Movie Theaters...Then and Now

My late great-aunt Socorro "Bebing" Rodriguez used to own a small lot in Legaspi Street in Colon, Cebu. Since a movie theater occupied that lot, she was always given annual passes not only to that particular movie house but also to the adjoining one which was owned by the same person. These passes were good for four and since there were four of us siblings near in age, it was perfect! The gap between Angeles, our youngest, and Tina, the next one, was 6 years so she never really joined us in our movie excursions.

I remember anticipating eagerly the weekly movie schedule which came out in the local paper and always checking to see what was "Now Showing". One of my most vivid memories was watching "Led Zeppelin, the Movie", and getting a very bad headache with the smell of something sweet in the air. Those were the days when people could still smoke inside the movie house. I remember going in when the movie was halfway through, sitting through the commercials and trailers, and starting it again. We would leave when we reached the part we caught.

When a movie was very popular, management would put out a sign that said "standing room only". That never deterred us and we would either stand or sit on the stairs the entire feature. We thought nothing of it, that was just the way it was. I now shudder to think about what we were sitting on plus the fact that the fire exits were not easily accessible. Popcorn was not so popular back then, but we always had Coke and Chippy, or better yet, Coke and pork BBQ.

I was thinking about this as I came out this afternoon from watching "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" at one of the newer cinemas in Chula Vista, CA. The seats are luxurious, the movie is in digital form, the restrooms are clean with automatic flushing, and there are a large variety of concessions to be had before going in. Even when we go back home to the Philippines, the new cineplexes in the malls have the same kind of amenities that we have here and they even have reserved seating. The other thing they have over there which has not caught on here yet, is the fact that you can have food delivered to your seat in some of the more plush theaters.

The movie houses I went to as a child are still standing today. I have not gone into either one of them in at least twenty years - did I mention they were located in Colon? Times have certainly changed in terms of facilities and even though I am nostalgic about the good memories, this is one of those times that I am glad that there has been progress in this area. I loved to watch movies, I still do, and I prefer to do it in comfort.