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Post by SimsFan_1 on Jan 22, 2023 14:01:21 GMT -5
Since this site is themed around being a classic drive-in theater, you might be wondering if there's stuff out there for building a drive-in theater in the game.
Well, there sure is, and I can help you get started! ___________________________________________________________________________
First, you're going to need the basics (screen, sign, speakers), and you can find that at KillerSims: Simtonic ( Boudoir Blanc) also made these speakers if you'd rather use them: Since she made them for CTO Sims long ago and aren't available on her site, I'll share them here. Now, you need to build the box office. Melo Sim has a really good set of ticket windows and counters: Then, comes the snack bar... lots of great options there! If you don't mind deco only, then Poetica's theater sets are wonderful: But, what if you want a more functional snack bar? Woobsha's candy counters are a must-have: Also a good set of classic drinking fountains and commercial trash cans: A lot of things from my Retro Bowl set can be repurposed here, as well. It includes some great midcentury commercial build pieces, a vintage snack bar, and a vintage public restroom: Now, let's build the parking lot! Let's start with AMULET's parking lines and barriers: And, you'll also want Aponee's railings: And, then, last but not least... some classic cars!!! ___________________________________________________________________________
That should be enough to get you started... I'll add on to this thread if I find anything else! Now, go build your drive-in and enjoy the show!๐
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Post by SimsFan_1 on Jan 23, 2023 22:17:10 GMT -5
And, I also left a little something of my own right here. Tsk, tsk. ๐
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Post by Dramatica on Jan 25, 2023 19:35:30 GMT -5
This is great! I'll have to build a drive-in if I ever get my game in working order again lol
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Post by ladyfiaran22 on Jan 25, 2023 19:52:54 GMT -5
These are really cool sets, I love the whole retro look of the drive in and the old fashioned movie theater sets. Iโd love to see that sort of movie theater make a comeback, modern theaters are too sterile
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Post by SimsFan_1 on Jan 26, 2023 12:40:26 GMT -5
Glad this list has been helpful, Dramatica.๐
These are really cool sets, I love the whole retro look of the drive in and the old fashioned movie theater sets. Iโd love to see that sort of movie theater make a comeback, modern theaters are too sterile 100% agreed!๐ As much as I hate to see people lose their jobs, I am admittedly kind of hoping that COVID spells the end of theater chains like AMC and Regal Cinemas. Even before the pandemic hit, these places were overcharging for a mediocre experience, and were rarely offering any movies beyond the latest franchise junk. Those suburban chain theaters are what killed off the wonderful independent theaters and drive-ins of the old days.
Maybe, it's a pipe dream, but I'd love to see theaters go back to being mostly independently owned and operated. I feel like people who only care about the big franchise stuff are increasingly content with just streaming those movies at home. It's the enthusiasts of film who still care about the big screen experience, and chain theaters will never scratch that itch like independent theaters do.
Also, with COVID kind of still being a thing, that makes it even more logical to revive the drive-in concept. And, as a bonus, you also don't have worry about sitting around a bunch of strangers picking their noses or talking too much. As someone with a ton of social anxiety, drive-ins really appeal to me.
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Post by damondamore on Jan 26, 2023 18:59:33 GMT -5
Well, the movie companies started demanding high licensing fees so that only the big theaters could afford them, but by the same token the fact they didn't say no didn't help...
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Post by ladyfiaran22 on Jan 26, 2023 19:24:49 GMT -5
I wish indie movie theaters came back, watching films on Netflix isnโt as cool. I personally love a lot of indie, art House and documentary films and I find mainstream movies to be boring, especially Marvel and Disney. Iโd love it if indie theaters made a comeback and showed odd indie and art house films, watching films in a theater with like-minded people is amazing
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Post by SimsFan_1 on Jan 26, 2023 20:28:20 GMT -5
Well, the movie companies started demanding high licensing fees so that only the big theaters could afford them, but by the same token the fact they didn't say no didn't help... Yup... which is why the decline of the movie industry and the theater industry was mostly their own doing and not the result of a virus or consumer choices.๐ When the only theater in town anymore is a Regal multiplex that's charging an arm and a leg for a mediocre experience watching the same old mainstream franchise movies, I can't blame people for choosing to stream or get the DVD instead. I wish indie movie theaters came back, watching films on Netflix isnโt as cool. I personally love a lot of indie, art House and documentary films and I find mainstream movies to be boring, especially Marvel and Disney. Iโd love it if indie theaters made a comeback and showed odd indie and art house films, watching films in a theater with like-minded people is amazing Fully agreed. *nods* Many of the older and more obscure documentaries and art house films aren't readily available on streaming or DVD, so independent theaters could fill a more valuable niche there. Plus, as I said, I think fans of those kinds of films tend to value the big screen experience more vs somebody who just wants mindless entertainment from superheroes... especially now that the big studios all have their own streaming services as a one-stop shops for all of their franchises.
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Post by damondamore on Jan 27, 2023 7:56:13 GMT -5
You know, I work for an entertainment company and there's a nearby cinema that never re-opened after COVID and the big company that owns it are just sitting on it, (allegedly) not paying taxes. They don't want to sell because they do not want another theater or entertainment industry company competing with their other locations in the area.
I think they intended to just park the building and run it at a loss but the township is stepping in because they actually care about having a large unoccupied commercial building. For one, the theater was a big leisure draw to an otherwise unremarkable area and the other locations are in other townships. They are concerned about squatters or the building not being up to code-- which could allow a fire to spread to the occupied buildings. And of course they are clearly not generating taxable revenue.
For legal reasons I will add that I do not know if they actually owe back taxes and have not paid them, or if they are not paying taxes because they are not generating taxable revenue. Either way, the township seems unhappy.
There are independent theaters still around me, and while they sometimes show movies they tend to do live theater and use movies to fill in the gaps in their live programming, or show more niche kinds of films. I like seeing them and have the option to go there and their live shows aren't too expensive if I'm interested in one so no big complaints but I am so tired of all the big franchises. Please, someone! Make a new movie!
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Post by SimsFan_1 on Jan 27, 2023 11:54:01 GMT -5
You know, I work for an entertainment company and there's a nearby cinema that never re-opened after COVID and the big company that owns it are just sitting on it, (allegedly) not paying taxes. They don't want to sell because they do not want another theater or entertainment industry company competing with their other locations in the area. I think they intended to just park the building and run it at a loss but the township is stepping in because they actually care about having a large unoccupied commercial building. For one, the theater was a big leisure draw to an otherwise unremarkable area and the other locations are in other townships. They are concerned about squatters or the building not being up to code-- which could allow a fire to spread to the occupied buildings. And of course they are clearly not generating taxable revenue. For legal reasons I will add that I do not know if they actually owe back taxes and have not paid them, or if they are not paying taxes because they are not generating taxable revenue. Either way, the township seems unhappy. There are independent theaters still around me, and while they sometimes show movies they tend to do live theater and use movies to fill in the gaps in their live programming, or show more niche kinds of films. I like seeing them and have the option to go there and their live shows aren't too expensive if I'm interested in one so no big complaints but I am so tired of all the big franchises. Please, someone! Make a new movie! That's ridiculous, just letting a big theater sit there useless and abandoned because the company's afraid a competitor will take the spot.๐ I actually wouldn't be surprised if this practice was common before COVID, as I've seen tons of videos of long-abandoned chain theaters on YouTube. AMC and Regal loved to ditch their older theaters for newer and larger ones after about 10-15 years, and they'd often leave the old theater just sitting abandoned across the street. Extremely wasteful and yet another reason why I don't like theater chains.
I'm SO tired of franchises, too, especially as someone who's never been into superheroes.๐ฃ It seems to be a combination of movie studios and theater chains thinking that flashy SFX and familiar IP are the only things that can get butts into movie theaters anymore. Plus, I also know that Disney, in particular, mainly greenlights movies to advertise its theme parks and merchandising, as that's where they actually make most of their money.
Maybe with the pandemic cutting into theater attendance and all of these big studios now having their own streaming services, that'll push most of the franchise stuff off to streaming and leave theaters to film enthusiasts. Hey, a girl can dream...๐
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Post by damondamore on Jan 27, 2023 12:53:17 GMT -5
I'm just going to say it's funny you mentioned Regal and I'll leave the reason as homework for the readers.
Going to the movies became far too similar to going to an airport. You need to buy a ticket to get past the door, the food once you're inside is very expensive and the gate agent is a surly underpaid child or a tragic older person who does not get enough of social security. Prior to home streaming being viable and large TVs being 'the norm', theaters were the only choice to see movies right as they came out. They became too complacent and allowed their service to slip.
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Post by SimsFan_1 on Jan 27, 2023 14:07:09 GMT -5
I'm just going to say it's funny you mentioned Regal and I'll leave the reason as homework for the readers. *Hits Up Startpage*
Going to the movies became far too similar to going to an airport. You need to buy a ticket to get past the door, the food once you're inside is very expensive and the gate agent is a surly underpaid child or a tragic older person who does not get enough of social security. Prior to home streaming being viable and large TVs being 'the norm', theaters were the only choice to see movies right as they came out. They became too complacent and allowed their service to slip. Exactly! *Nods* I wanna say that this shift began in the 00s. DVDs and larger TVs made watching movies at home a more appealing option, while the internet increased access to piracy. So, what did theater chains do to make up for lost revenue? Improve their service and amenities? Nope, instead, they jacked-up ticket prices and cut employee pay.๐๐คฆโโ๏ธ
This was also around the point that Hollywood started leaning more on reboots/sequels/IP to sell movies to the masses. A lot of people think this trend began in the wake of the MCU and streaming services, but Hollywood was already getting mocked for regurgitating itself back in 2005.
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Post by damondamore on Jan 27, 2023 14:37:17 GMT -5
I will say I saw The Spy that Dumped Me in theaters (I was going on a date and he had never been to the movies at all, in his lifetime, so we were picking whatever was showing). It was a pretty good experience, based on my very low expectations.
That said, we had lunch before the movies and spent most the day in the nearby mall.
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Post by SimsFan_1 on Jan 27, 2023 16:38:28 GMT -5
I will say I saw The Spy that Dumped Me in theaters (I was going on a date and he had never been to the movies at all, in his lifetime, so we were picking whatever was showing). It was a pretty good experience, based on my very low expectations. That said, we had lunch before the movies and spent most the day in the nearby mall. Yeah, that's another thing about the chain theaters... they tended to thrive in (or at least next to) malls, and those have been in decline for at least 15-20 years now. It's even harder to justify going to them anymore if you're not going to hit up the mall afterwards.
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Post by damondamore on Jan 27, 2023 16:43:19 GMT -5
Weirdly, theaters inside malls usually do well-- well, if the mall is doing well. I think because they are smaller (two screens, fewer seats) and they rely less on concession stand money.
I will say I am #blessed to live near two thriving malls. One even legally has to do well... Ok storytime, I guess. Basically the mall was sold and the new owners kept raising rent and refusing to fix things and the stores were able to prove they had no intention of running it as a mall and just wanted to lose money on it and then develop the land. The thing is... that violates the lease agreements with the existing stores which they took on with the purchase of the mall. The owners were used and forced to sell the mall. Unfortunately, it is now owned by Simon Malls possibly the largest and soulless mall management company... but also their properties are lively, clean and have diverse stores with different price-ranges so it isn't all bad.
Coming back around to the movies... yeah, it isn't an all day activity. I think people used to go on weeknights because it was something you could go out and do for maybe three hours then go home and go to sleep.
Also have movies gotten shorter? I feel like they used to be two hours but now it seems like they're closer to 1h 40m.
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