Abstract
There is a worldwide increase in feature film releases each year. While a theatrical release is still the primary release form, more and more films are watched via online streaming in home cinemas. Watching films at home is unquestionably high in convenience, but an understudied question is, how this shift in context-from the movie theater to the home cinema-affects the cinematic experience while ...
Abstract
There is a worldwide increase in feature film releases each year. While a theatrical release is still the primary release form, more and more films are watched via online streaming in home cinemas. Watching films at home is unquestionably high in convenience, but an understudied question is, how this shift in context-from the movie theater to the home cinema-affects the cinematic experience while watching a feature film. To test this, aesthetic emotions and the overall judgment of the cinematic experience were compared between watching a film in a movie theater or home cinema. In line with cognitive models of art appreciation, it was found that a movie theater context leads to a stronger emotional experience and a more favorable judgment. Only boredom was felt stronger in the home cinema. This movie theater effect persisted during a second viewing, regardless of context. These results have theoretical and practical implications for empirical aesthetics, movie fans, and the movie industry.
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