Why Midnight Movies are a Priority in Our House

I am known as a strict parent.  My kids need to check in, cannot go to a friend’s house if the parents are not home, and must do chores before going out on the weekend.  Most egregiously, they cannot watch TV from Monday through Thursday during the school year.  It is understandable that I am considered a strict parent.

Except there is one thing that I let them to do…nay encourage them to… that call this title into question.

We see the midnight movie release whenever we can.

My son and I have done this since he was thirteen.  We plan ahead so that school, work, and family responsibilities are prioritized.  We know in advance which movies merit the attention, and when it involves a sequel, we watch any previous films.

Why place a priority on a passive media when anything else I encourage them to do focuses on active participation in learning or doing?  Why cater to abject commercialism when we normally support local business, museums, and parks?

Simple.  There is nothing like doing something with a community.

Watching a movie like Man of Steel in a movie theater two weeks after its release, with about 75 people, and in the new comfy chairs with popcorn that tastes more and more like the stuff we can buy at our local grocery store, feels like watching a movie at home with a big screen and cool sound.  Nothing about a midnight show feels that passive.

Waiting for the DVD fits more into my typical modus operandi of giving media a lower priority, with the bonus of watching in my pajamas and pausing to go to the bathroom.  Compared to this “soft rock” version of movie watching, midnight movies are Metallica.

Sure, going to the midnight show means being one of the first to see a movie, but more importantly the people who go have a passion both for movies and the subject.  At the midnight showing of the final Harry Potter, wizards and witches of all shapes and sizes appeared.  When we saw the midnight release of Avengers, we attended most of the lead-up showing of the series of five Marvel movies that preceded it (putting family first to see my daughters’ chorus concert and missing two features), sitting next to the same four guys wearing various Avenger masks for the better part of fourteen hours.  These crowds knew when to cheer, laugh, and jeer.  They caught the in-jokes and references that only die-hards know.

Watching a midnight movie exemplifies the best part of humanity – the shared experience.  Sports fans know this….theater goers know this….live music lovers know this….

And the midnight movie crowd knows this.  As long as this community continues to thrive, I have hope.  Hope that passionate people from many different backgrounds can get together and put aside everything else, however briefly, to celebrate life.

Plus, it’s a great way to spend time with my family.  I like being this kind of strict parent.