Except for the thrill of seeing a movie in a large crowd.

A good crowd is worth more than most of the inconveniences of the theater. Inglourious Basterds has to be seen on the silver screen to be really appreciated.

Definitely. I have not spent a lot of money on my home theater system at all, but the screen and speakers are more than good enough, and I can pause and rewind at will. Also, my couch is much more comfortable than the seats.

I will go to movies with friends as a social event and very occasionally for IMAX, but I never go to regular movies for the movie.

What about screen size?

My screen is something like an 8-foot diagonal (I use a projector, and a screen that pulls down from the ceiling). Our couch is maybe 6-feet away from the screen. So yeah, it is big enough ;-)