I took the kids to see the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie this afternoon. If you are looking for ground breaking cinema with a riveting plot or a dynamic action thriller, this isn't your film. Still, it wasn't bad, and the kids really enjoyed it. The movie was in English, with Thai subtitles.
Seeing a movie in Thailand is a bit different than in the states. In some ways, its more like attending a sporting event than a movie in the states .
It all starts with buying your tickets. In the States, movie theaters generally operate on a festival seating, or first come, first served model. You buy a ticket and go find a seat. Here in Thailand, you purchase a ticket for a particular seat. There is a computer screen that shows what seats are available, and you tell the cashier (or in my case point to) the seats you wish to purchase. There are a few tiers of seat prices, with the choice seats costing more than the seats in the first few rows. Of course, like Americans at a sparsely attended baseball game, some Thais buy "cheap" seats and make their way to more choice ones.
Before the start of the movie, the theaters show a video tribute to the King. Everyone stands up to show their respect, while the video and music play. Its very much akin to the playing of the National Anthem in the States at sporting events. Of course, its not a live performance, and even if it were, no Thai would disgrace himself or herself as did our very dear American role model, Rosanne Barr.
Another difference is the selection of movies. A 16 screen cineplex might have ten to fifteen different movies playing at once in the States. Here, there may only be two or three, with each playing on four or five screens.
The snack selection is pretty similar here, with popcorn and soft drinks holding places of high prominence in the snack display. The portions are a bit smaller, although the prices are smaller still.
The movie prices are less than in the states, plus their policy on children is very forgiving. I paid for tickets for Jacob, Cat (the nanny) and myself, while Aleena and Nalin were free. So the five of us attended the move for about $15 U.S., plus $1.50 for a large (U.S. medium) caramel popcorn.
The seats, sound and video quality were all quite good. The only real complaint that I have about the movie theaters here are the previews.
We've taken the kids to see three different movies here in Thailand; Bees, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and a Japanese cartoon for kids. At every one, they played the preview for Alien versus Predator II. Its certainly not the scariest preview that I've ever seen, but it is a bit intense for kids. It scares Aleena, Jacob and Nalin. Jacob recognized the preview when it started and turned his head, while Aleena buried her head in my chest. I understand that there are adults in the theater who might be interested in seeing that movie, I might even. The movies we attended, however, were aimed largely at kids. I just don't think they should scare the crap out of little kids by showing previews of a violent rated R movie before a G rated film. If I had taken the kids to see a PG-13 movie, I might understand, but I think the preview was not appropriate. Of course, the ratings to which I refer are U.S. ratings, if there are Thai equivalents, I cannot read them.
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