I’ve got to get some reaction to this. Our friend John Campea at The Movie Blog has cooked up another bitch-fest (he’s given to them), this one regarding the system of pre-selecting seats at movies. It seems the poor guy has been spoiled senseless by living a mile up the street from the glorious Arclight Theater here in Hollywood (though now he’s taking in the rays in glorious Corona).
Anyway, I should say I’ve been spoiled too, by press screenings, and I generally avoid midnight showings like the plague. So when I do dish out the bucks, I prefer the time-honored tradition of showing up on time and picking a seat when I get inside the theater, thank you very much. But this is an entertaining rant nonetheless. Give us your thoughts:
Comments
14 responses to “Is pre-selecting seats really a big deal?”
If John fancies moving to South Africa, he’ll be a very happy man.
I was initially puzzled by the inability to pre-select seats when I moved to London, but then I realized that the films I pay to see so rarely pack the house that it hardly matters.
Apparently a number of overseas companies do pre-selected. Wasn’t aware of that.
they’ve been slowly implementing that here in Brazil for the last couple of years and now about 90% of the screening rooms here in Rio are like that… I quite like it.
don’t know how it affects ticket sales, though (or even IF it does). I’ve certainly skipped a few showings when there were only bad seats left
I find it is only necessary to pre-select seats if it is a big Summer movie and on opening weekend.
This guy has a Bachelor’s Degree in Annoyingness that is visible in the background.
If you’ve ever got stuck on the first row of a theatre that’s too close to a screen that’s too high on the wall because of stadium seating, then it’s a pretty big deal.
I still think about 50% of why I hate THE CELL so much is because of how uncomfortable I was watching it. I eventually reached a point where it was starting to hurt my neck so much that I stopped bothering to actually look at the screen.
You can preselect seats at some theaters? Interesting.
So what about that situation where you’re say 16 or 17 and you want to see a midnight screening Wolverine. You don’t have a credit card, no pre-bought ticket, no pre-selected seat. You go early to get a ticket (which is possible over here in NJ [SOUTH Jersey]) and then you go into the theater to pick your seat. However you can’t get a good seat because this prick, who looks too old to be seeing Wolverine anyway, has “pre-selected seats.” This guy becomes the jackass friend and the theater is the jackass saving seats.
PS- Not every airline has preselected seats
PPS- Why does the internet have to control every aspect of our lives? This guy is probably too busy sitting at home streaming a film from netflix while on facebook and texting on his blackberry to get to the theater early to share in the experience of going to a midnight screening. IT’S A MIDNIGHT SCREENING, you’re not supposed to waltz right in and sit in your ‘preselected’ seat! You should wait in line with the other people like you who are dressed up like harry potter or have a wolverine tattoo. Discuss how you discovered the book/comic/TV show and how it changed your life. Etc.
I just hate it when people sit right behind or in front of me in an empty theater.
I think he makes some good points but I think his tone and attitude overshadow whatever valid arguments he might have made.
But if all these cinemas had pre-selected cinemas then people would realise there were only crappy seats left and then not go.
We don’t have much pre-select seating cinemas here in Australia and it’s not usually that big of a deal. Sure, sometimes you have to go to the cinema early, but that’s just part of the package. Wanna see a movie on opening weekend (or at Midnight? ugh) then you have to suffer a bit and wait in a line. Boo hoo.
That video was annoying. I turned it off half way through.
This video makes this guy seem like a douche. There are more than a handful of options to avoid getting a bad seat at a movie besides pre-selecting them.
Here in Caracas (Venezuela) many movie theaters have that system and I used always and avoid the rush for a good seat and lines at the ticket office.
the guy is spoiled rotten. i’ve been to the Arclight. i loved it. sure. good memories of Children of Men and Pan’s Labyrinth.
however, my first date with my now wife was all turned around when, after purchasing tickets from the person at the desk for Happy Feet (we’re big fans of penguins, see), we weren’t allowed into the theatre. for some reason, they sold me the tickets, but after walking up the stairs, i was too late to get in.
but you know what. i’m not complaining. it’s a snooty theatre. that’s not a bad thing. it’s a wonderful place, but damn…it ain’t your everyman’s theatre, right?
in real life, at least in the rest of america, you have to deal with the crowds on a big opening night. it’s my sister’s favorite past time. sitting in line with a bunch of strangers who are geeking out. i only do opening nights for Batman. everything else can wait a couple of days.
my point is, this guy is spoiled. and more in love with himself than the social experiment that is the theatre. deal with it.
Here in Spain most movie theatres do have pre-selected seating, but it’s usually only implemented on weekends for (possibly) crowded shows. On weeknights you just sit wherever.
Its all part of the experience to get to the movie early in line with other fans and to get your favorite seat… It would suck if most theaters had pre-selected seats since buying them not too far in advance would mean getting a pot-luck location. If i get early enough I get my good seat. The same is true if you get to a movie with less than 15 min to show time with a big group of people, you should know you will not be together, which is fine, since you arent supposed to talk during a movie anyway.
Going to concerts I like pre-selected seats (at most venues) but not for movies…