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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Walked out of cinema mid movie

285 replies

distilledwater · 13/04/2022 22:06

Took my dd to see the secrets of dumbledore. Really didn't enjoy it, wasn't our thing and the cinema was boiling on top of that, I was burning up and so uncomfortable. Daughter agreed she wasn't enjoying the film so we walked out about 45 minutes into it (discreetly I hope). Both agreed once out that we had no idea what was going on, the storyline was difficult to follow.

Obviously we were home early and my husband was outraged (no exaggeration) that we had paid money to see a film and walked out mid way. He said it's rude and a waste of money and not teaching my dd anything Confused I think he's mad and considering this particular film is 2.5 hours long, I'd rather not sit and bear it.

AIBU?

OP posts:
BiscuitLover3678 · 14/04/2022 09:27

A bit off topic but as a mad Harry Potter fan I couldn’t get into fantastic beasts or any of these newer films. Completely different calibre. I’m with you op.

Gowithme · 14/04/2022 09:28

I think this series is hard enough to follow if you have seen the other films - it seems like they expect you to know the story before you go and watch them. There also seems to be a lot of style over substance, all the effort put into the magical beasts and special effects at the expense of a coherent storyline.

I'm not sure what lesson he wanted you to teach dd? That even if she is very unhappy in a situation she should stay in it anyway? He might want to rethink the wider implications of that.

ArmWrestlingWithChasNDave · 14/04/2022 09:28

KitKat1985 Many "struggling families" are intelligent enough to understand the sunk cost fallacy. Your arguments don't make any sense.

Benjispruce4 · 14/04/2022 09:32

@LillianGish I’m the same. I rarely go to the cinema, I have to really want to see a film. It’s probably once a year. This year it was Belfast and was worth the trip and my time.

KitKat1985 · 14/04/2022 09:35

@ArmWrestlingWithChasNDave I'm not saying it was right or wrong to walk out of the film, I'm just saying that in my experience families who are poorer tend to have more of a 'lets make the most of it' attitude when things don't go quite how they hoped, and would have probably been more inclined to stay and see if the film got better as it would be a rare treat for them to go. Obviously families who are 'better off' can be more relaxed about walking out of things they don't like as the money invested is less of a factor for them.

Alwaystired37 · 14/04/2022 09:48

What was your husband up to at home that made him react so strongly to you returning early?

ArmWrestlingWithChasNDave · 14/04/2022 09:51

KitKat1985 I had no difficulty understanding your point. What I'm saying is it's a logical fallacy.

BiscuitLover3678 · 14/04/2022 10:12

You’ve paid to enjoy the movie. The money is gone. Sitting there miserable won’t get the money back.

So no YANBU

Wheniruletheworld · 14/04/2022 10:23

@SpiderinaWingMirror

Life is too short to watch something you don't like for 2.5 hours! I found this out with Les Mis.
I hope you mean the film rather than the theatre version, @SpidernaWingMirror ! If so, I have to agree - dreadful film
JudgeJ · 14/04/2022 10:29

I remember many many years ago going to the then fairly new West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds to see a performance of The Canterbury Tales. There was a school party in front of us from a convent school, accompanied by a few nuns, when it reached a more bawdy tale the nuns stood up and escorted all the girls out, muttering about depravity! Not sure what they'd expected from the Canterbury Tales but we missed a lot of the juicy bits as they left.

monkeypuzzletreat · 14/04/2022 10:40

I'm an actress that has worked in TV, Stage and Radio. I walk out of things ALL THE TIME. It's absolutely your prerogative. There's so much crap made out there and you should be entertained.

It shouldn't be an endurance test or a moral lesson in 'sticking with things' - there are much better ways to learn those skills.

The only 'rude' element is if you disturb fellow patrons or the actors on stage- but I'm sure everyone is fully capable of leaving quietly or at an opportune moment!!

aSofaNearYou · 14/04/2022 10:46

I don't think it's a problem for adults to leave things they aren't enjoying, I just think it's different with kids. Kids are prone to asking for things and then just deciding they don't want to do them anymore and bailing, with no appreciation of the money spent. They, specifically, need to be taught not to do this.

It depends on the child in question and perhaps she isn't that way inclined. But broadly speaking, this is why I would not do this with a child.

DameHelena · 14/04/2022 11:28

I've come to the conclusion that the talking etc isn't 'wrong' because so many people now do it. It's just that the rules of the game have changed
They haven't, though. Cinemas still have the 'turn off phones and don't talk' announcement and signage, and in decent cinemas the ushers actually come and tell people to shut up.
People are just getting ruder and more inconsiderate.

boronia · 14/04/2022 12:17

I've sat through a couple of dreadful movies because I was with others who were enjoying them but if your daughter felt the same of course you were right to leave.
Same with things on Netflix - things which people rave about I've watched 15 minutes and switched off. Ditto books ( I give them up to 50 pages). Why suffer any longer?
The money is spent!

ihavespoken · 14/04/2022 12:36

We also walked out of the same film last night as we weren't enjoying it either. I've only just realised this is an option (also walked out of Dune after an hour) and it's ace - I've sat through loads of crap films when I needn't have.
The money's spent whether you stay to the end or not so it's fine IMO.

Kanaloa · 14/04/2022 12:40

@aSofaNearYou

I don't think it's a problem for adults to leave things they aren't enjoying, I just think it's different with kids. Kids are prone to asking for things and then just deciding they don't want to do them anymore and bailing, with no appreciation of the money spent. They, specifically, need to be taught not to do this.

It depends on the child in question and perhaps she isn't that way inclined. But broadly speaking, this is why I would not do this with a child.

If she leaves the cinema every time she goes maybe. In that case I’m sure her mother would have mentioned that it’s an ongoing problem.

But realistically there’s absolutely no lesson to be learned from sitting through a movie nobody’s enjoying in a cinema that’s too hot.

DilemmaDelilah · 14/04/2022 14:09

Actually I have walked out of a live performance. I was with my husband, we say through the first half, both decided we weren't enjoying it and didn't bother to go back for the second half.

Fairislefandango · 15/04/2022 07:55

Does the money magically reappear in your bank account if you sit through the whole thing?

Exactly!

Obviously not, but it is clearly a waste of money, and frankly not something families who are really struggling would do. My kids would be so excited to be in a cinema I don't think they would leave even if they hated the film!

The money has already been wasted if you're not enjoying the film. You can't get the money back, but you can avoid wasting any more of your time! It makes no more sense for a struggling family to stay than anyone else - the money is already spent. You gain nothing by sitting doing something you don't want to do. Staying out of some kind of misplaced guilt at wasting money achieves no purpose.

JackieWeaverHandforthCouncil · 15/04/2022 08:45

Time’s too precious to sit through shit movies. I’ve walked out of two, one a movie that was so violent, I spent much of it with my hands over my eyes then just left.

The other was When Harry Met Sally. Me and my mates were underage anyway but the trailers looked like there’d be loads of sex in it and everyone was talking about it. Boy it was booooooooring! Just boring people talking about shite. There were about six of us and we just walked out and went to McDonald’s instead.

JackieWeaverHandforthCouncil · 15/04/2022 08:47

DH also went to a cabaret dinner. Left half-way through. Both realised we hate cabaret.

PullTheOther1ne · 15/04/2022 08:48

The only film I've ever walked out of early was something a while ago called Ender's Game. Biggest pile of shit I've ever endured.

sonjadog · 15/04/2022 09:00

I have walked out of two films that I can remember. Both a good while ago. One was Eyes Wide Shut - it was really boring. The other was Wayne's World. I know many, many people love it, but I thought it was utter shite.

I am going to see the Dumbledore film this afternoon. I am now wondering if it will be the third film I leave!

cheapskatemum · 15/04/2022 09:20

Call me cynical, but I'd say he had plans for while you were out, which got scuppered!

NeedleNoodle3 · 15/04/2022 09:37

We had probably planned a wank fest.

SpringLobelia · 15/04/2022 09:47

Lordy we walk out of films all the time. My older DC has a range of SEN and simply cannot cope with the length of most films so we go knowing we will be leaving at some point then catching up with the rest on dvd.

I think the only film we ever got all the way through was Paddington 2 . (That was also the film I first realised that Hugh Grant can act).

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