I finally attended a movie theatre that has replaced their static slide projectors with a video projector and specialized content.

Since 1995, when the pre-show entertainment began illuminating the screen, I knew this was inevitable but wondered when the breaking point would be in the cost analysis. Right now, it looks like they are making up the price difference by gaining larger corporate sponsors such as NBC.

Hopefully this trend catches on in other theatre chains. It certainly is more entertaining than crooked slides and could be utilized in many more creative ways. The down side is involvement from local businesses will drop in the initial stage. The slide shows were a great place for a nearby restaraunt or day spa to gain needed exposure in a concetrated area. Now, these businesses will probably not be able to gain access to this same demographic until the technology drops in price or the theatres recognize the importance of the local community in getting moviegoers to the area and keeping them there afterwards.

All in all, it was an interesting move and at a theatre where I hadn’t seen a movie in several years and expected very little in the way of new technology.

btw – put torque at that point in your list where you have seen everything else within a 40 mile drive and you want to see a story with no depth and very few interesting characters. the audio was loud, though….