Difference between experiences of going to the cinema in US and Europe

[Illuminatiprimus]

I was reading the 'Dark Knight' thread and was really shocked to hear so many people whaling on the experience of going to the cinema/movies in the US, basically saying the people who go are so uncivilised it makes it almost unbearable, and also that the theatres themselves are sometimes really shoddy.

I have to say to contrasts starkly to my experience of going to the cinema in the UK. Everyone sits still in silence, maybe one person will get their phone out and text but generally get told to stop by someone close by, the seating and sound proofing are always as you'd expect them to be, and as long as you don't go to an earlier showing full of kids you have an extremely civilised experience. I can only think of two times when I got annoyed enough with fellow patrons at films for it to impact on my viewing experience, and in both cases that was only temporary (one was someone whose phone rang and they wouldn't reject the call so it kept going - after enough people yelled at them they eventually stopped it, and the other was sitting in front of two teenagers who were yakking through Star Trek IX who promptly shut up when I turned round and told them to).

I'll never forget watching Scream 2 and there being a scene set in a cinema and people were running around, throwing popcorn at each other, yelling and fake stabbing each other with plastic knives, and wondering if that in any way resembled reality in America. Apparently, it does.

[Wendell Wagner]

My experiences in the U.S. at movie theaters matches yours in the U.K. In my experience, noisy people at movies isn't common at all. Furthermore, I lived in the U.K. from 1987 to 1990, and I don't remember that much difference.

[singular1]

I've gone to the movies in PA, VA, ME, CA, LA, MS and WA, and I can honestly say they mostly reflect what the OP expresses in London. There are exceptions - no one expects that experience at a Rocky Horror Picture showing, and there is a lot of audience participation at some types of film festivals. But for the most part it's quiet and enjoyable. But I hasten to add that I always go to matinees specifically so I can avoid those conditions. Occasionally you'll get the kid kicking your seat (there was a kid doing this at Wall-E this weekend, but eventually the dad got him under control), but even in theaters that serve alcohol (New Orleans theaters have daiquiri machines in the lobbies and there are several that serve food and beer or wine at small tables in second run theaters) the audience is mostly there to watch a movie quietly.

[3acresandatruck]

The last movie I went to was in 2003. There was none of the running around or fake stabbing with plastic knives as mentioned in the OP, but the talking, yelling, cell phones, popcorn throwing, etc were in full display. I won't go to a movie again, even if you pay for the ticket.

[Trunk]

It's really theater/show dependent.

No way would I go see Batman at a megaplex on opening weekend. It might be civilized (civilised, to you) but I'm really bothered when it's not, so I stay away.

I go to theaters that mainly attract an adult crowd and are well-managed. They at least have the reputation that ushers will take care of problems. Some theaters aren't like that, and so I stay away.

But, I bet for the most part, it's not as great a difference as it sometimes seems from this board.

[interface2x]

I don't really see that kind of behavior in the US theaters, either. Like the OP, every once in a while you see a tool texting or maybe there's one person acting a little annoying, but widespread annoyances are few and far between in my experiences. I see movies at matinees, late shows, you name it. And at a theater that has tons of teens hanging out in front during prime time. Never an issue for me.

Maybe I have a high tolerance or something.

[MarcusF]

Based on a sample of one :smack: I felt there was a difference. A few years back we went to see Collateral soon after it came out at a cinema in Daytona. Not the Rock Horror Show but a straight thriller and there was definitely a noticible difference from what I'd expect in Britain. Much more audible cheers and groans and even applause at one point. (There was also a women with a crying baby who took ages to leave, but you get idiots anywhere.)

[Pushkin]

I got the impression that a US cinema is like a colosseum from reports on premieres that always seem to describe people rising from their seats, cheering and hooting, to which I always think "Its a film for fuck's sake, sit down."

[Harmonious Discord]

You can walk or drive to the movies in the USA but you have to take a plane to the ones in Europe. At least from what I see.

[DrFidelius]

I have found that theatres in the US often show films in English, but ones in most of Europe show films where everyone talks foreign.

[Zsofia]

It really isn't like some people would have you believe here in the US.

However, in Europe, you can buy a beer at the movies. So I'd say the experience there is preferable for that reason. :)

[An Gadaí]

Cinema in US was cheaper to go to, more room in seats, and there were ads at the start trying to recruit people into the army, but these were the only differences I noticed between there and here.

[WormTheRed]

It really isn't like some people would have you believe here in the US.

However, in Europe, you can buy a beer at the movies. So I'd say the experience there is preferable for that reason. :)


In some countries in Europe you can buy a beer at some movie theaters. Not at all here, not at all in Sweden, and at least not in the ones in Germany and France that I've been to.

Europe is not a country :)



As for the OP. I've never been to the movies in the USA, but I've had all sorts of experiences when going here. Most of the time people are perfectly well mannered and behave themselves, but sometimes you just go at a bad time.

(Sh)It happens.

[Trunk]

My favorite movie theater has been selling beer in the lobby for months. Temporary license. They're applying for a permanent liquor license.

$5 for a 16 ounce GOOD BEER. They had Bitburger and Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA last time I went. Not bad when a soda costs $4.00.

Of course all that means is that I don't need to sneak it in anymore.

[Švejk]

[talking from a Dutch perspective, this is]

I don't go to the movies so often anymore, mostly because it's way too expensive nowadays (€9,- on most nights, as opposed to something like three or four euros not that long ago) - you can buy a dvd, a sixpack of beer and a bag of chips and enjoy with your friends for that money. Also, unless you go to the small art houses, which is pretty much all I do nowadays, there is a lot of uncivilised behavior going on, and if you're going to be bold enough to say something about the shouting and calling and throwing with popcorn ruining your €9,- experience, you'll probably get yelled at. People that are rude enough to be such dicks in a movie theater are not likely to respond to any admonishments by saying 'gosh, I'm so sorry to have bothered you, I will stop playing music from my cell phone speakers fortwith!'

So, where you're at, do they still do intermissions? They phased those out here over the last decade. And if you don't like the movie, do you just finish watching it because you paid for it and not watching it would be a waste of money, or do you leave? This is not very common here but I've been to movies elsewhere and I've watched in amazement how a significant part of the audience left before the end of the movie.

[Zsofia]

In some countries in Europe you can buy a beer at some movie theaters. Not at all here, not at all in Sweden, and at least not in the ones in Germany and France that I've been to.

Europe is not a country :)



As for the OP. I've never been to the movies in the USA, but I've had all sorts of experiences when going here. Most of the time people are perfectly well mannered and behave themselves, but sometimes you just go at a bad time.

(Sh)It happens.
I've only been in Belgium. They also sold bags of chips - not those little vending machine bags, but the grocery store kind!

There's a little independent theater here where you can get a Rolling Rock and a couple other kinds of beer. They also have Blenheim ginger ale, which is awesome.

[WormTheRed]

I've only been in Belgium. They also sold bags of chips - not those little vending machine bags, but the grocery store kind!

There's a little independent theater here where you can get a Rolling Rock and a couple other kinds of beer. They also have Blenheim ginger ale, which is awesome.

So if I pack my bags real quick I'll be able to catch the late show :)

(damn.. I want to be able to drink beer at the movies. Stupid socialist system*...)

*not meant in a general political sense... just general frustration from the big-brotherness that sometimes occurs. I am not going to discuss politics here.

[Švejk]

(damn.. I want to be able to drink beer at the movies. Stupid socialist system*...)

*not meant in a general political sense... just general frustration from the big-brotherness that sometimes occurs. I am not going to discuss politics here.

let's not :) but just to nitpick: in most of the (formerly) socialist countries, beer consumption is a much more important and less expensive aspect of daily life, including movie-going.

[randwill]

[talking from a Dutch perspective, this is]So, where you're at, do they still do intermissions? They phased those out here over the last decade. And if you don't like the movie, do you just finish watching it because you paid for it and not watching it would be a waste of money, or do you leave? This is not very common here but I've been to movies elsewhere and I've watched in amazement how a significant part of the audience left before the end of the movie.The 'intermissions' was the first thing I thought of. Several years ago I was visiting Switzerland and went to see whatever the new Batman movie was. I was surprised when, right in the middle of an exciting battle, the film stopped and the lights came up. I asked another audience member what the deal was and he told me it was common there to have a break halfway through the film.

Now that I'm older and films seem, in general, to be longer, I think this is, bathroom-wise, a good thing. But since there are rarely any intermissions actually built into the films, this practice seemed weird to me at the time, especially since the breaks would come at the end of a reel, which wouldn't necessarily even happen at the end of a given scene.

[WormTheRed]

let's not :) but just to nitpick: in most of the (formerly) socialist countries, beer consumption is a much more important and less expensive aspect of daily life, including movie-going.

To take this even further into nitpick-territory. I'd call them former communist countries. With socialist systems, I'm referring to the cold north of Scandinavia with our state owned Liquor Monopolies ;)

But I do realise I could've phrased that better. Sorry.

[Švejk]

well, to nitpick your nitpick :), those formerly communist countries called themselves socialist. The Scandinavian countries I would call social democratic countries, much like my own. But I, too, could've phrased that better, so sorry from me as well.

One more thing about movie going - which is what this thread is about, after all - one thing that I don't like about movies (or TV) in most countries in Europe is that they dub movies into their own language. Not in Holland, thankfully, but pretty much every other place that I know off.

[Bayard]

Although I haven't seen popcorn and plastic knife fights, I'm usually pretty apalled by the behavior of people at the movies. But, I've found that earlier shows usually attract fewer cretins than later ones. The 5:00 showing of WALL-E was quite nice. And, I've found that I can usually enjoy subtitled foreign moves at the local art house in peace. But the time I went to a Bourne movie at 9:00 on opening weekend, I was ready to imitate Bourne's anger-management techniques by the time I left. Shut up!

What I dislike most about the movie-going experience at the mondoplex, though, is the ever-growing amount of time spent on ads and trailers. The movie is supposed to start at 5:00, but I sit there until 5:20 watching freakin' ads and trailers. So, my options are: 1) get there by the published start time and get pissed off because I just paid $9 to watch advertising; 2) get there 20 minutes late and try to find a seat in the dark; 3) Netflix. Hmmm....

ETA: Getting back on topic, do theaters in Europe inflict that many ads and trailers on their audiences after the published start time?

[Švejk]

Twenty minutes is excessive, I'd say it's about ten minutes or so. But it's on the increase, it's probably going to get worse.

[WormTheRed]

I'd say 10-15 minutes of ads and trailers. Which works out fine if you're going to a movie that's been showing for a few weeks. Since then you can show up that late.

Not so fine if you're going to a premiere of a Blockbuster...

And regarding interruptions. They do that here in Iceland, but not in Sweden.

[kellner]

Not at all here, not at all in Sweden, and at least not in the ones in Germany and France that I've been to.Huh? I don't think I've ever been to a cinema in Germany that didn't sell beer. I can't think of a reason why a normal cinema would do that. (In some cities they have special children's cinemas, there selling beer might not be worth it.)
ETA: Getting back on topic, do theaters in Europe inflict that many ads and trailers on their audiences after the published start time?Twenty minutes is long but not certainly not unheard of. From other posts on this board I got the impression that in the US ads in cinemas are a relatively recent phenomenon. Here it has been perfectly normal for decades.

[WormTheRed]

Huh? I don't think I've ever been to a cinema in Germany that didn't sell beer. I can't think of a reason why a normal cinema would do that. (In some cities they have special children's cinemas, there selling beer might not be worth it.)


Well, there's at least one in Konstanz that doesn't. But maybe they just didn't sell on a working day?

[Illuminatiprimus]

So, where you're at, do they still do intermissions? They phased those out here over the last decade. And if you don't like the movie, do you just finish watching it because you paid for it and not watching it would be a waste of money, or do you leave? This is not very common here but I've been to movies elsewhere and I've watched in amazement how a significant part of the audience left before the end of the movie. No intermissions in the UK either except for one time when I was watching a film in Cornwall, but that was about 13 years ago.

I've walked out of two films in my life and will happily do so again if I'm not enjoying the film (that said I've turned off far more films I'm watching on DVD if I'm not enjoying them, so I'd guess that I'm less willing to walk out of cinemas).

[Driver8]

However, in Europe, you can buy a beer at the movies. So I'd say the experience there is preferable for that reason. :)I've been to at least two cinemas here in Atlanta that serve beer. The one down the street here in Midtown and another that looks new that servers restaurant style food on bar like tables setup for the seats.

[Argent Towers]

It really isn't like some people would have you believe here in the US.

However, in Europe, you can buy a beer at the movies. So I'd say the experience there is preferable for that reason. :)

And in Paris, you can buy a beer at McDonald's!

You know what they call a Big Mac in France?

[vivalostwages]

I rarely see films in the cinema anymore, at least not until a certain film has been out for so long that I can see it with virtually no one else around me.
And it's not the kids that bug me; it's the other adults--the ones with their big jingling key rings, text messaging/blue light crap, and general yammering.

[MovieMogul]

ETA: Getting back on topic, do theaters in Europe inflict that many ads and trailers on their audiences after the published start time?Europe was doing the pre-trailer advertisements long before they became ubiquitous in the U.S. (in fact, that's where U.S. chains got the idea).

Reservation seating is also something I'd run into in the UK sometimes--picking an exact seat assignment when you buy your ticket (something the new Sundance theater chain is adapting here as well). One thing I liked was that some UK theaters would post not only the times when the adverts/trailers began, but also when the feature would begin, so you knew when to show up if you wanted to skip that stuff beforehand (and because you had an assigned seat, you weren't left with only bad seats to choose from).

[Dewey Finn]

Based on a sample of one :smack: I felt there was a difference. A few years back we went to see Collateral soon after it came out at a cinema in Daytona. Not the Rock Horror Show but a straight thriller and there was definitely a noticible difference from what I'd expect in Britain. Much more audible cheers and groans and even applause at one point. (There was also a women with a crying baby who took ages to leave, but you get idiots anywhere.)
The crying baby aside, aren't the cheers, groans and applause desirable? I mean, part of the fun is the shared experience.

[Equipoise]

My husband and I go to a LOT of movies (over 150 in the theater last year) and I can count on the one hand the times that I've had problems, and that's from ALL my moviegoing, my ENTIRE LIFE. I'm not kidding either. Some people are just lucky and others are trouble-magnets, that's what it seems like. Really though, I think the "lucky" ones aren't so much lucky as serious about movie-going and know when and where, and how, to go to the movies.

Regarding differences, we saw a movie during one of our trips to London (Ghost, which we had no interest in seeing, but our hosts picked the movie, and we were too polite to exclaim "Are you KIDDING ME?"), and it was fine, though we were shocked at the assigned seating. We would absolutely despise that here. We were surprised at how expensive it was and that they served beer too. That was at a huge, old theater in central London (Piccadilly Square? I forget).

During another London trip we went to a movie of our choosing, (The Line, The Cross and The Curve), but that was out in some 'burb, the only place it was playing, so we had to take a convoluted series of buses to get there. We had fun and it was worth the trip, though that theater was indistinguishible from a suburban megaplex here, except it cost more.

[Tom Tildrum]

I got the impression that a US cinema is like a colosseum from reports on premieres that always seem to describe people rising from their seats, cheering and hooting, to which I always think "Its a film for fuck's sake, sit down."
Well, a premiere is something more of a social event than an ordinary showing. Clapping at the end might happen on the assumption that people connected to the movie may be present.

I'll concur with the answers that say that the vast majority of US movies have quiet non-disruptive audiences. Action movies that skew young may produce an audience with more rowdy adolescents.


I'll never forget watching Scream 2 and there being a scene set in a cinema and people were running around, throwing popcorn at each other, yelling and fake stabbing each other with plastic knives, and wondering if that in any way resembled reality in America. Apparently, it does.
It's a relatively common stereotype of unsophisticated horror-movie audiences that depicts them as screaming in fear, or shouting advice to the characters. When I saw this thread title, I imagined French intellectuals shouting at a movie screen: "Zut! Ne vont pas là-dedans. Elle a un couteau!"

[TWDuke]

From other posts on this board I got the impression that in the US ads in cinemas are a relatively recent phenomenon. Here it has been perfectly normal for decades.In the Los Angeles area at least, they've been around for decades, although in a more limited sense. It used to be common to see ONE ad before a movie, and it was usually for the LA Times (newspaper).

Previews of coming attractions have been part of the movie-going experience since our grand-daddies day (true, they used to come after the feature, hence the name "trailers," but that was a long time ago), and I kind of look forward to seeing them, at least to a point. After the third one they sort of blend together.

What I hate are the ads for television shows. If I wanted to watch crappy sitcoms and reality TV, I would have stayed home and kept my $11. These are usually packaged together into some sort of pseudo-entertainment program. One version is called "The 20", as in 20 minutes of this garbage. I have noticed, though, at least at one local googleplex, that if you arrive at the published show time you will catch the beginning of the trailers but miss all the other preliminaries. Of course you take a chance on not being able to get a good seat.

When I was in France I was told the standard practice was to advertise the actual start time of the feature itself. This compelled ad agencies to make their ads appealing enough that people would actually come early to see them. But that was many years ago and things have probably changed.

Back to the OP, there is no single standard of cinema behavior in the United States. My experience has led me to expect lots of laughing and shouting and cell-phone usage right up to the start of the feature, but quiet decorum after that. On the other hand, there is one theater I stopped going to altogether because audiences there never seemed to shut up.

[shy guy]

I've found that my moviegoing experiences are a lot different in New York than they were when I lived in Michigan.

Trying to go see a movie in my small-ish hometown was always a gamble, because audiences were terrible. People would yak away, constantly text, throw food, etc.. I think part of the reason might be that there was so little to do in said town that you wound up with a lot of adolescents with time to kill.

I haven't had a bad experience yet in NYC. The closest was when I went to see 28 Weeks Later and someone actually brought their baby into the theater. The baby predictably started crying during the first preview, someone shouted, "GET THAT BABY OUT OF THE GODDAMN THEATER!", and the couple left with their tails between their legs. A bit rude, perhaps, but they deserve it for doing something so dumb.

I've gone to see a lot of big movies on opening day in some pretty big theaters (like the Regal in Union Square), and I've never had a particularly bad experience.

[Zsofia]

It's a relatively common stereotype of unsophisticated horror-movie audiences that depicts them as screaming in fear, or shouting advice to the characters. When I saw this thread title, I imagined French intellectuals shouting at a movie screen: "Zut! Ne vont pas là-dedans. Elle a un couteau!"

For some reason shouting at the screen is an African American cliche in general. I don't know why, as I haven't noticed black people doing it more than anybody else.

[Illuminatiprimus]

I haven't had a bad experience yet in NYC. The closest was when I went to see 28 Weeks Later and someone actually brought their baby into the theater. The baby predictably started crying during the first preview, someone shouted, "GET THAT BABY OUT OF THE GODDAMN THEATER!", and the couple left with their tails between their legs. A bit rude, perhaps, but they deserve it for doing something so dumb. Odeon (the main cinema chain in the UK) now have specialist showings during the week for different audiences, including one for parents with babies. Whilst I think it's a lovely idea I'd hate to be someone in that showing, one baby is bad enough!

[shy guy]

Odeon (the main cinema chain in the UK) now have specialist showings during the week for different audiences, including one for parents with babies. Whilst I think it's a lovely idea I'd hate to be someone in that showing, one baby is bad enough!
I've heard of those happening here in the U.S., as well. Even if I were a parent I can't imagine how horrific those things must be.

Also, I have seen a few movies in the U.K. (at at least two Odeon locations), and I found the audiences to be fine, but not necessarily any more polite than I've seen in American theaters. I was in London when Spider-Man 2 was released, and there was some obnoxious foreign guy (yes, I realize that I was also a foreign guy) who wouldn't shut up during the beginning of the movie but thankfully quieted down quickly.

[squeegee]

I've never had a problem watching a movie this around here. Occasionally someone will start coughing and stumble out to get some water. Or a kid makes noise and the parents shush or walk/carry the kid out if need be. It does depend on the movie and the time -- if its, say, Wall-E on a Saturday afternoon, the kids get a bit unruly, so I just avoid those types of movies on weekends.

I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and had similar movie-going experiences, no problems. I did, however, once attend a movie near the Loop, and was amazed at how rude people were -- yelling at the screen, talking among themselves loudly. It was freaking awful! So go figure -- it depends on the movie, the time, and the place.

[cochrane]

And in Paris, you can buy a beer at McDonald's!

You know what they call a Big Mac in France? le Big-Mac. ;)

[clairobscur]

When I was in France I was told the standard practice was to advertise the actual start time of the feature itself. This compelled ad agencies to make their ads appealing enough that people would actually come early to see them. But that was many years ago and things have probably changed.



Sometimes, it's advertised as "Seance à 16h30, film 20 mn après", so you know that you can come in 20 minutes later, but it seems more and more common just to mention the start time of the "seance". Still, you know that you're not going to miss anything by showing up 15 minutes late (except in art movie theatres, where there are few or no ads).


I suspect that a lot of people show up at the beginning of the "seance" more in order to get a seat than because they enjoy the ads, even though I happen to be one of those persons who want to watch them (I don't go that often to the movies, so I often never had watched them before. If if was going there every week, it would probably becomes old in quick order).


As far as I know, there has been ads before the movie for at least 50 years, and I think much longer than that. Ads in theatres is almost a monopoly held by one company; its logo, a miner kid with a pickaxe, has been around forever and you can notice it in old documentaries, for instance. That's how I know ads have be shown for a very looong time.


Last time I saw an intermission, I was still a kid, during the 70s. The main point was apparently to sell ice-creams, candies, etc.. The usher would walk around the theatre with a basket full of foodstuff during it. And by the way, I haven't seen an usher in a long time. I suspect they went the way of the dodo 20 years ago.


I don't know if beer is available over here. I don't like beer, so I never paid attention. I think not, but I'm not sure.





Finally, I must say that if I had not participated in (or maybe even started, don't remember) a thread on this topic some years ago, I would still be fully convinced that movie theatres in the USA are almost as bad as the OP describes, because frankly it's the general perception you get reading the threads on this board.

[jackdavinci]

Haven't been to Europe. But the US experience by me isn't bad. It might depend on where you are. There's a stereotype here of predominantly black audiences liking to talk back to the screen but I haven't personally experienced that. Every once in awhile there is someone annoying but by no means is it ever more than an isolated incident. Matinees with a lot of kids even isn't a guaranteed disaster. The US is a really big and diverse place though. I'm sure it varies. I do notice though that people don't seem to be aware yet that although texting is quiet, the light from your phone blinds anyone in the rows behind you.

That said, while I wouldn't like conversations, phones ringing, food throwing, etc, I do really like when the theater is packed with an excited audience which will cheer and clap at opportune moments.

[Wakinyan]

I'm almost... or probably I am neurotic when it comes to sounds and watching a film. I found sound very disturbing when watching a film I'm the slightest interested in, since it continously breaks the illusion on the screen.
And since most people (I'm in Scandinavia) seem to go to the movies to eat something - popcorn, candy, perhaps over a casual conversation - the movies is just a waste of time for me. The LOTR movies are just about the only ones I've seen on the big screen during the 21th century.

[Khadaji]

I rarely have a bad experience at the movies. But then, I almost always go to an early showing, so maybe that is it.

[gaffa]

I've never had a problem watching a movie this around here. Occasionally someone will start coughing and stumble out to get some water. Or a kid makes noise and the parents shush or walk/carry the kid out if need be. It does depend on the movie and the time -- if its, say, Wall-E on a Saturday afternoon, the kids get a bit unruly, so I just avoid those types of movies on weekends.
Exactly. See films intended for kids at times when kids are not likely to be there. Never see a horror film on a weekend (when all the amateur movie-goers are out).

I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and had similar movie-going experiences, no problems. I did, however, once attend a movie near the Loop, and was amazed at how rude people were -- yelling at the screen, talking among themselves loudly. It was freaking awful! So go figure -- it depends on the movie, the time, and the place.
Sounds like Kerasote's Webster Place. Or City North 14 on a Tuesday. I don't know if it's taste in movies, theaters, timing or just good luck, but in my years of seeing 2 to 5 films a week in Chicago and Kansas City, I've only had maybe half a dozen bad theater experiences.

Whenever one of these threads happens, somebody posts a rant about the theatrical experience that is so different from mine as to be in a different universe.

They claim that a night out at the theater costs them an amount that must include valet parking, and either Montessori child care or popcorn, large drinks and Jujubes for every member of their extended family. Huh? My wife and I take the CTA to the theater and buy AMC passes for $14.99 for a pair, so even the River North 21, which has a maximum ticket of $10.50 costs $7.50. And the AMC chain policy allows you to bring in your own food and drinks, so I have my bottle of Pepsi One and my own snacks in my backpack. Even including snacks, we rarely spend more than $20 on an evening out at the movies - shockingly cheap for an evening out in a great American city. And when I'm in Kansas City, the AMC Ward Parkway shows first run films in a perfectly decent set of 14 theaters for $5 Sunday through Thursday.

I can't imagine living in their world.

[Equipoise]

Finally, I must say that if I had not participated in (or maybe even started, don't remember) a thread on this topic some years ago, I would still be fully convinced that movie theatres in the USA are almost as bad as the OP describes, because frankly it's the general perception you get reading the threads on this board.Read very closely. The people who have the most problems hardly ever go to the theater! Either they haven't been for years, or only go once or twice a year. Amateur moviegoers attract trouble for some reason. Regular and especially obsessive moviegoers (my husband and I are in that category) rarely have problems. People in big cities also seem to have less problems than those in small towns. Art house patrons too almost never have problems besides the occasional cell phone ringing.

It's an odd thing, but don't let the pikers skew your perception.

[bubastis]

The thoughts of people jeering and throwing stuff at the screen just kinda makes the vermillion mist descend upon me, which means that I'm gonna avoid the cinema when I go stateside. I like my movies in SILENCE.

Last movie I went to was The Mist, a late show (11pm) on friday night... What the hell was I thinking. Plenty of drunk people, all of whom had no interest n the slow creepy pace of the movie. One row of assholes started cheering and yelling when a particularly hateful character got killed.. It pissed me off, but I kinda saw where they were coming from. Still, I didnt cheer because I've got a leeeeetle bit of manners.

Now, all that being said, I do wish cinema crowds here (Ireland) would applaud certain movies... Like, really great cinema experiences. I'd love to be in a crowd that broke into applause after, say, The Dark Knight.

[Equipoise]

The thoughts of people jeering and throwing stuff at the screen just kinda makes the vermillion mist descend upon me, which means that I'm gonna avoid the cinema when I go stateside.Tell me I'm being whooshed. Or at least, please tell me that you've not read a single word I've written in this thread.

[devilsknew]

The major difference in my European vs. American filmgoing experience was not so much the ambience but the formality. There was still a certain expectation of a special evening, that social construct of dressing for an evening of Theater, and enjoying it as such. There was Wein and Bier available, Wurst and Sugared Popcorn. A special continental showing of 007's The Living Daylights (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093428/) dubbed Deutsch, IIRC.

I've been lucky, I guess. My American theater going experience has been nothing like the experience that I see on this board. I've always had pleasant and positive theater going experiences in the USA.

[bubastis]

Tell me I'm being whooshed. Or at least, please tell me that you've not read a single word I've written in this thread.


'lil from column A, 'lil from column B.