Just before the weekend I put up a little video blog laying out why I believe movie theaters here in North America should do what most other parts of the world do… allow patrons to pre-select their specific seats when going to the movies.
The discussion in the comments section was a lively one with a few people expressing why they didn’t think pre-selected seating for movies was a good idea. I decided to do a little follow up video addressing the 4 most common concerns and explain why I still believe there is no practical draw back for North American adopting this system.
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Astonishingly helpful many thanks, I believe your followers may perhaps want more stories along these lines keep up the great work.
I think it’s not a good idea because what if you forced to sit infront of a tall guy and can’t move or some anoying teenagers? Happens every time to me at sports games and better not at movies.
First off let my qualify my comments. I’ve worked in the movie theater business for close to a decade. I’ve worked for mainstream multiplexes and I currently am a manager for a Landmark theater.
i don’t see how there can be an argument against pre assigned seats.
#1 drawback to pre-selected seating. Cost. Your tickets will cost more and the theater’s staffing costs will go way up. As I’m sure many of you have noticed, online ticketing has surcharges, which means you pay more. But the theaters use third party vendors for this, so they don’t see that money, the vendor does.
Now if the argument is that pre-assigned seating will mean lower concessions sales and less advertising (as Rodney keeps insisting) that means a loss in revenue for the theater. To make up for this they only have two options, raise concession prices or raise ticket prices. Neither is good for the consumer. (And it can be argued it isn’t good for the theater either.)
As an added bonus, pre-assigned seating means the theater will have to increase staffing by a huge amount. Depending on the theater size, each one will require at least one usher on call to help people find seats and answer questions or concerns that might arise. The largest theater in my city seats 900 people, which would mean they would need to double or triple their staffing on busy nights to accommodate those crowds. Increased staffing costs means lower profit margins, lower profit margins means once again tickets/concessions need to be raised.
Also, staffing in that amount means an overworked staff which means the quality of service is likely to go down. That is an indirect effect on your movie going experience, and it isn’t a good one.
Other people have noted that pre-assigned seating doesn’t mean that people will respectfully enter the theater at a decent time. It is already a common problem that people attempt to avoid trailers and ads by coming in late to a movie, thus disrupting the feature. Pre-assigned seating not only doesn’t alleviate that, it has the potential to compound it.
If I wanted to get really negative, I could note that pre-assigned seating opens up the movie going experience to the same problems that happen with concert tickets, and that being poachers and scalpers. Though that is highly unlikely.
That all being said, pre-assigned seating certainly has its perks, and in theory could work well. But the amount of infrastructure that needs to be added, both at the physical plant and online, means this is a major cost to theaters that they are unlikely to absorb on their own. That means it has to get passed on to someone, and in all likely hood that is the consumer. I don’t like higher prices, and pre-assigned seating will raise prices. Its up to the individual on whether they think the cost/benefit is enough to go ahead with it.
As an aside, if you are regularly sitting in line 2+ hours to watch a movie you really need to plan better and have no one else to blame but yourself. Mainstream movie theaters do not like sell outs, and as such it is quite easy to find times where the theater will not only not be full, but you won’t have to camp out to see your movie, thus wasting your time. You don’t have to see movies at midnight, nor do you have to see them at 7pm on Saturday. Sundays are great days to see movies, as the attendance drops like a rock. Saturday afternoons are likewise slow, and any time during the week you have no risk of being in a crowded theater, let alone a sell out. Simple common sense and a tiny bit of planning will save you not only hours of time that you would be spending in line, but also save you money.
Imagine this: if you are one of those who don’t preselect seats and you are already sitting there in great seats that are perfect and then the person who preselected those seats comes and tells you to get out your gonna get pissed! And noone wants to boot anyone. It just doesn’t work in mainstream. I’m sure the Arclight is known for it’s movie lover features but at the Harkins noone wants to worry about it. It’s not an opera, you just show up.
Also, if John only uses the arclight seating feature in 40 percent of his visits, being the huge movie-goer he is, then I can’t imagine a person who only goes once a month to care honestly.
I completely agree with what you say…I would love to be able to pre-book my seats – especially for busy IMAX showings. I hate having to show up to shows like The Dark Knight two hours in advance, only to be elbowed out of the way for a middle of the row seat to enjoy the tricky IMAX screens.
I do have one question though. So say I spontaneously decide to go to a movie and purchase my ticket at the box office as normal and walk up to get my seat? How do I know which seats are pre-assigned and which ones aren’t? Because it would really suck to be sitting in a seat and then have someone walk up just as the trailers are starting and be like “Actually, I booked these seats weeks ago.” Or, do they have a system where, when you purchase your tickets at the box office or the express box office terminals you choose your seats before you enter the theatre? So you still purchase your tickets as normal, but you still choose your seat to avoid double-bookings while in the actual theatre?
The only time I’ve ever been able to “pre-book” seats (per se) was at Varsity theatre in Toronto, in their VIP rooms. We were doing a double-feature, and when we purchased our tickets at the box office, we had to (not an option otherwise) choose our seats. It worked out great because the movie we saw beforehand ran just 5 minutes before the VIP room movie started, and it was wonderful to walk in and have our seats good to go.
Hey John what about Theatres trying to make money from commercialwith early show up…. ??!??!
it would be bad for pre selected theatre !!!
Drawback found:
I’m 28. But I can still remember 10-12 years ago when I was still in High School. Those teenage years which are highly targeted by movies that drop to a PG-13 rating. Back then, if I wanted to get a group of ten friends together, we would talk about seeing the movie and get our tickets early and meet up to hang out together in line and talk, play our Gameboys, listen to music, etc. We didn’t have one person get all the tickets, most of us couldn’t afford that and, as teenagers, it would be a herculean effort to be organized enough to gather all the money and get the movie tickets in time to make sure we could buy the group of seats together. Additionally, getting the seats ahead of time is hard because some friends were never sure enough of their schedule, so we would get the tickets for the people who could definitely come and the maybes would get them later and join us in line the night of the movie. In the preselected seats, if they were to join in later, there is a very likely chance that they won’t be able to preselect seats next to us because they would be claimed by other strangers. Even today, while I may be master of my domain and schedule, I still have friends who are not as certain of their available time. How do we make this work in a system where we aren’t buying all of our tickets at the same time?
The lack of preselected seating is one of two main reasons why I have not seen a movie on opening weekend in probably 5 years, with Watchmen being the lone exception that I can think of.
I refuse to stand around forever to guarantee a good seat.
The second reason, is that large crowds of people have a tendency to have more movie-talkers that think they are on their living room couches. So…it’s Tuesday night showings for me. Or even better, an afternoon. Nothing like a mostly empty theater.
cloud720
1. Likely to happen only with a blockbuster movie -act early
2. If you can’t handle the situation by yourself or even with the usher, you can call the cops. You’ve got the law on your side.
3. It’s probably my bad english but here where I live in Finland there’s a policy that if you book the tickets online, you’ll have to go pick them up at least one hour earlier – if you fail to do that the theater has the right (or it automatically does this) to but back for sale.
Evan
You can always leave a one/two seats in between if you can’t stand sitting next to a stranger.
jaffahut
1. It could happen and most likely would happen. it would be a drawback, so you can’t say there arent any.
2. Yea the law is on your side but to enforce it would cost the theater money, which would cause ticket price to go up.
3. whats the point of pre selecting seats if you have to show up an hour early? I show up 15 minutes before a movie and I find the seats i want.
And my point was that if people decided on what seats they wanted at the counter the line would take longer to move. 5 mins could become 15. And that makes a difference when your movie starts in 10.
My problem,
While I think the idea is good in theory, in practice I don’t think it would work. Maybe do it for just midnight showings of popular movies?
Imagine if you want to see Terminator in 2 weeks, after it has been in the theater for nearly a month and all of the crowds are gone. Do I *have* to pre-select my seat? If so, there may only be a handful of other people in the theater and, for the most part, we will all be sitting right next to each other, because we all want the middle seats towards the top (generally the best seats). Sounds kind of awkward.
I’m surprised this doesn’t always exist. Every other type of event there are preselected seats and you have a designated seat. I just think that if that was the case with movie shows wouldn’t sell out as much, people would get frustrated more. For some reason it just doesn’t seem like it could work the same way.
1.What if three people go and the theater only has two sets of two seats that are near each other?
2.What if you have a pre-assigned seat and someone is sitting there? There would need to be additional ushers, which would raise cost, raising ticket price.
3.If people purchase tickets at the counter how long will they take to purchase while standing online? How long would that wait be in line?
4.If people decide to purchase tickets at the kiosk, would the current ones be upgradeable? Or would the theater need to buy new hardware after making the investment in the ones we have now? Wouldn’t that raise ticket price?
BTW your site has a newer comments button even when there arent new comments. Not a big deal but its kind of annoying.
i Don’t like the selected seating. it shoulden’t be a big deal i mean going to see a movie is not like going to a concert or a brodway show, where you spend a lot more money and you can pick where you sit. your spending like eight to ten bucks on something you can watch any day of the week until it comes out on dvd then you can watch it at home. If you want good seats get there early.
sorry mate but you negate your own point. if its no big deal then why not make it make it easier for the people who care about it?
I pay $15 to go to a local AHL hockey game, and they can tell me where I am sitting. Price has nothing to do with it.
The whole point is that every negative aspect of the experience that can easily be avoided for those who wish to, and those like you can just show up 2 hours early and sit in the seats us convenient assigned seating patrons leave behind.
That is if theaters here ever get around to offering it.
3 hockey games at one location is different from 560(16 theaters 5 times a day 7 days a week.) screenings a week at one location.
I love how the people for preselected seating keep bringing up the 2 hour wait time while those against it keep stating they have never had a 2 hour wait time experience.
I’m assuming it’s all a result of strategy. Those that have experienced those 2 hour wait times are the ones that go opening day at the busiest possible times, while those that do not experience such waits plan their outing around non-busy showings.
It amuses me to know end to see how people assume that because they experience something that everybody damn well must have that same experience.
Jeremy K, wasn’t that what you were geting at with your vom on seats example? i.e everybody else must have experienced that? (I never have)
Nope, what I was getting at is that there are unknowns on seat conditions, which is it fact when your picking your seat from the internet or a kiosk. The vomit or gum could easily be replaced by a spilled drink, broken chair, or anything else that would make a seat unsuitable. And in this case I highly doubt anybody has never gone to a theater and seen at least one seat messed from one source or another. I’ve explained this before. Very much not the same thing as assuming that everybody goes to a show at the same time resulting in two hour waits.
I for my part don’t get that “panic” about the idea of being able to reserve a seat in advance. here in germany, as you already mentioned john, we have this system as long as I can think and in all these years of me going to the cinema it might have happened once or twice I didn’t get a good seat just because I did not have a reservation.
it is very convenient if you are going to the cinema in a group or even your gf and want to be sure you are sitting next to each other. or any other reason you might think of. and if your cinema is so small that the onyl have a handful of good seat… well you might have not been able to get a good seat in the first place.
any way.
all the best
teymur.
I was shocked about this news! At first it didn’t feel right at all, but now after reading quite a bunch of replies it makes a little sense. I mean, it all comes down to the size of population basicly.
In a small country like where I live (Finland) the amount of active people going to the movies is so pathetic compared to what it is there with you guys. So if in one screening you can only have about 100-200 people watching the movie, you’re gonna need hell of a lot more of shows than what it is here. With a pre-ordering system (and the huge amount of screenings) you could very easily be dealing with a lot of empty seats – that is what’s expensive.
Thanks for replying, and fair point, if the cinema ensured that you couldn’t leave one seat then there is no issue.
To back up your first point; I worked in a cinema, when we had pre-selected seating (our cinema allowed you to pick seats when you bought your tickets at the cinema for certain performances) and there was a problem with someone’s booked seat we kept 4-10 seats, depending on cinema size, free for emergencies.
This ensured that if anyone really had a problem with their seat there was an option to move without hassle.
Jsut bring a flaffy pillow with you when there is gum or vomit on your theater chair. You will sit better and you wont get gum or vomit up your ass. If you take a bigger pillow that also works for option number 1 and you will sit higher and see the movie better. With there words you just solve a theater problem.
MY DRAWBACK: Last Minute Friends.
If me and my group get our tickets well in advance for a room thats quickly filling up, and near last minute some cute chick i know wants to watch it with me (probably bringing a friend of hers with her), im fucked, seats pre taken. she’ll have to watch it without me and there goes that. (it could also lead to fights with a gf on other types of last minute situations too)
This is a good point. I would feel like i have to plan going to the movies. Its not that big of an event. If a big movies comes out, I will most likly go thursday night but not always. And friends go less frequently, they usually decide last minute. If three weeks in advance I know I will most likely be free to see a movie, I can never tell if my friends will be also.
and for this very reason, i will have to say no to pre selected seating
Here in the Philippines, theater chains have both pre-seating (known as Guaranteed Seats) & open seating, particularly when there is a blockbuster coming out. And when it’s a mega blockbuster like Transformers, it’s not surprising to have 6-7 theaters in one multiplex showing the same movie.
The pre-seating option is more expensive of course, but at least you get to choose your seat and the theater is often cleaner and better maintained. It’s a first-come, first-served process so you get first dibs when you order online or if you buy at the theater. And all the seats are priced the same in the pre-seating theater, regardless of the position.
It’s more orderly, more civilized, and more comfortable.
Awesome posts John, keep em coming! :)
John, it’s seriously going to take someone getting hurt or killed for this to be enacted nationwide. You guys may think that is an exaggeration, but people fucking STAMPEDE into theatres to get good seats. I’ve been in the middle of it, I’ve seen people literally shoved into walls in the hallway outside the screening room. I’ve seen people trip and get stepped on as people ran inside to throw their jackets over the rows in the back. It’s just like in Cincinnati in 1971 when 11 people died due to a stampede of people who had general admission tix to see The Who. After that, they banned GA for concerts for a while and had assigned seating only. Theatres won’t do it here on a national basis unless the public demands it. The public won’t demand it unless they get all riled up because a bunch of people died during a Twilight stampede or something.
I think this is a good idea, but it would take ppl a while to adjust to it. For me it’s sort of bittersweet. On the one hand I can choose any seat I want, but it’s first come first serve. I like sitting in certain places in the theaters, but they may be taken already. Another thing is that it would be distracting with an usher trying to help ppl to their seats. It’s not like a concert or a sporting event because movies are more enclosed. I may just be lucky, but 90% of the time I usually find my preferred seat on busy opening weekends.
Im a 26 year old Portuguese filmmaker, and i never known a cinema in portugal that i couldnt buy pre-selected seats, in 26 years, i never herd about it, i didnt know you didnt have that, i allways foght americans created the pre-selected seats lol
Great videos, great issues, loved it as allways!
take care
Portugal is watiching you ;)
I have a pretty good guess why they don’t do it here in the states, at least for the majority of theaters. Take here in San Diego, for instance. The majority, if not all, our cinemas are of either the AMC chain or the Regal chain. The rules to this exception are the two artsy theaters and a few hole in the walls here and there. The two big chains would have to do some serious revamping, I think. I’ve never really paid attention, but I don’t think any of the seats and aisles are numbered. These are not small chains of the theaters, and if they were going to convert they would probably convert all their theaters. That would cost a grip of money to set that up, a grip of money they obviously don’t need to spend as the current system seems to work fine by them. I could be wrong about the numbering, but I’ve seriously never noticed a theater in these changed that labeled their seats. Also I could only imagine that preselected seating theaters require some form of usher in the theater for the majority if not all of a showing. That means they need more employees, and thus they lose more money as the number of employees go up. From the perspective of these huge chains they probably just don’t want to fork out the money to get this kinda setup going.
Money is probably the only thing holding theater chains back. Most aren’t equipped with numbering, or don’t want to spend money on multiple ushers to guide people to seats. Economically, it probably makes sense right now to continue the current system. However, preassigned seating is better for everyone if the initial investment isn’t considered.
Its just a dumb idea, since you are a movie critic you obviously need to see the movie on opening night to make a review. So are the majority of people who dont go to opening night supposed to pre-select there seats in future just because you are inconvenienced?
Sorry, I find your logic a bit short sited and selfish. I don’t view a movie on opening night, I waltz into theater 2-3 days later and have my pick of any number of good seats without the big crowds.
This idea would really only benefit anyone on extremely popular/busy openers. The rest of the week this pre-select thing is a total waste of resources for a theater.
2-3 days later, you still wouldn’t be inconvenienced. When you bought your ticket, you would either randomly stab at a seat and sit wherever you really want, or you would pick the one you actually do want. It would take 3 seconds longer than normal. If the theater is as empty as you believe 2-3 days later, then you have no problem. Assigned seating is only added value, it literally subtracts nothing for anyone.
That may be true, but the real cost isn’t even thought of.
So you think its that simple a movie chain should design a computer program that has to track seating and assign seats for each viewing of a show?
Yea, it all sounds simple in logic but this program would cost movie theaters a fortune just like anything else in IT does. Yes, this technology could easily be done, but I dont think it would be cost efficient and as I said, it a waste of the theaters resources.
I said the same thing in my reply to Jeremy K. below. Money is the reason this hasn’t happened. If movie-goers made a choice to only attend pre-selected screenings, perhaps we could change this, but in the current climate, it won’t happen.
Yes, money is a big factor. But I can tell you pre-selected seating on any day would not be good for me. I do not like big crowds, and in truth I do not like sitting next to anyone at the theater.
If I were to receive an assigned seat and was seated next to someone or between two people I would demand a refund and walk out of theater. I probably wouldn’t go to theater much in future either.
I am forced to comply with assigned seating when I fly or take a train and I can deal with that. But I would not accept this from a theater, nor do I feel I should have to.
The idea is that it’s basically the same as it currently is… Right now, if you are in an empty theater, you don’t have to sit next to the person who sits next to you. With a selected seat system, you can still move over one in that empty theater. Everything is the same. All that happens is that entry becomes more enjoyable.
I agree! What is being sold as a time saver – less lines – is in reality a time waster for everyone overall. Some people will save time, but society will lose time as most people who were going to get a decent seat anyway, have to login or whatever. Why make the whole system harder for the majority, so the minority can save time seeing Batman at midnight?
Also, I understand many overseas countries have variable seat pricing. So good seats would cost more. Leaving the front row seats for the economically disadvantaged is not how we do things here.
I would say that the idea of not being able to “leave one in-between” is beneficial for the theater companies as well as patrons and would be added incentive for adoption of the preseating policy. As a movie-goer, there is nothing more frustrating than having to split up your party, even if it is a party of two! Sure, you’re probably not going to talk or share popcorn throughout the movie, but you still enjoy sitting next to the person you went to the movie with. As a theater, it is costly, timely, and annoying to have ushers ask everyone to move towards the center in order to create more groupings of seats near the ends. Additionally, I know people who have refunded their money because they weren’t able to sit together. Therefore, if assigned seating meant that people were forced to either sit next to each other or at least two seats away, couples and theaters would have less hassle to deal with.
One time, I was in a horrible seat, it was those double-seaters in the back corner of the theater. I couldn’t see the screen at all. But halfway through the movie my date went down and started giving me a BJ. IT made up for the bad seating.
I’ll never understand why theaters have seats so close to the screen. The first time I saw The Dark Knight I had to sit it the first row at the reagal chain. Its brutal on the eyes and takes time to adjust for you to view it. I must admit I was sooo– pissed off that I couldn’t get a seat in the back. I always sit in the back as its were I like to sit. I would have loved preferred seating in that instance.
chuck
Same here. Why don’t they just take out those seats? I know the logic is then they couldn’t sell all those tickets, but seriously no one wants to sit way up front. It’s absurd. Those seats so close to the screen shouldn’t even exists. It’s terrible design.
I think preselected seating would be better suited towards imax screenings than standard screenings. For every imax movie I go to on opening weekend, I have to show up at least an hour early to get a decent seat. Don’t have that problem at regular theaters though.
YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS LORD YEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS.
I had to show up almost two hours early to sit in line for TDK to get a decent seat. Transformers 2 will be the same.
I try to buy good seats for a concert online and they are sold out in minutes. What if preselected seats gets that popular? Would i have to rely on having the fastest internet connection to get a good seat? what if im not thinking about a movie 3 weeks in advance?
cloud720 – If preselected seats really get THAT popular, then I would suggest that maybe preselected seats only be available for the opening weekend and maybe a bit more. After that, regular seating.
In Hollywood, CA we have the Arclight Cinemas which have the pre-selected seating for movies. At first I loved this idea and part of me still does. Instead of waiting an hour in line you just walk in 15 minutes before showtime and take your seat. It still works as a first come first serve basis because if you want the best seats in the house you have to order them as soon as they go on sale, sometimes weeks before the movie comes out.
There is one major drawback though to the pre-selected seating I have noticed. At a regular theater that does not offer this type of seating people generally show up 20 to 40 minutes before show time, buy their ticket, get their seat, then hit the concession stand, and are back in their seat before the movie starts. Now with this pre-selected seating people know their seat is reserved so they show up at the last minute. I am not talking about a few people here but almost half the theater. What this causes is a flood of people going to the concession stand with 1 minute before showtime. The movie starts, and I am not talking about the trailers, I am talking about the actual movie, and people are coming in, hands full of popcorn, walking up and down the aisle looking for their seat. When I went to see the Dark Knight at the Arclights Dome, it was almost impossible to watch the entire opening bank sequence. You constantly hear…pssssss…honey..where are you at, or excuse me. The occasional one or two people is fine, but this is forty to fifty people, walking up and down the aisle, in front of the screen, carrying popcorn, and it constantly goes on for the first 10 to 15 minutes of every film.
The Arclight has a rule that says no one will be admitted to the theater once the film starts. This rule does not apply to people going to the concession stand.
Really enjoyed both posts, wish you had time to counter all the comments like this!
From the UK and have only known pre-selecting (although there are some places that don’t) and more recently online (in the old days we’d just phone up and pay with a card that way and they’d ask middle, back etc). Living in Pennsylvania right now and was literally shocked to find the local multiplex doesn’t pre-book! For all the arguments for and against, by far the most significant to me is the turning up way in advance for a busy screening, I just cannot get my head round anyone thinking that as an acceptable practice! Know I’m covering stuff other people have said but I guess I’m just as bowled over as you are that its not standard practice!
I think I’m gunna talk to the owners of my local theater and ask them about this, and why they don’t have it. Fortunately I know the owners.
i don’t see how there can be an argument against pre assigned seats.
what is the argument against it? first in first served?? well that still applies because buy your tickets first and you get the best seats so that doesn’t matter.
How on earth is there a down side to being able to pick the seats you want when you get your tickets?
the only people who would be against it I guess are the theatre chains who would worried that you won;t get full house screenings because if the only seats left are crap people won;t buy them so I guess I can see that but how does that effect anyone but cinema owners?
There is no downside for the paying customer.
first come first served ok, buts its a lot easier to come first on the day of than coming first 3 weeks early? i cant tell you if i will or wont be free 12 am three weeks from now. I may not want to buy a ticket so early. Maybe there are plently of people that know they will be free and i wait a extra day so i cant get good seats. Maybe they wont even show up and i get a crap seat becasue there seat is taken when they are not even there.
if the major theatres did preselected seats in toronto, i’d see a hell of a lot more movies.
even terminator salvation.
Great video John, part 2 topped part 1.
Two questions come to mind, not sure if this first one is a stupid one or not but I’m just curious.
1. Would a theater that has this pre-selected seating ordeal, still have the regular thing we have now, or would it strictly be pre-selected?
2. Also, would a theater with pre-selected seating decrease chances of sell out crowds? I think so.
I appreciate the time you took on these well put together vids, and the site, one of the first things I check everyday Btw. This is one thing I didn’t touch on in the comments of the last video. I agree and see where you are coming from, but also kind of disagree. Pre-selected seating does interest me, and hey i’m up for anything that makes the movie going experience better. This would be a cool way, but I, for some odd reason, still prefer the old way. In the old way, you can show up whenever you want, same with this new way too. Pre-selected seating seems like it avoids the hassle of waiting in line forever (like I did for Star Wars a few years ago). But I’m wondering would it increase revenue because of it’s easier way, or would nobody want to deal with it? IDK, maybe i was rambling on lol but anyway great video John as always
What does that thing about the Arclight lining up extra Iron Man shows have to do with pre-assigned seating? Wouldn’t that apply to any ticket pre-orders?
Otherwise, I don’t know that the majority of people are really yearning for this. You seem to go to a lot of very crowded theaters, but every theater I go to I usually don’t need to show up much earlier than twenty minutes in advance to assure the best seat in the house. I really don’t want to have to be checking some website weeks in advance in order to get the seat I want, I’d rather just show up twenty minutes early.
Unless I’m quite wrong, it seems like John addressed this issue at least five times.
Trying something new and writing this as I listen to the video blog, so here we go.
North America should not be embarrassed about how seating is done in the theaters. There are other more pressing issues for a continent to be worried about than how seating is done in a movie theater. I for one am not embarrassed for being from North America because we do not have preselected seating.
As I stated in the last discussion on this, why not have chains of theaters that do one or the other, that way people can choose if they want to go to a theater with preselected seating or not. It could be the same chain that does it and they could slowly phase out whichever is the underdog if there is one.
The vomit and gum was a worse case scenario and a not so bad scenario. It was exciting to have you quote me, though. You get to the heart of the matter, though, a messed up seat. You mention talking to an usher, but here in San Diego I have yet to go to a movie with usher in the screen room. This means you would have to leave the the room and go find a person else where in the theater and risk missing a chunk of the movie if you showed up just in time for the movie. If not the movie, then at least some previews. Non-selected seating you just find a new seat. If your going to non-selected seating, a packed theater should not matter because you should of shown up with ample time to find a seat and just overlook any unsightly seats. Whereas if you preselect your seat and show up on time, then the risk of a packed theater is greater. Really it all comes down to how you view it. Your assuming that whether or not the seating is preselected the person is going to show up to the theater at the same time either way. If it is pre-selected then sure I may risk coming at exactly the time the movie starts as I am guaranteed my seat, so if the seat is messed up then the chances of the theater being packed at that time is high. If it is not preselected then I am going to show up a half an hour early or so, and thus the chances of the theater being backed is less likely and easier to select a seat avoiding the theater. As stated before, I like to show up early and get some reading or hand held video game time in.
Not much to say on topic two.
Not to bring my friend back up, but you did so I figure it is OK. He is thirty years old and has spent ten+ years in the military. He work on high side communications, or did before his rate was done away with. Now he works on regular comms. His probably is doing anything that risks identity theft. Ask anybody that has been a victim to identity theft or trained in ISS and they will tell you the Internet is not as safe as people think. I’m with you, though, I use it to pay all my bills regardless and well consider it a lesson learned if I ever become a victim of such a crime. I know this probably makes him an exception because of his background, but again I used him as an example to say there are people that won’t/cant use such means to pre-purchase tickets. Your argument that you more often than not not preselect on non-special engagements has me lost. Why need that preselected seat if you are just going to go and purchase the ticket at the time of showing and walk right on in? Your going to beat anybody behind you going in and anybody ahead of you has already beat you. But ya, those that pre-purchase still get the advantage which is good for them. Still made me giggle that you quoted me.
Got nothing on topic four either.
I do see what your getting at in relation to my comments, though. I just like going into a theater and picking, maybe because it the way it has been imprinted on me for the past thirty years making me hardheaded to change.
Dear God that was long, sorry everybody… wasn’t paying attention to the length when I pressed “Leave Reply”.
It’s a great idea.
But, would you agree that seats in the middle/higher up should be more expensive than the others? Obviously people prefer not to be on the side/in the front.
Hey R1ZE
Personally i don’t agree. I like the philosophy of “First Come First Serve”. If I order the tickets first, I think i should be allowed to have my choice of seats without a financial penalty. But that’s just my opinion.
Nevermind, just saw this was in the video.
Well rather, I was thinking the sides/front would be cheaper, but my choice of words was poor.
by the by, what did you think of Terminator?
I didn’t think Terminator “sucked” at all… but I was pretty disappointed with it
Good to know. I don’t wanna get too off-topic, but is there any word about a new top ten list coming out?
I think one for the top 10 action movies would be cool.