I Went to a Movie Theater to Watch 73 Minutes of Cat Videos (2024)

I don’t even really like cats, and yet here I am, slightly hungover on a Saturday morning, shoving popcorn in my face at one of New York’s finest cinemas watching hundreds of kitty videos back to back to back on the big screen.

Welcome to Cat Video Fest, which is less a festival than a film — well, a 73-minute medley of cat videos compiled from around the world and screened in more than a hundred movie theaters across the U.S. and Canada, to be exact. The event has grown steadily for the past few years. Its 2024 edition, held Aug. 3 and 4, netted $280,000, doubling its 2023 gross and raising nearly $30,000 for local animal shelters and welfare organizations. Due to the film’s success, nearly half of Cat Video Fest’s theatrical partners (including Manhattan’s IFC Center, where I saw it) have added dates.

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Cat Video Fest is headed by Will Braden, who helped curate the event with the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis before taking over in 2016. Running the fest independently, Braden says he spends a third of the year collecting clips, getting clearance from content creators and keeping track of the videos on an Excel sheet; a third of the year editing the film together; and a third of the year coordinating with distributor Oscilloscope Labs and doing press.

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“It’s my full-time job. My business cards say I watch cat videos,” Braden tells Variety. “Though I will say my wife is a first-grade public school teacher, and she makes a little bit more than me per year.”

Braden graduated from the Seattle Film Institute in 2006, and an installment of his own short film series “Henri,” about a “depressed French existential cat,” appears in this year’s reel. “I didn’t have this plan when I was in film school, but I definitely wasn’t thinking I was going to be the next Martin Scorsese,” he laughs. “As long as people laugh, and as long as we raise money for cats in need, then I’ll have the greatest job ever for as long as I want it.”

I Went to a Movie Theater to Watch 73 Minutes of Cat Videos (3)

The great thing about Cat Video Fest is that it’s exactly what you think it is: 73 minutes of nonstop cat videos. It feels like a wholesome time capsule of the early-YouTube internet, or perhaps your grandmother’s Facebook feed. It’s I Can Has Cheezburger?: The Movie. There’s no larger narrative or even uniformity between the clips. Some are in vertical format while others fill the widescreen. Some have captions and emojis strewn across the frame. Some are in high definition and others, to borrow an early-YouTube phrase, are recorded with a toaster.

There are grumpy cats, feisty cats, helpful cats, cuddly cats. Cats playing piano. Cats pissing off dogs. Cats jumping off rocks set to audio from the parkour cold open of “The Office.” Cats breastfeeding set to Stewie from “Family Guy” saying, “Mom, mommy, mama,” etc. Cats scaling the walls of a kitchen set to a dubstep remix of “Spider Pig,” from 2007’s “The Simpsons Movie.”

I Went to a Movie Theater to Watch 73 Minutes of Cat Videos (4)

The videos are painstakingly sourced and curated by Braden, who says he watches 15,000 cat videos per year and selects about 200 for the reel. “You’re going to see stuff from other countries, things that aren’t even online yet, things from student films,” Braden promises. He knows the experience has to be enticing enough to claw people out of bed and into the cinemas. “Plus, when you watch cat videos at home, you’re probably not raising any money for shelters,” he adds.

But the best part of Cat Video Fest is the children’s laughter, which echoed throughout the IFC Center and warmed even my cat-neutral heart. And as vice presidential candidate JD Vance decries that “childless cat ladies” are ruining America, it was refreshing to be surrounded by so many feline lovers having a good time at the movies.

When I ask him about Vance, Braden sighs. “His comments are pretty indicative of an outdated way of thinking about not just cat ladies but anybody who enjoys anything — that it must immediately be an object of derision,” he says. “The great thing about Cat Video Fest is that it’s very hard to sit amongst hundreds of other people in a theater laughing and enjoying and feel ashamed. It’s next to impossible.”

I Went to a Movie Theater to Watch 73 Minutes of Cat Videos (2024)

FAQs

Why movies are more fun in a movie theater? ›

Unless you are by yourself in a theater or you have a very excited friend group come to a watch party, the communal experience is generally lost. Film directs our attention to a common experience, so you are able to share a laugh, a moment of silence, or even cheer along with complete strangers.

How long is cat play? ›

She recommends scheduling playtime once or twice daily, with about 15 minutes per session. Other cat health and behavior experts offer similar recommendations, with the total amount of playtime ranging from 20 to 60 minutes daily.

Is watching movies in theaters worth it? ›

Some people prefer to watch movies at home because they can control the environment, such as the volume and lighting. Other people prefer to watch movies in the theater because they enjoy the experience of going out and being surrounded by other people who are also enjoying the movie.

Why do I love movie theaters? ›

At a theater, the film has exceptional image and sound, just as the director intended. Going to the cinema is also a communal experience, sharing the emotions of the film with others in the audience and creating special moments that are lost through other viewing mediums.

Why do I enjoy movies so much? ›

An Appealing Escape

Watching movies allows us to switch off from the troubles that weigh on our minds and be transported to another reality. A light-hearted movie can make us laugh and feel joy; a romantic movie can alleviate loneliness; an exciting movie can get our adrenalin pumping.

How long is the cats performance? ›

Approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, including one intermission. Recommended for ages 5 and up.

How long is the caterpillar show? ›

Q: WHAT IS THE RUNNING TIME? A: The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show runs approximately 50 minutes with no intermission. Q: CAN I TAKE PICTURES?

How long is the intro to cats? ›

The average time frame is a few weeks but it could take months for the cats to learn to tolerate each other. Maintain a separate litter box and feeding area for the new cat in his room for a few weeks. It is highly recommended to have multiple resources for multiple cats.

How long is the battle cats game? ›

Updated:
Single-PlayerPolledMedian
Main Story2182h 30m
Main + Extras3226h 48m
Completionist3450h
All PlayStyles8288h 24m

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