Affordable movies? A night out at the cinema for two with popcorn here runs over $50!
On the whole, malls in the US are dying. They were quite the hangout for my friends and I, and brought us many of the same experiences of early freedom and adulthood that you describe. But that was 30 years ago. Now there are many with more vacancies than occupied spaces. Dead malls and urban exploring are a huge trend on Youtube. (As well as Vaporwave music mixed from extinct shopping background music - hits right "in the feels," as the kids say.)
But this is mostly in spread-out, car-centric areas of the country. I wonder if Eastern Europe, with it's more pedestrian friendly culture, will hang on to the mall for longer.