Cinemas

Prior to the advent of illegal information distribution networks, such as piracy syndicates and peer-to-peer file sharing networks, movies were originally screened in cinemas. Cinemas continue to play a major role in our entertainment scene.

Content Jump

  1. Advantages
  2. Disadvantages
  3. Bibliography
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Advantages

Watching movies in a cinema is not necessarily for the sole purpose of catching a movie. Many often go to cinemas with a group of friends, hence making the act of watching a movie in a cinema beneficial to social relationships. This is very much unlike obtaining movies from other illegal sources, such as through downloading, as one would be more likely to watch the movie on his own.


A cinema ticket. Cinemas provide the best experience for watching movies. [Self-taken image]

That aside, the very infrastructure taken into consideration when designing cinemas is what makes cinemas the best place to catch a movie. Watching a movie in a cinema would arguably provide the best experience (disregarding comparison between cinemas), due to the superior technical infrastructure that cinemas offer. This includes superior lighting and sound systems, which you would probably not be able to enjoy elsewhere.

Finally, given that cinemas are the primary source by which movies are released, going to the cinemas is most likely the best way to catch the latest movies. In addition, catching movies at the cinemas would ensure that proper remuneration is given to its creators.

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Disadvantages

Given that watching movies at the cinema is so attractive, why are unlicensed copies of movies (or movie rips) still so prevalent? The one factor that puts people off, clearly, is cost, a factor that permeates both the developed and developing worlds, as the majority of popular movies originate from the developed world and are priced according to such standards.

While still affordable to most in the developed world, the rising prices of movie tickets means that consumers are often deterred and encouraged to search for cheaper – and often illegal – alternatives. For example, prices of cinema tickets in the UK range from £2.00 in Newport to £7.50 in Apollo Aberdeen, while the average ticket price in the US was US$6.55 in 2006. It is thus no wonder that the movie piracy is so rampant in the developing world, where incomes are considerably lower.