I go every now and then. I’m actually going to see Day of the Doctor alone next Monday night at our local theatre. I am sure there will be a ton of local Doctor fans there, so I’m not really alone, am I? I’m going to take my sonic screwdriver.
I rarely go out to movies anymore, but I used to go out pretty much every Saturday (up until 2007, I think). Usually that was a solo journey, only occasionally with friends. I’ve always enjoyed going out by myself.
Up until the last year or so, I didn’t go to the movies very often. If it was a movie I had to see opening weekend, I would, otherwise I’d just wait until it was on DVD or HBO or whatever and see it then. However, in the last year or so, I’ve gained a greater interest in watching movies and I’ve made a point of going to see movies in the theater more often. So, since then, I’ve been averaging going to the theater maybe a little more often than once a month, and I’ve also made a point of trying to watch at least one or two new movies a week at home, sometimes more, but I think more than 2 or 3 new movies in a week and it’s over-saturating and I can’t experience it.
This isn’t much unlike my passion for music, which is far far greater, and I’d always loved going to concerts and buying tons of new albums. And like that, I found that trying to go to concerts on a regular basis really helped to keep my passion strong, and I actually could buy too many albums to not be able to process it all and I’d end up missing a lot of good stuff by going through it too fast.
That all said, I tend to go to the movies alone. I don’t really see the point in going with other people. Yeah, it’s nice to have someone to talk to about it, but as we’re there just watching the film and not talking or whatever, I don’t see why it matters if we see it at the same time or not. In fact, having someone else there can be distracting and make the film less enjoyable, at least if they want to chat or share snacks or whatever. That said, I will drag people to see a film if I really want to share it or have someone to chat with about it, but I don’t usually have that issue. And, I do generally feel the same way about concerts too, but as they’re a one-time kind of deal, it’s more important to get people there. Fortunately, I usually run into others I know there, so it’s not that big of a deal.
You know, seeing this thread makes me wonder why I don’t go to the movies alone more often. Going to the movies really doesn’t require a companion considering you’re sitting quietly the entire time. I’ve done it before, the last time being maybe 10 years ago, and it didn’t feel weird at all. I guess in general I do most things (eat, drink, etc) with other people, but I reckon it’s about time I move going to the movies into the same category that I place grocery shopping, i.e., things that don’t require a partner.
Wait, I know why I don’t go to the movies alone more often. If you asked me what is out right now, I couldn’t tell you for the life of me. Something like 100% of the time I’ve gone to the movies since I graduated college were invites from other people. But if a movie came out that I ever wanted to see on my own and nobody else wanted to tag along, I’d be fine with going by myself.
Somewhere between once every other month and once or twice in my life (big gap there.) I’d say every 5 or 6 months.
Thinking on it made me realize why I do. In Chicago, an evening show is $12 or more, plus parking. I tend to it matinees for half that, which doesn’t accomodate most people’s schedules. To me, for that money I’d rather wait for the video, which is more cnvenient for about the same money.
That’s why God invented the L train. Parking is for people from the suburbs.
When I was single, I went to movies alone quite regularly. I never thought it was uncomfortable, but really I’ve never had a problem with doing much of anything solo.
Now that I have a family, my “going out” time is more limited, and so I tend to use it to spend time with my husband or catch up with friends.
Every time I go.
I have no problem doing anything alone. I eat alone with no inhibitions, for instance. Everyone else seems to have a problem with that though, as though eating alone is the mark of something horribly wrong with you. (and I’m a lady so HA)
I only go to the movies about 3 times a year, and now that I’m married I go with my husband. If he did not want to go I’d just go without him, but that hasn’t happened yet. I would often go with friends before then, but had no problems just going to a movie alone if none were interested.
My most memorable movie experiences are usually when the entire audience is reacting; whether friends are there or not as well makes no difference. It’s having the whole theater react that does it.
However, there was that one time my friends and I had the entire theater to ourselves for a “meh” movie, so we treated it like MST3K. That was pretty memorable.
I really enjoy going to the movie theater, so i go a lot and most of the time it is alone.
My wife and I are on different work schedules and we don’t always want to see the same movies, so we’ll both go to the movies solo occasionally and together when things line up right. Not really a big deal, and we have Alamo Drafthouse theaters in Austin so I make more of an effort to find movies I want to see than I did when we lived in a small town with mediocre old theaters and limited options.
I lived in an apartment across the street from a movie theater while my wife was doing her medical residency (60-80 hour weeks, lots of weekends). Stumbling out of bed hung over on a weekend and seeing a $5 morning show alone at 10:30 am was not exactly rare.
Nowadays, I’m pretty much always going with her, but I’d have no problem going alone again if circumstances worked out that way.
Actually, it’s for people in the suburbs. 
Typically when I see a matinee solo I ride out to 'burbs where there’s not just parking but covered parking (though I got drenched riding back from seeing Thor yesterday anyway). It’s when I’m seeing something with friends that they don’t want to drive “all the way out there” (sheesh, it’s 20 minutes to Skokie), or take the train/bus.
No. Why would I? I go to the movies to see the movie, not to hang out with people. My only purpose in going to the movies is because I want to watch the film.
Evening shows here in Manhattan are $14.50, before noon they are $8, so I always go early morning on the weekends. I’m not going to worry about trying to accommodate someone else’s schedule just so I can see a film I want to. I go alone 99% of the time.
It’s also great because if you happen to get to a theater that is very packed, there will always be at least one single seat near the middle. If you have two or more, you may be stuck sitting down at the very front.
I didn’t vote, because for me it’s about once a year or so, which falls between two of the choices.
Basically, it boils down to when a movie comes out that I want to see on a big screen and my wife doesn’t care to see at all, which is limited to James Bond and some super-hero movies.