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I love going to the movies. It’s one of the things I missed the most throughout 2020 and the early part of 2021, with the film industry having more less shut down due to COVID-19. But now, with a vaccine now available, Hollywood is beginning to return to normalcy: production is resuming on a lot of movies, and with any luck, we’ll see some of the most anticipated films (most of which were set to arrive in 2020) appear on the big screen.

If I’m honest, just about any movie will do, and actually, sometimes there’s nothing better than going to aÌýbadÌýmovie just to sit back, relax, and demolish snacks in the dark. Don’t get me wrong, my preference will always be to see a good film over a bad one, but I’m willing to put up with certain things at a cinema that I wouldn’t at home. I’ll never forget when myself and a group of friends went to see the young adult romance, After, in 2019. It was a delightfully cringe-worthy film, and the result was spectacular. By roughly the twenty-minute mark, almost the entire cinema was participating in a collective commentary, laughing and reacting to the same moments in unison. This is something I might not put up with in other instances (and I do feel sorry for other cinema goers who were there andÌýweren’tÌýparticipating), but for a film of the ‘popcorn’ variety, it only served to enhance the experience.

I’m also a big believer in the therapeutic nature of going to the movies. The scent of worn carpet and popcorn, the trailers, the moment when the lights dim: it’s familiar and exciting all at once. Going to the movies has been a constant for me throughout my life. A way for me to bond with my family, catch up with my friends, and sometimes, take a break from the rest of the world and go on my own. It offers the opportunity to destress via escapism, a chance to forget about everything else, even if just for a few hours.