To expect people to sit in the cinema tickets they booked?

[CharleyDavidson]

Today, not for the first time, at the cinema I watched people having to ask others to move because there was someone sitting in the seats they'd booked. There's a clear policy at every cinema round here that the seats you sit in are chosen at booking in - either online or on the screens at the tills - and are printed on the tickets. And yet some people seem to just then sit where they like and hope no-one comes and asks them to move.

On one visit, I watched one woman have to move three separate times as she didn't fancy sitting in the seats she booked (she declared this to her children when she went into the screen, I've not just assumed this) and just chose somewhere else to sit.

At one screen it caused a big fuss because one family had decided not to make a fuss and didn't ask someone to move out of their booked seats. Until the people who had booked the seats they'd chosen instead moved up. Then there was a chain reaction of people being asked to move, then going to the seats they should have been sitting in and asking those people to move instead.

Unecessary fuss IMO. Especially when some people arrive to time it when the film starts and to miss the ads and therefore the rearranging happens when the film has already begun.

We were at the Cinema earlier in the week.
Nearly 90 minutes into the movie (with under 30 minutes left) two women and their five DCs arrived and asked the family in their vip seats to move the woman explained someone else was sitting in their seats further down the aisle and had refused to move (at the start of the film) so they 'had' to sit in these seats.
The cinema was very busy with only a few empty seats so the women and their DCs didn't have anywhere else to go so tried to insist on the woman and her family moving, which she refused to do and they began to argue, it got to the point where other people around them were getting involved, eventually one of the women went and found an attendant who found them somewhere to sit, which involved three of the DCs sitting on the womens knees as there were not enough seats together.

Then 10 minutes later they all stood up and left (ten minutes before the ending) they didnt return.

It was very bizarre.

Yanbu. My ex used to do this, and it annoyed me because the constant "I can sit here if I want" and then moving when someone turned up. I once asked for my ticket so I could go to the loo, then returned to my allocated seat. Eventually he ended up in his seat too after 3 moves! He was a twat though on so many levels!

I actually think some people sitting in the wrong seats, dont actually have tickets for that film. At our cineworld there is one ticket checker who checks tickets for about 9 screens, once you are through you can go into any screen and nobody will know if you are in the right film. You could go into one film watch that then pop into another afterwards. I have seen some people just seat hop several times until they dont get asked to move again.

I saw a film in NY with DP once. We are seasoned movie goers, went around 2/3 times a week before the DC were born. We were astonished! People clapped the action on screen! People were throwing popcorn at each other, calling out, a man fell over on the stairs during a toilet trip and took a bow in front of the screen. The man next to DP was initiating a full on deconstruction of the film in very loud tones. Worst of all, at a particularly scary moment, the woman next to me GRABBED me in fear. I don't know why this came out but I told her "Don't fucking touch me, I'm British!!!" It was the strangest experience of my life.

bruffin My friends and I used to do that when we were teens at Odeon Greenwich, which I think has 18 screens. We'd buy tickets, watch our film, then go into the next one that was started. I'd imagine a lot of teenagers and unscrupulous adults get away with it.

They should sit where they book and only move after the film starts.

I agree with that. I book end of aisle seats/edge of room seats when DH is with us as he is tall with a bad back and needs spreading space. I've got no issue with asking someone to move if they in our spot, nicely of course. Only had one woman argue but she shifted when I explained why DH needed the end seat.

There's a special place waiting in hell for people who repeatedly bump the back of my cinema seat.

Alongside those who talk loudly throughout the film.

I always book the same seats...right in the back row in the corner. That way I have DH on one side, and nobody behind or beside me. It's great. If someone is in my seat I make them move. DH often says I'm like Sheldon off Big Bang Theory

There's a special place waiting in hell for people who repeatedly bump the back of my cinema seat.

Alongside those who talk loudly throughout the film.

And those that think it's ok to wear strong perfume when they are going to the cinema or theatre.

Took four kids to the cinema yesterday. When we arrived people were in our seats. It was really busy, so I politely told the people and I was met with 'Are you serious?! Can you not sit somewhere else?'
Well no, there weren't five seats together elsewhere and I booked those seats! Cheeky mare! Huffing and puffing as she moved.

Can't see the fascination with the cinema myself, everytime I've been it's not been the greatest experience, always children sat behind kicking your seat or people rustling packets of food their eating, plus people going in and out to the loo etc whilst the films playing.

Rather wait for films to come out on dvd and enjoy in the comfort of my own home, for less money!

I don't know why I ever bother going to the cinema. For all of the reasons above. I usually spend the entire 90 minutes seething with rage at the person behind me / in front of me / next to me for one reason or another. It's not good for the blood pressure, surely!

We went on Monday, and predictably there was someone sitting in our seats. Cinema was half empty, I say to the woman that she's in our seats (pre-booked because we know where we like to sit), she says 'well someone else was sitting in mine'. Not my problem love....move it. Cue much huffing, dramatic retrieval of coats, snacks etc and explaining to her children loudly why they 'had' to move.

I think I should just wait for things to come out on DVD, much more pleasant.

On the upside, it only costs 4 quid to go to the cinema here :)

I took my shoes off in a film my df took me and my two sisters too in 1970 ish trouble was I didn't tell him til after we'd all queued and shuffled out of the cinema he's still a bit annoyed with me about it now 45 years later

I see your point if the cinema is busy.
However, I often take out a relative with severe SN (as the cinema is one of the outings they can go on without having an anxiety induced meltdown).

We try to book seats well away from other people at less busy times, as their SN is such that they might accidentally kick the seats in front out of excitement/ need to ask questions about the film/ need to do something else that would bother people nearby. So I would move if I got there and saw that other people had booked to sit nearby at the last minute. It's for their benefit rather than ours and I'm sure they'd appreciate us changing seats if they knew.

I saw a film in NY with DP once

You don't realise what it means to be English, until you have been to the cinema in another land.

£4 wowzers that's cheap! Round here(sw) it's 9.50 if you book online and about £12 pp when you just turn up!

DH has Cineworld unlimited and I have comparethemeerkat, we can go every week for £17, probably twice as i have two accounts for comparethemeerkat. DH can go as much as he likes.

Don't fucking touch me, I'm British!
Love this. New t shirt!

:)

I remember going to the cinema years ago with DH, there were just two other people in the whole cinema. I followed DH up the stairs, he entered their row, making them stand to let him pass and sat down at the other end FFS!! Just why! He had no explanation and wasn't usually such a dick.

If the movie was pretty busybthen yanbu, if it was dead then yabu

My balls, your dh IS the problem - out!

You would love me and my friends. We booked to see a live screening of Frankenstein at our local cinema, middle of January, totally freezing night. There was us and two other couples in the cinema. No one moved from their booked seats. I suggested jumping into the empty vip seats when it was obvious it was just us-it was as if I'd suggested having kitten nachos-they were horrified.

You don't realise what it means to be English, until you have been to the cinema in another land.
We went to the cinema in Paris years ago-no one made a sound! Someone coughed and the whole audience turned to glare.

I took DS1 and 2 to the cinema several months ago. Got comfy in our booked seats when a man and his partner approached and politely said that we were in their seats. We compared his printed tickets with mine on the phone. Yep, seemed the same seats, so we went out to talk to an attendant. He showed his ticket again and I then realised his was for the Saturday night. It was Friday...