Cosi

The world of cinema tells us the truth about the world we live in. It sees that the modern movie goer has much in common with Tennessee Williams’ famous heroine Blanche DeBois. It seems that the cinema audiences, like Blanche, are still hoping to escape the realities of their worlds. Faced with the burdens of their daily lives, we have created our own alternate realities. We don’t want truth and hardship; we want escapism and fantasy. You only need to scour the cinema advertisements to see all the new and upcoming movies. Audiences cannot get enough of the idea of going to see a film and being mesmerised by it. Movie goers actively choose to watch a movie at the cinema, wanting to escape the dreary routine of life. People all over the world experience the universal pressure to succeed and acquire wealth. It seems the only escape out of the economic jungle that people are forced into, is film. Society appreciates the fact that a movie can provide those 120 minutes of escapism and entertainment. For those 120 minutes, the audience forgets all the expectations, pressures and demands the world asks of them. This is highlighted by the fact that during the recession in 2009 more than 55 million cinema tickets were sold in the first four months of the year. That was the highest number for 7 years, figures for the Cinema Advertising Association indicate. Audiences were actively happy to spend money on a movie to have that escape. The recession affected most areas of business, but it seems that cinema benefited from the economic downfall. The more demanding life becomes, the bigger the desire to escape our day to day realities through film is. Individuals equally have the choice of watching a film at home on TV, but this is not what they seek. Cinema offers a distinctive type of escapism. It allows audiences to go on an excursion away from the complexities of life. In a cinema you are completely disconnected from the outside world. There are no ringing phones, annoying colleagues or nagging partners. This is all left behind when we enter the dark cinema and take a seat. Even before a movie, the audience is asked to turn off their mobile phone. This allows the audience to intertwine themselves into the movie and not be distracted by the outside world. This is emphasised by the growing obsession audiences have with the 3D phenomena. The movie “Avatar” cost 280 million dollars to make and grossed an estimated $232,180,000 after the first four days. Individuals seek not only to watch a movie but to be immersed in it as well. The 3D effects make the audience feel as if they were there, and of some importance to the characters. It is not enough to show the audience the film; the film must make them feel involved. ‘Avatar’ brings the action to the audience through all the 3D visual effects. “Avatar” not only provided an escape, it provided magic that life cannot. People don’t want realism, they want magic. It is no wonder that the biggest grossing movies of all time involve fantasy. Avatar , The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Twilight and Dark Knight have been the top grossing movies in the 21st century. These movies all have elements of fantasy and are usually based in fictional alternate realities. Audiences do not seek confrontational movies about the harsh reality they live in. They want the thrill of watching a film that takes them somewhere else, where they are able to turn off their minds, and just enjoy the pure entertainment factor of the movie. Such films as Twilight, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter all leave the audience begging for more. This is the main reason these films have sequels and trilogies. The audience becomes so interwoven with the characters and plot; they feel like they have become a part of the movie. These films provide magic, escapism and mysticism to the audience, which is scarcely in modern day reality. It is no wonder that individual across the world seek movies that take them to another dimension, another world which overshadows their own. The audience forgets about the world they live in, as soon as they enter the world the film submerges them into. It begs the question, what would our worlds be without movies'