Confrontation at the movie!

[KristaTX]

The secret of avoiding movie crowds is to hit the theater before noon. We saw the Narnia movie today at 11:30 a.m., and there were maybe 10 other people (mostly adults) in the theater with us. Early matinees are the best .

 

[gr8ful4Him]

Very rarely do we go to movies...our 3 1/2 yo dd doesn't sit still too well and I refuse to annoy the people around us with her bouncing all around. We'll see Narnia, but it might have to wait until DVD. Of course, if it's somewhat violent, we won't let her watch it anyways so I don't know when we'll watch it, but...oh...things were so much easier before kids!

 

[eclectics]

Sorry you had to sit next to the Neanderthal family. I hate people like that! That's the reason I really don't go to the movies anymore. If there is one I really HAVE to see on the big screen, I do whatever it takes to go to the first or second show on a weekday. If it's a real popular movie, I wait a week or two until the dust settles. I can usually count the other moviegoers on both hands. What a pleasure! It is so worth rearranging your schedule if it's something you can possibly do.

 

[Jeanny]

Yes, they were annoying, but we were dealing with it. It was a crowded theater, so we kind of expected that kind of nonsense.

No, there's no reason you have to put up with "that kind of nonsense"... you're more patient than me.... I would have said something A LOT sooner. These people were at a movie theater, not in their home or at a drive in movie, where they probably still would have bothered the people next to them, but they wouldn't be crawling underneathe you (hopefully)... does the Mom even know what was on the floor???? EEEUUU... But I'm glad it worked out for you.

 

[Michigan]

We stopped going to the show because my blood pressure goes through the roof. I have 2 daughters in wheelchairs and of course the first seats everyone goes to are those in the wheelchair section. When you ask people nicely to move so your family can see the show they go off the deep end.

Now we just wait 2 months and get it on pay per view.

 

[Nancy]

Incidents like yours are the reason so many people wait for the dvd and don't go to theaters anymore. I wish the ushers/mgrs would pay more attention to what's going on in the theaters so that customers wouldn't have to go through what you did.

Exactly...I don't go to the movies more than once a year now...we always go on New years Eve...no one is in the theaters after 8pm! I can't deal with people who feel that the world revolves around them and they don't give a crap if they are annoying everyone else. I also don't go out to eat all that much anymore.....Hey I wonder if that is also why I have a total dislike for malls and shopping when I used to love it?

 

[Planogirl]

We saw Harry Potter today and we were SO lucky! We had a fairly large crowd and they were very quiet. I only heard one small child jabber a few times during the whole 2 1/2 hours and that was so nice.

I wish that the theater was always like this.

 

[MoniqueU]

Wow I am usually really patient when it comes to noise and kids in theaters. In fact I don't know that I have ever had a movie ruined by other people talking? I guess I am lucky or just don't go to enough movies. but you had me when you said the little girl was grabbing peoples heads in the seats in front of her. I don't know what I would say to that.
I also don't go to the movies that often but mostly because they don't show the chick flicks while my kids are in school and I could go see them.

 

[N.Bailey]

I'm shocked that the manager of the theater didn't offer to have your coat dry cleaned. IMO, that should have been the 1st thing offered. I'm glad you got the passes though. After all, you paid for a movie you didn't get to watch!

 

[nwdisgal]

What an awful incident, but at least the manager took care of it. Maybe you can go see it again with the free tickets and without all the distractions.

 

[NMAmy]

I don't think it has much to do with Rocky Horror. I think kids (and maybe the parents) are used to watching movies at home where they can talk all they want. When they go out, they just do the same. But, what do I know? I don't have kids. I remember trying to tell my nephew that he had to be quiet in a movie theater and couldn't talk through the movie like he does at home.

I think you're right, TDC Nala. I've seen it happen many times.

I took DD and a friend to see a kid's movie a few years ago--I was definitely expecting kids to be at this movie. What I wasn't expecting was for a family with small kids to sit directly next to us (in a fairly empty movie) and for the child to loudly ask questions during the entire movie and for his mom to loudly explain everything to him. Not only that, but the mom would gasp at the "scary" parts and laugh loudly at the funny parts and then loudly explain the action to the kid. It was the mom that was annoying the heck out of me, not the kid. I expect kids to act up from time to time but not the parents.

I've gotten so when I go to the movies, I usually go to the very first showing of the day--and never the first weekend that the movie comes out. At that time, the theatre is usually pretty empty.

Sorry you had such a lousy day, Marseeya! At least you'll get to see the movie again.

 

[aprilgail2]

Welcome to my world Marseeya, that is exactly how it is here in Brooklyn when you go to the movies, so we don't go here anymore. Alot of people are so obnoxious and selfish, thinking they can talk to the screen and interact with the actors!

I sw a movie a while ago and had that happen...people were yelling "you go girl" and "uh huh uh huh, thats the way you show um girl"...NEVER had that happen before LOL!!!

 

[Marseeya]

No, there's no reason you have to put up with "that kind of nonsense"... you're more patient than me.... I would have said something A LOT sooner. These people were at a movie theater, not in their home or at a drive in movie, where they probably still would have bothered the people next to them, but they wouldn't be crawling underneathe you (hopefully)... does the Mom even know what was on the floor???? EEEUUU... But I'm glad it worked out for you.

She crawled through it after the big spill, so I know darn well what was on the floor. Karma, baby. Except I felt bad the child was crawling through it -- it should have been the mother getting wet and nasty.

Who I felt bad for was the woman's husband, although he gave me quite a glare when he and the rest of the kids left the theater. The little one kept bugging mom for a drink and popcorn and the mom would say (loudly of course), "Go ask your dad" to every request the kid made. That's what made it worse; having to hear the requests twice every time.

 

[Shutterbug]

Just another reason why I dont like going to movies...people think they are in their own living room and can act anyway they want.

 

[pogo791]

This is a month-old thread, but I didn't see it the first time around.

My own favorite story is about a neighbor who went with his family to see a movie at the local theater. Two people had come in as soon as the doors were opened, and had sat at either end of a long row, reserving it for a large number of friends who were probably out buying popcorn, or whatever. Problem was, those missing people didn't start to come in until after the feature had started - and they came in one small group at a time. Everytime the door would open, the two people who came in first would start hopping up and down, loudly waving the latecomers to their row.

After about 10 minutes (!) of this my neighbour - who happened to look rather dauntingly impressive in his lieutenant commander's uniform - finally stood up and said, in his best military manner, "shut the heck up so that the rest of us can watch the movie!" He got a huge round of applause from everyone else in the theater - and there was not a peep out of the people in that row for the rest of the evening.

 

[Marseeya]

This is a month-old thread, but I didn't see it the first time around.

My own favorite story is about a neighbor who went with his family to see a movie at the local theater. Two people had come in as soon as the doors were opened, and had sat at either end of a long row, reserving it for a large number of friends who were probably out buying popcorn, or whatever. Problem was, those missing people didn't start to come in until after the feature had started - and they came in one small group at a time. Everytime the door would open, the two people who came in first would start hopping up and down, loudly waving the latecomers to their row.

After about 10 minutes (!) of this my neighbour - who happened to look rather dauntingly impressive in his lieutenant commander's uniform - finally stood up and said, in his best military manner, "shut the heck up so that the rest of us can watch the movie!" He got a huge round of applause from everyone else in the theater - and there was not a peep out of the people in that row for the rest of the evening.

I love it!

I wish more people would be willing to speak up in situations like that. Some folks are just plain nuts, though, so it could probably be scary. Every once in a while, the theater will run a 2 second spot telling people to turn off cell phones or whatever, so how hard would it be for them to put together a little clip (humorous, dramatic, or whatever it takes) telling people to be courteous and BE QUIET? It seems like people just don't have theater manners anymore.

We just went back to the same theater last weekend and I have to say, I was actually nervous I might run into that nut job again.

 

[UrsulasMyHero]

Every once in a while, the theater will run a 2 second spot telling people to turn off cell phones or whatever, so how hard would it be for them to put together a little clip (humorous, dramatic, or whatever it takes) telling people to be courteous and BE QUIET?

And they do. AMC does the "silence is Golden" Campaign. People shouldn't have to be reminded that it isn't "just them" in a theatre. Everyone else also ponied up the $8+ to see the feature and should be able to see it in peace as well. It's just a matter of manners. And unfortunately there are precious few of those any more.

 

[jbdreamer]

I can never understand why people bring childen who can't sit still to the movie theater.

When I saw March of the Penguins a family brought 3 kids all under the age of 5 to the film. Of course they were running around and making noise. How can you expect a 3 year old to sit through a documentry? (even one with cute animals).

I'm always too chicken to confront people though. Way to handle yourselves!

 

[can'twait]

This sounds like what happened to us a few weeks ago. We went to see King Kong on a Friday night. What were we thinking? It was full of teens on dates during Christmas/New Year's break. There was a girl who kept screaming at the scary parts, and a whole group of kids who had to make comments on everything, so that the rest of us missed dialogue. I mean, didn't they pay $11 per ticket too? Don't they want to hear the dialogue too? I don't get it. Netflix, here I come!

 

[bigmerle1966]

I took my 4 year old godson to see March of the Penguins and he did okay, kept asking questions about what was going on, but did keep his voice down. I was sweating a little during the mating scenes. It was at about 5:00 and there weren't many people in the theatre, the person closest to us was a middle aged man who was by himself and kept leaving to talk on his cell. We were sitting in the first aisle on the end. About half way through the movie, this little boy, around my godsons age, came from about 10 rows behind us and kept trying to talk to him and at one point even went and got his food and drink and sat down on the steps next to my godson. This childs mother was right behind him and even sat down on the steps when he did. She said nothing to this child and didn't try to make him leave us alone. I kept saying stuff to my godson that was actually addressed to this woman and her son, things along the lines of "people are trying to watch the movie, no talking, be quiet, etc." and finally after about 20 minutes of this she made him go back their seats. I didn't fell comfortable telling the child to go away and really didn't want to cause a scene by telling the parent the same.