National Amusements Research Reveals…People Like Going to the Movies!

National Amusements biometric study shows people react more strongly and more often while in large groups compared to what they do at home.

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National Amusements Research Reveals…People Like Going to the Movies!

You probably won’t be surprised that the research team behind Showcase Cinemas recently released a study that shows people enjoy watching movies in a theater more than they do at home.

And, while I certainly prefer to see most movies on the big screen rather than sitting on my couch, that doesn’t mean I haven’t spent plenty of hours watching movies I’ve probably seen dozens of times while parked in the same spot—often under a blanket and sometimes with a snack—in my living room.

Like with the studies comparing the experience of watching sports live vs. watching them at home, there’s something to be said for the communal aspect of these experiences. And, of course, the technology that’s available in a large movie complex and sports stadium dwarf what most have at home

In the biometrics study by National Amusements—parent company of Showcase Cinemas—in August that compared the responses of viewers in a home setting versus the theater, participants wore sensors that measured pulse rate and skin conduction to assess their excitement.

The participants in this experiment watched “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” a fantasy-adventure about teens who get sucked into a video game that I think was in and out of most movie theaters before I finished saying the title.

Inside the National Amusements Biometrics Study

The biggest flaw in the National Amusements study is the “home setting” aspect of the focus groups. If you can tell me you truly “make yourself at home” when you’re not in your actual home, you are a person with a much different personality than I have.

Why wouldn’t National Amusements set these people up in their actual homes if they wanted to get a true representation of how people reacted while watching in their homes? Yes, I know there’s an additional cost to doing that, but have you checked movie theater concession prices?

I’m fairly certain we wouldn’t need to set up a GoFundMe page for the people who own these theaters if they did the experiment the way it should have been done. It’s clear they had the end result in mind long before they set up these experiences.

Also, the sample size was hardly enough to determine any legitimate results. Forty people attended the Showcase Cinemas XPlus theater in Revere, along with about 150 other viewers who weren’t monitored, while 40 people watched among smaller groups, in a simulated home environment in Boston, the next day.

I can’t say I’m a big moviegoer anymore (although I’ll be there for Star Wars Episode IX opening night), but I’m a season ticket holder for the Boston Red Sox, so I spent a lot of time at Fenway Park, enjoying the camaraderie and playing off the crowd reactions.

Obviously, that experience is entirely different when I’m watching a game at home, because I’m usually scrolling through Twitter and only casually paying attention to what’s going on with the game. The same is true at the movies compared to at home. Did we need a study for this?

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