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Was going to the movies in the 80's different then it is now?
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Started by Xenosmilus,

32 posts in this topic

Xenosmilus

Xenosmilus

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I was watching some commentary as to why the Suicide Squad did bad.  A lot of people made note that it's an R rated movie and that being an R rated movie not as many people can go and watch it (i.e. teenagers).  Now when was a kid :preach: the people at the ticket counter never checked ID's.  Is it more strict nowadays? I can't tell you how many horrible 80's horror movies I saw in the 80's by myself when  was underage.  No one cared!  Note, I don't have kids.

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Bosco685

Bosco685

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The check for an age happened at the front door, and on rare occasions they would have an attendant walk through a theater to quickly look around. But you never saw anyone pulled out.

Even with Fast Times At Ridgemont High (yup - R Rated), theaters were being a little extra hyper over kids seeing this. I wonder if it was due to the sexual themes like the gorgeous girl coming out of the pool while Brad 'relieved himself'. That was one movie where a group of kids came close to getting kicked out. But then the attendant laughed and told them to behave during the film.

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Buzzetta

Buzzetta

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Society has become more litigious over time placing the onus of responsibility upon the theater rather than the actions of the underage patron.  Think of it like sneaking into a bar.  There seems to have been more people being illegally served when I was a teenager but nowadays if you are caught serving someone without checking an ID the bartender can be fired on the spot. 

The result of this is that when it comes to bars is that underage patrons seem to gravitate toward drinking more heavily and in places outside of the bars.  The same seems true when it comes to R rated material.  If they are not allowed in, they can simply pirate their movie at home.  (I am watching Fast and the Furious 9 in the other window as I type) or they can absorb that level of content in other ways. 

This is the internet age.  Why would a 15 year old pay $15 to sneak into a movie and get some snacks when they know how to pirate the movie in an easier way than I am currently doing.

I've been told by a teenager btw... that I am fine in watching something like Fast and the Furious 9, Black Widow, and Jungle Cruise but I am not okay in posting the link to where I am doing that or hosting the movies.  

I checked and the teenager was correct. 

They know more than us.  

Beware. 

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valiantman

valiantman

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On 8/11/2021 at 11:11 AM, Buzzetta said:

Society has become more litigious over time placing the onus of responsibility upon the theater rather than the actions of the underage patron.  Think of it like sneaking into a bar.  There seems to have been more people being illegally served when I was a teenager but nowadays if you are caught serving someone without checking an ID the bartender can be fired on the spot. 

The result of this is that when it comes to bars is that underage patrons seem to gravitate toward drinking more heavily and in places outside of the bars.  The same seems true when it comes to R rated material.  If they are not allowed in, they can simply pirate their movie at home.  (I am watching Fast and the Furious 9 in the other window as I type) or they can absorb that level of content in other ways. 

This is the internet age.  Why would a 15 year old pay $15 to sneak into a movie and get some snacks when they know how to pirate the movie in an easier way than I am currently doing.

I've been told by a teenager btw... that I am fine in watching something like Fast and the Furious 9, Black Widow, and Jungle Cruise but I am not okay in posting the link to where I am doing that or hosting the movies.  

I checked and the teenager was correct. 

They know more than us.  

Beware. 

Your onus.

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MattTheDuck

MattTheDuck

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There were many more small one- or two-screen theaters.  Just yesterday, Mrs. Duck and I were reminiscing about going to a small local movie house that ran a "James Bond" marathon every year. 

I do think things were a little more strict in the 70s - my parents took me to "The Godfather."  I sat a couple rows below them.

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Axelrod

Axelrod

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To answer the original question, I don't think theaters are more strict today in checking IDs than they were in the 80s.  Suicide Squad did not underperform because it was R rated.  It "underperformed" because (1) Pandemic; (2) Simultaneous release on HBO Max (that's where I watched it); (3) It's Suicide Squad, and while the first movie made bank, it also sucked, meaning no one was excited about a possible sequel.  This one was a lot better, but it had a larger hill to climb.  

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