Depends on the film and if I have to rush out to catch another film. I’ll stay if:
1. Do you stay until the end of the movie credits?
Every-freaking-one, until the film stock, sound process, and trade union trademarks roll by as the lights go up in the theater. Those who go to movies with me know this and must accept it.
2. Why or why not?
I am fascinated by the movie-making process, and used to work in the industry. Every credit has meaning and interest to me. I want to know where the movie was shot, what the songs on the soundtrack were, what relatives of the filmmakers appeared in bit parts.
I like to watch the credits, and see the surprises that sometimes come at the end of them, as has already been mentioned.
My favorite one of these was at the end of “The Muppet Movie”, when at the end of the credits Animal’s face fills the screen and he hollers “Go HOME, go HOME!!!”
Very rarely. Usually it’s because I want to find out the details of some piece of the background music used in the film.
As far as I’m concered the film’s over when the acting finishes.
Yeppir. My butt is in that seat until the blue MPAA card.
Why? A few reasons. Part of it is simply a Pavlovian response trained into me from the first Airplane! movie-- the entertainment may not be finished until the film is completely unspooled.
Also, I dislike crowding, so I’m in no hurry to shove my way out of the theater along with the rest of the herd.
Third, I am curious about how movies are made, and am often surprised by bits of trivia. How about that, the creature design was done by Crash McCreery! Interesting; music by Mark Mothersbaugh-- so that’s what he’s up to lately. Oh hey, this movie wasn’t filmed in Toronto! Amazing.
Fourth, I confess I have this vague feeling that leaving before the credits are done is somehow disrespectful. I know it makes no sense, but there it is. If I enjoyed it, I want to see who was responsible. It’s the least I can do to acknowledge the contribution of all the clapper loaders and grips and gaffers and best boys who would otherwise be completely invisible.
Fifth, a surprising number of moviemaking personnel have genuinely funny names.
I usually stay through the credits of any good dramatic movie. I like soaking up that last bit of atmosphere and immersion, and it’s a good segway back into the real world. For stupid action movies and comedies, I usually just leave, as I was probably never really immersed in it; it was just a bit of mindless fun that my mind can turn off right quick.
Usually not. Unless I’ve heard that there’s a scene at the end (like the POTC movies) once the cast list has gone by, I leave.
Odds are pretty great that there won’t be anything after the credits. So far I’ve only missed something by not staying twice - a throw away scene at the end of Blade Trinity and a surprising scene at the end of Constantine.
I watch the opening, the middle and the end. The bitter end. The director made it that way, didn’t he?
Seriously, not only are there sometimes interesting credits and gags, but I look for people I know who worked on the movie, especially in the music section.
what Windwalker said, plus consideration for easter eggs and large crowds.
it’s a hint to you that he finds it boring to sit through the credits. more boring than standing outside alone.
I get the feeling that credit watching really separates the sheep from the goats and that at the end of the credits I could jump up and say, “You’re all invited to my place for pizza and beer!” and everyone there would get along just fine for years and years of friendship.
I stay because the credits are good. Why leave when you can stay?
Once at the Student Center after a showing of Apocalypse Now, someone made the mistake of turning up the house lights while Jim Morrison had just begun singing 'This Is The End" and the napalm was igniting the palm trees. You have never heard such rowdy calls, stomping and whistles from movie goers. The lights went back off and we could indulge in the horror.
I stay - for all the gaffers and best boys who otherwise would go unsung.
Or as Tom Servo phrased it during the credits for **MST3K: The Movie **: “I Sing the Additional Grip/Electric!”
Now there was a credit sequence! A ringing endorsement of Movie Credit Observationalism if ever there was one. Crow T. Robot even remarks: “I don’t know why people leave during the credits! I always stay during the credits!”
…Of course, the premise of the show established that they’d be blown out into space or something if they ever tried to leave the theater early. Still, the broader point holds… leave early, miss funny credits.
I generally stay long enough to read all the actors’ credits. Beyond that, I’ll only stay longer if I’m curious about some particular thing I noticed during the movie (e.g., a location that looked familiar or interesting). I only stay through the entire credits if it’s the type of movie I know is going sneak some things in (e.g., the ZAZ comedies, the POTC films, or the musical remake of The Producers).
I usually stay. Particularly for serious films I need some time to decompress before I go back to the real world. Sometimes I want to check the cast list, or find out what music was playing that I liked. Bonus stuff at the end is nice too. Most people here stay through the whole credits. If I remember right (it’s been years since I went to a movie in the US) it’s the opposite back home.
I always stay. If I’m in New York, I stay because we all stay, and we all stay because we’re all hip and cultured.
If I’m in Kansas or Mexico, I’ll stay, so I can glare disapprovingly at everyone else as they walk out of the theater.
(I’d add a 
, except the sad fact is that all the above is true.)
With the advent of IMDB I don’t stay as consistently as in years past. Many of my friends in college were film majors and it’s not unusual to see a familiar name as a sound editor or assistant to the 2nd assistant AD and I am tickled to see those on the big screen.
There are a lot of factors that enter into the decision to stay or not stay. Was the film good, very emotional, worth extending the shared experience with my fellow theater patrons? Sometimes there seems to be a collective decision to stay and quietly absorb what we’ve seen before reentering the real world.
There are also practical considerations. Do I need the rest room? (Depending on how crowded the place is this can either be an argument for or against waiting). Is the entire parking lot about to bottleneck into one lane out onto route 9A? (Who designed that???) Might as well wait. Is there a babysitter at home with the $10/hour meter running? GOTTA GO!!! No Dawdling!!!
Now, as I approach a certain age I often cannot get the later credits into focus as fast as they roll up anyway. But with my sun we stay because “his” movies are most likely to have a bonus for stayers.
Always. Our “official” reason is that for $10.50 we demand to see the entire movie to get our money’s worth But really it’s in case there’s something interesting after the credits, or to see what songs are on the soundtrack, and because it’s a fun tradition.
If I suspect there might be out-takes at the end, like a lot of comedies, then I’ll stay.
Also if I’m with my mother. She walks very slowly and people want to push past.
I stay for a while, but usually get bored and leave before it’s really over.
I like to see the cast, some of the major behind the scenes stuff, and sometimes the music, but to be completely honest, I don’t give a shit who the “Assistant to Mr. Pitt” is.
I stay, for two reasons. First, there are sometimes asorted goodies in, among, or after the credits. If nothing else, there’s the music, and many movies nowadays have extra scenes or cool presentation of the credits themselves (as others have mentioned).
Second, it seems only polite. I mean, all of those people were involved somehow in making this work of art I just saw, and I think they deserve at least token recognition for that (even if I can’t read nearly fast enough to catch all the names).