What movies are playing in theaters right now in San Mateo County? The other day, my friends and I decided that as a rainy-day activity, we would go to the theater and see a movie. Despite how easy it has become to stream movies, there’s still something special about the theater experience. Nothing quite compares to the hushed excitement, buttery popcorn and shared connection with everyone in the room as the screen lights up.
When I opened up San Mateo’s local theater listings, however, I had to put my excitement on pause. The sheer number of numbers in the titles playing felt like a reunion I didn’t sign up for. To name a few, there were: “Smile 2,” “Gladiator 2,” “Moana 2,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and “Venom: The Last Dance.”
Recently, many new movies hitting theaters are either sequels, prequels or a part of established franchises. Original characters and worlds have been replaced by the nostalgic — but often tiresome — repetition of stories we’ve seen before.
I get why many studios are suddenly banking on nostalgia. The movie industry has taken hit after hit in the past few years. The pandemic brought theater visits to a halt altogether and, just when things started to recover, the Hollywood strikes of 2023 slowed new releases to a crawl. Theaters need to draw people back in, and what better way to do it than by leaning on familiar characters and beloved stories? Big-name franchises bring in big money, and that helps keep the industry afloat.
But at what cost? While these films capitalize on our memories and devotion to beloved stories of the past, they often fail to live up to the magic of their originals and feel a lot more like reheated leftovers.
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At the beginning of last summer, my friends and I decided to watch “Inside Out 2.” We expected a heartful ode to a childhood movie we loved and maybe even to shed a few tears. Yet, we left feeling less sentimental and more disappointed by the lack of plot in the film. The movie may have been successful, but as teenagers, the exploration of coming-of-age felt formulaic and artificial. It just didn’t have the same magic as the original, and the lovable characters weren’t enough to compensate for a lack of creativity.
Our disappointment led to an overall disinterest in moviegoing; we didn’t return to the movie theater for the rest of the summer.
It’s important to mention that going to the movie theater has become a luxury these days. At Hillsdale, regular tickets are $20, popcorn is $11 and a drink is $10. San Mateo prices are slightly lower, but regular tickets are still $15.75, medium popcorn is $7.85 and a large drink is $6.25. Between the ticket prices, the concession costs and the reality that streaming services are just a click away, it’s easy to see why people are more selective about what they watch on the big screen. But maybe that’s all the more reason for theaters to double down on delivering something special — something worth the price of admission. New ideas are what moviegoers expect and deserve.
Still, I have hope. Every once in a while, great original movies like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” or “Challengers” hit the screens and remind me of what is possible when someone comes up with an exciting idea and sticks with it. The success of these movies proves audiences will show up for fresh plotlines and bold concepts if the movie is actually interesting enough. If the industry wants to win people back, we desperately need creativity.
Josie Belfer is a senior at Nueva School in San Mateo. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.
Modern film is dead - watch some real artists like Stanley Kubrick or Kurosawa Akira. I took a Japanese film class by mistake in Amsterdam when I was studying abroad and it really blew my mind - I hope you have that kind of experience. When you are jolted out of your comfort zone and have to interpret art in real time. Art is indicative of culture - and what do you see around you and your peers? TRASH. So look further than you ever have before. Unfortunately, there are no more sequels. Look to black and white movies for substance. IMO Casablanca is the best movie of all time.
Old geezer weighing in..... I remember when we got to see a double feature for $1.00 and they gave us free comic books! My best friend and I would take the green line bus from the projects to downtown Far Rockaway where they had two theaters, the RKO Strand and the Pix. The movie we talked about and made jokes about for the rest of our childhood was The Jungle Book (animated Disney musical). I hope that you and your friends find some good new movies that you end up talking about forever.
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(3) comments
Modern film is dead - watch some real artists like Stanley Kubrick or Kurosawa Akira. I took a Japanese film class by mistake in Amsterdam when I was studying abroad and it really blew my mind - I hope you have that kind of experience. When you are jolted out of your comfort zone and have to interpret art in real time. Art is indicative of culture - and what do you see around you and your peers? TRASH. So look further than you ever have before. Unfortunately, there are no more sequels. Look to black and white movies for substance. IMO Casablanca is the best movie of all time.
Old geezer weighing in..... I remember when we got to see a double feature for $1.00 and they gave us free comic books! My best friend and I would take the green line bus from the projects to downtown Far Rockaway where they had two theaters, the RKO Strand and the Pix. The movie we talked about and made jokes about for the rest of our childhood was The Jungle Book (animated Disney musical). I hope that you and your friends find some good new movies that you end up talking about forever.
well said. better than some movie scripts.
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