Super-duper-mega-cineplexes will be the death of us.

OK, maybe we can’t point to the proliferation of 30-screen theaters as the downfall of our great society. But bit by bit, and announcement by announcement, companies slowly are severing ties with older movie theaters. Unfortunately, those theaters never stood a chance.

Announcements by GKC, Loews and Silver Cinemas (my former employer) exacerbate an opinion that movie patrons like myself don’t agree with. But for once, I am in the minority, and it feels pretty helpless. Trying to explain the benefits of a smaller movie theater to someone used to having everything (including long lines) in one place is like trying to dissuade a glutton from that last bite of cherry pie. It just can’t be done with rational thought.

The past few weeks have revealed a movie industry that emphasizes everything in one place: the multiple concession stands, the Dolby Digital sound, screens with a larger square footage than many homes and comfortable chairs. It’s what the people wanted, right? Convenience and comfort have converged in the movie-going experience.

But what of those places with the fatal concoction of Milk Duds, pop and buttery popcorn captured within the carpets? The closing of GKC’s Campus Cinemas on Sunday night brings that reality conveniently close to campus.

Campus Cinemas, 1015 Blackhawk Road, was the last outlet for students to take a brisk walk and catch some movie magic. Now, they must drive or take public transportation to GKC’s Market Square Cinemas — a depressing fate.

Sadly, despite many personal fond memories, the death bells tolled long before this past weekend. Any business that relies on huge business when students are away from campus always will struggle. But for every sold-out showing of “Dogma” in 1999, when the heat was unbearable but the audience was thirsting for Kevin Smith humor, there was a “Way of the Gun.” This solid film from late 2000 should have appealed to the Quentin Tarantino fans, but one night showing found only me, the guy paid to review movies, in the cosy thin seats.

The first reaction to the theater’s closing is one of outrage. “How can GKC do this to the students?” would be one comment that isn’t filled with expletives. I really wanted to be like that, too. But as the once-witty and now-overused expression goes, don’t hate the player, hate the game.

The clock is ticking for older theaters that haven’t met the ax yet. Movie distributors and bigwigs like George Lucas demand the latest technology for “Star Wars”-esque movies. Campus Cinemas didn’t have that technology. And despite appealing to a college crowd, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” remained at Market Square, a place that could boast a guaranteed higher attendance and all the technical wizardry needed.

It isn’t easy accepting defeat. My fondest movie memory at NIU was seeing “Pleasantville” at Carrols Cinema, which has since closed. The wonderful movie and its great use of color just glowed as the projection met the screen. Oh, and I was one of the only people in the theater then, too.

Maybe this will create some sort of backlash, a return to older, smaller movie theaters that can boast the technical specifications needed. That would be cinematic in its redemption. I’d certainly support such a movement, especially because of the dwindling number of movies that can play in DeKalb. But the people of DeKalb, the general movie-going population and the moviemakers have spoken.

It ain’t easy being small, especially when no one is standing in line to see how great you are.