Forget about "seat-kicking" and this vid explains my theatrical experience... (1 Viewer)

[Bryan X]

I was at the movie the other day and a couple directly in front of me kept opening their cell phone. If that wasn't bad enough, about 30 minutes into the movie, some asshole threw a penny and hit me in the back of the head. If I ever find out who that was.....

 

[Chris Will]

When I saw "The Phantom of the Opera" in the theater there was one lady who thought it would be nice to sing along with all the songs. I wanted to rip her tongue out so bad.

I've had other incidents in theaters that have already been mentioned here with the worst being cell phone users, chatters and crying babies. Above all that though, the thing that annoys me most, and seems way too common in Orlando at least, is the lack of attention the theaters have towards presentation these days. I'm so tired of going to a movie and hearing a blown speaker crack a pop through out the entire movie. This happened on opening night of SW Ep.III and I went back a week later and the speaker still wasn't fixed (had just got worse). If theaters are unwilling to invest in new equipment when old stuff breaks then, why should I be willing to pay and go there. My experience at home is alway so much more better because I at least make sure that my equipment functions properly.

Something needs to wake up theater owners quickly. They complain about losing business to home video and then raise prices to compensate but, no one wants to pay those ticket prices for bottom of the barrel service and sticky floors.

 

[Brett_M]

I agree that babies should never be brought to a movie theater.

But...

I can remember after my daughter was born, my wife and I were bouncing off the walls of our little apartment and wanted to get out and see something.

We went to an early matinee and the baby was fine for a little while. She started getting fussy and we took turns trying to quiet her at the back of the theater or in the hall. We left after a little while, defeated.

I don't want babies or kids making noise at the movies I go to but I can understand the predicament. The lady at the IMAX show should have gotten up and left.

I hate when people act like they're in their own living room when at the show. More than anything, what bothers me is that NO ONE is willing to say anything to them. I hate being "that buy." Why does everyone lese put up with it? I just move. My wife always says "Wanna move?" and that's my cue.

In a way, all of us are part of the problem. Let's make a pact. Let's do the following in order in terms of outbursts:

1. FIRST OFFENSE -- Ask the noisy patron to quiet down politely without colorful language. Say: "Excuse me. Would you mind keeping it down? Thanks." "Shut the fuck up!" seems to make matters worse.
2. SECOND OFFENSE -- Get an usher and ask them to solve the problem.
3. THIRD OFFENSE -- See a manager for a refund.

It seems to me that most of us don't do this because:
-Our first emotion is anger;
-We don't want to miss the movie;
-We expect others to be respectful;
-We expect others to intervene on our behalf.

In reality, we're on the honor system. Maybe we feel entitled to see the movie? We don't act because we paid to see a movie, and dammit, we intend to see it. (I just sit ad stew and I get no enjoyment out of the experience.)

Can we agree on this?

 

[Jonesy]

The solution here is to use the weapon of your enemy and put your cell phone to good use.

Before the show, get a phone number that will connect you with a live human employee of the theatre. Then, if there are any real disruptions, call the number and quickly ask them to come into your auditorium and deal with it.

Your phone call won't be any more disruptive than climbing over everyone and going out to the lobby, and you won't be forced to miss part of the film.

Cheers,
Jones
MOVIE THEATRE REVIEWS

 

[Henry Gale]

A local cinema chain offers pager devices with 3 buttons:
1)Video Problem
2)Audio Problem
3)OTHER

They give extra points on your member card if you take the pager into an auditorium.

 

[Sam Favate]

That's a very progressive theater. At a time when movie attendance is down and theaters are hurting, I don't expect to see more of them investing in this technology. Which is kind of short-sighted, because as many others have said, it is the disruptive behavior that encourages people to stay home and watch movies.

 

[Chad R]

I still contend the worst "baby" interruption was when we saw the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" prequel. Not just a baby wailing, but several young children (6-8) crying hysterically over the violence on screen. One of my friends finally used far less words than some others in this thread and said simply, "Take the f***ing baby out!"

It didn't work.

After the film we were actually accosted by the father of the crying children, the 6-8 year-olds, who accused us of not being tolerant.

Riiiigghhhtt...

This incident and a few other like it at this theater got me to change theaters. I don't know what it was about the demographics of that theater, but it had the rudest clientele. I drive the same distance in the other direction and don't have any problems.

 

[Qui-Gon John]

So where's the frickin' video?

 

[Yee-Ming]

I must say, this reminds me of all the reasons why I rarely go to the cinema anymore. Having said that, the few times I go for the 'must see on big screen' blockbuster, I've tended to go at mid-week lunchtime screenings. The result is a near-deserted cinema with very few patrons, so I can sit almost anywhere I choose relatively far away from anyone else, and not be disturbed at all. Bliss...

I think the most extreme example was when there were only two of us in the entire hall; I don't think I've ever been the solitary patron. Which would have been surreal, because that means but for me, they wouldn't have run the movie at all.

 

[Sam Favate]

I think many people are simply not aware of how distracting it is to open a cell phone in a darkened theater. Yesterday, I was at a Broadway show, and two young girls in front of me (who were quiet throughout) kept opening their cell phone/text messenger device. It was extremely annoying. I wanted to throw that thing over the balcony.

 

[Henry Gale]

How could that be?
When the rest of us have now seen the effect hundreds of times, how could the perps not have seen it and thought, "I would certainly never want to cause THAT distraction?"

Of course, this same line of thinking is why people driving in fog or at dusk without headlights drives me nuts.

 

[Jason Seaver]

If you're talking about teenagers, they're young and have had cell phones since elementary school. It's not a big deal to them, their brains are trained not to be distracted by it. It's similar to how older people occasionally don't think smoking inside is rude or an imposition.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Before the premiere of Attack of the Clones, a guy was playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in MAME on a laptop. I was thinking evil thoughts through the previews, but he shut it off before the movie started.

I watched Batman Begins with my father, and a mother with small children came in and sat close to us. During the movie, the kid starting playing with some whirling light toy. They were being obnoxious in general. My father first said something to them and called an usher when that didn't work. They ended up moving to the other side.

The worst was Rocky Balboa. People were talking on cellphones throughout the theater, and one middle-aged guy a few rows down was loudly carrying on a conversation with his family, like we were in his living room. That's the last movie I've seen in a theater, partly because there hasn't been anything of interest and partly because of that experience. I hate going to movies.

 

[TravisR]

I don't know for sure but I think they run the movie whether there's tickets sold or not. If someone bought a ticket 15 minutes late, they'd have to start it then and that would delay the rest of the screenings throughout the day. When me and a buddy saw The Darjeeling Limited, we walked into the theater fairly early and the previous show was still playing but there was no one in the theater.

Out of all the movies I've seen in the theater, I have been the solo patron twice. It's sort of a strange experience.

 

[Ed Payne]

How about this for movie disruption... I'm concentrating on the movie when I hear wretching sounds behind me then the dreaded splat on the floor. Soon after that the smell overwhelmed me. They never stopped the movie. All I can say is thank God that the seats had material higher than my head. I think it took the brunt of it. I can't even remember the movie, now. I've done my best to block the experience. Needless to say, I don't go to the theaters too often anymore.


Ed Payne

 

[Holadem]

When I went to see Michael Clayton for the 2nd time 2 weeks ago with my friend who wanted to check it out, we were the only patrons.

The only other person at my screening of Once was a couple of rows back. He looked like Hannibal Lecter. I kept turning around during the movie. I got a bit unsettled when at some point I thought that he had moved one row closer between my looks.

When we were leaving, this kindly elderly gentleman asked me what I thought of the movie and we ended up chatting for several minutes. I debated telling him that I thought he might be a serial killer, and left the matter alone.

--
H

 

[Sam Favate]

Same thing happened to me once. I heard these kids in the row behind me clanging bottles of booze that they sneaked into the theater and a few minutes later, one of them puked on the floor right behind me. The theater did not have stadium seating. It began to drip down the floor under our feet, so we moved.

Of course, the movie was Deep Impact, so I felt like puking myself.

 

[JediFonger]

these day and age, i wouldn't go too 'gung-ho' no matter how big you are. you never know which psychotic teen is packing a pun. it's not about fear... just common sense =D. but i suppose i live in a large city, what's common here may not be so common everywhere else.

i'm lucky that in my cinema they always have police detail. so if anything gets 2rowdy, and u usually can tell before the previews start or during, u can get the cops and take the offenders out.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Jeez, I still don't know where these bizarre theaters and patrons are that you people go to.

 

[ThomasC]

Consider yourself very, very lucky.