The Procrastinator Theater Gives an Authentic Cinema Experience

If you are looking for a unique and affordable cinematic experience, look no further than MSU’s Procrastinator Theater, located in the SUB.

The cinema experience that brought people together for buttery popcorn has stood, frozen in time, since its inception. Now more than ever, no one seems interested in blockbuster cinema. Movie theaters are fighting a losing battle to captivate an audience captured by streaming services and online renting. But even something as basic as the way movies are watched is changing rapidly. MSU’s Procrastinator Theater settles into a niche that allows the cinema experience to be both progressive and malleable.

For example, the month of February — Black History Month — should have been a time of reflection and conversation in cinemas about African American history. The month is currently entering its final week, and the display of films relating to current issues has been middling at best in larger movie theaters. The Procrastinator Theater, on the other hand, has curated movies to celebrate and educate during the month of February.

The rigid structure of large-scale movie theaters does not allow for them to be current with their movie selection. Large movie theaters may be showing the most recent Marvel mistake, but the Procrastinator is not in any rush to show only big budget cinema. They select movies that are important to watch and that is often not what is shiny. The smaller scale makes the discography malleable to the moment.

In the month of February, African American stories are the moment, and as long as it makes a student feel seen, then the Procrastinator Theater is doing something great for the community. A theater that respects both its demographic and cultural importance is rare.

A movie theater that fits perfectly into student schedules? That’s rare too. One of the best parts about understanding college students as a demographic is that, while the theater likely does not occupy any student’s mind, most people appreciate its existence. Looking at the Procrastinator’s postings of movies is so simple since one movie often plays at a time and each person just decides then and there whether or not they will see a movie that week. It is utterly unintrusive in the student life. This commitment to near obscurity is progressive because the Procrastinator Theater is committed for convenience. It is not just the process of selection because both the price and time slots always happen to fall in favor of a student. Magically, there is always a showing that works and likely no one else will be there. A lot of times it’s upsetting to see such a resource not being blatantly successful economically. However, in this case the individual experience will determine the mileage of appreciation for each person. Some may find themselves wondering why other movie theaters have not aged similarly to the Procrastinator. As movie theaters continue to struggle under the changing atmospheres of visual media, this theater will continue to evolve with its changing demographics. Even if a majority of students have no intention of ever seeing a showing, the option is there and everyone is better off for it. Just make sure this fantastic cultural output is not swept under the rug; for many viewers this theater is not an afterthought.