Term Paper 2

I took an afternoon to drive to a place I have been to several times-the movie theater. The movie posters outside and the environment as soon as I walk in the door creates a sense of familiarity. All movie theaters look different, but certain elements, such as the smell of buttery popcorn, are iconic and similar in all theaters I have visited. 

My boyfriend and I went to Stars Cinema 6 in El Dorado because the location was convenient for both of us. As we pulled in the parking lot, I got excited because I have not been to the movies in a few months. 

The movie we decided to watch is called "Running the Bases." I did not read a description of the movie or see any advertising for it. I simply just chose the day I was free to go (on a Sunday), then looked for movies that played at a good time. I saw that this movie was at 3:45 p.m. in the afternoon, and that time worked best for me and my boyfriend, so we agreed to watch it without really considering other options. We also chose "Running the Bases" because it looked like a wholesome baseball movie that we could both enjoy.  

Before the pandemic, tickets were sold in the little box office out in front of the theater. Now, however, tickets are bought at the same time as concessions. This is a simpler process that involves only paying one time and requires less workers, so I can understand why the theater changed it. 

When walking up to the theater, I noticed that the entrance doors had Icee polar bear posters on them. I do not know if this marketing influenced my decisions to follow, but I did end up buying an Icee to go with my popcorn. There was also a big coffee poster inside, but as someone who does not drink coffee, I was not as easily influenced by this advertising. Of course, the most well-known movie snack is

popcorn, and it was kept in a large machine. I could see and smell the bright golden pieces of popcorn all the way from the door.

My boyfriend and I split what was called the "Manager's Special Combo" after the nice lady working at the concessions (who is also an SAU student) suggested it for us. This combo came with two large drinks, a large popcorn, and some candy of our choice (Reese's pieces). There were plenty of options in the combo and food category, all with a pretty big price tag. A large drink alone was the same price as an adult ticket--$7.00! However, we were offered free refills on our drinks and popcorn, and we definitely utilized this.

Some other items that were for sale included Dipping Dots, pickles, hot dogs, nachos, a variety of drinks (including alcohol), and different types of candy. The total amount we spent came out to $39, including the $25 combo and $14 total for tickets.

 

Other examples of advertising were the signs and all the movie posters indoor and outdoor, giving a preview for current and future movies. Some posters I saw were for the movies "Don't Worry Darling" and "Avatar." Seeing these posters is how I realized some of these new movies exist, so this form of marketing feels beneficial. The main sign I saw was for a birthday party discount, advertising $50 for up to 50 people. 

Another thing Stars Cinema 6 can make money off of is its arcade. The small arcade is to the left of the entrance door. Although we did not spend our time or money in the arcade, I have spent money there before. It is probably a decent source of money because children love winning prizes from a claw machine or playing other arcade games.  

After we finished getting our food and looking around the theater, we walked into the movie room and saw that we had the choice of any seat we wanted. It was completely empty at about 3:35 p.m., ten minutes before the movie started. We sat down and started eating our popcorn during the previews. Most of the pre-show entertainment were business advertisements, such as the El Dorado vape shop, and trivia. There was also an advertisement for people who wanted their business to be featured in these pre-show clips. This is another way a theater can utilize the public to make money. 

At 3:45 p.m., a few new movie previews were shown onscreen. The new "John Wick" movie caught our attention, even to the point where my boyfriend leaned over and said, "We are going to see that. Or at least I am." It looks like the advertising worked and that he has planned to come to the theater again. 

The movie finally began a few minutes after the showtime, and we were still the only ones in the theater. We probably should have noted the absence of people in this theater as a warning sign. "Running the Bases" seemed to have a lot of random conflict and a lot of bad acting. The storyline itself was not awful, but there were things that did not make sense to me, such as the main character's jail time and the casting. Some characters looked too much like others, and other characters did not really resemble their younger selves enough. 

I did enjoy the central message and that it was a Christian movie to watch. However, there were no well-known celebrities in the movie, and the film quality and acting stood out because of how bad it was. We laughed with the characters and felt empathy for them as we do in other movies, so I cannot say I totally regret watching it. However, it was not worth the money spent. I may have felt better about it if I could have streamed it free on Netflix or another platform. I just feel as though there were a lot of revisions that should have been made to improve the movie as a whole.

Link to Cast List

Although there was minimal product placement in this movie, I did notice a baseball player wearing Nike shoes, a guy with New Balance brand shoes, and other sports-related brands. One of the main characters also drove a Chevrolet. However, it seemed as though things were intentionally unbranded, like baseball bats or shirts. 

I think the movie is a heartwarming family movie, and it is one I probably would have seen when I was a child. It is a Christian movie, so naturally it is geared towards motivating Christians, although I do not believe that is the only reason for the movie. The theme of the movie in its basic form is to give God glory through every circumstance, therefore successfully reaching its main target audience.

My overall movie theater experience was pretty good. I enjoyed my company and being able to talk inside the theater without disturbing anyone. The popcorn was good as well, thanks to the loads of "butter" that the workers coated it with. As I was in the concessions area, I noticed around ten people buying tickets for a different show. Next time I go to a movie theater, I know to read reviews and aim to watch what everyone else is going to see.