\Bend it Like Beckham,"" ""Kill Bill"" and the ""Matrix"" movies- these movies have almost nothing in common, except one thing: They have earned a profit for their respective studios. It is unfair to say that this is each movie's only purpose, but it is certainly a priority for all three.
Most blockbusters may be forgettable ""popcorn"" films with a few interspersed classics, but the local Marcus Theater chain is dedicated to providing the best possible forum in which to view them. Director of Communications for Marcus Theaters Carlo Petrick said his theaters strive to take ""viewers into a world they can only experience at a theater.""
True fans of the movie spectacle can appreciate the efforts made by Marcus Theaters. The chain has converted a majority of its theaters to stadium seating and digital sound, Petrick said. Not to mention Point Cinemas, 7825 Big Sky Dr., on the West Side, which boasts the Ultrascreen, the biggest screen in the Midwest. Marcus Theaters is also one of the first circuits in the country for which moviegoers can purchase and print tickets online, Petrick said. Another step Marcus has taken is to help viewers escape from the real world for an afternoon. Marcus is a great example of a megaplex that is focused on pleasing its customers.
Harder still is to not blame movie theaters for the current blockbuster mentality. It seems with the growing number of megaplexes that movies are more than ever a form of dispensable entertainment. Audiences come in, see a movie and forget about it seconds after they have left.
While that may be true for some movies, it is not true of the theaters in which they are shown. In fact, most theaters, like Marcus, do their best to create a unique experience that a viewer cannot get at home or anywhere else. No matter what moviegoers' tastes are, there is likely a movie theater for them.
The Orpheum Theatre, 216 State St., is another theater moviegoers can attend to get away from it all. For those intimidated by the booming metropolis of a Marcus theater, the Orpheum showcases an entirely different experience.
Merijoy Endrizzi-Ray, directing manager at the Orpheum, said her theater could not survive if it tried to stay competitive in the blockbuster market. The theater has found its niche as a ""reel independent theater"" that presents counter-programming for those tired of the Hollywood formula, she said. Endrizzi-Ray said viewers should expect to see new, quality films every week.
The Orpheum is not only a movie theater, but music acts and speakers perform as well. The theater also offers a restaurant and bar; it is a place where viewers ""can make a night of it"" Endrizzi-Ray said. But she said she feels the best feature is the Orpheum's distinct look and feel. ""People come here all the time and just wanna look around,"" Endrizzi-Ray said. ""It's like you're transported back in time, and that's what [people] like about it.""
Still further from mainstream cinema, UW's Cinematheque, 4070 Vilas Hall, hopes to give viewers a chance to see films they would never see otherwise.
""That is our explicit goal,"" Cinematheque representative Katherine Spring said. ""The good movies are both entertaining and also force us to reconsider some form of storytelling or some attitude toward the world.""
The theater shows independent, foreign and restored films in an attempt to expose audiences to original ways of telling stories, Spring said. She said she feels movies should challenge viewers to think about the world in different ways and open their eyes to fresh ideas. Style and substance are integral parts of the Cinematheque experience.
University Square Theaters, 62 University Square, is another place where style and substance are important. Not only on screen, but also in the actual theater. There is no denying that U-Square is a college theater. Along with a variety of non-theater type of food (ice cream, pizza, etc.), it is well known as one of the only movie houses that serves beer and malt beverages (the Orpheum does as well).
U-Square theater manager Josh Emerson said he hopes that is not the only reason viewers come to a show. Emerson said his theater prides itself on comfortable seating, polite and helpful employees and a quality picture and sound.
The theater tries to show some new releases and some classic cinema. But most importantly, Emerson said, U-Square will show what students want. U-Square, like the aforementioned theaters, works to provide an environment that best suits its potential audience.
""We're not a multiplex. We're not gonna be. We don't want to be,"" Emerson said.
Whether viewers want to see an expensive blockbuster, an obscure independent film or something in-between, Madison theaters give them a way to share the experience with fellow moviegoers. Movie previews can get audiences to want to see a movie, but it is the theaters that make them want to come back again.
