I sometimes stay for the credits if I’m watching a movie by myself, but my wife has no interest in credits.
Almost always, unless we just didn’t end up liking the movie at all and don’t care if there’s anything special or stingers. But even if I know there aren’t, I’ll sit through them. It’s just gotten to be a habit.
I like to leave at my own pace, so I let the crowd disperse before I leave my seat, if at all possible. By then, the credits are usually over, or nearly so.
This concept about it being “respectful” is new to me. I guess it makes sense, but I never thought about it before.
I usually don’t stay. For me, the “real world” is more interesting than a theater during the credit roll. I don’t know any of the names of the actors anyway (perhaps because I don’t sit through the credits.) My snack if finished during the previews. I’d like to get home and make sure the kids haven’t burned down the house. If they combine the credits with something, I’ll stay. It’s part of the movie, just like the opening credits.
I usually stay at least through the soundtrack listings. If we know there’s something at the end, then we’ll definitely stay for that.
My husband & usually stay for various reasons. Sometimes it’s to catch an actor’s name (oh, so THAT’S who that was!) or where something was filmed, or a song credit, or sometimes just to see the ASPCA notice. I have to laugh at some of the credits, and sometimes just the nature of some of the technical names is a good insight into which country did a lot of the processing.
We’re odd like that. 
I like to watch the credits but sometiems I have to leave early because the guy came in to sweep already and is giving me dirty looks
I’m the opposite. I’ll stay unless the theatre is crowded. It’s hard to enjoy the credits while people are stepping over me.
A lot of people don’t get that the end title is part of the movie. Sometimes it has the best music of the movie.
There’s almost always an actor I’m trying to ID and the types of movies I like usually have some little joke at the end. Mind you, the last movie I saw in the theater was Hit and Run and before that it was Bad Teacher. (The one before that was Quantum of Solace.) I don’t go to the movie theater very often.
I only stay if I know there will be something after the credits, or if it’s a Marvel movie (as the odds are high that there will be something after the credits).
Other than that, never. If I really cared who was in something I’ll check IMDB once I get home. I usually don’t care, though.
Over 45% voted that they almost always stay till the end of the credits. But when I am watching the credits, and look around, all I see is very few people. More like 3-4 %. Interesting.
I always stay for the credits.
Always, out of respect for the hardworking crew, as stated above. I’ve known lots of people who work in the various behind the scenes parts of making a movie, and know how much time and effort goes into it. (Yes, they get paid very well, but still…)
That’s also why I won’t pirate movies. It is in my friends’ interests that the movie studios continue to be profitable.
Yes, unless I hated the movie.
I’ll stay if I’m interested in finding out something about the film e.g. the identity of a piece of music used in the soundtrack, or the name of the singer(s), or a building/location used in the film.
I usually drink a soda during movies, so by the time the movie is over, my need to urinate is always stronger than my wish to see the credits.
I used to always stay to watch all the credits, but that was when they were a reasonable length. Now that the credits take, what, ten minutes… no. Reading about the major stuff – actors, director, cinematographer, music, etc, that I liked to do (and still do.) Reading about who delivered the pizza and who wrote the legal contracts, no. Not at all.
I voted “Only if there’s a stinger”, but my vote is kind of moot…I rarely see films in the theater. When I do, though, I usually will stay even if I don’t know there’s a stinger because you can’t really tell, anymore, whether there will be or not. It seems to be getting increasingly used.
I’ll stay for any extras, including oddball or whimsical categories, like the list of babies born during the making of that Pixar movie.
I’ll stay to let the parking lot clear.
My snack never lasts that long.
But if I’ve had anything caffienated that day, all bets are off.
(When they were young, my kids used to stay to count whether there were more Erics or Davids associated with the movie. Yes, they were competative in other odd ways, too.)
Dopers are not a good sample if you’re looking for a representative cross-section of Americans (plus a good number of other English speakers).
Not to get snooty, but pretty much by definition, we are (by and large) rather more curious about stuff than your average bear.