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GrumpyGlowfish
Seasoned Newcomer
2 years ago

Ideal lot type for movie theatre?

The Growing Together livestream has inspired me to finally start a project I've been thinking about for months, but never got around to: building a movie theatre. It needs to have a screening room (obviously) as well as a dining area for ice cream, popcorn and snacks. I know it's not going function like a real movie theatre without mods, but I don't need it to. Given how common movie theatres are in real life, I just want a lot that looks like one for my sims to hang out and watch movies together.

Now I wonder what lot type would be fitting. My ideas:
* Museum. Arguably the most obvious choice, because movies are art, and a museum is a place to look at art. Movie posters could be used as the paintings the lot type requires, and surely I'd find a place for an easel somewhere. The problem: It wouldn't function as a movie theatre at all, there wouldn't even be anyone behind the counter in the dining area.
* Bar. Gameplay-wise, it would probably work fairly well. There's someone serving food and drinks, a TV is actually one of the requirements for a bar if I'm not mistaken, and a movie screen counts as a TV, so people might actually go into the screening room and watch something autonomously. The problem: I don't want a cinema to be labelled as a bar on the map screen. Trivial, I know, but it would just bug me.
* Café. A compromise between the other two, a lot type that features food and drinks, and while it isn't entirely correct either, I'd be okay with my movie theatre being labelled as a café instead of a bar. Makes the entire thing more family-friendly, too. But as with the museum, it's unlikely that anyone would actually use the screening room autonomously.

What do you think would be the best lot type for a movie theatre? And are there any lot traits that could make sims more willing to use the big screen?
  • I think you are right about the bar probably being the best, gameplay wise. At least your sims would be more likely to watch the movies!

    (Im hoping the rabbit hole cinema is in the debug menu so I can put theatres in every world!).
  • Mine is labeled as a café. Other Sims do come in and watch the movies.

    I use it as a combination movie theater and arcade since this is common where I live. I included a few gaming tables and even the Lego type pedestals from parenthood.

    In the café area I added popcorn and ice cream makers. The Sims have to get these themselves, but it works.

    I think I used the teen hangout label as well.