- Joined
- Jun 10, 2003
- Messages
- 26,385
- Real Name
- Josh Steinberg
I'm amazed at how many movie screenings I go to where, when faced with a technical problem or disruption of some kind, the audience declines to do anything. In all of the years and times that I've gotten up to find someone about an image being misframed, out of focus, curtains not open, sound not working, film torn, 3D showing being played in 2D, wrong lens, house lights remaining on during the movie, etc, etc, not once have I ever had anyone walk out with me. I have never had the experience of walking out of an auditorium and discovering someone else doing the same. I have never had the experience of going up to the manager and seeing that he's already talking to another customer about the issue.
I find it hard to believe that at 100% of the showings when something went wrong I was the only one who noticed.
Whenever I've been with people and something has happened, they'll make a remark like, "I noticed but it's my day off" or "I'm just trying to have a nice time" or "I didn't feel like complaining". The implication being that the point of going out wasn't to see the movie but just not to be at home or work, and that the presentation quality didn't matter. That it would no longer be a "nice time" if they had to seek out another human to point out an issue. Or that wanting to get the showing you paid for would be "complaining". Obviously that's anecdotal, but there seems to be a strong group urge to not make waves when no one else is. I'd be willing to bet that in those circumstances, if there was a button at your seat that you could anonymously press that told the theater "Something's not right, please come take a look" nearly everyone would less it. But ask one person to stand up in a crowd and do the same, and almost no one will.
Reminds me of a 3D showing I went to in 2012, midnight opening screening so everyone wanted to be there. The theater had a 2D showing in one auditorium, and a 3D showing in one across the hall. Unfortunately, they programmed the computer wrong, and everyone who bought a 2D ticket was sent to the 3D auditorium, and vice versa. Everyone who bought a ticket in 3D, at any added cost, was shown the movie in 2D. No one did anything, people just took their glasses off. Everyone who bought a 2D ticket noticed that their screening was in 3D, and they raced to the hallway, opened up one of those RealD "return your glasses here" bin, grabbed a pair, and went back to watch it in 3D.
I spoke to the manager, who stopped both screenings, and went in, apologized for the mixup. They told anyone in the 2D showing that was supposed to be in 3D that they could walk across the hall to see it in 3D. Other than me, no one did. Then they told everyone in the 3D showing that was supposed to be 2D that they were welcome to stay, or they could go to the other auditorium if they preferred 2D. Everyone stayed (with some overheard comments on how they were getting a bargain).
I was stunned that no one who paid $5 extra to see it in 3D seemed to care that it wasn't.
I just don't understand people sometimes.
I find it hard to believe that at 100% of the showings when something went wrong I was the only one who noticed.
Whenever I've been with people and something has happened, they'll make a remark like, "I noticed but it's my day off" or "I'm just trying to have a nice time" or "I didn't feel like complaining". The implication being that the point of going out wasn't to see the movie but just not to be at home or work, and that the presentation quality didn't matter. That it would no longer be a "nice time" if they had to seek out another human to point out an issue. Or that wanting to get the showing you paid for would be "complaining". Obviously that's anecdotal, but there seems to be a strong group urge to not make waves when no one else is. I'd be willing to bet that in those circumstances, if there was a button at your seat that you could anonymously press that told the theater "Something's not right, please come take a look" nearly everyone would less it. But ask one person to stand up in a crowd and do the same, and almost no one will.
Reminds me of a 3D showing I went to in 2012, midnight opening screening so everyone wanted to be there. The theater had a 2D showing in one auditorium, and a 3D showing in one across the hall. Unfortunately, they programmed the computer wrong, and everyone who bought a 2D ticket was sent to the 3D auditorium, and vice versa. Everyone who bought a ticket in 3D, at any added cost, was shown the movie in 2D. No one did anything, people just took their glasses off. Everyone who bought a 2D ticket noticed that their screening was in 3D, and they raced to the hallway, opened up one of those RealD "return your glasses here" bin, grabbed a pair, and went back to watch it in 3D.
I spoke to the manager, who stopped both screenings, and went in, apologized for the mixup. They told anyone in the 2D showing that was supposed to be in 3D that they could walk across the hall to see it in 3D. Other than me, no one did. Then they told everyone in the 3D showing that was supposed to be 2D that they were welcome to stay, or they could go to the other auditorium if they preferred 2D. Everyone stayed (with some overheard comments on how they were getting a bargain).
I was stunned that no one who paid $5 extra to see it in 3D seemed to care that it wasn't.
I just don't understand people sometimes.
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