Whether or not it’s going to movies with friends or plopping down on a couch and watching TV, you get a chance to sit down, relax and get lost in the world of a Disney princess or the life of a warrior. There are all sorts of genres out there for all types of personalities. There are also multiple ways to access your favorite programs with students preferring one way over the other.
Going to the movie theater is a simple way to see that new movie you’ve been holding your breath waiting for.
Netflix is also pretty straightforward. You pay money, you watch something entertaining. But both have their pros and cons, and both attract a certain audience.
“Netflix is cheaper,” sophomore Amanda Watskey said. “And I don’t have to move.”
Netflix is a popular website you can access from home on your computer, TV, smartphone or tablet. For $7.99 a month, you can browse and watch a large selection of shows and movies.
Going to the movie theater is a more traditional way to see a movie, but costs $9.75 for a single adult ticket at the Palazzo 16 Theater.
And that’s just for one person, one movie and doesn’t include the cost for snacks.
“I never get around to using Netflix — there’s other things to do,” senior Nikolas Pippins said. “Using Netflix, you probably have something else in front of you, and you end up not watching the show.”
While Netflix is more convenient for some, the theater has quality that can’t be matched — unless you pay a lot of money for a home theater.
“[I like the theater] because it’s a bigger screen,” freshman Andrew Olinger said.
Still, sometimes dealing with other people is just too much. Maybe you’d just rather sit in the comfort of your own home, where at least it’s your own family that’s being annoying. And at home, you don’t even have to wear pants.
“[Netflix] doesn’t require looking nice or going out in public, and you can watch it anytime,” sophomore Hope Brown said.
While that is true, Netflix tends to have a long waiting period on their movies. This means it could be a few months or years — and, in some cases, never — before they get a movie you could just see in the theater the day it comes out. Netflix also might not have some of your favorite shows.
At the same time, the theater doesn’t show a movie for more than a few weeks, but, as a building with limited space rather than a website on the infinite Internet, you can’t exactly expect any more than that from them.
“Plus, you can watch more shows for the same amount that you’d pay for one movie,” Brown said.
With Netflix, it is true that you can watch every season of “Doctor Who” in a single week. Maybe you want to sit down and have a “Supernatural” marathon. Whatever your reason, unlimited access to your favorite show might appeal to you.
“[The theater is] more fun because you usually go with friends,” sophomore Zach Weiss said.
Spending time with friends is always great, but sometimes having people over at your house to watch Netflix can be a hassle. Parents or siblings could interfere with what you’re trying to watch, or maybe you have to argue over who gets to use the TV. You might have to compromise, and instead of watching “Pretty Little Liars,” you have to watch something more age-appropriate if your little siblings just happen to be around.
At the theater, though, you and your friends can chill in the back corner while watching something nobody would ever in a million years let you watch at home.
“Really, they both give me something to do, so I’m okay with either,” Watskey said.