Cinema is empty. What sit next to me!

[Whathappendexactly]

Killing time between hospital visiting times so have come to cinema. It's empty. I mean 5 people in a massive screen. 2 of them have just seated themselves right next to me.

I bet when I get back to the almost empty car park fekker will have parked right next to me. .

Aibu to ask WHY????????

[SapphireStrange]

my understanding is it's because humans are basically herding animals, they feel comfortable when in a heard.

Interesting. If that's the case then why does it freak us out when someone tries to 'herd' by sitting too close to us? Is it that we're socialised to give people personal space, but in some people the herding instinct is stronger than their grasp of social norms?

[marsybum]

Is it one of the ones where you have allocated seats? I once took the DC to a screening of a pantomime in the cinema, we'd splashed out on VIP, so had the other 5 people in there, we were all sat in one row!!

[Oblomov16]

Why don't you say something? As they are sitting down?

[lightsandresistance]

Someone did this on the bus last week with me and dd in one of those double seats facing each other at the back. DD has aspergers and nearly imploded. Two hours of WHY Mum WHY!! 😂

[RichardBucket]

Exactly the same thing happened to me. Two of us in the cinema. A couple came in and sat right next to us and looked really offended when we moved! Bizarre.

[lalalalyra]

OMG I did this yesterday. My face is still beaming red from embarassment.

My friend and I meet inside as i always cut it fine because I do the nursery drop off. A couple of times I've missed the film and met her after so it's just a routine we've got in and we usually sit in the same rough area because it's the best view (and it's easy for meeting up).

Breezed in yesterday. FORGOT that she wasn't coming because of her kids having CP. Plonked myself down next to a very surprised woman with a breezy "Hi!" before announcing, loud, "Oh, you are not XXX!"

I moved seats laughing and she certainly seemed amused when telling her boyfriend/husband the tale when he came in with popcorn and drinks so my red face died down a bit, but at the end of the film she asked if I was ok and was someone meeting me. There is a special needs group who use the cinema on a Wednesday and you often see carers waiting in the cafe for their charges...

[WLF46]

I hate people like that. It's the herd mentality, if you chose to sit there then there then it must be a good seat. Last time I went to an empty cinema, some tall twat with a massive afro haircut sat right in front of me. I moved a couple of seats over, so he moved to block my view again!

[roseteapot101]

lol its like when we last went camping there's this whole huge field and i mean huge no fixed pitches park were you like.There was like 3 other campers dotted around.Fab ok then we find a nice spot to our selves then later another person parks directly next to us space in between so not rude but still odd choice .

[DonaldTrumpsWig]

I used to live in the Netherlands and this happened to me often in cafes, cinemas and trains over there. I was massively freaked out by it at first and felt my 'territory' was being invaded! I came to realise it's because their culture is more open and friendly and ours generally isn't. They'd feel it was rude to put as much distance as possible between us and them in such situations and we'd think exactly the opposite! We Brits like our privacy!

[Whathappendexactly]

Was on the brink of moving but they had starting faffing about unable to find the reclining buttons. As I was already sprawled out on my recliner like lady muck it was obvious I knew the buttons so I helped them. They gave me a Worthers toffee. No way could I move after bonding over a worthers so I stayed put as only the English would. .

The film was a bit dull sadly.

[TondelayaDellaVentamiglia]

i rarely have bother in the cinema..must have a prickly looking aura or something

but i do attract odd bus folk....my aura must not work on public transport.


I am really laughing at lalalalyra now.

[Toadinthehole]

Heh. I did this.

The seat had the best view of the screen. She moved.

[toastytoastbear]

The seat had the best view of the screen. She moved

Really? does the view vary THAT much?

[Witchend]

If you book online at our cinema you can choose whereabouts you sit (front back, side, middle) but it allocates you the actual seats. It tends to allocate you next to people as it doesn't want to have lots of 1 seat spaces and they tend not to sell.
If it's fairly empty then people tend to leave that one seat space though, however bigger parties are less likely to-I think they're less likely to think about it as they're expecting to be in a group anyway.

[HappiestMrsChicken]

The thing that I really hate is when people walk behind you so incredibly slowly with their toes touching your heels despite there being loads of space for them to overtake you.

I've just been to Florida and this happened, repeatedly, in the theme parks. One person walked behind us for about 10 minutes and trod on the back of my flip flops over 20 times. In the end I turned round and asked them stop treading on my shoe! Weird behaviour!

[chandalier]

I hate people sitting right next to me and if it looks like someone's heading my direction I start a mad coughing fit. Always puts them off coming any closer

[RhodaBorrocks]

I once complained about this to a MH support worker friend (man sat beside me on an almost empty bus) and she said they encourage their clients with social anxiety issues to do just that! Which makes sense I suppose

See I have social anxiety too. Not bad enough for support, but if someone I didn't know plonked themselves down next to me I'd freak out and move. How would that help the socially anxious person if I did that? Surely they'd feel even worse?

At uni a group in my class ran an experiment where they got on at the second or third stop on the tube line and sat next to people in otherwise empty carriages. They wanted to look at how many people moved and if they did, how long it took them. I can't remember their hypothesis, but they were a bunch of wind up merchants the whole course.

[hazell42]

Maybe their seat number was next to yours. I go to the pictures three times a week and know that there are people who will sit in their designated seat come hell or high water. They do not think, hey the cinema is empty I'll move to the next row. It says H9 on the the ticket and that is where they are damn well going to sit.
Just be thankful you weren't in their seat. Horrible rows, I've witnessed. Blood on the carpet. More entertaining than the films, sometimes.

[Pipistrelle40]

My parents were on a deserted beach in the Greek islands many years ago. Another couple came and sat right next to them. There was only one tree on the beach for shade and they thought they could intimidate DM and DD into moving. Didn't work!

[MissVictoria]

Maybe they are just very particular about seating in cinemas?
I have to sit dead on in the middle of the row so im looking at the screen centrally. I cannot stand sitting to one side with a weird view. Also, because of my eyesight, i can't sit near the front as i can't see and get a headache (How do children run for the closest seat to the screen?!) or sit too far back (long sighted one eye, short sighted in the other) so about middle is the best. A couple of rows can make a big difference, i wouldn't have sat in front of you and risk seat kicking (though i hope an adult wouldn't) or sat behind you incase of obstructed view as i'm only short. Throw in my OCD that means i won't sit on a visibly stained seat, you might be lucky i'm not sat on your lap :P
As soon as i walk in a cinema (which hasn't been since i went to see Skyfall) i know where i want to sit exactly, and if it meant sitting next to someone to get the most comfortable and suitable view, so be it, even if they're the only other person there!

[VladimirsPooTin]

This really winds me up too. Just fuck off!!

[MissVictoria]

I do always show up before the previous film on that screen finishes though, so i'm the first in queue at the door to go in (ashamed to admit i practically run in so nobody passes me) once the cleaner has had a quick go around and opens it to let the next showing in. That way i'm pretty much guaranteed the seat i want and no disappointment if it's already taken or awkward sitting right next to strangers in an empty screen. Yes, i really am THAT particular where i sit in a cinema.

[ratspeaker]

I was thinking about this yesterday.
Took my son to dental clinic. I was the only one waiting. 2 people came and sat right next to me in spite of there being 3 other unoccupied seating areas