Do you know the origin/ history of 'go to the movies'?
Long ago, I found the following somewhere on the Internet.
- In the beginning, two movies were shown to people. So they started to use the expressions, "Let's go to the movies." It means, "Let's go to see the 'two' movies."
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Am I mistaken? Is the origin wrong? Would you let me know the origin of "go to the movies'? I searched for many homepages, but I could not find that. Long before, I had found the origin on line. However, it's to difficult to find the origin.
That's probably right. When my grandparents, parents, and by brother and I went to the movie theater in town, there were always at least two movies shown -- until some point in the 1960s, I think. There was a fairly long period of time when I didn't go to the movie theater at all (not enough money for them, plus small children to raise!), but when I started going again, there were lots of previews before the movie (singular!) began.
The phrase "go to the movies" is used to mean going to a movie theater to watch a film. While there isn't a specific origin story for this phrase, we can look at the general history of movie theaters to understand how it came about.
Movie theaters, or cinemas, as we know them today, began to gain popularity in the early 20th century. Before that, films were often shown in traveling shows, amusement parks, or other venues. However, as the demand for movies increased, dedicated indoor spaces were constructed specifically for screening films.
The phrase "go to the movies" likely emerged as a convenient way to refer to the activity of visiting these dedicated movie theaters. It became a common and straightforward way to express the idea of going to a specific place to watch movies.
Regarding the specific origin you mentioned, there isn't any historical evidence to support the idea that the phrase originated from the practice of showing two movies in a single screening. Although double features (showing two films back-to-back) became popular in the mid-20th century, it is unlikely that this was the direct source of the phrase "go to the movies."
The origins of certain phrases can often be challenging to trace definitively, as language is ever-evolving, and the exact origins of idiomatic expressions can become obscured over time. It's possible that the true origin of "go to the movies" is a combination of various factors related to the emergence of movie theaters and the common patterns of language development.
While it can be interesting to explore the origins of phrases, it's important to remember that language often evolves through common usage rather than having a single definitive origin.