Also: If you’re in LA, I’m hosting a pre-movie drinks & hang with next Thursday. We’ll go to the New Bev to watch My Dinner with Andre afterwards. Join us, details here.

Name: Greer Temnick
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Founder of Mise en Scènt, a candle studio for movie lovers
Links: Mise en Scènt, on Instagram, join their next candle making workshop

1. What’s your favorite day & time to go to the movies?

Weekend matinees forever. I spend most weekends working at my candle shop, so if I somehow have a day off, you’ll find me in a movie theater by 11am on a Saturday or Sunday. It feels incredibly indulgent in the best way, and I don’t think there’s a better way to spend a day.

2. What’s your favorite movie theater?

This is such a tough one, but I’d have to say BAM Rose Cinemas. The theater itself feels so grand, and going to a screening there always feels like an event. It also holds a really special place in my heart because it’s where I go every Christmas Day to see a movie. It’s become one of my favorite traditions, and I can’t imagine the holidays without it!

I grew up in Arizona, where we didn’t really have anything comparable in driving distance. No shade to the chains, I still love them, but moviegoing in NYC just feels so special.

3. What’s your go-to movie theater snack & drink combo?

I’m eating my weight in buttery popcorn, a box of Milk Duds, and water. I know water is kind of boring, but I hate having to pee during movies, so I try not to drink too much! I need to be fully locked in for the entire runtime or if I have to go to the bathroom I need to see the movie again to see what I missed.

4. What’s your dream movie theater snack & drink combo (if noise and sound weren’t an issue)?

I take back what I said about limited drinking. I like treating going to the movies like it’s an EVENT, so my dream combo would have to be champagne and popcorn. Is it practical? Probably not. Is it glamorous? Absolutely. I also love when theaters like Nitehawk do themed movie cocktail pairings!

5. First movie you remember seeing in a theater?

Charlie’s Angels was the first movie I remember seeing in a theater and being completely locked in. My dad took me, and I was six years old. It’s also the movie where I discovered my first crush — Sam Rockwell as Eric Knox. I was sold when he did the split in the credits. I loved that movie so much that it was the first CD I ever bought. I also left that experience thinking every movie came with a blooper reel at the end, which was a very disappointing realization to have later on. It’s still one of my favorite movies.

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6. Last movie you saw in a theater?

Maddie’s Secret at Nitehawk Williamsburg. Loved it! It was also the perfect movie to see with a packed room full of Brooklynites. There’s something so special about watching a film with the right audience, and this crowd was fully locked in and laughing at all the right moments. Also, the perfume they released alongside the film is so fun and it smells good!

7. Is there a movie you wish you could have seen in a theater?

Before Sunrise! The whole Before trilogy is my favorite, and I literally have it tattooed on my body. I first watched it on a laptop in college, and I would have loved to experience it in a theater for the first time.

8. Have you ever seen a movie more than once in theaters?

So many. I’m such a big rewatcher, and I love bringing people to movies with me to see what they think. The last movie I saw multiple times was probably One Battle After Another three times in theaters and would absolutely see it again. My most watched movie in theaters is probably Past Lives, and I cried every single time.

9. Do you stay through the credits or leave as soon as the film ends?

I am almost always sat until the very end. I’m scared I’m going to miss a post-credits scene, so I refuse to risk it.

10. What’s one thing you would change to make movie theaters better?

More Smell-o-vision, baby! I’m bringing back Odorama. Honestly, I’m just trying to be part of the solution here. I just saw Polyester at IFC Center and it was SO MUCH FUN. Movies are better when they stink.

11. Tell me about an especially memorable moviegoing experience that stands out in your mind.

Seeing Moonstruck at Syndicated is definitely one that stands out. We released a Moonstruck-inspired candle collection with Super Yaki around Valentine’s Day and we got to program a screening & host a pop-up with the incredible Syndicated team. It was extra special because Moonstruck was one of my grandma’s favorite movies, and I had never seen it in theaters before. Also, Cher should be in everything!

12. What’s a movie you’re looking forward to seeing?

Cannot wait to see The Wrong Girls. Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat are such a dream pairing, and I love any excuse to see a comedy in theaters.

13. What’s your dream combination of director and lead(s)?

Jane Schoenbrun and Sarah Michelle Gellar. I’m a Buffy girl, so seeing Sarah Michelle Gellar in Jane’s strange, dreamy, slightly unsettling world would be a dream.

14. If you could live in a movie, which one would it be?

The first thing that comes to mind is Marie Antoinette. I would love to live in a pastel Sofia Coppola world. Obviously, the party bits, before things take a turn.

15. Why do you think people should continue seeing movies at the movie theater?

Seeing movies in theaters forces you to really be present. There are no distractions, no pausing to check your phone, and no multitasking. There’s also something really special about experiencing a movie with a group of people. It’s a shared experience that you just can’t recreate at home.

Name: Erin Depke
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Comedian
Links: Erin’s TikTok, Instagram

1. What’s your favorite day & time to go to the movies?

A Sunday 2 pm showing is the best thing that could happen to me. Gives you enough time to sleep in before and enough time after to potentially make it a double feature.

2. What’s your favorite movie theater?

The Lincoln Square AMC. I will watch anything that I can on their IMAX screen. I watched the Wicked sequel on their IMAX screen, and I didn’t even want to see that movie.

Other favorites in the city include the Paris Theater (I’ve seen so many reissues here I wouldn’t have had the chance to see at a theater otherwise) and the IFC Center. I saw Hundreds of Beavers at the IFC Center with a Q&A from one of the beavers himself. That’s not even just one of my best movie going experiences ever, that’s one of the greatest days I’ve had on this mortal plane.

3. What’s your go-to movie theater snack & drink combo?

This is a potentially controversial take, but I’m a snack smuggler. My usual is a Chobani smoothie and a Justin’s peanut butter cup. I’ve done this probably dozens of times. It’s small enough to put in a purse, quiet, and fills you up with a mean 25 grams of protein. I won’t apologize for caring about my probiotic intake.

4. What’s your dream movie theater snack & drink combo (if noise and sound weren’t an issue)?

I’m gonna be really honest here, I’m sneaking in bonkers things to the movies. I’ve done boba, a smoothie bowl, a greek salad, tiramisu. If you have a can-do attitude, anything can go right in that theater with you. I make my dreams a reality.

5. First movie you remember seeing in a theater?

Horton Hears A Who on a kindergarten field trip. Many have called this Will Arnett’s best work.

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6. Last movie you saw in a theater?

The Hadestown pro shot with my best friend. When we were about 16, we tried to figure out a way to fly to New York for a day just so we could see the musical with that cast (we were not popular in high school), so it was very cool to see it with her all these years later after we both ended up moving to New York.

7. Is there a movie you wish you could have seen in a theater?

I wish I could see Dune Part 2 for the first time again every day for the rest of my life. Like I wish I could hit my head or Eternal Sunshine myself every day to ride that high again and again. I cried when Paul rode the worm. Not even in a sad way, but in an “I can’t believe movies can make us feel this strongly” way. Unbelievable theater watch.

8. Have you ever seen a movie more than once in theaters?

Sooooo many times. I’m a huge movie rewatcher, especially if I want to see it in different formats. I saw One Battle After Another in three different formats, which is maybe a brag or maybe something I shouldn’t be willing to share so loudly. Sometimes it’s not even a format thing either, I actually saw Sentimental Value twice in one day (again, is this incriminating?) because I ended up getting a ticket to a Q&A screening with Joachim Trier two hours after I had just seen it, and I wasn’t willing to pass it up.

9. Do you stay through the credits or leave as soon as the film ends?

I usually hang through the credits and chit chat about it as the credits roll. It’s also fun if you’re in the back to watch everyone pull up Letterboxd at the same exact time.

10. What’s one thing you would change to make movie theaters better?

Two things come to mind- price and etiquette. When I invite someone to a movie and they say no because they don’t want to spend $20 on a ticket, I get it. It’s just too much, especially if you’re going multiple times a month.

Recent theater etiquette trends are also something that drive me up a wall. With streaming, I think everyone got so used to talking during the movie and sharing their immediate thoughts, but that’s such a bird-brained way to view it. Wait until the end and discuss the film in full, you bozos!

11. Tell me about an especially memorable moviegoing experience that stands out in your mind.

The Interstellar IMAX 70mm reissue. I was only able to get tickets for the 11pm screening, and I got home at like 2 or 3 in the morning. It was electric. The score for that is one of my all time favorites, and hearing it in that setting was just incredible.

12. What’s a movie you’re looking forward to seeing?

La Bola Negra. I was lucky enough to see this at Cannes this past year, and it was my favorite thing I saw at the festival, and I’m really excited to bring every person I know to the theaters to see it again with me. I went in entirely blind and left the theater shattered and put back together.

13. What’s your dream combination of director and lead(s)?

Paul Thomas Anderson and Renate Reinsve. I’m ready for Renate Reinsve world domination.

14. If you could live in a movie, which one would it be?

I actually just rewatched Return of the Jedi and was thinking about how the ewoks and I would definitely get along, so I’m going to say ROTJ, but specifically Endor.

15. Why do you think people should continue seeing movies at the movie theater?

It’s the right way to do it, damnit! It kills me when someone tells me they watched Train Dreams on a laptop, and then they say it wasn’t really their thing. Of course it wasn’t, you had fingerprint smudges on one of the most beautifully shot movies I’ve seen in my lifetime!

Everything in the world feels overwhelming right now, but for two and a half hours, usually several times a week, my phone is off, and I’m in whatever world I’m in that day. No filmmaker is making a movie with the hopes you’ll watch it on a Macbook in 25 minute increments over the course of several days. You’re meant to watch movies on a big screen, with great sound, with no distractions, with a room full of people enjoying the same thing. I’d also recommend having a Chobani smoothie and a Justin’s peanut butter cup in hand as you do it, but that’s just me.

AMC, Regal and Cinemark all announced that the past weekend delivered the highest box office revenue in each company’s history. Beloved arthouse theaters that shuttered due to low attendance are reopening, film projectors are being restored, and the AMC app is borderline unusable due to constant high traffic. People are escaping the heat in movie theaters, largely to see much anticipated blockbusters like The Odyssey and Spiderman: Brand New Day, but the rising tide is also carrying indie titles like Olivia Wilde’s The Invite above projected box-office numbers, while unexpected hits like Obsession and Backrooms still contribute their fare share to ticket sales. All this to say: Everyone’s at the movies! And as someone who likes the observe people in movie theaters I had way more people to observe than the usual lately. Some notes I took below.

• What do people who don’t go to the movies on 100+ degree weekend days? I genuinely can’t think of another activity (that’s not just ‘staying home’).

• I posted this Tiktok warning fellow Odyssey-goers to pee before the movie starts as they’ll miss something vital otherwise, got some incredible insight into global movie theater bathroom habits:

  

  

  

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Name: Izabel Pakzad
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: Filmmaker, actress
Links: Izabel’s IG

Izabel’s first feature Find Your Friends now available on demand and streaming on Shudder.

1. What’s your favorite day & time to go to the movies?

My favorite is Friday around 7:30, after an early dinner. There’s something about walking in with a full belly, ready to just sink into the movie.

2. What’s your favorite movie theater?

It depends on the movie. For anything older, the New Beverly and the Vista are my two favorites in LA — the history, the programming, the sense that the people programming these films have a deep knowledge and love for cinema. It makes watching anything there feel that much more special. And part of what I love about going to those two theaters is finding a film from decades ago that I never caught in theaters and finally getting to watch it on the big screen. That discovery is so exciting and fun.

For newer releases, it’s the AMC at The Grove for me. Partially because I’m a Stubs member and I love going as much as I can, but also because I love the chaos of that place. It gives me hope that people are still showing up for movies — it feels like a fucking party.

3. What’s your go-to movie theater snack & drink combo?

Classic popcorn, no butter. Large Coke Zero with a lot of ice. And sometimes Raisinets, if I’m feeling a sweet tooth.

4. What’s your dream movie theater snack & drink combo (if noise and sound weren’t an issue)?

Honestly? I love what's already there — I don't need to get all fancy. Maybe the only other thing that would be kind of amazing would be munching on french fries with a large Coke Zero during a film. That would be heaven. I'm also kind of obsessed with this new candy Delish Fish — It's so chewy and the perfect snack for the movies.

5. First movie you remember seeing in a theater?

I know this is a little crazy, but my first real moviegoing memory was Mulholland Drive. I was young, and it made such an impact on me — but it also terrified me for years.

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6. Last movie you saw in a theater?

The Odyssey. My mind is still blown.

7. Is there a movie you wish you could have seen in a theater?

I almost feel embarrassed to say it, but I only got into the Harry Potter films in the last five years, and I wish I could have had that experience of watching them all on the big screen!

8. Have you ever seen a movie more than once in theaters?

I have an obsessive personality, so when I love a movie, I literally want to see it a hundred times. So yes, of course!

9. Do you stay through the credits or leave as soon as the film ends?

I always stay through the credits! I think it's important — it's a way of giving respect to everyone who worked on the film.

10. What’s one thing you would change to make movie theaters better?

Honestly, just comfier seats — that always makes the experience better. Some theaters now have those special reclining seats, and I think if you get the seats right, there's really no complaints for me. You get to watch in the coziest way possible.

11. Tell me about an especially memorable moviegoing experience that stands out in your mind.

I saw Gaspar Noé's Irréversible twice in two days — first in its original form, then the next day in the Straight Cut. Having two completely different experiences of the same film back to back was kind of amazing. I thought it was really special.

12. What’s a movie you’re looking forward to seeing?

I Want Your Sex — the new Gregg Araki film. I'm really looking forward to it.

13. What’s your dream combination of director and lead(s)?

Gaspar Noé directing Florence Pugh — his boldness and her willingness to go anywhere emotionally would be something to behold. Though selfishly, I'd love to direct her myself. And I'd love, just as much, to act in something of Gaspar's. Both would be a dream!

14. If you could live in a movie, which one would it be?

That's a really hard question, because there are films I love so much — I love their worlds — but I wouldn't necessarily want to live in them. So to actually answer: I think The Bling Ring would be a really fun world to live in.

15. Why do you think people should continue seeing movies at the movie theater?

There’s something really special about being transported into a different world — different people’s stories and experiences — that we really only get from movies and storytelling. It’s constantly teaching us things about the world, the people around us, and about ourselves — and it allows us to have empathy for people’s stories, whether it’s a genre movie, a drama, or a comedy. And it creates a real sense of community: sitting in a theater, watching with other people, sharing that experience. In this day and age of social media, it’s really hard to connect with people in that way. And that’s something so important for us to have!

Name:
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: Producer, writer, curator
Links: Kiva’s Substack

Join Sundance Collab Film Club, hosted by Kiva (and is free!)

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Name: Ben Wang
Location: New York
Occupation: Actor
Links: Ben’s IG

Watch Ben in Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, in theaters now.

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This has been a good week for movie theaters. With Christopher Nolan’s much anticipated The Odyssey finally coming out, popcorn is freshly popped and the Freestyle Machines are barely hanging on. As someone who runs a moviegoing Substack as a hobby, you can imagine how much I’m enjoying hearing from scores of people who are dropping everything to experi…

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I wouldn’t call myself much of a festival girl, I don’t like crowds of that magnitude and the need to line up for basic necessities. I went to Coachella once a few years ago to see Tame Impal…

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Name:
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Comedian/Writer
Links: Alison’s Substack:

Comfort Read

A blog (yes, blog) from Alison Leiby.

By Alison Leiby

Read Alison’s new book I’m a Lot:

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Name:
Location: The Bay Area + Denver
Occupation: Multidisciplinary Artist
Links: Marquita’s book, Substack, IG, Letterboxd

1. What’s your favorite day & time to go to the movies?

It depends on the movie. A movie that I expect to be good for crowd engagement and fun (horror, action, mainstream comedy), I prefer to go Saturday around 7:30pm, opening weekend…

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Name: David Thomson
Location: San Francisco
Occupation: Film Critic/Author
Links: Read David’s new book A Sudden Flicker of Light, A Revisionist History of Movies:

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Name: Elisa Kalani
Location: Los Angeles
Occupation: Writer/Director
Links: Watch I Love You Forever on HBO Max, written and directed by Elisa Kalani and Cazzie David.

1. What’s your favorite day & time to go to the movies?

2pm on a Tuesday. It’s the right amount of playing hooky on a day of the week that otherwise goes unnoticed. It doesn’t happen often, b…

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I famously love an 11am movie on a Saturday. Not 10am because it’s too early and not 12pm because that’s an afternoon plan at that point. Seeing a movie at 11am on a Saturday is the perfect start to the weekend, the clearest line drawn between the work week and two days of rest & pleasure. Traffic is calm, audiences are calm, my mind is calm. You know those TikToks that pop up and remind you to unclench your jaw and slow your movements and you remember you’re allowed to do that? That’s what a Saturday morning movie feels like to me. Life doesn’t always work out in a way that allows me to catch a titular 11am Saturday screening, but the stars aligned and coincided with one of my most anticipated releases this weekend: Olivia Wilde’s The Invite.

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Name: Clayton Farris
Location: Los Angeles
Occupation: Actor, Content Creator
Links: Instagram

Watch Clayton in Apple TV’s Cape Fear, new episodes every Thursday night.

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Name: Marcy McCall
Location: DTLA
Occupation: Advocate for Students with Disabilities, Filmmaker
Links: Marcy’s Website

1. What’s your favorite day & time to go to the movies?

For commercial releases, Friday or Saturday nights, preferably opening weekend for films getting some buzz or hype. I love a packed house, and it’s a must for a musical like Dreamgirls

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Name: Ben Proudfoot
Location: Los Angeles, California
Occupation: Filmmaker & Entrepreneur
Links: Breakwaterstudios, Ben’s IG

Ben’s latest film The Baddest Speechwriter of All, about Martin Luther King Jr.’s lawyer and speechwriter, Clarence B. Jones, just premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and will be on Netflix later in 2026.

1. What’s your favorite day…

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Name: Rosebud Baker
Location: On tour!
Occupation: Comedian, actor, Emmy-nominated writer
Links: Rosebud’s memoir Fully Baked, Instagram

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Name: Sofia Black-D'Elia
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Actress, mom, Knicks fan
Links: Sofia’s IG

See Sofia’s latest project Never Change at Village East Theater tonight as part of Tribeca Film Festival.

1. What’s your favorite day & time to go to the movies?

I think it’s hard to beat a Sunday matinee.

2. What’s your favorite movie theater?

My first (tin…

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Last week I attended an advance screening for Disclosure Day (brag) (thanks Emily) and about ten minutes into the movie someone started scrolling on their phone, brightness setting on max. Before I could even get upset though, someone from the studio team came over to warn them and made them put their phone away for the rest of the movie. See how easy it all can be! So why is this level of care reserved for special screenings or exclusive to smaller, independent theaters?

One thing about me is I love a multiplex. I’m a patron of many independent theaters but also frequent several AMCs and find their predictability comforting. However, I feel increasingly like once we enter a theater, we’re left in there alone to fend for ourselves. People talking? Ask them to shut up and pray they comply and not start a fight. People on their phones? Switch seats so the brightness doesn’t distract you. Someone brought their crying baby in (yes this happened)? Tough luck, book another showing and pray that one is quiet. Yeah people have definitely gotten weirder and less considerate of others in the past decade, but do the establishments not bear any responsibility in all this?

Last month, AMC recorded its highest May attendance in 7 years, with Obsession and Backrooms being the two unlikely crowd pleasers that drew in a younger demographic. This is great! What’s not great was the amount of people who encountered horrible audience behavior and had their experience of the films ruined. And listen, teenagers are teenagers. Their frontal lobes are still developing and they may not yet have learned how to behave in a theater, but this is why we have establishments setting and enforcing rules: Do not talk, turn your phone off, don’t do anything that ruins other people’s experience. The rules are indeed set, but the enforcing at the moment seems to be up to the other patrons who are also there to watch a movie, not play kindergarten teacher. For the life of me I don’t understand how the cafe down my street can enforce a strict “no laptops after 5pm” rule, and huge, established movie theater chains can not figure this out.

I swear I have vivid memories of movie theater ushers growing up who popped in periodically to make sure no one’s talking or misbehaving. I KNOW I have recent memories of a Broadway usher who kicked someone out for briefly glancing at their phone. So why do major movie theaters still exclusively employ young people who are definitely not getting paid enough to confront an unruly patron? Is it really so hard to hire one (1) trained professional who can pop in and out of rooms, to at least give the illusion of deterrence?

6 years after the shutdown, people are clearly doing their part to “save movies” and “bring moviegoing back” and all the other slogans these gigantic companies use when it benefits them. We are out here spending our hard-earned money to patronize these theaters and help them thrive. It’s time for them to meet us halfway and regulate these glaring issues before a whole new generation of people define moviegoing as “watching movie on big screen while I scroll on small screen”.

PS. shoutout to Phoebe Bridgers for locking up phones at her concerts. And to her disgruntled fan below for rage-bait attempt of the year.

PPS. AMC I still (and will always) love you. My only intention is for you to be rich and successful.

Name:
Location: LA
Occupation: Editor, freelance writer, photographer
Latest work by Shona: Folk Tattoos for Modern Living, That Cool Girl from India

1. What’s your favorite day & time to go to the movies?

I love a 3 or 4pm summer Saturday movie because it usually means I can get a 5-5:30pm dinner and talk about the movie and still be home roughly by suns…

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