It’s back to school time and King’s students are looking bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and … bored? Without the threat of exams looming just around the corner or the unyielding pressure of minimum wage summer employment bearing down on us, many hapless undergrads find themselves with too much time on their hands — and little to no idea how to spend it. 

If you’re like me and looking for something to do other than spend another night in the Wardy, losing miserably at pool, look no further — there’s no better way to spend your time than cozying up with a hot drink and some prime entertainment. And where better to find your next film fix than an independent cinema? So, without further ado, here are five reasons to support your local movie theatres.

1. The economy, man

Let’s get this out of the way first; the number one reason you should be choosing local, independent cinemas over any number of streaming services might also be the most obvious — supporting local businesses is just objectively the more ethical choice. Why choose to put more money in some billionaire’s pocket when you can instead be contributing to Halifax’s very own movie lovers? Going to an indie cinema means interacting with the community on a much more personal level — think of it like choosing the farmer’s market over some big-box grocery store. The people running these local film screenings are doing it because they love films, and it shows. They aren’t confined to showing the latest box office hits either; instead, they’ve got foreign films, arthouse classics, and, most importantly, local-made gems.

2. The paralysis of choice

Have you ever opened up a streaming service intent on watching a movie — a supposedly

chill, stress-free activity — only to become paralyzed by the mountain of possible

choices? The real problem with movies right now is that there’s so goddamn many of them.

Choosing a movie becomes a Herculean task, made even worse when you have to

contend with a whole group’s different tastes and expectations. (This is definitely what Kierkegaard meant, right?) Going to a movie theatre means giving up the reins on that daunting demand to make a choice and allows you the possibility of enjoying a film you might’ve otherwise never looked at twice.

3. You’re forced to actually watch the thing

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that my phone is a problem. Alongside every other member of my generation, curated algorithms of short-form content designed for mindless, constant scrolling means my attention span has more or less been shot. But still, there is nothing worse than finally convincing a friend to watch your favourite movie, only to look over five minutes in and find them flipping through Instagram stories, or — God forbid — playing Subway Surfers. Dragging a friend to a movie theatre is like locking them in a dark room and not letting them leave until they’ve been forced to watch an entire hour and a half’s worth of content, but marginally more socially acceptable. The allure of the phone is still there, but knowing that fishing it out to check up on Rayne Fisher-Quann’s latest Substack note will only end in a slew of dirty looks and shameful headshaking keeps the device safely stowed away.

4. Bigger is better

I know I could just wait for the new Superman movie to roll onto streaming services and watch it hunched over, squinting at my phone, but then I’d miss the wonder of David Corenswet’s face in all its rugged, HD glory, blown up larger than life on an IMAX screen. And that would be a crime.

5. It gets you out of the house

I know I said earlier that going to the cinema is a way to relieve the burden of choice, but

that’s not entirely true. See, going to a movie screening is itself a choice. By choosing a big screen over a small one, you are making an intentional, deliberate decision to step outside and have an experience. It’s the difference between letting entertainment happen to you and choosing to immerse yourself in a story. Sure, maybe we live in a world where entertainment might be almost too accessible: we get bombarded by new forms of media every single hour of the day. But that doesn’t mean storytelling has somehow become any less of an integral part of the human experience.

So, what’s the risk? The worst case scenario is you see a movie you don’t like and you’re out a dozen or so bucks that could’ve been spent on, like, one iced latte from Noggins. But maybe you bring a friend, and you enjoy yourself anyway. Maybe you go alone and you make a friend. You’re still supporting local businesses, still leaving the house and still getting off that damn phone for a little while.