image quality and surround sound systems can turn the home into something resembling a movie theater. There are also big screen TVs that are large enough to take up an entire wall. Watching a movie at home also has another benefit. Snacks, which tend to be incredibly expensive at movie theaters can be taken out of the cabinet for free or purchased at a grocery store for half the price of the movie theater candy. Piracy has hurt movie ticket sales over the past few years.

• However, even with all of these things working against movie theaters, they are not going anywhere. In the early 1900s, a scattering of small buildings, usually in cities, began showing short, silent movies. Not only were movie theaters new, but movies were new. The first crude movie was made in the late 1800s. No one had the option of buying the movie, taking it home and watching it on a VCR or DVD player. People were rightfully amazed by what they saw in these small movie theaters. Movies certainly were different then they are today. However, for the time, they were considered to be incredible. In the early 1900s, a movie was made up of a series of pictures that flashed quickly across the screen. These flashing pictures gave the illusion of movement, even though there was no actual movement. However, no one creating movies wanted to sit around idle. As early as 1903, movies began having some special effects. “The Great Train Robbery” was the first movie to have a real story and special effects.

The movie theater became popular within a few years, although it did take some time for them to expand. While there was a small scattering of movie houses back then, there is almost no town in the United States today that does not have a movie theater. In 1910, a company that would remain popular began building move theaters. This company was called Nickelodeon. Today it is a television and movie empire that targets children during the day. During the evening, Nickelodeon shows mostly reruns of older television programs. Nickelodeon was the first company to try and mass market the movie theater. The huge movie studios that would eventually pop up in abundance did not come until later. In the 1920s, an explosion of movie theaters grew across the country and in other parts of the world.

• Now the small movie studios that owned the movie theaters began trying to outdo each other. New technology was brought in to improve the quality of a trip to the movie theater. Movies were silent until “The Jazz Singer” was released in 1927. People flocked to movie theaters to see actual sound to go along with the now moving pictures on the screen. Silent film stars who did not have the right voice for movies were dropped from their studios. Now actors had to speak and act at the same time. There were not many different types of stories available in movie theaters. In America, most moves that were shown in movie theaters were war stories and musicals.

• As movies and movie theaters became even more popular, other stage acts fell out of favor with the people. The once popular vaudeville shows ended and movie theaters took over the building they had been housed in. The technology of movie making continued to grow at a rapid speed. While watching movies in a movie theater was considered a form of luxury in the earliest days, they quickly became popular for almost everyone. Movies were even used a a form of propaganda in America during World War II. Commercial-like ads would play before the movie, featuring soldiers. Children and adults alike would see these movie ads.

• The next form of movie theater that became popular was the drive-in. The first drive-in was built in the early 1930s. In the early 1940s, around the time that many people began to own vehicles, drive-in movie theaters became incredibly popular. Drive-in movie theaters brought the best of both worlds to the movie watchers. People were able to enjoy the outdoor weather while seeing a movie. However, some of the popularity with movie theaters relied on the fact that weather had no bearing on the ability to see a movie. Movies played if it rained, if it was cold or hot. Movie theaters were also cooler and one of the first places to be air conditioned. An air conditioner in the home was still an unheard of luxury, so summer brought in even more movie watchers. Children out of school for the summer also watched more movies. Drive-ins did not stay popular. Today, there are not many drive-in movie theaters, although some people still like the experience of watching a movie outside.

• The creation of the television brought fear to movie studios. They were worried that people would not want to pay to go to a movie theater when they could purchase a television and watch it for free at home. They were wrong. Although television did become popular, featuring shows like “My Little Margie”, it still could not erase the popularity of the movie theater. Studio executives who owned movie theaters and produced movies began buying the rights to television shows. Today, some of the largest communication companies produce everything from blockbuster hits to television shows to video games. As television technology grew, movie theaters still saw a steady stream of business. Movies were not shown on TV then and it would be some time before they would be.

• Another fear for movie studios was the the release of the VCR and VHS cassette tape. Movie producers were afraid that people being able to watch an actual movie in the comfort of their home would greatly harm the movie theaters ticket sales. At its start, VCRs were very expensive, costing around $800. There were not many movies available for rent. New releases were not available to rent. These factors kept movie theaters alive and running. Even the DVD player did not significantly harm the movie theater. although the quality of movies played on one’s TV improved immensely.

• Today, piracy is the only thing that has a significant impact on movie theaters. Newly released movies are leaked onto the Internet and are there for the taking. Downloading free illegal movies is as easy as pressing a button. Even children are able to do it. While piracy is not the only reason that movie ticket sales have been down for the past years, it is the main one. To make up for the loss of money due to the pirated movies, movie theaters began increasing the movie ticket prices. This did not help the popularity of movie theaters.

Over the years, movies have gone from quickly moving pictures to epic stories with special effects that were unimaginable years ago. While some new developments have caused problems for movie theaters, new releases still make millions upon millions of dollars for movie studios. New releases that are immensely popular, like the “Twilight” saga, still sell out in the movie theaters, even though the actual movie was leaked on the Internet prior to it official release.