movie theater experiences

[hulagirl87]

So DH and I used to go to the movies once a week when we were dating and there would inevitably be someone eating something noisy, using a cel phone, talking loudly, etc. Once the theater fire alarm actually went off and we had to leave. I was bummed But after the time we had yesterday I wanted to find out what great movie theater experiences you all have had I'm sure there are some doozys!

Here's mine. DH and I haven't been to the movie theater in a year and a half. Combination of having DD and the cost of going. I had purchased tix on Fandango a few weeks ago for DH and I to see Transformers 3 in 3D (I gave him them as a Father's day gift) and happened to check the site yesterday just to see how long the movie was (to tell my mom who was babysitting) and the time had changed to earlier!!! So after rushing around like a maniac to try to get out of the house we got to the theater (received 2 free tickets for the inconvenience of the time change) and got to our seats. But then the previews start and there is no sound. Someone behind us went to complain and then the sound comes on a few minutes later but cuts in and out. The movie starts a few minutes later and it's not in 3D. sigh. So the same guy from behind us goes to complain again, but they can't switch the movie once it's started so we end up watching the 2D, which is fine, but since I had spent the money on the 3D I was bummed. There was someone in front of us who was clearing their throat every 2 to 3 minutes A kid squeaking a straw in and out of a cup for quite a long time Overall, not a great time. But when walking out of the theater a manager was standing there to give out free passes for the 3D inconvenience. So now we have 4 passes to go back to the theater where it is always a good time

 

[NMAmy]

We usually go to the first matinee on a Saturday or Sunday morning and the theatre is almost empty so we don't have all the annoyances of later shows. I haven't seen a movie that started after 11:30 a.m. in years. We saw Super 8 on opening weekend in IMAX and there were only about 6 other people in the enormous theatre.

 

[powellrj]

We usually go to the first matinee on a Saturday or Sunday morning and the theatre is almost empty so we don't have all the annoyances of later shows. I haven't seen a movie that started after 11:30 a.m. in years. We saw Super 8 on opening weekend in IMAX and there were only about 6 other people in the enormous theatre.

I also like to go to the first matinee showing. If I am working a 1/2 day on Friday, even better! I have been to many movies when I am the only person in the theater! I have my favorite seat, so I get there early to get it, get popcorn and kick back and enjoy the show!

I know other people need a full theater in the evening to enjoy the movie so they get the crowd/movie going experience, not me, I like an empty theater in the afternoon!

 

[hulagirl87]

We usually go to the first matinee on a Saturday or Sunday morning and the theatre is almost empty so we don't have all the annoyances of later shows. I haven't seen a movie that started after 11:30 a.m. in years. We saw Super 8 on opening weekend in IMAX and there were only about 6 other people in the enormous theatre.

We go early too, cost wise it's smarter and you're right, there are less people. We went to the 12:35pm show and there were about 15 people in the theater. We all just happened to be sitting really close to each other. Of all the seats in the theater it's amazing how people will pick the row directly before or behind you

 

[Dax]

Add another to the list of seeing a movie early in the day (like 11a)...DH was tossing the idea around of going to see Transformers on Friday night...I reminded him it was a) Opening weekend b) raining c)a Friday night....He said yeah, bad idea...LOL...

 

[Dax]

We go early too, cost wise it's smarter and you're right, there are less people. We went to the 12:35pm show and there were about 15 people in the theater. We all just happened to be sitting really close to each other. Of all the seats in the theater it's amazing how people will pick the row directly before or behind you :rotfl:

My biggest pet peeve!!

 

[SnowWtch]

DH and I rarely go to the movies but went yesterday for Transformers. We went to the first matinee and it was packed. This has happened the last couple of times we went to the first matinee. There was a toddler making so much noise that a couple moved to the front row on the floor to get away from them. We were almost on the floor and the toddler was up in the back row. That was really loud. The toddler made noise through the whole thing and the parent did nothing. I hate going to the movies where the parent doesn't step out or do anything to try to get their child to settle down. They just let them sing and yell through the whole thing. A child that young shouldn't have been in that movie in the first place b/c of all the violence.

 

[Pakey]

Several years ago my husband and I went to a movie. It was crowded. Two men got into a fight over a seat. It was serious enough that police were called and both men were cuffed and arrested.

The kicker was that the wife/girlfriend of one of the men stayed. Her toddler was crying for "daddy" so she slapped him on the legs and told him to shut up. He whimpered through the beginning of the movie.

 

[Grog]

We usually go to the first matinee on a Saturday or Sunday morning and the theatre is almost empty so we don't have all the annoyances of later shows. I haven't seen a movie that started after 11:30 a.m. in years. We saw Super 8 on opening weekend in IMAX and there were only about 6 other people in the enormous theatre.

This is the way I do it as well. I got fed up with the mentality that most people have where they think they can act as if they are in their living rooms. Talking to each other, talking on cell phones, texting, checking their messages causing thier phone to light up, not taking crying babies and cranky toddlers out of the theater, etc.

Saw a new one recently. Someone coming in after the lights went down using their cell phone as a flashlight to find a seat. I rarely come in late but if I do I just wait for my eyes to adjust to the dark.

 

[WhatATreat]

Several years ago my husband and I went to a movie. It was crowded. Two men got into a fight over a seat. It was serious enough that police were called and both men were cuffed and arrested.

The kicker was that the wife/girlfriend of one of the men stayed. Her toddler was crying for "daddy" so she slapped him on the legs and told him to shut up. He whimpered through the beginning of the movie.

Count me in as another one who goes to early shows. DH and I are early risers anyway and one of our local theaters starts movies as early as 10am so that is perfect for us. Nothing like popcorn and cherry coke for breakfast!

And I also have to wonder why, out of the 100 empty seats in the theater, someone has to sit right in front of, behind, or next to us.

 

[XTinabell]

One time at the theatre for a matinee showing, our movie was delayed because a woman with some kind of mental disability took all her clothes off and started screaming and running around. It took over four employees and the care taker to catch the woman just as she was running out into the main part of theatre. When the movie was over she was still outside the theatre doors laying on the floor with a blanket around her and the caretaker still trying to calm her down. The area around the woman and our theatre was all blocked off.

 

[marie1203]

We had one of the worst experiences yesterday. We sat down and about 20 min into the movie this two girls come in talking very loudly, they decided to sit behind us and talk for the next 5 min . Then two rows behind there was a group of women and one decided to talk to the screen the whole movie. And to top it off in the middle of the movie her phone start ringing you would think she would step out. Wrong! She takes the phone call in the during the movie and has a full conversation.

 

[Snowysmom]

DH and I went to an early afternoon movie yesterday. DH had minor surgery last week to remove a cyst on his head. A woman goes into the row behind us and hits DH on the head right where the cyst was. We had to check for bleeding but luckily it was OK. She did not apologize. The he managed to spill popcorn all over the floor because the bag slipped out of his hand. It was his fault but the bag was slippery. Then, after the movie started, 8 people came in and decided to go into the row in front of us as slowly as they could, talking the whole time. We did like the movie but our adventures reminded us why we like to borrow the DVDs from the library and watch them at home.

 

[Andtototoo]

The worst movie experience was when we went to see a movie on a rare weekday off. Went to the first showing. Turned out we were the only people in the theater who were not part of a senior citizen center group outing.

TOTAL NIGHTMARE.

-Talking LOUDLY throughout the movie
-Guy forget his hearing aids, so couldn't hear and his wife repeated EVERY line of dialogue to him. In a very LOUD voice.
-Continuous getting up and leaving, returning, etc.
-Kicker was guy on a cell phone talking about a fishing trip for the next day. He went on and on. People are yelling at him. My dh finally got up and went over to him and told him to take it outside. People cheered my dh. The guy still refused and kept talking as if no one was around him.

We complained to the manager, who refused to refund our tickets and told us that we were "mean" and should be more respectful of senior citizens and that if we didn't want to deal with seniors, we should go to the late night showings.

We have not been back to that theater since.



Then there was the kid who kept running around the theater during the Green Lantern movie. Run up the stairs, down the stairs, across an empty row. Run run run. Finally the father tells him to sit down -- across the theater from him! Then the kid starts up again, ends up running out of the theater. Father stayed put. Never saw the kid again.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Let's see. I've got plenty. Here's just a few.

There was the time the kid behind us kept trying to put her feet on my chair with me in it! I had to keep turning around and telling them to stop. Yuck. Missed half the movie. Asked my family to move seats. Husband wouldn't.
So I finally got fed up and moved by myself. Few minutes later DD joins me. After the movie was over, she told me the kid put it's bare feet up on the armrest that she and I were sharing once I left. So gross.

Then there's the texting lady a few seats from me on the last movie. She didn't put down her phone and kept texting through the whole movie.

Then there was the kid in the row in front of the row where I was sitting who would not sit down. He ran back and forth, back and forth the row of seats and up and down the stairs through most of the movie. Parent didn't stop him or say a thing. Luckily he was short.

The kid dropping heavy shoes behind me. Take shoe off- thump, parent tells them to put on, take shoe off few minutes later- thump. Over and Over again until I told them to knock it off and be quiet. They moved seats.

And my family wonders why I would rather save the money and see the movie on either pay per view or when it reaches HBO/Showtime.

 

[miralys]

I don't have anything near as interesting as other posters. I just find I hate going to the movies anymore because of things other viewers do to take me out of the "zone." I am a film buff, and if I pay $10 (which is matinee pricing around here) I expect to be able to remain in the "zone" and not be cognizant of others. Funny, I thought we were there to watch the movie, not do other things. Like the last Potter movie, some girl was providing six books worth of back story to her friends for EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER!! Why would you go see film seven in a series and not have either watched the first six or read the books?

Also, for at Fellowship of the Ring, some teenagers behind me were doing a Mystery Science Theater impression the whole time. And they were nowhere near as amusing as Crow and Servo.


But I do always go see Ewan McGregor's films in theaters a few weeks after they come out. For some reason, they aren't hugely popular around here. When I went to see Men Who Stare at Goats, I was the only person in the theater. That was so awesome!

 

[JoiseyMom]

This happened back in the 70's, at the movies in Kings Plaza Mall, Bklyn. I was a teen and with friends, it was a crowded movie, can't remember what it was...thinking one of the Rocky's, but not sure and there was a guy next to me...well, lets see he thought he was home alone and not watching a PG movie!!

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

I do not go to the movies often for two reasons.
First, I saw mice or small rats running around in the theater on the last time I went and was in blissful ignorance. Since then I have to sit in the seats that have the rails in front so I can keep my feet up. It NEVER occured to me that mice could be running around in the dark and near or on my feet. BTW this was a nice theater. Also a theater a few cities over had to be closed because they had bed bug infestation!! WHAT??????????? THAT never occured to me either
I can not enjoy the movie with my feet up feeling like I am itchy.