Reply #8: Actually, I think this thesis is pretty dumb [View All]

[kwassa]

Some of the observations about the sensory impact of church rituals, and movie theater rituals are correct. The rest is pretty shallow analysis.

some of this thesis is ridiculous.
this in particular:
"Entering a space of this size and design, you find yourself speaking in hushed tones: you feel small, a feeling that encourages acquiescence to any messages—fact or fiction—received therein. There is, in both cases, the feeling that something larger is going on, and that only through submission can you be a part of it."

This is "Architecture as Tyranny". It wildly exagerates the power of architecture, and incorrectly denotes the purpose of both church architecture and movie theater architecture as submission.

And ignores live theater architecture, and the entire history of the theater.

and, as others have pointed out, movie theater attendence has been declining for over 50 years, knocked down by the invention of television.