To have found this a bit excessive at the cinema?

[mrsmilesmatheson]

We went to the cinema last night to see Wicked. Obviously lots of teens/tweens there.

We sat on the end of a row as I knew I may need to pop for a wee at some point and I would rather not disturb others.

There was a family of 9 in our row who made a big fuss on arrival and arrived in 3 separate groups, faffing around, shoving past, making a lot of noise etc.

The young teenager/maybe 10 year old with them climbed over us (and back again) 8 separate times to go out during the film. She stood on my handbag, elbowed me in the face and knocked over our popcorn in her impatience to get out each time. The adults with her did nothing. I asked her to wait while we made space and she just sighed, rolled her eyes and shoved past.

Surely at that age, it's not unreasonable to expect a child to sit through most of a film without all this fuss!? She was not being accompanied by an adult on these trips so clearly mature enough in some ways!

There were plenty of spare seats in other rows. I realise now we probably should have just moved, but really why should we have to... I'd never have allowed my child to disturb people to this extent. I'd have moved her to another row or stopped her doing it.

One of the advantages of being old is the weekday matinee during term time. Just us old folks, all having been brought up to know how to behave in a cinema. Bliss.

I love that you've put this much thought into it! Brilliant!

Thanks for the explanation.

Same but I'd usually go around midday/the first showing on those days. It's as good as empty and unless you get unlucky it's usually others who stay quiet.

Par for the course, adults too - people can't sit still for 2 hours these days. (I know some people have medical reasons to need the toilet but most people can last 2 hours!)

I’ve largely stopped going to the cinema because of people like this, in addition to the ones who talk, bring in smelly food, eat noisy food or start getting their phones out and using them. If cinemas want to sort out the decline in numbers they need to be a lot harder on the selfish fuckwits who ruin films for other people.

@FeegleFrenzy

We have a cinema that has one screen that's 18+ and waiter service, I've worked out that if you sit at the front nobody goes past you but they bring you cocktails if you wish ...

Now that's the kind of cinema I'd be interested in! It would certainly have made Wicked more enjoyable. 🤣

I took my kids to see Moana2 and there were a group of teens who went to the toilet 5 or 6 times and every time they "fell" up or down the stairs, tripped over stuff, yelled across the cinema to their friends. They seemed to really enjoy the fact that they were disturbing people and disrupting the movie.

It’s just a sign of the times Op. I was sat next to a child about 11 years old on a plane from Florida to NYC earlier this year, and she was so inconsiderate and her mum turned a blind eye.

I was on the window seat and she was in the middle seats her mum was in the aisle. She should have swapped with her child so I wouldn’t need to sit next to her. She was well aware of what her child was like I’m sure.

So the kid started off complaining before I’d even sat down because she was angry I’d asked her mum to instruct her to come out to let me get me in to my seat ie.basic flight etiquette.

Then as soon as I sat down - and I’m not huge btw - she was sighing and telling her mum she was now “squashed”. I really wished at this point her mum would’ve done us both a favour and swapped!

I just ignored it all but then she start elbowing and kicking me each time she moved or stood up which was a lot. And her feet were up on the seat too.

I ended up giving her and her mum a very cold look and she settled down slightly.

We have a waiter service cinema in town. I’ve never been, I’m suspicious of the sofas.

We've not had any disturbances at the cinema recently, although one time I did notice a group of tweens on the other side, a few rows down, making Tiktoks throughout the film which, bizarrely, seemed to involve waving their legs about in front of the screen?! I don't know why the people behind didn't complain as they were also filming parts of the actual film so would have been chucked out for that alone.

We did come close during a film where the woman beside me hadn't seen any of the previous ones, so we had

"Who's that?"
"Why did everyone laugh when he said that? Was he in the other one?"
"Why doesn't she like him?"
"Is he good or bad?"

Luckily her partner told her to stop talking after a couple of minutes as she was clearly ruining it for him too!

Oh we have an everyman cinema. I am now spoiled for cinemas forever more. I cannot imagine going to a large cinema now with shitty seats and having to go out for food. I think the biggest screen only has 60 sofas, the food is good but limited, and the drinks and food are delivered to your sofa. Best of all it's not shockingly expensive. Similar prices to the showcase and vue. But better atmosphere and more nice people. I hope the scrotes of the world dont find out about it.

I'm booking a fight to Antigua - I need to experience this!

Just looked up my local Everyman and it's £16.75 a ticket! Vue is £5.99 (and our Vue is quite nice too).

or bloody smart watches that flutter and alert you all the time - like watching a film with fireflies

I'm usually quite reserved and wouldnt say anything, But the cinema is different for me. I've told groups of teens many times to be quiet, i'll start nicely and then i'll tell them to shut up. If they dont, i go and get a member of staff.

The cinema is a treat and should be treated with respect. I would have put my feet out the 3rd time so they would have tripped! 2 maybe 3 times is a lot, but 8, is a joke and the parents should have stopped it. But sadly many people dont have self awareness anymore.

And if they did have a medical problem they should have booked appropriate seats.

It wasn't "excessive", it was just rude.

You should have elbowed her back!

You can also experience this in any US city with a sizeable African American population. Participatory viewing as a communal experience is often a component of Black culture in the US, and it is very different from the types of irritating behavior described on this thread. It's really a lot of fun, especially if it involves characters who are making bad decisions all through the movie. They get lots of advice from the audience.

The odeon in town is £15 a ticket for standard seats. Think the Everyman is £20. No other options. It’s the Everyman I won’t go to as I generally find sofas unsupportive and uncomfortable.

Same for me for same reasons!

Me too 😂

I have experienced a little bit of this in the US. Typically certain demographics in the south can be very expressive in the cinema - I love it 🤣

We no longer go to the big chains that charge next to nothing because of the behaviour and the state of the seats. We paid for premium once at a big chains that charge and the seat was covered in melted chocolate - so clearly the staff aren’t checking either.

we actually have a wonderful small cinema locally. It’s not cheap and a treat for us but the behaviour is much better.

The cowbell! 😂😂😂

I've completely given up going to the cinema. It's just not enjoyable any more. The munching, talking, the in and out, up and down late arrivers, mobile phone users... have made it not worth the bother.

I just wait for the film to come out on TV or buy it on one of the pay channels. Watching in the comfort of my own home is much better!

I’d of love it all.

I’ve been to something similar it was rocky horror show where we all dressed up and heckled. Going back soon too