For many, seeing a movie in the theater is a short-lived experience that ends when they leave the mall. Maybe it will get re-watched on a television screen at home later, but the true panorama of sight and sound can only be seen on the initial release date. And if the movie is an older one, the average person without a movie theater at home will never gain that transcendent experience, unless you know where to look.
Many theaters near Bethesda regularly show older movies on the silver screen, offering the opportunity to see a favorite the way it was intended. Places like the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and the AMC 18 in Rio are some of the most popular options.
Coraline
Re-released movies are only shown for a limited time when they are out, and senior Oksana Vorobiova was smart enough to catch a screening of “Coraline” for its 15th anniversary. “Coraline” is a moving but terrifying film that is impersonating the conventional stop-motion children’s movie.
“I found the movie very nostalgic,” Vorobiova said. “The sound and the quality of the movie was definitely much better from what I’ve seen on TV.”
For those interested in seeing the original “Coraline,” there are still a few upcoming showings in October that will pack a nostalgic but spooky punch for the Halloween season. Vorobiova’s screening was at the AMC Theaters at Westfield Montgomery Mall, but the nearest October showings will be at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in DC.
“Since it was my first time viewing [“Coraline”] in theaters, it brought me more joy than ever before,” Vorobiova said.
Interstellar
The 10 year anniversary of this science fiction blockbuster will bring it back to theaters in December. “Interstellar,” an almost three hour epic with booming music and astronomical visuals, is a perfect example of a movie made for the theater. It can be seen in both IMAX and 70mm film in select theaters.
Senior Jonah Daniel, only 7 years-old at the time of the initial release, plans to be first in line at the re-release.
“I’m very excited and pumped,” Daniel said. “I think it’ll be a fresh take on the same movie. It’ll be nostalgic. I didn’t get the chance to see it in theaters.”
Other upcoming movies
In the future, fans of movies of all genres should keep tabs on re-released movies because a favorite may show up. Other movies being screened for the rest of 2024 include Howl’s Moving Castle, Whiplash, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coco, Mean Girls and Kiki’s Delivery Service.
“I feel like only being able to see those older movies at home via streaming can take away from that authentic theater experience that individuals from the movie’s release got,” freshman Matthew Lutgendorf said.
