Is Reserved Seating Killing Ticket Sales? (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

Maybe there was a "Josh Steinberg Clause" in the RCC that wouldn't let you use the popcorn coupons day-of acquisition - they always worked for me!

Your theater wasn't enforcing the restrictions.

Back when I went to Regal and cared about the rewards, I remember getting those type coupons: free something good for next viewing type thing. It depended on the local theater as to whether they were enforced. Similar to how some stores care about coupon expiration dates and some don't.

 

[DaveF]

Ok hang with me on this...but I have a theory...

Big movies get me out to the theater and when a big movie hits (Rogue One for instance) I used to go to the theater an hour - maybe more in advance to get a good spot in line because I wanted MY seats (somewhere in the middle, in the middle)...anyways...

This time around, I got online and bought MY seats in advance - pretty cool because I didn't have to get there so early...but I had to defer to a few showings in before I found my seats...

...

Could this new trend end up hurting box office sales?

Here's my question:
what's the data show? Are movie ticket sales down in 2016 compared to 2015, or 2015 to 2014? For a while there, the movie industry was on a death watch. I don't know where it stands. My last impression was that ticket sales are more than healthy.


As for me: I was introduced to reserved seating in 2013 and there's no going back. Visiting family over the holidays, I bought tickets for two movies. I specifically looked for the theater with reserved seating to buy tickets.

I think the basic divide is:
(A) People who value their time and convenience more than their money
(B) People who value their money over their time and convenience.

People in (A) think a couple of bucks is worth spending so as to not waste time standing in line at a theater and still have an inferior experience with lesser seats. People in (B) think spending time standing in a theater is better than wasting a few bucks, and care less about what seat they get.


I think the "convenience" aspect might be argued. Maybe I'm wrong. But I think that if you really care about your theater seating location, you want to reserve your seat to get exactly what you want, rather than leave it to chance of where you are in a line and whether you can race faster than the other people vying for seats.

Neither of these attitudes is better or worse. Just different priorities on spending one's money and time.

 

[Malcolm R]

I would think that if you're in a theater with reserved/assigned seating, and you end up next to a real cretin, you could move to another empty seat if the show is not sold out and no one is sitting in those seats once the show starts. Of course, that would mean giving up your "perfect" seat that you had reserved.

No theaters near me have reserved seating so I've never had to deal with it, one way or another.

 

[DaveF]

I would think that if you're in a theater with reserved/assigned seating, and you end up next to a real cretin, you could move to another empty seat if the show is not sold out and no one is sitting in those seats once the show starts. Of course, that would mean giving up your "perfect" seat that you had reserved.

No theaters near me have reserved seating so I've never had to deal with it, one way or another.

As you say, this objection is no worse than for GA. Ushers don't check seats after the movie starts. So move seats. Unless the theater is packed, in which case there's nowhere to move, reserved seating or GA.

Now, my local cinema, Alamo Drafthouse, has another solution: flag an usher. They kick out disruptive customers.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Your theater wasn't enforcing the restrictions.

Back when I went to Regal and cared about the rewards, I remember getting those type coupons: free something good for next viewing type thing. It depended on the local theater as to whether they were enforced. Similar to how some stores care about coupon expiration dates and some don't.

Dave, you've forced me to use Da Google to prove my point!

This is the coupon you'd get when you reached RCC plateaus. Notice absolutely no mention of a prohibition against same-day usage:

 

[Patrick Sun]

That's 4 years old, maybe their policy has changed since then?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

That's 4 years old, maybe their policy has changed since then?

It has - but not in the way you might think.

The Regal Crown Club changed radically about a year ago and did away with the old system that gave out those coupons - as discussed up-thread, you now choose your own rewards.

The coupon in the picture is exactly how those popcorn - and drink - coupons looked for the run of the Crown Club from at least 2011 to its change in 2016.

I owned/saw dozens of those coupons and they never had any fine print that said they couldn't be used day-of acquisition. The photo represents the RCC coupons accurately...

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Colin, I'm absolutely sure you're not lying and what you said about your coupons is true. I'm also sure I'm not exaggerating and that my coupons came with the restrictions I described. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps the restrictions I encountered were specific to my market? They already charge more for movie tickets here than anywhere else, it wouldn't surprise me to discover that our specific theaters imposed additional restrictions on coupons.

 

[TonyD]

I really dislike reserved seating for a few reasons:

1. Unless you are intimately familiar with the size of the screen in the auditorium, you may end up closer or further away from the screen than is comfortable.

This is my reason for not liking reserve seating.

 

[dpippel]

I've never had a problem with getting a well-placed seat when I buy a reserved ticket. The middle of the auditorium is almost a 100% safe bet if you've never been to a venue before, no matter the screen size.

Reserved seating has INCREASED my theater patronage, not decreased it. Knowing that I don't have to arrive an hour or more early and play the standing-in-line lottery for a new film has removed one of the biggest PITAs about going to the movies for me. Honestly, I just do not understand what you all are complaining about.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

We do not go to the movie theater very often, but we had a rather unpleasant experience due to reserved online seating yesterday when going to see Star Wars: Rogue One at the Emagine Theater we have gone to for the past few years.. We always go to an early morning show in order to avoid crowds, so we went the the 9:40am showing yesterday. When we got there, the parking lot was quite empty as expected. However, when the person at the ticket line brought up the screen for us to select our seats, all the seats in the middle of the theater were showing as unavailable. We ended up selecting seats that were much closer to the screen than I wished, as our only other choices were at the extreme sides towards the front.

We go into the theater about 10 minutes before the show is scheduled to start, and the theater is mostly empty! After we sat down, a few other patrons entered, but certainly not nearly enough to fill all those seats behind us that were marked as unavailable. The only explanation I could come up with is that the seats were blocked out for online ordering only, which of course includes a service charge fee.

I have nothing against reserved seating, and would actually prefer that method if we were planning to attend during a prime time. However, I should not be forced to sit in a lousy seat when plenty of good ones remain unused when we choose to attend during a non-peak time just because I did not order in advance and pay a service charge.

 

[dpippel]

Here, the service charge to buy a reserved ticket online via Movietickets.com is $1 per seat. One dollar. For me that's a very small price, and one I'm willing to pay, for the convenience.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Colin, I'm absolutely sure you're not lying and what you said about your coupons is true. I'm also sure I'm not exaggerating and that my coupons came with the restrictions I described. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps the restrictions I encountered were specific to my market? They already charge more for movie tickets here than anywhere else, it wouldn't surprise me to discover that our specific theaters imposed additional restrictions on coupons.

Maybe - I guess we'll never know!

Seems weird Regal would put restrictions on the program some places and not others.

Are you sure you're thinking of the Crown Club rewards and not some other kind of freebies?

 

[Malcolm R]

After we sat down, a few other patrons entered, but certainly not nearly enough to fill all those seats behind us that were marked as unavailable. The only explanation I could come up with is that the seats were blocked out for online ordering only, which of course includes a service charge fee.

I have nothing against reserved seating, and would actually prefer that method if we were planning to attend during a prime time. However, I should not be forced to sit in a lousy seat when plenty of good ones remain unused when we choose to attend during a non-peak time just because I did not order in advance and pay a service charge.

That would be obnoxious, and another reason to skip the theater. There's no reason all the seats cannot be available, first-come, first-served, whether that's someone buying a ticket at the box office or someone reserving online.

Blocks of prime seats should not be reserved for online sales only, just to go unused when no one buys them.

Do these theaters have bouncers or some kind of security to deal with people who may not sit in the seats they purchased? I can see some people buying a seat, then decide they'd rather sit somewhere else and refusing to move when the actual owners of their hijacked seat arrive.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Maybe - I guess we'll never know!

Seems weird Regal would put restrictions on the program some places and not others.

Are you sure you're thinking of the Crown Club rewards and not some other kind of freebies?

100% positive. Still have the same card.

 

[Bryan^H]

Ha! I've found a crack in the armor regarding reserved D-Box seating.
At my theater a certain screen always has the D-Box seating reserved, always. well there is never one soul sitting in them for both movies I watched. the people near me waited until the film started, moved to the DBox seating and got the benefit of the rumbles, and shakes and saved the $4.25 premium fee. Not a person near them

 

[Tim Glover]

I do like the reserved seating after spending so much of my adult life being the guinea pig for going about 4 hours early LOL to ensure I get the best seat. I simply won't go until I get the prime view or near it.

So Reserved seats has been super nice and convenient.

 

[Alf S]

Just booked my movie ticket to see Rogue One for an upcoming trip. Got perfect middle center spot in the biggest screen.

 

[Tim Glover]

thats the only way to go Alf

 

[Alf S]

Figured where we're goin will be snowy and cold and 3 blocks from hotel, so I don't want me and my 8 year old to freeze our butts off only to find that the place is sold out that one time we have to go. No option for any earlier or later since we are just there the one day.