Cinema seats - what’s the etiquette?

[Pawpatrol21]

Really embarrassed to say I don’t know the answer to this but when I was younger and going cinema in my town everyone would sit where they wanted and didn’t look at seat numbers.

When I go with husband people do tend to sit where the seat says so what is the actual cinema etiquette? Do you sit where the number on ticket says or sit anywhere? If anyone in your seat do you tell them to move?

I assume you sit where the seat indicates as you choose the seats nowadays whereas before they would just allocate.

You book your seats you sit in them. I tell people to move or get staff to move them. We like middle seats not too far back and not too close. If we choose where we wanted to sit then that's where we sit.

nj the days before Covid (sigh) we booked for a National Theatre in the cinema performance. When we arrived, two people were in our seats.
We pointed it out to them and they asked if they could swap seats as they had bumped into friend who were sitting in the next two seats.
We (somewhat reluctantly) agreed to swap.
It turned out that their seats were the luxury ones. So we were dead chuffed!

Thank you everyone. I’m just having bad anxiety about being sociable again. Last month had a horrible incident at a shop - this couple was blocking aisle with trolley and I politely said “excuse me” and the bloke started swearing at me! I had my kids with me who got really upset so I don’t want same to happen when I take them out later in week.

We’ve already booked tickets and selected seats. It’s not a nice area we live in it’s quite rough so my anxiety gets worse thinking of going out alone with them without DH. I don’t like confrontations especially when I’m alone with my kids.

@rantymcrantface66

Of course you sit in your allocated seats, what a strange question 😆

Do you enjoy belittling people with anxiety?

@Gooseberrypies the OP hadn't mentioned anxiety when I posted that 🙄. Apologies OP

What’s the etiquette for those with weak bladders and disabilities who can pee before the movie but then often have to go again before the end?
Asking for a friend.

Don't sit in the middle of a row where everyone will have to get up/be disturbed when you leave. If you know you are not going to make it through the whole movie without needing to go to the loo, you need to book aisle seats so that you getting up disturbs the least number of people as possible.

I definitely sit in the seats I book as I book the. For that very reason - we have our favourites. Have had to ask people to move sometimes though.

Yes I agree don’t walk through the middle of people, had it in the cinema the other day, very annoying especially when it would have been easier to go the other way 😒 book the aisle or the front

DH and I used to live in not a really rough area but it definitely wasn't particularly open minded or cultured. We had several occasions where we'd go to see a film, a documentary or something small and independent, and we'd be the only people in the (smallest) cinema screen. When that happened we would move to the big leather premium seats that aren't really worth paying the extra for, but if you're the only people there you may as well use. Wouldn't do it with others in the screen though. Usually everyone sits in allocated seats, best approach is to say oh sorry I think there's been mistake, those are the seats we've booked. If anyone gets confrontational just go and get a staff member. I don't think I've ever seen this happen, but get you must be a bit shaken after the idiot in the supermarket.

Sit in assigned seat. But if the whole row is empty 10 mins in me and my friends will spread out a bit.

sit in the seat you've booked.
Someone had sat in my seat last week - I spoke with them & sat in their seat, as they'd got the wrong row (small cinema, 5 rows, how hard can A to E be? )

YOU DO NOT, like the twats in the cinema last night, take your shoes off and dangle your bloody feet over the row in front.

oh sorry I think there's been mistake, those are the seats we've booked.
I wouldn't say sorry.
If you've booked specific seats then that's where you sit - you wouldn't get on your Ryanair flight and be happy with someone in your seat, would you? I get that it's harder to deal with if you suffer from anxiety so only you can decide whether to speak up or sit elsewhere in the cinema - be aware though that you might then be in someone else's seat and be expected to move!

Something similar happened to me a few years ago.

We arrived 20 mins before the film and a couple were sat in our seats. I had my older children with me. They wanted to sit down next to our seats so not to make a fuss.

I said no, this showing is likely to be busy and we need to sit in our seats. I slipped out to ask the staff to assist as people can get upperty when asked to move and this is the job of an usher.

The response from the couple was they could see better from our seats and decided to sit there. They weren't doing any harm.

Well, they moved and someone else was sat in their seats, that couple moved and someone else was sat in their seats. This went on until 4 sets of people had moved.

Then just as the lights were dimmed the spaces the children wanted to sit in so not to make a fuss were sat in by their ticket holders. So we would have all been moving in the dark and missing the start of the film.

Always sit in your booked seats it's not hard.