I suppose we’ve all seen the news stories about people camping out to get tickets for the opening night of a movie or to buy the latest and greatest gadget. I can understand when something is a limited commodity - like tickets to a specific concert or a limited release of a particular item - but those are special cases. I remember before the Miata came out, people were putting down deposits so they they could take what they could get. Guess they couldn’t wait.
Movies don’t typically disappear after the opening night, even when they suck, and the nifty gadget will be in stock again in a few weeks. Is there something beyond being able to say “I was first!!” that I’m not seeing? Is it an adventure? A challenge? Something to do?
Hadn’t thought about spoilers, but that’s a good point. The Sixth Sense was ruined for me by a radio show host. Well, not exactly ruined, but I watched it differently knowing what was coming.
And actually, sometimes if a movie does poorly, it’s gone from the multiplex after just a week or two, or at least reduced to one or two daily shows. So if the movie you want to see isn’t a blockbuster, you may want to go immediately.
I’ve never stood in line to be the first to buy or see something, but several times I’ve made an effort to pre-order something the second it became available for pre-order. It’s NOT about bragging rights. I don’t really have similarly tech-enthused friends to brag to. It’s just because I want something as soon as possible.
Also, sometimes, if you don’t snag it when it first comes out, it’s a long wait. Earlier this year I pre-ordered an Oculus Rift virtual-reality system. I think I placed my order the day after it became available for pre-order. Two months after it started to ship, I still didn’t have mine.
At one point I regularly bought newly released DVDs and Bluray discs. I noticed that if you went to Best Buy on the Tuesday release date, the discs were cheaper than if you waited until later in that first week to buy them.