I went to the movie theater for the fisrt time in over 15 years the other day. Wife was out town, a movie I knew she wouldn't to see and a chance to get a little privacy was too much to pass up.

Now the complaints
1) I arrive 5 minutes late and their are still 30 minutes of previews and ADVERTISMENTS? 35 minutes of previews was ridiculous but now I am paying to watch adversting?!

2) This is a matinee and NO ONE was in the theater when I arrived and what happens? A couple shows up and takes the two seats right in front of me?! Give me a freakin break. At least they quit talking when the movie started.

3) The next two couples that arrive have to not only take seats in my row but can't enter from the other side?! One guy and his wife are just two seats down and he takes off his shoes and puts his feet on top of the seat in front of him?! Empty seats all around and these clowns have to sit right around me! At least the guy didn't pick his toe nails..... And this is in what I though was a good neighorhood. Might as well go across town for the theater next to the trailer parks....

I've made my last visit to the movie theater. I'll wait a month after relaese for the DVD or cable promotion. Guess I am just getting too old.

2 weeks ago I also went to the movies to see a matinee and pretty much experienced the same thing. They not only played tons of commercials for other movies but also commercials for local businesses. I'll never go back.

Been close to 20 years since I've gone to the moving picture shows.

The wife informed me that our last visit to a theater was for the second Star Wars movie.

I'd rather not know how many years that has been.....

West Is the Best Wrote:The wife informed me that our last visit to a theater was for the second Star Wars movie.

I'd rather not know how many years that has been.....

Well you can get ready to go back in the summer of 09.....New Star Trek movie coming out!!....this one is the young Spock and Kirk. Might be fun.

This is why I no longer go to commercial megaplexes. The only place I really frequent is The Music Box, the local art house. No commercials, usually only a smattering of people, twinkling stars on the ceiling, and live organ music before the film. What more could you ask for?

I don't watch too many mainstream films, but in those cases I'll just wait for DVD.

Add in the $4.50 for the fountain Coke that you can get at Stop-N-Rob for 89 cents and $5.50 for the popcorn that costs maybe 25 cents to pop.

And then $10.00 for the ticket.

Two people go to a movie, thats $40.00. The same movie is usually on cable within 8 months, and on sale for DVD within a year.

There is usually nothing that can't wait for cable. The last movie we saw was Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, and before that it had been a year since we had been to a movie.

WOW!!! Conservatives complaining, this is new. Ok..1.) Since no one is going to the movies, you must still find some way to pay for it. 2.) Answered by #1. 3.)They probably sat around you because you have the best place in the theatre to watch the movie, which I am guessing is just underneath the projector.

Obama should just have gov't controlled prices, and assigned seating. Free market my friends....

We finally got a good place to see movies around here. Not one of the big chain ultra-plex people with small theatres, crappy audio quality, sticky floors, $10 soft drinks, and $20 popcorn, and a half hour of pre-roll commercials.

Proper big rooms. With nice audio and huge screens. And only half-way insane food/drink prices.

where do you people live? We have three commercial theaters relative close to my house. two have about 6 screens, and the other is a true multiplex with about 20 screens, maybe a little less. I go to the latter all the time and the commercial/preview time isn't bad. I got into the theater about 10 minutes late the other day and i had missed about 2 minutes of the movie. I've never been to a theater where commercials (other than concessions ads) are still running after the scheduled start time.

I can't possibly believe the OP. I've never heard of a theater where a movie starts 30 minutes after the scheduled time.

flyingswoosh Wrote:I can't possibly believe the OP. I've never heard of a theater where a movie starts 30 minutes after the scheduled time.

Every time I went in High School in Alpharetta, GA it was AT LEAST 15 min of previews / commercials / turn off your cell phone crap.

I haven't had an experience where the movie starts within 15 min of the scheduled time.

flyingswoosh Wrote:where do you people live? We have three commercial theaters relative close to my house. two have about 6 screens, and the other is a true multiplex with about 20 screens, maybe a little less. I go to the latter all the time and the commercial/preview time isn't bad. I got into the theater about 10 minutes late the other day and i had missed about 2 minutes of the movie. I've never been to a theater where commercials (other than concessions ads) are still running after the scheduled start time.

I can't possibly believe the OP. I've never heard of a theater where a movie starts 30 minutes after the scheduled time.

Oh it happens. Regal Theaters and American Multi-Cinema are the worst offenders when it comes to long previews before the featured film.

Why do they do this? One the studios pay them to show previews. Second, they are trying to schedule as many films to start and end at the same times as possible. But that is hard when films last different times.

They use the previews as "time padding".. so the movie that lasts 2:15 starts and ends at the same time as the one down the hall that lasts 2:00.

The last time I went to the movies I went too early and had to watch a going green infomercial for 20 minutes. If I lower my thermostat from 70 to 65, I can save the world.

I almost walked out.

I don't what movie theaters y'all go to but down here I can go to 2 different Cinemarks during the matinee for either $4-$6 / person depending on which theater. I show up about 15 min after the scheduled time to miss the commercials and most of the previews and I don't usually get anything to eat or drink there. With 2 people that is $8-$10 and if we are hungry we can grab lunch afterward.

The biggest issue to me isn't the theaters. It's that the movies are utter crap!

NCHF's rules for going to the movie theater.

1) In a Stadium seat theater sit in the back row on the aisle this limits how may people can sit near you. My worst experience ever was when a family sat behind me, and the kids talked the whole time. I swore from that day forward never sit where someone can sit behind you. It's far less distracting when someone in front of you talks.

2) Wear a coat, how else can you sneak in the beverage and snack of your choice. I ain't paying $6 for a coke and $5 for a candy bar. You'll get funny looks when you order a large popcorn and no drink but they'll get over it.

3) Never go the first two weeks of a new movie, if it's worth seeing it will be there for week three and you don't have to deal with as many clueless bumpkins.

Last summer, I went to a drive-in movie theater for the first time in nearly thirty years. My kids had a blast, we backed our SUV into a spot and brought our own food and drinks. The four of us got in for $15 bucks. It was a first run movie and the sound is broadcast on an FM station, you don't hang the five pound metal speaker on your window.

THE NC Herd Fan Wrote:Last summer, I went to a drive-in movie theater for the first time in nearly thirty years. My kids had a blast, we backed our SUV into a spot and brought our own food and drinks. The four of us got in for $15 bucks. It was a first run movie and the sound is broadcast on an FM station, you don't hang the five pound metal speaker on your window.

I wish we had one of these.

the only problem with going to a movie more than 2 weeks after it opens is, if it's a comedy it won't be as funny because there won't be the infectious laughing. Coach Carter was so much funnier the first time i saw it because i went opening night when the audience was mostly black and was basically sold out. The audience made it so much funnier.

Wow, I thought I was the only one.

We got free tickets to see Cars, so that came after Star Wars II...but it was free.

Other than Cars, we've only seen matinees (4 for my wife, 5 for me) since we got married 8 years ago.

We didn't have bad experiences, it just wasn't worth the money.

I love going to the movies. My roommates and I try to go to a Sunday night movie after all the football games so we can relax a little before another week of school. I never buy a drink or popcorn at the movie, so those prices don't bother me. I for one love movie trailers, I just get so pumped to see some of those movies. The commercials I could live without, but whatever, I'm not gonna waste my time griping about them.