From the Front Row: Night Out at the Movies

In this age of ever-evolving entertainment technology, the options are seemingly endless when it comes to watching television and movies. Viewers have choices such as Verizon, Xfinity, DISHTV, and Spectrum to provide services in their homes. Those who wish to cut the cable cord may stream their programs online through services like Hulu, Sling TV, DirecTV, YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue, Roku, Netflix, or Amazon Prime Video. You can access local television stations by using an indoor or outdoor antenna, or you can even watch films completely free through Kanopy, a streaming service available through the public library system.

And yet, even with a myriad of possibilities, nothing seems to diminish the simple desire to enjoy a night out at the movies. Advances have been made there, too, with venues that now boast spacious and comfortable leather reclining seats, improved food offerings (even chairside dining service at some theaters), and enhanced video and sound inside the theaters, including 3-D and IMAX experiences that are truly astounding. Hollywood studios strive to outdo themselves every year by producing blockbuster films with incredible special effects.

Still, for many theater-goers, a movie outing brings to mind nostalgic memories of simpler eras and classic films that have withstood the test of time. Sure, lots of those titles can be found through all the in-home services or as reruns on network television – but nothing beats the experience of watching beloved, decades-old, award-winning films on the silver screen, sitting in a darkened theater with the aroma of popcorn wafting through the air, surrounded by fellow fans. For some, that’s how they originally saw these films. For others, it’s a first, if their only chance to see them until now has been on the small screen.

What many people don’t realize is that local movie theaters have honed in on the opportunity to screen classic films throughout the year, often to celebrate a milestone anniversary year since a movie was first released. For the past 15 years, Fathom Events – now a recognized leader in the event cinema industry – has been offering a variety of unique cinematic events, often scheduled for just a few dates on weekdays, weeknights, or off-peak weekend times, to draw audiences who enjoy not only beloved classic films, but also big-screen presentations of sporting events, comedy acts, ballet, opera, anime, concerts, documentaries, and more. The events are shown nationwide in nearly 900 theaters throughout the United States, and patrons can search by zip code for those in their area.

In March, for instance, there have been special screenings of “Gone with the Wind” (for its 80th anniversary), “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and “The Karate Kid” (for its 35th anniversary – which is admittedly hard for some of us to believe!) On April 14 and 17, there will be 60th-anniversary presentations of “Ben-Hur.” May brings the 50th anniversary of “True Grit” and the 30th anniversary of “Steel Magnolias.” These are just a small sampling of the titles, and the impressive list goes on and on further into the year, with “Field of Dreams” (30 years), “Hello, Dolly!” (50 years), “The Shawshank Redemption” (25 years), “Alien” (40 years), “The Godfather Part II,” and the 50th anniversary of “When Harry Met Sally” all on the cinematic calendar.

Check out the titles, dates, and theater locations on the Fathom Events website at www.fathomevents.com. Book your tickets, buy a big bag of popcorn, and take a seat in the front row at the movies!