Fathom Events: A Communal Moviegoing Experience
Watching a movie at home can’t compete with seeing it in a theater with other fans.
This article is brought to you by Fathom Events.
In an era where you can binge watch movies and TV shows on numerous streaming services while having groceries delivered to your door, leaving the house to enjoy something with a group is more meaningful than ever. The simple act of going to the movies is now a communal experience akin to attending a concert, a sporting event, or even a comic con, all of which are enhanced by the presence of like-minded individuals.
Movie theaters have long filled slots in their programming with classic films, but the rise of Fathom Events has added a new wrinkle to the proceedings. Fathom’s assortment of specialty screenings, including classic movie re-releases, anime, genre TV events, and even stage productions, provides a new type of unifying moment for movie lovers. Now like a favorite song, beloved stories bring movie fans together for often extremely limited engagements of one or two nights.
To give you an idea of the variety of programming offered by Fathom Events, over the next month they’re offering audiences an opportunity to see Twilight (Oct. 21 and 23) in honor of the Halloween-appropriate supernatural romance’s 10th anniversary. Twilight’s appeal was always a communal one, and it’s likely there’s a significant audience looking to get deep into the nostalgia of Team Edward versus Team Jacob. Or maybe you just want the swoon to “Bella’s Lullaby” on the silver screen again.
On Nov. 3 and 5, Fathom has a Dragon Ball Z “Saiyan Double Feature.” They’ll present back-to-back DBZ films, Bardock: The Father of Goku and Fusion Reborn. Dragon Ball Z was, of course, a generation’s introduction to anime, thanks in no small part to near constant airings on TV throughout the ‘90s. Neither movie ever enjoyed widespread theatrical release in America, and these screenings will be many DBZ enthusiasts’ first opportunity to experience these films with other fans on a screen bigger than even the one on the Toonami spaceship’s control deck.
While action movie classic Die Hard technically celebrated its 30th anniversary in July, its newfound status as a Christmas staple means that it feels more at home in the chillier months of the year. Fans can start their holiday season a little early with two opportunities to catch Die Hard on the big screen, Nov. 11 and Nov. 14. Die Hard’s lasting appeal is in no small part because of how it tempers its relentless action with humor, and Bruce Willis’ John McClane remains one of the most quotable action heroes of all time, only outdone by Alan Rickman’s defining heel turn as the Beethoven-loving Hans Gruber. See it on a big screen for maximum spectacle, and see it with a crowd that knows the movie by heart and erupts at the right “Yippee Ki-yay” moment.
Just as we’ve seen the return of the vinyl record even in the age of unlimited streaming music, there’s a genuine romance and charm associated with the act of going to the movies. Whether it’s the darkness of the theater or the smell of the popcorn, seeing a beloved movie with an audience of like-minded fans for the first time (or once again) is the greatest bonus feature of all.
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