I had my first encounter with the Reserved Seating model at the Silverado 19 theater
(Tomball, TX) during an IMAX screening of Avatar.

From what I saw and heard during this clusterfuck of a situation....


- About 75% of the theater was designated for Reserved Seating (best guess).

- Reserved Seats = Best Seats in the House

- GA Seats = Shitty Seats (Right Up Front).

- Reserved Ticket holders had the option of sitting in their assigned *Reserved* seat or moving to a GA seat.

- After the film begins, all empty reserved seating becomes available for GA regardless if the seat has been pre-sold.

- Every IMAX screening was overbooked for General Admission (per one of the Ushers).




So how does Reserved Seating work at your local theater?

Here in Socal, there's two theaters I go to, Arclight and The Bridge. In Arclight, all their theaters have 100% reserved seating. The Bridge has IMAX reserved seating and three digital ones I think, (Suprmallet would know he works there). Anyway, I love these theaters, it sucks driving 40 minutes to LA, but it's better than waiting for hours to get decent seats at midnight showings.

I've been to the El Capitan theater, and they have the same setup you talk about. Reserved seating for the primo seats (floor and balcony), and GA Seats are all the side seats. I wish theaters in OC would use reserved seating. Really convenient.

I prefer the Arclight way of doing it, where every seat is assigned, just as if you were buying tickets to a theater show. There are really no bad seats in their theaters anyway, and since you can buy online, you don't have to show up hours ahead of time to make sure you don't get stuck in the front all the way to the side.

The other way, with having clumps of seats reserved (and are always the best seats in the house), is the worst. I haven't been to the El Capitan in years because of their setup and also because they charge a premium on top of the normal price for a stupid stage show. If I had kids, it would probably be fun, but usually I just want to see the newest Pixar movie and not have to sit through 15 minutes of Disney song and dance.

The Bridge has IMAX and three director's halls with reserved seating. In addition, the seats in the director's halls are larger leather seats. We have one film director's hall and two split (meaning they can show film or digital). Those four auditoriums are 100% reserved seating. I'd probably shoot myself in the head if I had to deal with a split reserved/non-reserved house.

Premiere Seating here has a separate entrance, separate concessions line (free popcorn!), free valet parking right at the entrance, and a separate reserved seating area in a balcony with HUGE reclining seats, alcohol, gourmet food, and whatnot. Plus nobody under 21 allowed. Costs about double a regular ticket ($22 apiece). COMPLETELY worth it.

Big releases -- the Lord of the Rings, Watchmen, Iron Man, Dark Knight, etc. -- I only go to Premiere. Guaranteed a great experience with no talkers, riff-raffers, screaming toddlers, annoying douchebags, etc. Usually order my tickets ahead of time and get front row balcony, dead center. Best seat in the house.

When I lived in Japan it was all reserved seating for the theaters I went to. Made it easy actually, you knew where you were sitting and didn't have to rush.
Went to the El Capitan when I lived in LA a few times, usual pattern: Buy higher price reserved tickets (includes popcorn), go to your seat, have to call usher over because person who doesn't understand reserved seating and just sat there is in your seats, repeat as necessary.
Worth it to me for the extra cost.

Here is how reserved seating works. When you buy a ticket, a seat is reserved for you. The location of the seat is marked on your ticket (for example, A21). Nobody else will be assigned the same seat. When you enter the theater, simply sit in the seat indicated on the ticket.

Hope this helps.

As much as I once enjoyed seeing a movie out with other people I only ever experienced reserved seating one time and at that time someone else footed the bill. The seats were not assigned and it seemed that just as many assholes populated the reserved seating as normally occupy the general seating. People still had their phones out and chatted away during the movie. The extra comfy seats were the only added perk for the extra cash.

How can that be called reserved seating if the seat isn't assigned? Sounds like reserved festival seating. Yeah, I would avoid a place like that for the most part.

Century City AMC is now reserved seating.

I like being able to pick my seats either online or at the theater way in advance of the start time, however, it's not for those that are spur of the moment people looking to see a movie on its opening weekend and expecting that being there an hour ahead of time that they're going to have decent seats.

There are no reserved seating at any of the theaters in my area that I know of, If you want choice seats, you show up early.

22 bucks would definitely be worth it, hell just with the free popcorn it almost pays for itself.

It's pretty great. With the reserved seat and free valet parking, we can pull into the theater entrance 10 minutes before the movie starts, drop our car off right at the entrance, grab our concessions, and be led to our seats (an usher ALWAYS leads you to your seat in case someone else is improperly sitting there) just before the trailers start.

The only issue right now is that the theater I go to does not have Digital 3D in any of the Premier seating screens (I think 6 of the 18 screens have Premiere seating available). So AVATAR is out right now, unless they open up a 2D screen. Bummer.

The only theater I've gone that had reserved seating it was specific (reclining) seats, cost about $25, they brought you to your seat, gave you a little blanket if you wanted, and served food and wine (which was extra, but was actually pretty good).

blanket? I would be nervous about that..?

Just spreadin' the love...

same here

Reserved seating and intermissions drive me nuts when I go to movies in different countries (Spain, France, Argentina, Switzerland, etc...).

The idea of both are fine:
With reserved seating, you can come in at the last minute. But it only really works if you know that theater. You can't really choose seats just based on looking at a theater seating chart. I need to actually be in the theater to judge where I want to sit. Plus I don't want to get stuck sitting behind some tall person, stinky person, or some chattering group.
With intermissions, yeah, it's nice to take a piss, but it throws off everything if you get into the film, and then the lights come on abrubtly and pulls you back to reality...I would be fucking pissed if I saw Schindlers List, Matrix, or District 9 in Europe with their intermissions...

Never been to, nor seen a movie theater that did reserved seating.

Here's a YouTube video of AMC Mainstreet theater in Kansas City. Since my g/f lives out here we had to check it out on my first visit since there isn't a theater in San Diego that's like it. The CinemaSuite theaters (half of the screens) have a rather extensive menu. There's a button that you put and the waiter comes to take your order. The tickets cost $15 more but you get a $15 food voucher... so it evens out as long as you order food. All seats are reserved.

<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qedUCjn2EJc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qedUCjn2EJc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>

Me neither. Seems like just another way to separate moviegoers from their cashola... inventing some "added value" thing and charging for something that used to be free.

But if people are willing to pay for it, then congrats to the theatres for figuring it out. I, however, am not one of those.

I've been meaning to go to one of those theaters in LA. I don't find the ones around me that terrible though, so I guess i'm lucky.

Popcorn was never free. Neither was valet parking. That alone is almost worth the 10 bucks, not even including the love seat recliners that seat two. Or the peace of mind of getting an assured great seat without having to deal with loud children, mallrats, texting teenagers, etc. For $10 extra? Beyond worth it. But I can see why some people don't see the value in it if either they can't afford it or they enjoy participating in contemporary douchey moviegoing behavior. (Not insinuating you Ken, just in general...)

How long is the walk that anyone would possibly need valet parking at a movie theatre?

Whatever happened to dropping the lady off at the door, man parks car and walks up to meet her?

just asking...

No offense taken.

I tend to avoid theatres in general these days. As much as I love movies, I want to see the flick and not have to deal with loud children, mallrats, texting teenagers, rowdy teenagers, teenagers yucking it up, or distractions in general. I want to See The Movie and enjoy it as if I were the only one there. Just the screen and me. And I fear that those days are long, long gone.

If a theatre near me were to advertise that they were reserving a screen or two as cell-free zones - enforced with jamming devices - and that nobody under 18 were to be admitted regardless of circumstances, I might go. But for $10 more on TOP of the already too-damn-expensive price? Hell, I'll just buy the DVD and watch it in my Man Cave.