I’m so happy that most of theaters in Chicago are moving towards reserved seating. I remember having to show up about an hour before The Dark Knight to get good seats. I’ll probably show up about 15 minutes early for Infinity War, only because the parking garage will be pretty full.
The two theaters closest to me are not only reserved seating, but they’re the big comfy chairs with power reclining and footstools.
Ha! I remember a few years ago I mentioned how all the movie theaters in my country had reserved seating, and everyone here scoffed that it would never catch on in the United States. People actually tried to convince me that waiting an hour to grab a seat was a time-honored American tradition and that taking that away from them would be taking their FREEDOM.
I just got my tickets.
Weird, the theater nearest me - which is normally reserved seating - is general admission.
I loathe reserved seating, and drive a couple miles past the nearest theater to avoid it. Yes, your seats are locked in, but you’re also stuck with the folks near you. I prefer the option to move if the people nearby are annoying/sick.
A few years ago I was angry my theater was moving to reserved seating and then I used it and I love it. The flexibility of not having to come a half hour or more early to a movie to get the seat you want is joyous. I am very much a fan and avoid theaters that don’t do reserved seating now if I can.
As far as being stuck next to bad neighbors, once the movie starts and it is unlikely anyone else is coming you can just move assuming there are free seats. The Movie Police won’t arrest you.
Definitely wait until the movie starts before moving though. Reserved seating means a lot of people now plan to arrive 10-15 minutes after the scheduled start time, so they don’t have to sit through all the previews.
I can see this or Loki bargaining for his life and the remaining Asgardians/gladiators in exchange for the Space Stone. Loki assumes it includes Thor and it doesn’t…Thanos wants revenge. Or Thor objects, gets “spaced,” and Loki and the Asgardians are transported ‘somewhere’. So if there is a Thor 4, it’s him trying to locate them in the far reaches of space (also the convenient way to get Loki, Heimdall and Valkyrie out of the way for the next two movies.)
I personally think Nebula is the death in the early part of the movie.
Yeah, that wasn’t my experience. It was a Festival of Annoying People. I moved away from a group of teens who were sharing a bottle of vodka-scented “water” only to discover the seats we’d moved to belonged to people who think showing up 20 minutes into the film (40 minutes after showtime, allowing for trailers/ads) was fine.
Doesn’t’ anyone do Matinees anymore? It’s cheaper, and you get the whole theater to yourself.
I saw black panther the second week it was out, on a monday at 11:30 am, and it was the most crowded I’ve seen the theater at that time. there were maybe 15 other people in there.
Most of the time, it’s emptier. It is not uncommon for myself and my friend to be the only ones in the theater.
I almost exclusively see movies during morning showings but have been to crowded evening ones as well. Either way I will gladly trade maybe getting stuck next to jerks vs. knowing exactly where I will sit and being able to show up right when the movie starts every time.
k9befriender:
My local theater does this, $5 for the first showing of the day. I just saw Black Panther on that basis yesterday. (Yes, I know I’m late to the party. I was planning to see it on Presidents Day, but I was laid up in the hospital for almost a month with a bad viral infection.)
G-d willing, I’ll be seeing Avengers: Infinity War there, too.
I tend to go to weekday afternoon showings. The morning showings start just too late for me to go out to lunch afterwards.
I work nights, so matinees are pretty much all I go to (I saw Ready Player One yesterday at 10 a.m. for instance). But that doesn’t work for some films.