Multiplexes are failing at their most basic function: delivering a bright, sharp image.
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Michelle PfeifferandJonathan Majorslook like crap.
Usually, theyre two of the most radiant, dermatologically exceptional people in the world.
Its a polarized lens that cuts a pictures brightness by a third, he says.
He points up to the booth behind us, and sure enough, there are two stacked beams.
I buy us tickets to various movies, and we sneak around from theater to theater.
Its fixable with software, if one bothers to do it.
And dont get Theakston started on the bleak spectacle of the multiplexs lobbies, the result of ongoing renovations.
Its unacceptable to just have bare drywall like this, he says on our way out.
They had the entire pandemic to redo this place and it still looks awful.
For some theaters, this is seemingly too much to ask.
AtDont Worry Darlingin Farmingdale, the picture hung off the right side of the screen by a foot.
To be fair, theaters are broke.
But the picture problems predated COVID-19.
Those projectionists, though, were highly skilled engineers and troubleshooters.
Today, the most common issue moviegoers are likely to encounter is a dim picture.
One reason is that many of thoseAvatar-era projectors are still in service and showing their age.
The solution is to replace the imaging devices once or twice a year.
But thats an expensive fix, so not enough theaters do it.
Another contributor to muddy pictures is worn-out light bulbs.
The projector will actually tell you how long a bulb has been in there.
Replacing a bulb is a 15-minute procedure, Theakston says.
But it takes skill because those bulbs are highly pressurized, and if they break, theyll explode.
Even when used as intended, 3-D filters like the one atAnt-Mancan darken a movie to four footlamberts.
Depending on where youre sitting, though, results will vary.
Sometimes the end titles get cut off on the sides.
And those curtains werent just for masking, says Theakston.
They were also to protect your screen.
Thats why youll see little flecks of popcorn covering the screen.
And you cant spot-clean a screen.
If you try, youll have one pristine spot making the rest look even dingier.
You just clean the glass and everything looks fine again.
projectors in their marketing.
I did a 70-mm.
run ofLicorice Pizzaat Lincoln Square, Theakston says, and none of those recent 70-mm.
prints look like the old 70-mm.
Theyre all very sloppy.
Its a cheap ploy to upcharge for tickets.
To its credit, AMC is at least doingsomething.
These machines offer better brightness, colors, and contrast than standard digital projectors.
Theyre also bulb free and can run for 20,000 hours before their light systems need replacing.
(Both AMC and Regal already use them for Imax and other premium screenings.)
But by 2026, many of todays moviegoers may have permanently converted to watching at home.
I grab a seat near the center of the room, andTop Gun: Maverickfills the screen.
My corneas can feel the difference.
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