Mumsnet users share their cinema memories with ODEON

[JustineBMumsnet]

NOW CLOSED

Whether you go often or it’s a rare treat, trips to the cinema often leave memories in a way watching a film at home rarely would. ODEON would like to hear about your memories of going to the cinema - either when you were a child or when taking your own children now.

Chris Bates, Commercial Director at ODEON UK & Ireland said: “The festive period is a special and magical time for the whole family, and what better way to celebrate than by enjoying one of the most highly anticipated films of the year – Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns. Across our cinemas, we’ve been busy sprinkling a little bit of extra magic on the cinema-going experience – including live performances from magicians, decorating our foyers, and a special Magic Mix deal on food & drink. Tickets to see the return of everyone’s favourite nanny are available to book now and we can’t wait to welcome guests through our doors to watch this truly magical film with ODEON."

Do you remember a particular film? Perhaps you have memories of a family member laughing so loudly it was embarrassing? Maybe you remember going without your parents for the first time? What are your favourite memories of taking your own children to the cinema?

All who post their memories below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

I remember being on holiday in Yorkshire as a kid, it was raining so we decided to go to the cinema. It was the smallest cinema you have ever seen, with old fashioned red velour chairs. We watched the gremlins 2- anyone remember that bit where they burn the film? watch from 0.52
I really thought something had broken at first! It was really funny.

My sister and I loved going to the Saturday morning children's matinees. 12 and a half pence to get in. We'd be given 20p each and could spend the remainder on sweets or ice cream.

We used to go as a rare treat to see things like Disney - Peter pan was one. Not often though.
My dc have gone more often but I usually sent them with DP to the cheap morning kids showings, he likes cartoons and kid films more than I do.
Now they're teenagers we go and see arty films together in the indie cinema though.

I remember seeing Bambi at the cinema. Mum had rang first to see what time it was on and we were running late. They didn't start the film till we got there as we were the only ones there!

My Mum and my Grandma took my brother and I to see pinnochio when we were young and I remember we had to keep giving my Grandma a poke because she fell asleep and was snoring loudly. We still laugh about it today.

I remember going to see the Care Bears movie with my four male cousins when I was a kid. When the lights went up, they were all fast asleep, my aunt included! I loved it though

I went to see Pinocchio with my mum and dad and sister. I was 8 and she was 3 and my parents thought she'd be ok to sit and watch the film. They were wrong! When Pinocchio gets captured by the circus and put in a cage she had a major meltdown. She screamed and screamed and had to be taken out by my dad. Me and mum stayed in and discovered to our delight it was a double feature (return from Witch Mountain was the second film) so we stayed and watched that too! We had a lovely afternoon while my dad had to entertain a grumpy 3 year old in a wet closed town centre on a Sunday afternoon for about 3 hours! He wasn't best pleased but I loved it!

First film i went to was Star Wars , 1977. Think Dad wanted to see it more then me, and as I didn't understand it after about half an hour, he took me home!
Memories -my sister crying her eyes out at ET (she still has the soft toy she got for her birthday shortly after).,
I was a teenager in the mid 80's and remember going to see Back to the Future, Teen Wolf, Ferris Beullers Day off, Pretty in Pink, along with a double bill of Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop... when I should have been revising for my o levels.....

I remember going on the bus to our local cinema and seeing Care Bears the Movie. I can still remember how excited I felt!!

Is this thread actually meant to be still open? There are some lovely stories here but I guess that the prize draw is probably long since closed. I particularly like the wrong film on first date story!

My first memory of being taken to the cinema is my cousin who is nearly 6 years older taking me to see Dougal and the Blue Cat - we were probably about 8 and 14 and I was enthralled. We were both staying with our mums (and probably other family) at our grandparents' house in Oxford and I am sure my mum was very grateful to D for whisking me off. I went back there a few times over the years when we were staying there until my grandmother's death in 1995. I might have taken my baby brother.

Then when I was 11/12 I used to take my baby brother to Saturday matinees. The local cinema was about 10 minutes walk from home with an old fashioned sweet shop on the way. I walked about 25 minutes to middle school each day and saved the bus fares to pay for Saturday matinee tickets and sweets. I also took him to see a few major films like The Muppet Movie and Snow White (he got scared and hid in my lap) but I think for those my mum and stepdad might have helped pay for cinema tickets.

My mum took me to see Tess of the D'Urbervilles when I was ooh maybe 13 and I still remember my shock at a scene near the end. I probably saw some other films on my own there. I went to another local cinema with Woodcraft Folk in my teens to see a few anti nuclear power films (this would have been the early to mid 80s). When I was growing up we had 3 local cinemas with one screen each and busy programmes with films for a week at a time but late night screenings of a few films, many rotated and repeated like The Blues Brothers and the Led Zep film The Song Remains the Same.

With my first real boyfriend at 16 on our first date we went to see Desperately Seeking Susan, even though I really didn't like Madonna very much.

I must have managed to slip in to see a few films for which I was underage, like Christiane F (not new but I'm sure I wasn't 18 and didn't look it).

With DP now, we went to the cinema a lot in our first few months but after that I found it really difficult to get him to go out, as he worked shifts and was always tired when not working. I occasionally persuaded him out.

We've been to see a few kids' films with our boys - everyone loved Paddington and Paddington 2. The kids love going to the cinema and are always asking - must organise another trip soon.

Oh and in my first year at university I joined the student union Film Society and saw lots of really good films, including things like Dougal & the Blue Cat and other strange cult classics, and low budget Welsh language films with subtitles.

My youngest brother coating himself with the ashes from the ashtrays in the cinema.

Getting an orange Lolly in the intermission and sitting in the middle as that was non smoking! All a bit different now. And expensive- for over £30 for our family we can't go as often as we'd like.

I remember seeing ‘Babe’ with my siblings (3) and 2 cousins and our mums and dads. Dads fell asleep! We all thought it was so much fun

My earliest memory of the cinema was my dad taking us all to see bedknobs and broomsticks. It was such a treat and remember the ice cream tubs in the interval.

I still love the cinema and we go often as a family.

Our first family trip to the cinema was a bit of a disaster! Long enough ago now to look back and laugh. It was one Christmas time to go and see happy feet. My two loved penguins and the first half of the film went well, then suddenly it all got rather dark with what I remember a song a terrifying killer whale. Ended up taking youngest out to console him in the foyer while dh made it through to the end with dd ...not what I’d imagined out first trip to cinema as a family to be like!

This was in the 70s. Wet bank holiday at Clacton. Mum. Dad me and 2 siblings. Mum and dad had a huge argument ( caused by 3 kids moaning in the back of a car on a wet bank holiday )and mum got out of the car to walk home ( 20 miles away) she calmed down ,got back in but still not happy. Dad said 'Mary poppins is on. Shall we go? ' always one of their favourite films. So we went. Lovely film. Mum and dad all happy and all sorted out. The power of Poppins !

My best memory is going to see clueless with my friends as a teenager.

I don't take my kids the cinema often. It's expensive and my eldest is autistic so it can be a sensory nightmare. I took my youngest to see despicable me 3 a few years back.

My friend and I bunked off school once and snuck in to see Nightmare on Elm Street. Terrifying film but fab memory.

I remember going to see Clear and Present Danger in the US before it was released here, not sure why I remember it!
Remember grease too, still love that film now!

Ah memories. I grew up in a rural town with a single fleapit cinema during the 70s and early 80s. During the school holidays it would show 2pm matinees. That meant queuing from around 1:30pm along the steps and round the corner into the carpark. We'd all rush down to the front rows despite then having to crane our necks up to the screen, which had a pink ruched curtain. There would be a 20 minute film, generally documentary style. A bad advertisement for the local Chinese restaurant. Into the main film for about 40 minutes before an Intermission, ice cream tubs with wooden spatulas. Then the rest of the film would show, before we stagger out, bleary-eyed, into the sunshine of the outside world ....

Memories of an innocent childhood.

My first memory of going to the cinema was when I was about 6 (& this was in the 80's). My older brother and his friend wanted to see a film, so me and my friend were taken as well. It was in a one screen local independent cinema so my mum just dropped the 4 of us off and left us there (she did pay for us first!) My friend and I spent the whole time having sweets and popcorn thrown at us by our brothers from about two rows back. We did think it was quite funny, but we were too scared of being told off by an usher to turn round and tell them to stop! It was also a film where you got a cartoon first and an ice cream interval in the middle (I miss those days)
My own experience of taking my son to the cinema was not so good. We went to the Odeon newbies showing and I spent the whole film jigging him around at the back to stop the crying. I haven't been back for a year 😊

My earliest memories of the cinema are of seeing Oliver Twist and The Sound Of Music and completely being transfixed. Brilliant memories of both films. X

I remember seeing Adams Family when I was in year 6 with my friends. We felt so grown up as her mum sat on a different row!