Why We Stopped Going to the Cinema

Going to the cinema used to be our thing. Friday nights, popcorn, big screens, that feeling when the lights go down — it was our family ritual. We’d plan it days in advance, look up new releases, argue about what to watch, and end the night with sleepy kids in the backseat.

But slowly, something started to change.

The tickets got pricier, snacks felt like a luxury, and honestly… the magic started fading. Half the time someone was on their phone behind us, or the seats were uncomfortable, or we’d rush through dinner just to make it on time. We started skipping weeks. Then months.

The Moment Everything Changed

One weekend, it was pouring outside and no one felt like dressing up or driving a long way. so, we decided to stay in. We made some popcorn, dragged a mattress into the living room, and turned on the projector we had bought a few weeks earlier.

When the lights went off and the movie filled the entire wall, everyone went quiet — the good kind of quiet. It felt different. The kids curled up under blankets, we lay back, and for a moment it felt like our home had transformed into something else.

We didn’t miss the cinema. At all.

A New Kind of Movie Night

After that night, it became our new tradition. Friday evenings turned into “home cinema nights.” Sometimes we’d pick a new movie, sometimes it was old favorites. We’d dim the lights, set out snacks, and hit play.

No long lines. No overpriced candy. No whispering strangers. Just us.

The projector really changed everything. the screen covered the whole wall and it felt like we had a home cinema - exactly like we all had dreamed about in our childhood. The kids started inviting their friends, we had themed movie marathons, gaming competitions with prizes and sometimes we just projected random themed walls just because we could.

More Than Just Movies

honestly, I think what we really loved about going to the cinema wasn’t just the movies — it was the feeling of being together. But we found that feeling again at home, only better.

We could stop when someone needed a break, go back to a funny part, or lie down in our pajamas without a care.

What started as one rainy night turned into our favorite family ritual.

We didn’t stop going to the cinema because it was bad. We stopped because we found something better.