|
A movie theater (also called a cinema) is a venue, usually a building, that contains an auditorium for viewing movies (films) for entertainment. Most, but not all, movie theaters are commercial operations catering to the general public, who attend by purchasing a ticket. Some movie theaters, however, are operated by non-profit organizations or societies which charge members a membership fee to view films. The movie is projected with a movie projector onto a large projection screen at the front of the auditorium while the dialogue, sounds and music are played through a number of wall-mounted speakers. Since the 1970s, subwoofers have been used for low-pitched sounds. In the 2010s, most movie theaters are equipped for digital cinema projection, removing the need to create and transport a physical film print on a heavy reel. A great variety of films are shown at movie theaters, ranging from animated films for children, blockbusters for general audiences and documentaries for patrons who are interested in non-fiction topics. The smallest movie theaters have a single viewing room with a single screen. Most movie theaters have multiple screens. The largest theater complexes, which are called multiplexes, have up to 25 screens. The audience members typically sit on padded seats which in most theaters are set up on a sloped floor, with the highest part at the rear of the theater. Movie theaters typically sell soft drinks, popcorn and candy and some theaters also sell hot fast food. In some jurisdictions, movie theaters are licensed to sell alcoholic drinks. ==Spelling and alternative terms== A movie theater may also be referred to as a movie theatre, movie house, film house, film theater or picture house. In the US, theater has long been the preferred spelling, while in the UK, Canada and elsewhere it is theatre.〔Originally spelled ''theatre'' and ''teatre'' (), from around 1550 to 1700 or later, the most common spelling was ''theater''. Between 1720 and 1750, ''theater'' was dropped in British English, but was either retained or revived in American English (''Oxford English Dictionary'', 2nd edition, 2009, CD-ROM: ISBN 9780199563838). Recent dictionaries of American English list ''theatre'' as a less common variant, e.g., ''Random House Webster's College Dictionary'' (1991); ''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'', 4th edition (2006); ''New Oxford American Dictionary'', third edition (2010); (''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'' (2011) ).〕 However, some US theaters opt to use the British spelling in their own names, a practice supported by the National Association of Theatre Owners, while apart from North America most English-speaking countries use the term cinema , alternatively spelled and pronounced kinema .〔(Merriam-Webster: kinema—British variant of ''cinema'' ) Retrieved 2012-07-21〕〔(Kinema – a journal for film and audiovisual media ) Retrieved 2012-07-21〕〔(The Kinema in the Woods )—name of cinema in Woodhall Spa Retrieved 2012-07-21〕 The latter terms, as well as their derivative adjectives "cinematic" and "kinematic", ultimately derive from Greek κινῆμα, κινήματος (kinema, kinematos)—"movement", "motion". In the countries where those terms are used, the word "theatre" is usually reserved for live performance venues. Colloquial expressions, mostly applied to motion pictures and motion picture theaters collectively, include ''the silver screen'' (formerly sometimes ''sheet'') and ''the big screen'' (contrasted with the smaller screen of a television set). Specific to North American term is ''the movies'', while specific terms in the UK are ''the pictures'', ''the flicks'', and for the facility itself ''the flea pit'' (or ''fleapit''). Screening room refers to a very small theater, often a private one, such as for the use of those involved in the production of motion pictures or in a large private residence. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「movie theater」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|