With the Academy Awards set for Sunday night, movie theaters across the Kansas City area are hoping Hollywood’s biggest night will remind audiences why films were meant to be seen on the big screen.Many moviegoers now watch films on phones, televisions or streaming services at home, but theaters say Oscar season is a chance to bring people back to the cinema experience.Julia McCartha with Cinemark said the awards show highlights films that filmmakers intended to be viewed in theaters.“It’s Hollywood’s biggest night. And these are films that filmmakers made specifically to be seen on the big screen,” McCartha said.To build excitement ahead of the Oscars, theaters are promoting nominated films and encouraging audiences to experience them in a theater setting.That experience goes beyond the movie itself, McCartha said.“From the second that you walk into the theater, you get those delicious concessions, that popcorn that everyone loves, and you get to sit down in those auditoriums and not only have the best of the best technology in terms of the screens, the surround sound, the super comfortable recliners, but it’s really that shared environment that is just so special and you can’t get it anywhere else,” McCartha said.In recent years, several Oscar-nominated films have been produced by streaming platforms such as Netflix and Apple TV+. Even so, theaters often partner with studios to screen those films in cinemas as well.That means moviegoers can watch many nominated films on the big screen without needing a streaming subscription.McCartha said the Oscars are closely tied to the history of movie theaters.“And a lot of filmmakers, their ultimate goal is to have these films to be nominated for this award show. And it all really started with movie theatres,” she said.With the awards ceremony happening Sunday night, theater chains say they hope the buzz surrounding the Oscars will encourage audiences to return to the big screen.
With the Academy Awards set for Sunday night, movie theaters across the Kansas City area are hoping Hollywood’s biggest night will remind audiences why films were meant to be seen on the big screen.
Many moviegoers now watch films on phones, televisions or streaming services at home, but theaters say Oscar season is a chance to bring people back to the cinema experience.
Julia McCartha with Cinemark said the awards show highlights films that filmmakers intended to be viewed in theaters.
“It’s Hollywood’s biggest night. And these are films that filmmakers made specifically to be seen on the big screen,” McCartha said.
To build excitement ahead of the Oscars, theaters are promoting nominated films and encouraging audiences to experience them in a theater setting.
That experience goes beyond the movie itself, McCartha said.
“From the second that you walk into the theater, you get those delicious concessions, that popcorn that everyone loves, and you get to sit down in those auditoriums and not only have the best of the best technology in terms of the screens, the surround sound, the super comfortable recliners, but it’s really that shared environment that is just so special and you can’t get it anywhere else,” McCartha said.
In recent years, several Oscar-nominated films have been produced by streaming platforms such as Netflix and Apple TV+.
Even so, theaters often partner with studios to screen those films in cinemas as well.
That means moviegoers can watch many nominated films on the big screen without needing a streaming subscription.
McCartha said the Oscars are closely tied to the history of movie theaters.
“And a lot of filmmakers, their ultimate goal is to have these films to be nominated for this award show. And it all really started with movie theatres,” she said.
With the awards ceremony happening Sunday night, theater chains say they hope the buzz surrounding the Oscars will encourage audiences to return to the big screen.