Why We Should Still Go to the Movies…

I went to see Masters of the Universe (2026) yesterday, and I enjoyed myself for every minute of its two-hour and fifteen-minute runtime, minus, of course, the scrolling of the ending credits and a bathroom run. I realized something this time, and in previous times when I went out to see movies—I did not even look at my smartphone for the entire time. 

Yes, that’s right. For the film’s entirety, I was not distracted, I had no urge to check notifications, I didn’t even care what time it was. I watched the movie. That’s it. For its entire runtime. 

Why is that? 

You might say, “But that’s just replacing one screen with another,” the huge movie screen with the slightly-bigger-than-palm-sized phone screen. I can see the point. Yet in this particular case, does size matter? Does an explosion, which on the big screen is quite literally larger-than-life, with its rumbling surround sound, shock you into paying attention? Does the fact that someone like Idris Elba’s face, which is the size of a building, emoting at you, have much to do with your focus? Do the dim lights surrounding you, the in-your-face brightness of the movie screen, the loud exclamations, the out-loud whispers, and the clangs of the surround sound system help you to truly escape and think of nothing else for an extended period of time? Maybe. Perhaps all of these are factors. 

But the fact remains. I did not look at my phone for an entire two hours and fifteen minutes.

I could go deeply into why cell phones are such distractions, for adults as well as children—we can’t solely blame children for behaviors all of us engage in—how our attention spans have considerably diminished in the last few generations. As a teacher, the cell phone is my nemesis. Not just for students, but for me as well. Which is why I am quite lax on student use of cell phones in my classroom, despite school rules and annoying state laws. But I won’t expound too much about all this; it is a subject for another blog post. 

And of course, the times being what they are, we cannot discount the higher-than-usual cost of a trip to the movies these days. I used to belong to the AMC Stubs A-List Club, where I could see up to three movies a week in any format for one monthly subscription price. Now, it’s only $29.99 a month to see four movies a week. And this sounds absolutely great, especially since you love and see the benefits of watching movies in the cinema. 

But do all movies warrant a viewing on the big screen? Let’s take two current examples. As I said, I saw Masters of the Universe yesterday in an AMC theater (check out my review). Hands down, this film deserves the full screen treatment, the somewhat exclusive cost, and the time needed to be scheduled (this would be hard if you’re a parent of a large family). Now let’s take a look at The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026). I did not see it in the movie theaters, but after speaking to those who have, I learned that it felt like an extended episode of the successful Disney+ series. Which, to me, means that I can definitely wait to see this movie when it airs on streaming. 

After looking at all of the upcoming movies for this summer, since this season is a premium time for blockbuster movies to be released, I only see that there are three movies worth spending the effort to see in the cinema. Those are Supergirl, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and The Odyssey. That’s it. But another question surfaces: if I decide to spend the $27.99 a month, which would add to my other monthly subscriptions, will I make an effort to actually see four movies in one week? I would think so. And I would definitely see a few films more than once, like the ones I mentioned above. But then I’ll weigh the cost/benefit of such an extravagance again. And perhaps start a repeating cycle of “Should I?” or “Shouldn’t I?”

But my point remains. For the sake of your brain’s well-being and the maintenance of necessary skills, you should go out to see a movie in the theater. At least twice a month. If you’re like me—divorced and back in the successful bachelor life (please don’t hate me)—you could definitely fit a movie or two in.