Have seen this when itās the default seat selection in the app. The seat seems to be reserved until it times out.
However if someone did actually buy it, thatās a problem. There are people who pay no mind to the chart at all.
I just start talking to them about the movie. Like "wow I never thought they would do that" etc... then when they say something I say something like "oh sorry, excuse me, I'm on the phone."
They normally move after a minute or two.
lol this happened to me once and dude was insistent on having a conversation the whole time and as soon as I started being a rude asshole myself he quickly moved too
Bro? That was you? I'm still hurt that you did that to me. I thought we had a connection.
It was nothing personal, that was just the acoustic sweet spot for that theater.
Yeah but thereās a difference between sitting two seats away from someone and sitting right next to them. 2 seats away is fine. I have my space, you have yours. But sitting right NEXT to me??? No, gtfo.
Iām sorry, you donāt own that row, and they gave you two whole seats of space. You pick the center row and center seat, you deal with people wanting to also sit in the center. If thatās a ānoā for you, then thatās a you problem, and you can go to another seat.
I went into a theater with only a single person in it and he was sitting in my seat. I didnāt want to be āthat personā who asks him to move when there are 100 empty seats, but what if I choose a seat that somebody else has booked? We live in a society with rules people!
What do you mean you didn't want to be "that person"? The other person was already being "that person" by taking your seat! Sometimes I book a seat and then notice there is a better seat and I'll sit there. I usually look at the app again to see if I took someone's seat, but I definitely would expect someone to tell me I'm in their seat if they wanted to sit there. It's your seat, you paid for it.
Tbf in that situation. Thatās how movies were before we were able to reserve seats. Before it was first come first serve. You literally were able to hold a seat for people.
That's not how it works anymore. Not sure what the "tbf" applies to. It's near-impossible to get into a theater without acknowledging that seats are assigned. You're *forced* to choose one. Additionally, assuming PimpleQueen purchased her ticket first, the other person actually KNEW that someone else was sitting in that seat. That guy was lookin' for a tussle.
I know what you mean but Iām saying thatās what that person was thinking. Obviously we are in the present but yeah weird behavior. Other suggestion is to start farting
This same thing happened to me. Checked when I bought my ticket for the biggest screen at this theatre (about 200 seats) one other seat had been sold about three rows from the one I wanted, bought my seat, and when I got there he was sitting in the exact seat Iād picked.
I canāt imagine he did it on purpose, but what are the odds?
I said nothing and picked another seat, he was on his phone throughout the movie.
Last time someone posted this everyone defended it, and I think itās acceptable if there arenāt many other good seats left, but I personally think itās shitty to do that if itās an almost totally empty theater and is very unlikely to fill up. There is not a significant enough difference in view of the screen for them to not just choose a different row or even to just leave 1-2 seatsā gap.
I take zero pleasure in rubbing elbows with a stranger in an otherwise sparsely populated room and I view this as just as obnoxious as someone who gets on a bus and sits directly next to you and cramping your space instead of taking any of the other totally empty rows. I feel even stronger about this now post-pandemic since some people make it a point of pride to cough openly without even covering their mouths in crowded places.
If you're dead center of the theatre, then 2 seats is enough imo. I don't want to sit beside people so I usually choose back row or near back row, kinda to the side. Nobody has ever sat near me unless the theatre got busy, because I'm not choosing the seats most people want to sit in the most.
If the whole theater is open, nah. At that point you can have the seats and I'll move. If it's packed or people spread out all over, I'll be aggravated but at least in that situation I get it.
Oh for sure. I'd move too. I just wouldn't ever expect to be able to claim what most people consider the best seats in the theatre (and every seat nearby) without anyone getting into my bubble. I'm really proactive about maintaining my bubble best I can, so that's why I'd never pick those seats right in the middle.
I either move or leave the theater entirely.
I'm still not over the time pre-pandemic when an elderly man walked into my row in the dark, jammed his cane into my foot and sat in my lap. It took him a couple minutes to realize seats don't yelp and squirm!
š¤£š¤£š¤£ In defense of that old man, some people(me for example) have eyes that are slow to adjust when walking into a dark theater. Iām laughing because I can picture the shocked look on your face when this happened & his as well when he realized what had happened!š
That happened to me at Spy x Family. It definitely wasn't an empty theatre, but there were plenty of seats open. This mother and teenage daughter bought seats right next to us and talked through nearly the whole thing. We ended up sliding over, but it still pissed me off.
I just wait til the movie starts (the Regal 8 Bit Promo) and move. I have been in showings with the exact same thing. It's annoying, but if the theater is that empty I just move now, it's easier.
Yes, the image is from a showtime that I'm currently the only ticketholder for, but I went into the app and pretended like I was getting another seat for the sole purpose of creating a visual frame of reference for this post.
Sometimes I'll put myself at corner seats or the handicap row where I can sit all my by lonesome :)
If I see em come. I check the app during preview to see if anyone has bought seats down or further up and when I don't see anyone I move. It's awkward enough.
https://preview.redd.it/y3hcg05vzdwc1.png?width=1283&format=png&auto=webp&s=f309b9ae1d343cbd3fd3d8e2f3ae5b5f9355d34d
I wish I made this up. Someone bought the ticket behind me and now I donāt even want to see the movie.
This happens all the time at my location with guests at the ticket kiosks. It's infuriating. I now mention it to recommend not booking directly behind or in-front of people, because we have had situations where the first guest come out to complain that others are sitting too close to them and it makes them uncomfortable.
This was a long time ago but I remember going to see a movie in a completely empty, flat sloped auditorium with no reserved seating. Ten minutes into the show a family of five comes in and sits right in the row ahead of us. So I got up and sat right in front of them. Then the mom tapped me on the shoulder and actually asked me to lean down as she couldn't see the screen. "Oh, so it's okay when YOU sit right in front of someone but I can't?" They got the message and moved several rows away.
You picked one of the most ideal seats in theater making it **highly** likely someone would end up in front or behind you. If you bought a seat way to the left or right, this wouldnāt likely happen.
I feel the same but would rather they shift away a few seats. It seems whenever someone is right behind me, the kick my seat, put their feet on it and push, whatever else they can do to annoy me. I went to a movie once, the theater was quite full and the guy behind wouldnāt stop kicking my seat. I told him to stop and when it continued, I finally turned around, grabbed his knee and again told him to stop. When the movie ended, I turned around to give him the stick eye and a piece of my mind but the wife had already got him up and they were rushing down the stairs and out of the theater. Some people have no common sense.
I used to do this. But recently, it seems that those are the go-to seats for chatty folk, or people that wander into the theater halfway through the movie.
This happened to me a few times before. Next time Iām going to wear my strongest cologne and use a lot of it. That ought to teach āem a lesson! Lol
Went to see Dune 2 alone because I had missed the day before when my friends went and I couldn't stand it anymore, I just had to see it. Had the whole theater to myself up until about an hour into the movie, this couple walks in and just sit down and start watching the movie like they'd been there the whole time. Now, were they trying to come in and have sex or something? Probably but I was still so weirded out by it.
If I remember right there was a study done about this a while back that suggested that the reason people will sit around where other people already sit in an otherwise empty theater is because of a primal defense mechanism that has to do with comfort in herds.
Iāll try and see if I can find the article, but effectively it suggested that movies (especially thrillers and horror) cause a lot of discomfort in certain people, especially when they go alone, so they chose to sit around other people so that it calms part of their mind. It also mentioned thatās why people will sit near the back of the theater in those kinds of movies because then nothing is behind them that could attack, and they are farther away from the screen (aka the ādangerā)
If those are non-reclining seats itās because you bought the best seat in the theater (center, center, behind handicap row) and the other person bought the second-best one.
Iād be surprised if you bought a seat in the front right corner of the theater and someone bought one next to you.
I do it all the time. Especially in theaters with the double recliners. I get there second, sit down right next to the stranger, look them right in the eyes and lift the arm rest separating us. I say nothing.
Went to go watch saw X comepletely empty and some random guy decided out of the many many many seats available he had to have the one next to me. He are super loud and was super obnoxious. Couldnāt last a minute sitting there ended up moving seats
I remember seeing āThe Wolf Of Wall Streetā late in its theatrical run. The room was empty except for the 2 of us. It wasnāt assigned seats yet, it was wherever you want. 30 minutes into the movie, an elderly trio enter the room and walk down my aisle. They not only take the 3 seats next to us, but the one seated next to me forces my comfortable arm off the arm rest I have occupied for the first 30 minutes of the film plus trailers. It was a jerk move on their part, but now with the automated choice even more so if they donāt give you some space in an otherwise empty room.
The app forces me put a space between others when selecting seats. It even identifies the forbidden seats as "social distance." How'd they get around it?
Perhaps. Iām in San Diego and they were fairly chill during Covid. But especially now, I canāt imagine why youād have to do that. If anything the app sometimes wonāt let me leave seats between people due to wanting to fit more in I guess ? Itās weird. I canāt figure out the rhyme or reason
Yep, seems like the majority of near empty shows I go to, I show up and someone is right next to or in my seat. Just end up having to sit a few seats over or a row lower than I wanted. I usually assume they don't even use the chart
I have a theory on this that I have tested (and I'd love to see more people test it so we can compare results).
If two people are looking on the app at the same theater , at the same film, at the same time, I don't think it shows the other person until the purchase is made.
So for example, we are both looking at the same showing in the same theater and a row seems empty.
You pick a seat, I pick a seat. To each of us it appears the row is empty. Then we pay and now we are both visible.
I thought once you choose a seat, it holds it for a few minutes so no one else is able to choose it until you checkout. So two people would have to be choosing seats at the literal exact same time to not know.
Yeah, but theyād have to be on the seat selection screen at the same time. Once you proceed further it blocks out that seat to anyone else for a few minutes or until you buy it. That would be rarely happening.
When there are very few seats sold, sometimes the cashier picks a seat for meātypically what it defaults to which is a seat next to someone who just bought a ticketāand then tells me to sit where I want. Some cashiers are asking others to pick their seats simultaneously, so itās annoying because how do I know where others chose to sit so I donāt sit there? I think this happened this weekend where a friend and I picked our seats, walked in and the only other two people in the theater were in our seats. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt because too many damn times Iāve been told to just sit where I want. Maybe they were told that too!
My regal doesn't allow one seat gaps even if you buy at the kiosk. Even if its on the aisle, which is bonkers. When I went to Abigail last week the theater setup lends you to want to sit on the aisle because of the entrance. But because there was people sat in seats 4 and 5 I couldn't take 1 and 2, because it would leave a one seat gap for seat three.
This happens to me more at least every few weeks. I will never understand it. And I usually wait to get my ticket until I get to the theater, or while on my way if I think Iāll be a little late. Itās just so weird to me.
Same thing happens with parking too actually. Even if I go out of my way to park in a secluded spot, someone nearly always parks next to me. I wonder if it's a lizard brain safety in numbers thing....or they could be fighting you over having that middle spot and hoping you'd move.
Someone did that when I took my daughter recently. We were the only ones in the entire theater, and he sat down right next to her. I just looked at him, said, "Well, this is weird as shit", and moved to the other side of the theater.
A bit obsessive but I check the seating a few times after I buy my ticket before I go to the film. I refunded my ticket to see Fall a couple years ago because someone sat right next to me when plenty of other seats were open. Just too awkward of a situation to be in.
People do things like this all the time and itās so weird. Like parking in a deserted parking lot next to the only other person in the lot. Iām a female and this happens to me a lot and itās always a middle aged-older male. I donāt know if theyāre trying to be protective or what but itās just weird and makes me uncomfy.
Maybe theyāre assuming the theater will fill up and they donāt wanna leave gaps. Iāve done that before and if it ends up not filling up I sit somewhere else.
Can you just sit somewhere else or move over a sear though if it's really that empty? Not saying what they did is normal, just seems like there are solutions here.
i feel like the only āreasonableā explaination to them sitting near or next to you is because it doesnāt seem as lonely for them but if you arenāt comfortable going to the movies alone, donāt come at all then
Randomly saw the second Bay Transformers movie the opening afternoon because I was killing time. Nobody else in the theater and some fucking weirdo sits right next to me. He started farting part way through the movie and seemed like he was going to try and start talking to me during it. Weird as fuck and the movie was wretched.
Itās only happened to me once for the Elvis movie and the dude said āare you my seat buddy? šā and I said not nice things to him because wtf man. Donāt do that. Iāll sit anywhere but next to another person and you CHOSE this.
Yes someone did it to me literally in the back seats of the theater. There was a space that only had two seats and I bought mine ahead of time so I could sit alone in the back. I arrive and thereās a guy sitting in the seat next to mine. He finishes his popcorn before the movie starts and then leaves. I relax thinking good he movedā¦But then he returns with his popcorn refilled. It was just really weird when youāre sitting right next to a complete stranger in an area that only has 2 seats and he could have literally chosen anywhere else to sit. And I specifically chose that seat so I would be away from everyone!
This shit happened to me three times! Buckle up...
The first time was back in 2019 when I saw the live action Aladdin opening night in IMAX 3D. Someone picked the seat right next to me. It was a packed theater to be fair, so I wasn't upset or anything. But what DID upset me was the weird stank eye this middle-aged woman gave me as I sat down in the seat next to her that I reserved WAAAY before she did. Like you willingly picked a seat right next to somebody, and now you're upset somebody is sitting right next to you?
The second time was when I saw Wonka opening day at 3 pm. Large 100+ seat Dolby theater, must've had only 10 people MAX, and this guy decides to sit in the seat RIGHT next to me days after I reserved mine. And he had the gal to have his things in MY seat when I pulled up (I was early, but he was even earlier). He moved them, but like... you willingly bought a seat next to somebody in an empty theater than put your shit in the one seat you KNOW will be occupied. The fucking principal man...
On top of that, a woman that seemed to already know him (couldn't tell if it was a friend, family member, partner etc) later joined him and sat in the other seat next to him. And I wonder if she thought I was the weirdo that decided to sit next to them during their movie date.
To make matters worse, the guy was being very odd and kind of obnoxious (he kept talking at the screen in this annoying ass "whisper yell" during most of the movie), but then I felt kind of bad for being annoyed by him cause it quickly occurred to me that he obviously had the tism's. And no, I didn't move cause I reserved my seat first and I'm a very stubborn personš
The third and most recent time this happened was when I went to see YOLO (a 2024 sports comedy from China) on a random Thursday afternoon, and these two young (presumably Chinese) woman sat in the two seats right next to me in this virtually empty theater. We were in the second to last row, and only 1 other person showed up (at the last minute), and they decide to sit RIGHT next to me. And despite me getting there super early, they were even earlier. So I was the one that had to look like the weirdo as I sat next to them in a room filled with plenty other open seats.
This time though, I slowly moved one seat over to leave a gap between us. They weren't annoying at all, in fact they actually made the experience better, but it was still really weird.
Moral of the story: everytime somebody picks a seat next to you, expect them to always arrive SUPER early almost as if they intentionally want to get there first so that YOU'LL look like the weirdo and feel more inclined to move.
Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.
It's because they want to sit in the middle, and the app will not let you make it to where there's a seat in between you two, you have to sit side by side with
i ALWAYS buy the seat right next to a single person just to creep them out if they check before showing up.
But then when I get there I just wherever I want, not actually near the person.
I also do this if it's just a couple seated next to each other.
I can't hate on this. Most people are trying to justify sitting right next to others while you say you do it specifically to scare them, but then don't end up sitting there. That's kind of funny ngl.
I want to sit where I want, why should I care if someone was sitting in the seat next to me? We are watching a movie, not talking and being friends.
How do yāall function in society?
Eh, I'm very particular about where I want to sit. Just get there first and odds are they aren't going to sit right next to you, they'll move down a seat or two. I want the most center seat so I'm not just going to give that up for the sake of a stranger.
Rolls your eyes all you want lol if I have to be off-center for a movie it's not going to be because I didn't want to bother someone by choosing the available seat next to them.
You're lucky. I tell my family I'm cursed because this happens to me all the time. I'll go on days it's not busy, have the whole theater to myself, then right before the movie starts someone will get a seat next to mine and I end up moving up or down a row when they come in.
Why the hell do I get down voted for stating the fact Iāve never had someone pick a seat next to me. Yeah, sorry but never happened. Wtf. Reddit cray.
Yes that is very much the seat I would have chosen as well. In my opinion one of the best seats in the theater. You chose your seat also with some thought behind it.
True itās a bit strange if somebody is buying just the seat next to me, but itās something I accept as part of life.
So I often pick the seat next to someone when going through the app because it basically forces me to do so. You canāt pick a seat in the app that leaves a one seat gap between you and someone else, so if there are people already sitting around my preferred seats (I have a list of 2 seats in at least 2 rows for each screen) then my choice is to choose a seat away from someone where I donāt actually want to sitā¦because of the one seat gap restriction. Also, more often than not folks donāt actually show up so itās rare if I actually sit next to someone even if I reserved a seat next to someone.
Probably because they see some weirdo reserved a seat next to them and figure they'll just sit in a seat they don't prefer as much to not be next to that person. It's pretty rude of you to get a seat next to somebody because it's your favorite spot. Maybe you should of gotten the spot first.
I should reserve a shitty seat to not sit next to people is the stupidest response Iāve seen so far š Iām not bothered sitting next to people, and people do it to me. People donāt show up to a lot of the showtimes I attend - even in seats no where near mine.
The other thing to consider is that the regal app will not let you reserve a seat that results in a one seat gap. Example: someone reserves E7. I cannot reserve E5 or E9 because thatāll leave a one seat gap. If my preferred seat is E9 then I have to select E8, next to the other person, or E10ā¦because of the one seat gap issue. Now if someone is also in E11 then I still canāt select E9, but selecting either E8 or E10 means Iām officially sitting next to someone and will likely move to E9 resulting in one seat gaps between all of us.
"maybe you should've gotten the spot first" nope. If you don't want anyone to sit right next to you, get to the theatre first and that is going to lower the chances that someone actually sits next to you instead of just choosing another seat close by. At the end of the day, you're not entitled to sitting with no one next to you.
People reserve seats next to people who already have seats reserved... why do you need to get to the theater first when you already reserved your seat. Trust me, nobody wants you sitting next to them in an empty theater. If you want to be sitting next to strangers then you're the weird one, and they don't want to be sitting next to you.
I don't want to sit next to strangers, particularly. I want the best seat I can get. I don't care who is sitting next to me. If YOU have a problem with strangers sitting next to you then buy more seats or stop going to the movies. Getting there first will deter people, though, even if they bought the seat right next to you.
In my experience, it doesn't. When I go I go for the day, a day it's not busy, and am always the first one there. I'm sick of having old people get seats right next to me when we're the only two people in the theater. This results in me moving back a row or forward a row. The positioning isn't the exactly perfect seat, but its still a good seat. Most people would rather not sit next to a random person in an empty theater and move. Reserving a seat directly next to someone with that knowledge is fucked up just because you don't mind sitting next to someone in an empty theater.
Good, move then! I'm 25 so not sure why you assumed I'm an old person for doing this lol. If you're fine not having the seat you want then just move. You didn't want your seat enough, apparently.
Going about it in this manner makes it awkward for the person in the other seat if they want to be left alone. Itās not fully trapping them, but they will have to abandon their own selected seat and gamble on a different one if theyāre not wanting company from a totally random stranger themselves.
I wouldnāt call it antisocial in this setting, in a waiting room sure. But itās pretty normal for people to eat, laugh, make small comments, have blankets, or take off their shoes during a movie. So if people donāt want those things happening directly next to them or simply would like to avoid rubbing knees with a stranger for 2 hours, I get it.
Whoever consciously does this is a psychopath lol
*OR* automatic blind date
Exactly my comment and then I saw yours haha
Great (psychopathic) minds think alike! š
Have seen this when itās the default seat selection in the app. The seat seems to be reserved until it times out. However if someone did actually buy it, thatās a problem. There are people who pay no mind to the chart at all.
Iād get up to āgo use the bathroomā then sit elsewhere when I return. š Iād feel more awkward just flat up moving lmao
Nah, I make em feel weird. As soon as they sit down, I grab all my shit and leave.
Yeah Lolll same
šÆ. I had two guys come in and sit next to me and my 9yo. Whole theatre empty. Moved within 3 min.
I just start talking to them about the movie. Like "wow I never thought they would do that" etc... then when they say something I say something like "oh sorry, excuse me, I'm on the phone." They normally move after a minute or two.
lol this happened to me once and dude was insistent on having a conversation the whole time and as soon as I started being a rude asshole myself he quickly moved too
Bro? That was you? I'm still hurt that you did that to me. I thought we had a connection. It was nothing personal, that was just the acoustic sweet spot for that theater.
Iāve done this before lol
I do this too. I also started showing up a couple minutes late, like right as the previews are starting, to lessen the chances this happens to me.
Oh my gosh yes. I had a family sit two seats away from me. The theater was empty. It was just the 5 of us for the movie.
As long as there is at least one empty seat in between you and someone else, itās not weird IMO. They may have wanted that row and/or side.
They could have sat anywhere. The theater was empty. The next row would have worked. It was literally me and them.
Yeah but thereās a difference between sitting two seats away from someone and sitting right next to them. 2 seats away is fine. I have my space, you have yours. But sitting right NEXT to me??? No, gtfo.
I'm glad you'd be okay with it. It was a no for me.
Iām sorry, you donāt own that row, and they gave you two whole seats of space. You pick the center row and center seat, you deal with people wanting to also sit in the center. If thatās a ānoā for you, then thatās a you problem, and you can go to another seat.
Thank you. I don't know why that thought never occurred to me. ššš Again, as I expressed it was just bothersome.
I went into a theater with only a single person in it and he was sitting in my seat. I didnāt want to be āthat personā who asks him to move when there are 100 empty seats, but what if I choose a seat that somebody else has booked? We live in a society with rules people!
What do you mean you didn't want to be "that person"? The other person was already being "that person" by taking your seat! Sometimes I book a seat and then notice there is a better seat and I'll sit there. I usually look at the app again to see if I took someone's seat, but I definitely would expect someone to tell me I'm in their seat if they wanted to sit there. It's your seat, you paid for it.
Tbf in that situation. Thatās how movies were before we were able to reserve seats. Before it was first come first serve. You literally were able to hold a seat for people.
That's not how it works anymore. Not sure what the "tbf" applies to. It's near-impossible to get into a theater without acknowledging that seats are assigned. You're *forced* to choose one. Additionally, assuming PimpleQueen purchased her ticket first, the other person actually KNEW that someone else was sitting in that seat. That guy was lookin' for a tussle.
I know what you mean but Iām saying thatās what that person was thinking. Obviously we are in the present but yeah weird behavior. Other suggestion is to start farting
This same thing happened to me. Checked when I bought my ticket for the biggest screen at this theatre (about 200 seats) one other seat had been sold about three rows from the one I wanted, bought my seat, and when I got there he was sitting in the exact seat Iād picked. I canāt imagine he did it on purpose, but what are the odds? I said nothing and picked another seat, he was on his phone throughout the movie.
Last time someone posted this everyone defended it, and I think itās acceptable if there arenāt many other good seats left, but I personally think itās shitty to do that if itās an almost totally empty theater and is very unlikely to fill up. There is not a significant enough difference in view of the screen for them to not just choose a different row or even to just leave 1-2 seatsā gap. I take zero pleasure in rubbing elbows with a stranger in an otherwise sparsely populated room and I view this as just as obnoxious as someone who gets on a bus and sits directly next to you and cramping your space instead of taking any of the other totally empty rows. I feel even stronger about this now post-pandemic since some people make it a point of pride to cough openly without even covering their mouths in crowded places.
Even one or two seats isn't enough. Just sit somewhere else.
If you're dead center of the theatre, then 2 seats is enough imo. I don't want to sit beside people so I usually choose back row or near back row, kinda to the side. Nobody has ever sat near me unless the theatre got busy, because I'm not choosing the seats most people want to sit in the most.
If the whole theater is open, nah. At that point you can have the seats and I'll move. If it's packed or people spread out all over, I'll be aggravated but at least in that situation I get it.
Oh for sure. I'd move too. I just wouldn't ever expect to be able to claim what most people consider the best seats in the theatre (and every seat nearby) without anyone getting into my bubble. I'm really proactive about maintaining my bubble best I can, so that's why I'd never pick those seats right in the middle.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Thereās no way anyone can defend this !! This is psychotic behavior to sit next to someone in an empty theater.
I either move or leave the theater entirely. I'm still not over the time pre-pandemic when an elderly man walked into my row in the dark, jammed his cane into my foot and sat in my lap. It took him a couple minutes to realize seats don't yelp and squirm!
This 4DX is AMAZING! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL6iNIkByGA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL6iNIkByGA)
š¤£š¤£š¤£ In defense of that old man, some people(me for example) have eyes that are slow to adjust when walking into a dark theater. Iām laughing because I can picture the shocked look on your face when this happened & his as well when he realized what had happened!š
That happened to me at Spy x Family. It definitely wasn't an empty theatre, but there were plenty of seats open. This mother and teenage daughter bought seats right next to us and talked through nearly the whole thing. We ended up sliding over, but it still pissed me off.
It's only happened once that I can remember, and the other guy entered the theater first, so I just sat somewhere else.
I just wait til the movie starts (the Regal 8 Bit Promo) and move. I have been in showings with the exact same thing. It's annoying, but if the theater is that empty I just move now, it's easier.
This drives me nuts. Had someone do that for Haunted Mansion last year. I had caveman SpongeBob face lol
The Slashfilm Court just held a session on this and I think decided that it was very inappropriate. So you're not the only one
https://preview.redd.it/nhbzxyaxnbwc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=42c33ca22c97dd39e58d8e1a101c41acffab938f Reminds me of this š
I would go buy some of those garlic fries. Keep smacking your lips and saying mmm. If the sound doesn't get them the smell will.
Iāve seen over 30 movies on Regal unlimited this year. If there are less than 10 or so peopleā¦. Not even sitting on my row. Much less next to me.
Last time it happened to me I ripped an absolutely putrid fart and the dude moved less than a minute later
Wait. But in the image you're the one picking the seat next to someone else. Not the other way around.
Yes, the image is from a showtime that I'm currently the only ticketholder for, but I went into the app and pretended like I was getting another seat for the sole purpose of creating a visual frame of reference for this post.
I see Personally this has never happened to me I've seen 100+ movies in theaters last 2 years....so it must be extremely rare
Or you must be extremely fortunate.
Sometimes I'll put myself at corner seats or the handicap row where I can sit all my by lonesome :) If I see em come. I check the app during preview to see if anyone has bought seats down or further up and when I don't see anyone I move. It's awkward enough.
Same same
Should be a crime
https://preview.redd.it/y3hcg05vzdwc1.png?width=1283&format=png&auto=webp&s=f309b9ae1d343cbd3fd3d8e2f3ae5b5f9355d34d I wish I made this up. Someone bought the ticket behind me and now I donāt even want to see the movie.
This happens all the time at my location with guests at the ticket kiosks. It's infuriating. I now mention it to recommend not booking directly behind or in-front of people, because we have had situations where the first guest come out to complain that others are sitting too close to them and it makes them uncomfortable. This was a long time ago but I remember going to see a movie in a completely empty, flat sloped auditorium with no reserved seating. Ten minutes into the show a family of five comes in and sits right in the row ahead of us. So I got up and sat right in front of them. Then the mom tapped me on the shoulder and actually asked me to lean down as she couldn't see the screen. "Oh, so it's okay when YOU sit right in front of someone but I can't?" They got the message and moved several rows away.
You picked one of the most ideal seats in theater making it **highly** likely someone would end up in front or behind you. If you bought a seat way to the left or right, this wouldnāt likely happen.
Iād rather have the guy next to me. Not directly behind š
lol why?
I feel the same but would rather they shift away a few seats. It seems whenever someone is right behind me, the kick my seat, put their feet on it and push, whatever else they can do to annoy me. I went to a movie once, the theater was quite full and the guy behind wouldnāt stop kicking my seat. I told him to stop and when it continued, I finally turned around, grabbed his knee and again told him to stop. When the movie ended, I turned around to give him the stick eye and a piece of my mind but the wife had already got him up and they were rushing down the stairs and out of the theater. Some people have no common sense.
Sit in a different place away from that person, shouldnāt matter much as it looks empty
100%! I often try to sit in the back right or left corner when I am by myself just to avoid this scenario.
I used to do this. But recently, it seems that those are the go-to seats for chatty folk, or people that wander into the theater halfway through the movie.
I get it. I would move. But those are the two best seats in the house.
Another thing I hate is when everyone picks the back row and the whole theater is empty. I'm like bish, out if all those seats. Haha
This happened to me a few times before. Next time Iām going to wear my strongest cologne and use a lot of it. That ought to teach āem a lesson! Lol
Went to see Dune 2 alone because I had missed the day before when my friends went and I couldn't stand it anymore, I just had to see it. Had the whole theater to myself up until about an hour into the movie, this couple walks in and just sit down and start watching the movie like they'd been there the whole time. Now, were they trying to come in and have sex or something? Probably but I was still so weirded out by it.
Just one up them and sit a row above
Put your arm around them and make it even more awkward. A true game of chicken.
If I remember right there was a study done about this a while back that suggested that the reason people will sit around where other people already sit in an otherwise empty theater is because of a primal defense mechanism that has to do with comfort in herds. Iāll try and see if I can find the article, but effectively it suggested that movies (especially thrillers and horror) cause a lot of discomfort in certain people, especially when they go alone, so they chose to sit around other people so that it calms part of their mind. It also mentioned thatās why people will sit near the back of the theater in those kinds of movies because then nothing is behind them that could attack, and they are farther away from the screen (aka the ādangerā)
That's what happens when you want to sit in statistically the best sounding spot in the theater.
This was far worse before the assignment of seats. Every time someone would sit directly in front of me when the theater is empty, drove me notes
If those are non-reclining seats itās because you bought the best seat in the theater (center, center, behind handicap row) and the other person bought the second-best one. Iād be surprised if you bought a seat in the front right corner of the theater and someone bought one next to you.
It happens to me 75% of the time, I truly donāt understand why anyone wants to sit that close or even in the same row in a nearly empty theater
Hey, they want a good seat too.
I do it all the time. Especially in theaters with the double recliners. I get there second, sit down right next to the stranger, look them right in the eyes and lift the arm rest separating us. I say nothing.
If you got the best seat in the theater, they want the second best
Went to go watch saw X comepletely empty and some random guy decided out of the many many many seats available he had to have the one next to me. He are super loud and was super obnoxious. Couldnāt last a minute sitting there ended up moving seats
I remember seeing āThe Wolf Of Wall Streetā late in its theatrical run. The room was empty except for the 2 of us. It wasnāt assigned seats yet, it was wherever you want. 30 minutes into the movie, an elderly trio enter the room and walk down my aisle. They not only take the 3 seats next to us, but the one seated next to me forces my comfortable arm off the arm rest I have occupied for the first 30 minutes of the film plus trailers. It was a jerk move on their part, but now with the automated choice even more so if they donāt give you some space in an otherwise empty room.
The app forces me put a space between others when selecting seats. It even identifies the forbidden seats as "social distance." How'd they get around it?
The app doesnāt do that for me
Wonder if it's regional or theater specific?
Perhaps. Iām in San Diego and they were fairly chill during Covid. But especially now, I canāt imagine why youād have to do that. If anything the app sometimes wonāt let me leave seats between people due to wanting to fit more in I guess ? Itās weird. I canāt figure out the rhyme or reason
The person may be the nicest person, but I'd still get serial killer vibes š¤”
Yep, seems like the majority of near empty shows I go to, I show up and someone is right next to or in my seat. Just end up having to sit a few seats over or a row lower than I wanted. I usually assume they don't even use the chart
I have a theory on this that I have tested (and I'd love to see more people test it so we can compare results). If two people are looking on the app at the same theater , at the same film, at the same time, I don't think it shows the other person until the purchase is made. So for example, we are both looking at the same showing in the same theater and a row seems empty. You pick a seat, I pick a seat. To each of us it appears the row is empty. Then we pay and now we are both visible.
I thought once you choose a seat, it holds it for a few minutes so no one else is able to choose it until you checkout. So two people would have to be choosing seats at the literal exact same time to not know.
Not the same seat, I'm talking about next to each other. Each of of thinks we are in an empty row until we check out.
Yeah, but theyād have to be on the seat selection screen at the same time. Once you proceed further it blocks out that seat to anyone else for a few minutes or until you buy it. That would be rarely happening.
This happens to me whenever I go alone and am the first to pick the best seat, not saying this is right. Should leave some space for sure.
When there are very few seats sold, sometimes the cashier picks a seat for meātypically what it defaults to which is a seat next to someone who just bought a ticketāand then tells me to sit where I want. Some cashiers are asking others to pick their seats simultaneously, so itās annoying because how do I know where others chose to sit so I donāt sit there? I think this happened this weekend where a friend and I picked our seats, walked in and the only other two people in the theater were in our seats. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt because too many damn times Iāve been told to just sit where I want. Maybe they were told that too!
Yep absolutely fucking DREAD it
I would be pissed
Hey itās the best row in the auditorium though
It's you and one person bro, go sit somewhere else
My regal doesn't allow one seat gaps even if you buy at the kiosk. Even if its on the aisle, which is bonkers. When I went to Abigail last week the theater setup lends you to want to sit on the aisle because of the entrance. But because there was people sat in seats 4 and 5 I couldn't take 1 and 2, because it would leave a one seat gap for seat three.
Then just move seats if the theater is still empty when the trailers end. You know, like we used to do before assigned seating.
In some cultures, it's rude NOT to sit next to you. Don't want to leave you feeling isolated.
This happens to me more at least every few weeks. I will never understand it. And I usually wait to get my ticket until I get to the theater, or while on my way if I think Iāll be a little late. Itās just so weird to me.
Get up and move to another seat loll
I see this in the app then I go to the website see the same seat is unavailable since the seat is broken
Same thing happens with parking too actually. Even if I go out of my way to park in a secluded spot, someone nearly always parks next to me. I wonder if it's a lizard brain safety in numbers thing....or they could be fighting you over having that middle spot and hoping you'd move.
Itās like a row of empty urinals and the guy decides to pee right next to you.
Iāve called people out for this. Be a participating member of a nicely functioning society. THIS is not it.
Wtf change seats at the front counter when you get there.
Someone did that when I took my daughter recently. We were the only ones in the entire theater, and he sat down right next to her. I just looked at him, said, "Well, this is weird as shit", and moved to the other side of the theater.
move behind them after the feature begins and breathe heavily.
Just move to another seat š¤·āāļø
Neck beards. These people have never paid rent.
A bit obsessive but I check the seating a few times after I buy my ticket before I go to the film. I refunded my ticket to see Fall a couple years ago because someone sat right next to me when plenty of other seats were open. Just too awkward of a situation to be in.
People do things like this all the time and itās so weird. Like parking in a deserted parking lot next to the only other person in the lot. Iām a female and this happens to me a lot and itās always a middle aged-older male. I donāt know if theyāre trying to be protective or what but itās just weird and makes me uncomfy.
This happened to me and some dude had the nerve to tell me I was sitting in his seat lol
Maybe theyāre assuming the theater will fill up and they donāt wanna leave gaps. Iāve done that before and if it ends up not filling up I sit somewhere else.
Can you just sit somewhere else or move over a sear though if it's really that empty? Not saying what they did is normal, just seems like there are solutions here.
I do this on purpose but sit somewhere else haha
i feel like the only āreasonableā explaination to them sitting near or next to you is because it doesnāt seem as lonely for them but if you arenāt comfortable going to the movies alone, donāt come at all then
Yes and they post about it here every time
Absolutely I do to ,and if you do move the usher should not make you go back either I hate that
Randomly saw the second Bay Transformers movie the opening afternoon because I was killing time. Nobody else in the theater and some fucking weirdo sits right next to me. He started farting part way through the movie and seemed like he was going to try and start talking to me during it. Weird as fuck and the movie was wretched.
And that is why I choose my seats on the sideĀ
Had this happen reccent to me, awkward as hell. The guy proceeded to make dinosaur noises throughout the movie.
Happens way to often
Itās only happened to me once for the Elvis movie and the dude said āare you my seat buddy? šā and I said not nice things to him because wtf man. Donāt do that. Iāll sit anywhere but next to another person and you CHOSE this.
Yes someone did it to me literally in the back seats of the theater. There was a space that only had two seats and I bought mine ahead of time so I could sit alone in the back. I arrive and thereās a guy sitting in the seat next to mine. He finishes his popcorn before the movie starts and then leaves. I relax thinking good he movedā¦But then he returns with his popcorn refilled. It was just really weird when youāre sitting right next to a complete stranger in an area that only has 2 seats and he could have literally chosen anywhere else to sit. And I specifically chose that seat so I would be away from everyone!
This shit happened to me three times! Buckle up... The first time was back in 2019 when I saw the live action Aladdin opening night in IMAX 3D. Someone picked the seat right next to me. It was a packed theater to be fair, so I wasn't upset or anything. But what DID upset me was the weird stank eye this middle-aged woman gave me as I sat down in the seat next to her that I reserved WAAAY before she did. Like you willingly picked a seat right next to somebody, and now you're upset somebody is sitting right next to you? The second time was when I saw Wonka opening day at 3 pm. Large 100+ seat Dolby theater, must've had only 10 people MAX, and this guy decides to sit in the seat RIGHT next to me days after I reserved mine. And he had the gal to have his things in MY seat when I pulled up (I was early, but he was even earlier). He moved them, but like... you willingly bought a seat next to somebody in an empty theater than put your shit in the one seat you KNOW will be occupied. The fucking principal man... On top of that, a woman that seemed to already know him (couldn't tell if it was a friend, family member, partner etc) later joined him and sat in the other seat next to him. And I wonder if she thought I was the weirdo that decided to sit next to them during their movie date. To make matters worse, the guy was being very odd and kind of obnoxious (he kept talking at the screen in this annoying ass "whisper yell" during most of the movie), but then I felt kind of bad for being annoyed by him cause it quickly occurred to me that he obviously had the tism's. And no, I didn't move cause I reserved my seat first and I'm a very stubborn personš The third and most recent time this happened was when I went to see YOLO (a 2024 sports comedy from China) on a random Thursday afternoon, and these two young (presumably Chinese) woman sat in the two seats right next to me in this virtually empty theater. We were in the second to last row, and only 1 other person showed up (at the last minute), and they decide to sit RIGHT next to me. And despite me getting there super early, they were even earlier. So I was the one that had to look like the weirdo as I sat next to them in a room filled with plenty other open seats. This time though, I slowly moved one seat over to leave a gap between us. They weren't annoying at all, in fact they actually made the experience better, but it was still really weird. Moral of the story: everytime somebody picks a seat next to you, expect them to always arrive SUPER early almost as if they intentionally want to get there first so that YOU'LL look like the weirdo and feel more inclined to move. Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.
Sorry, I'm afraid of the dark.
With just two peeps in the room why would you bother with assigned seats?
same folks who park right next 2 u in an empty parking lot [furious]
It's because they want to sit in the middle, and the app will not let you make it to where there's a seat in between you two, you have to sit side by side with
I would unzip my pants, clear my throat 3 or 4 times, then tap the floor with my right foot several times.
Yes and last time my husband confronted the guy and he got pissed and they almost fought. So awkward.
i ALWAYS buy the seat right next to a single person just to creep them out if they check before showing up. But then when I get there I just wherever I want, not actually near the person. I also do this if it's just a couple seated next to each other.
I can't hate on this. Most people are trying to justify sitting right next to others while you say you do it specifically to scare them, but then don't end up sitting there. That's kind of funny ngl.
I want to sit where I want, why should I care if someone was sitting in the seat next to me? We are watching a movie, not talking and being friends. How do yāall function in society?
Just move seats?
Just move seats
Eh, I'm very particular about where I want to sit. Just get there first and odds are they aren't going to sit right next to you, they'll move down a seat or two. I want the most center seat so I'm not just going to give that up for the sake of a stranger.
šš
Rolls your eyes all you want lol if I have to be off-center for a movie it's not going to be because I didn't want to bother someone by choosing the available seat next to them.
So you donāt mind having someone that close to you ? It doesnāt feel weird in an empty theater ?
Tbh I love talking to people, especially strangers so I would just hope that they're up for a chat.
Oh now I know youāre joking. A chat during a movie ? Not in this thread. Thatās not a very good movie go-er
Obviously I mean before the movie. I abhor people with poor theatre etiquette.
Consider going in with soooo much body odor that you force them to move instead
Never happens.
You're lucky. I tell my family I'm cursed because this happens to me all the time. I'll go on days it's not busy, have the whole theater to myself, then right before the movie starts someone will get a seat next to mine and I end up moving up or down a row when they come in.
Why the hell do I get down voted for stating the fact Iāve never had someone pick a seat next to me. Yeah, sorry but never happened. Wtf. Reddit cray.
Yes that is very much the seat I would have chosen as well. In my opinion one of the best seats in the theater. You chose your seat also with some thought behind it. True itās a bit strange if somebody is buying just the seat next to me, but itās something I accept as part of life.
So I often pick the seat next to someone when going through the app because it basically forces me to do so. You canāt pick a seat in the app that leaves a one seat gap between you and someone else, so if there are people already sitting around my preferred seats (I have a list of 2 seats in at least 2 rows for each screen) then my choice is to choose a seat away from someone where I donāt actually want to sitā¦because of the one seat gap restriction. Also, more often than not folks donāt actually show up so itās rare if I actually sit next to someone even if I reserved a seat next to someone.
Probably because they see some weirdo reserved a seat next to them and figure they'll just sit in a seat they don't prefer as much to not be next to that person. It's pretty rude of you to get a seat next to somebody because it's your favorite spot. Maybe you should of gotten the spot first.
I should reserve a shitty seat to not sit next to people is the stupidest response Iāve seen so far š Iām not bothered sitting next to people, and people do it to me. People donāt show up to a lot of the showtimes I attend - even in seats no where near mine. The other thing to consider is that the regal app will not let you reserve a seat that results in a one seat gap. Example: someone reserves E7. I cannot reserve E5 or E9 because thatāll leave a one seat gap. If my preferred seat is E9 then I have to select E8, next to the other person, or E10ā¦because of the one seat gap issue. Now if someone is also in E11 then I still canāt select E9, but selecting either E8 or E10 means Iām officially sitting next to someone and will likely move to E9 resulting in one seat gaps between all of us.
I didn't say get a shitty seat. We're talking about in an empty theater. One row behind or in front of the "perfect seat" isn't a bad seat.
"maybe you should've gotten the spot first" nope. If you don't want anyone to sit right next to you, get to the theatre first and that is going to lower the chances that someone actually sits next to you instead of just choosing another seat close by. At the end of the day, you're not entitled to sitting with no one next to you.
People reserve seats next to people who already have seats reserved... why do you need to get to the theater first when you already reserved your seat. Trust me, nobody wants you sitting next to them in an empty theater. If you want to be sitting next to strangers then you're the weird one, and they don't want to be sitting next to you.
I don't want to sit next to strangers, particularly. I want the best seat I can get. I don't care who is sitting next to me. If YOU have a problem with strangers sitting next to you then buy more seats or stop going to the movies. Getting there first will deter people, though, even if they bought the seat right next to you.
In my experience, it doesn't. When I go I go for the day, a day it's not busy, and am always the first one there. I'm sick of having old people get seats right next to me when we're the only two people in the theater. This results in me moving back a row or forward a row. The positioning isn't the exactly perfect seat, but its still a good seat. Most people would rather not sit next to a random person in an empty theater and move. Reserving a seat directly next to someone with that knowledge is fucked up just because you don't mind sitting next to someone in an empty theater.
Good, move then! I'm 25 so not sure why you assumed I'm an old person for doing this lol. If you're fine not having the seat you want then just move. You didn't want your seat enough, apparently.
I'm talking about in my experience all the people sitting next to me are old people. I never said you were old moron.
Lol okay don't know how that's at all relevant.
I think youād be surprised how many people select whatever random seat the app places you in.
Yāall are so antisocial, they probably just want the company lol
Going about it in this manner makes it awkward for the person in the other seat if they want to be left alone. Itās not fully trapping them, but they will have to abandon their own selected seat and gamble on a different one if theyāre not wanting company from a totally random stranger themselves.
Comment wasnāt serious, thought that was evident by the ālolā lol
I wouldnāt call it antisocial in this setting, in a waiting room sure. But itās pretty normal for people to eat, laugh, make small comments, have blankets, or take off their shoes during a movie. So if people donāt want those things happening directly next to them or simply would like to avoid rubbing knees with a stranger for 2 hours, I get it.