Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

I'm sure I've complained more, but only 4 times come to mind.

Return of the King - Had a day off work and went to see a matinee with a friend. Some woman brought her severely mentally handicapped adult-ish son, who was literally screaming through most of the first 10 minutes of the movie. Felt bad telling the manager, but oh well.

Thor - The wife and I went to an evening showing on opening weekend and some douche had multiple cell phone conversations with friends, raising his voice to talk over the movie. I forced myself to be polite as I could and ask if he would mind taking any more calls outside the theater. When he took another one, I went for a manager and they kicked him out.

The Collector - The theater turned the lights on for the last 10 minutes of the movie, then refused to offer a refund or anything else to make up for it.

Sherlock Holmes - Someone passed out during the movie and their girlfriend couldn't wake them up. She started screaming and they brought the lights up, called 911 and had EMTs come. Turned out they just thought he was dehydrated, but took him away in an ambulance anyway. The whole ordeal took a little over 20 minutes and the theater just cut the sound and let the film keep playing, then brought it back up after the hubbub died down. We left and complained, getting comp tickets from the manager, though he initially tried to say he wasn't going to do anything because it was outside of the theater's control.

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

That sucks, but I could see how they wouldn't be able to put the movie on hold for 20 minutes because it would mess up the rest of their schedule. They'd HAVE to give comps, though.

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I've never complained to a manager. When something bad happens I keep the rage internalized and let it manifest itself as an ulcer later on.

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

I wrote an article years ago for Crave about my ten worst movie going experiences ever. I've had some doozies that have made me re-think movie going altogether.

It's shocking how many people are willing to pay eighteen dollars just to talk and joke through a movie and ruin it for everyone else. The height of human rudeness is unbelievable.

However there ARE some exceptions.

When I went to see Cabin Fever it was just me and these two kids whom were cutting their high school and the movie was so bad we resorted to mocking it mid-way.

And during House of the Dead the theater filled with people hated the movie so much there was laughter and jeers that everyone went along with, including me. That movie was just unwatchable.

My viewing experience for Spider-Man 2 was ruined by some young assholes trying to be comedians, and during Land of the Dead some woman kept screaming comically as if to make everyone else laugh.

It's shocking how no one has common courtesy anymore.

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

I've complained about:

1) Projector bulb dimming - I went up to the projection booth door and the projectionist showed me why he couldn't do anything about it. The film was on one of those flat reels that had the whole film and he couldn't stop it and fix it until the film was over. In the old days when they had two projectors and they switched reels, they could have done that. (This was during HEARTBREAK RIDGE.)

2) Putting an intermission arbitrarily between two reels--in the middle of a scene! (This was during THE TOWERING INFERNO.) The manager said it was because of the length of the film (165 min.) and how they couldn't squeeze an extra show in because of it. (So why didn't they just close up early?)

3) Poor condition of print. The manager seemed stunned that someone was complaining about it. This was during SERPICO and it was a theater that was the Bronx's premier showplace/movie palace and I'd never seen that bad a print at this theater before!

4) Too many commercials before the film. (FIRST KNIGHT at the Beekman in Manhattan.) The manager said it was absolutely necessary in order to show a profit.

The one time I regret not complaining:
During MALCOLM X, at the exact moment of the assassination, a theater employee carrying a huge bag of popcorn burst through the exit door at the side of the screen and stormed up the aisle.

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

Holy freaking crap!

This just happened to my wife and I at the Hobbit a week ago.

A older fat woman cackled the whole way through and added literal "ooooooo's and ahhhhhhhhh's" along with a few "OH MY GOD's".

The talking was minimal so I didn't say anything and it's hard to say anything to someone who is mostly just laughing but she laughed loudly and times when NO ONE was laughing at all. She must have thought this was the funniest movie of the year.
SO,
When it was over my wife (on her way out) told her she was the most annoying person she's been in a theater with.
The woman flipped out, started cursing at her etc.
I walked over and told her how rude she was. Her husband (looked like a out of work santa) stood up and basically told us to leave.
I told him he would learn very quickly that he's not going to tell me what to do, then he shut up.
I told them they were pathetic pieces of white trash then we left.

I swear, I have more confrontations at theaters than anyone, but I'm just not ok with people ruining it for me and others. (earlier a guy sitting in front of them, after a loud laugh, got up and moved too)

Also almost fought with a old guy at Django on Christmas day.

It was sold out so this guy came in late and sat next to me. About 5 minutes later he tells me I better stop kicking him...well, problem was I never kicked him. (I had my foot crossed on my leg and HE, in fact, had made contact me me several times.) I really think he was trying to show dominance, trying to take more room than was his. He was a fat ass so I'm sure he wanted me to relent my space, but that's not going to happen.) I asked again what he said because I thought I misheard him. He tells me to stop kicking him or else, so I ask if we have a problem.
His wife tries to shut him up and next thing I knew he kicks his leg out at my foot, glancing off my foot and nailing the seat in front of me, and then holds his foot firmly on the chair.
The guy in front of me was a Rasta out with his girl and they turned around and was like WTF? and said to stop kicking. They seen it was the other guy and the guy quit.
Crazy dude's wife gets up and tells him to switch but he won't, so my wife says the same, so I go ahead and switch seats.
Before the movie was over their whole group got up (about 3-4 minutes early) and high tailed it out. They were clearly embarrassed of him.
I apologized to the Rasta and girlfriend, told them what happened and he told me he was getting ready to knock the guy out.

Long story, yes. Sorry for the errors in typing. I was writing fast.

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

cool story bro!

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

Given all the stories about people laughing at THE HOBBIT, maybe I should go see it. I'm in the mood for a good comedy. I would laugh at some of the stuff described in it.:D

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The Hobbit was NOT a funny movie. We had this lady during our showing that had a weird, annoying laugh and laughed a lot.

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Was he smoking a cigar?

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Not as egregious, but while watching Zero Dark Thirty at Hollywood's Arclight, which usually attracts a more high-brow and well-behaved crowd, a guy a few rows behind me laughed loudly during the handful of mildly humorous scenes. Happened infrequently enough where it didn't completely take me out of the movie, but was baffled at the guy's lack of self-awareness (like, no one else is laughing out loud, dude).

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

A couple from back in the day:

When I saw The Matrix Revolutions, during a major character death scene that's meant to be poignant, some ditzy lady enters the theater looking for her son and innocently calls out "Anthony???" Anthony responds, in a deep non-childlike voice indicating he's way too old for this, with "Mom, you just ruined the movie!" The whole theater laughed at them.


At an opening night showing of Beavis and Butthead Do America, some scumbag sat towards the front of the theater and screamed at the screen through the whole movie. Any time something happened that he found awesome, he'd yell "YEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" at the screen. Halfway through, he lit a cigarette right in the theater. I think everybody was too afraid of him to complain.

Then the theatre did an odd thing to try to stop him. This was a very small theatre and most of the employees were young girls who were in high school with me. One of them came in with a bag of popcorn, sat down across from him and pretended to be somebody watching the movie. She asked him to keep it down a few times but it didn't stop him.

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This guy didn't have 'LOVE' and 'Hate' inked on his knuckles did he?

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Todd is kewl!

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I'm surprised no one has specifically mentioned issues with volume levels. There is nothing worse than attending an action heavy flick in a huge auditorium, with beautiful visual presentation, and annoyingly substandard sound. Sure the levels might be adequate for a dialogue driven movie, but when I go see Fast Five or The Dark Knight Rises, I think it's crucial for the surrounds to get some exercise. I've never complained myself, but I've had people from my party complain and get the volume adjusted.

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HA! Nice try! You're just trying to copy asianxcore's story!

SEE?! I CAUGHT YOU!

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

Which reminds me of the time my group of four showed up late to an opening night showing of Outbreak in Santa Monica and were forced to sit in the very first row. After we sat down, there were two seats left, which a pair of late-arriving gang members took and got really comfortable in (arms on both arm rests and legs spread wide), then proceeded to fist-pump and "Yeah, G!!!" their way through the entire film. Was irritating--and slightly intimidating--at the time, but hilarious in hindsight.

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

:lol:

At least my story checks out right?

Something (kind of) similar happened to a friend of mine. At least in how the manager took care of things.

He told me that a fire alarm went off about 1 hour into the screening. Obviously the film was still playing and the theater had to be evacuated. When it was found that it was a false alarm, he and many others asked to either re-screen the part of the films that everyone missed, or get free passes for another time. The manager refused to do anything for trouble it caused all the theater patrons.

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

I'm sorry but if someone gave me shit about laughing too loud, I would laugh in their face. Granted, I don't laugh loud or hardly at all, but still. If someone says can you keep it down, sure, I would tone it down. Nobody has ever said anything to me, though.

Anyhow, I don't complain to theaters unless its something of a malfunction like someone mentioned. As for rude people, Cinemark advertises that they will ask people to leave and they never do.

My complain story is recent, back when Rise of the Planet of the Apes was playing. About 30 minutes in, the screen just dies. Turns out it was a power outage. Meanwhile, the air conditioning was off, and it's like 110 degrees outside. 25 minutes later, the movie hadn't come back on so we left.

Manager was offering refunds but I wanted a refund and a comp. I said I don't get a chance to go to the movies often with my work schedule and I was looking forward to seeing The movie. So she agreed to refund me and give me a pass for another movie.

As for rude and/or weird people, where do I begin. First off, someone was stabbed in the neck with a turkey blaster or thermometer or whatnot like five years ago or so at the theater we go to. I guess someone complained or told this guys girlfriend to keep it down and he left and bought the "weapon" at Wal-Mart and returned and stabbed the guy.

Anyhow, I have had a crazy guy using a laser pointer during a movie. Half expected to hear "that's gotta hurt" :lol:

Another guy was yelling during The Dark Knight every time Joker came on screen. "Look, it's Terminator!" Or "Look, it's Scarface!"

When my brother in law and I saw Killing Them Softly a few weeks back, we were the only people in the theater (it was a 10:30pm last show of the night) except for a group of three 20 something's. Then a group of five guys comes in looking like they just got back from the Douchebag Convention. Immediately, they start saying stuff to the people in front of us. "Shut up" or "Keep it down" while one of them has the snorting laughter after everything said. Keep in mind, the movie wasn't on yet and the people weren't being loud or rude.

Other times, I've had people behind me spoil scenes "he's the killer" or "it's really her" out of the blue.

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

Come on, they have 25-cent refills! I know it's wrong, but it's so cheap ...

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I've only left a screening once to find a manager, and that was in November when I went to see The Sting at Cinemark for their Classic Series. The audio wasn't properly synced. At first, I thought maybe it was just something with the movie itself I'd never noticed. The opening scenes were shot on location so it was reasonable that maybe they'd just botched the looping. But then they finally got to a scene filmed inside and it was still off so I went and found a manager.

I went back in, expecting to see the movie stop and be restarted, but they actually were able to somehow correct it without interrupting the projection at all. Either that, or it really was just the first 10 minutes that were misaligned.

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My latest bad experience was at a Regal theater, which is usually top notch around here. It was an afternoon screening of Skyfall. After the previews, the screen was stuck on the "turn off your phone" ad. I saw multiple people get up to let them know, but it must have been a major screw up because it was frozen for about 15-20 minutes. THEN....

Once the movie started, there was no sound. Except in the background, we could hear the advertisement audio playing. It was weird seeing Bond shooting people and hearing the female android voice in the background reminding me to "please throw away your garbage when you leave the theater."

They finally corrected the audio and replayed the movie.

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In the screening of LINCOLN last night, David Strathairn (as Seward) stands up to tell Lincoln something and freezes. At first, I'm sure, we all thought it was some kind of dramatic pause, but we soon realized the digital projector had frozen up. A fellow went out to tell somebody and I went out also, just in case that guy was actually going to the bathroom or something. But he did tell them and I said to him "Welcome to the age of digital projection" and he replied, "Well, at least the frame didn't burn up." Which is what used to happen when the film stopped in a 35mm projector. He had a point there, I daresay. When we got back into the theater and I sat down in my seat, the film resumed.

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

When I was young, my Grandma took me to see Dances With Wolves and around the middle of the movie, suddenly the screen went white and the picture and sound was gone. After a couple of minutes, my Grandma told me she would go talk to someone, and when she got back, the movie had not resumed, but she told me that apparently the projectionist took their break before changing the reel. Surprisingly there was nobody else who worked there that could restart the movie, and everyone had to wait another ten minutes until the projectionist got back from their break. Of course, there was no apology offered.

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I went to the midnight showing of Inception and right after the scene on the plane where they entered the dream, the film cut to black. After about five minutes of sitting in the dark the movie started about a minute after it had cut off so that minute was lost to us in the theater.

I was going to complain (Harkins always seems to screw something up) but as I was leaving there was an usher handing out tickets by the front. Good, they're making up for their screw-up I think to myself. I grab my ticket and walk out. When I get to my car I look at the ticket and it's for a free small popcorn.

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

Yeah it was pretty ridiculous especially with Django being a 3hr film. Since its not a theater I thought we would frequent again(since it's about an hour drive from where I reside), I didn't complain but did fill out a comment card. Yesterday i recieved a phone call from the manager. We talked, she apologized for the situation, and invited me back for a free movie w/concessions. We are planning/hoping to see Iron Man III there in May.

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

When I saw the Expendables 2, the picture was dim, out of focus and the picture was shifted way too high (the actor's head was chopped off quite a bit on the screen). I got up and ask the someone go check and fix the screen. That didn't help. Some kid went back to the projection booth and tried to fix it. It was worst than it was and they manage not only to raise the picture up more, they shifted the screen to the right chopping off the right side. And it was even more out of focus. I got up and complained again and the person behind the register said that the kid didn't know how to fix it. It's a Digital projector on a 60ft screen. It shouldn't be that difficult to fix it. I asked for refund and left.

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http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013...-years-a-slave

Madonna 'banned' from cinema chain after 12 Years a Slave screening row

A world famous Texas cinema chain with a zero tolerance policy towards anti-social filmgoers has "banned" Madonna from all its screens after she was reportedly caught texting during a screening of 12 Years A Slave at the New York film festival.

The singer is reported to have spent much of the premiere, at the Walter Reade Theater in New York's Lincoln Center, for Steve McQueen's Oscar-tipped tale of a free black man sold into slavery in the antebellum south tapping away on her Blackberry, much to the annoyance of other filmgoers. When one woman tapped her on the shoulder and requested the singer stop, Madonna is reported to have remarked: "It's for business … enslaver!" and continued texting away.

Now the Alamo Drafthouse, which is known for its strict policy towards unruly customers, has taken the largely symbolic step of banning the singer from all its premises. "Until she apologizes to movie fans, Madonna is banned from watching movies," tweeted co-founder and CEO Tim League. He later told Entertainment Weekly that while his promises initially manifested as an "offhand joke, a spur of the moment 140 characters" and was "more of a means to get the issue out there, that it is rude to text during movies," he was remained determined to stick to his guns. "Now that it seems to have taken hold, sure, I'm going to enforce it," he said. "I'm serious, but I don't think it really affects her life that much."

Alamo Drafthouse, a chain of boutique cinemas famous for its provision of food and alcoholic beverages to cineastes, screens anti-texting adverts prior to films. One famous example features an answerphone message apparently recorded by an unhappy customer who was ejected for irritating other filmgoers during a screening.

Twelve Years a Slave stars McQueen's fellow Briton Chiwetel Ejiofor as a real historical figure named Solomon Northup whose 1853 autobiography details the free New Yorker's capture by slavers in Washington DC in 1841 and his subsequent travails on the plantations of Louisiana. The drama won enthusiastic reviews and the influential People's Choice prize at the Toronto film festival in September. It is amongst the early frontrunners for Oscars glory next March.

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If she has business to deal with, why go to a movie? Doesn't she have people to take care of business for 2 hours?

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At Captain Phillips last night some idiots in the back of me were laughing at a few scenes. It was only about three times but really weird movie to laugh at as there are no funny scenes in that movie. Also near the end some woman in the back answered her phone and talked for a few minutes. At least she kept her talking to a low whisper.

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supposedly this is a publicity tactic for Alamo Drafthouse as the screening wasn't even at a Drafthouse

the occurance did happen, the banning did not

Alamo Drafthouse Bans Madonna for Texting Incident?

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

ah REEL CHANGES

Re: Complaining About Theater Experience
 

This would definitely be brought up. Occasionally, managers will forget to turn the lights off.

As for audiences, I have gotten pretty good at avoiding most rude people. I can count the bad theater experiences of the last decade (audience-wise) on one-hand and I have seen hundreds of films.

It is pretty simple:

Some theaters will tend to draw a bad crowd. Avoid those.
Some showings will tend to draw a bad crowd. Avoid those. (Anything past 5pm on a weekend for an adult film, anything before 9pm for a family film)

For certain genres (horror, family film) you will need to be extra careful. Your best bet for genre films is to go on opening weekend, as those showings will be filled with fans.

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and if generally you want to avoid the typical throngs of folk for any movie, try late Sunday night, first show on Monday.

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I like to go to first showings. Usually good people. I also sit a few rows from the front. Because that's what I like. So I rarely have anyone to bother me.

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My girlfriend and I went to see Frozen in the afternoon thinking there wouldn't be a lot of kids there and there were some special needs kids in the row in front of us that I think had tourettes because they kept saying obscure things to the screen like "oh no" and "don't hurt her". Then one started crying. Completely fucked up my experience but I let it slide because I could see they were obviously mentally challenged.

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That's not Tourettes.

Or obscure.

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So... mentally challenged?

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I don't often go to the theater, but one kid was traveling and the other was babysitting, and there's been a lot of crap going on lately, so date night? Sure, might as well. Yeah, Friday at 7:50 is probably a horrible time to go, but I wanted to see Jersey Boys and figured everyone would be at Transformers. Not a bad crowd, though--a few dozen people.

We arrive shortly before the trailers begin, and I figure I might as well hit the bathroom. They're just trailers, right? And I think I made it back while the first one was still running. Oddly, a couple has since sat down in the seat next to me. True, I was gone, but I'd left my jacket in the seat next to my wife and it was pretty clear someone was going to be in my seat. But I don't have a phobia against sitting right next to people so I just sat down.

Throughout every trailer, the two people constantly babbled to each other in French or something similar. When the trailer volume got loud, they raised their voices accordingly. "It's just the trailers," I said to myself. Then the movie started and they continued to talk to each other, even over dialogue. "Quiet, PLEASE" I hissed to them. They were quiet for about 30 seconds, then started whispering to each other, then flat-out talking. After the second time I asked them to be quiet, the guy moved to the other side of the girl, leaving one seat of space between me and them, which they apparently figured would allow them to talk all they wanted. I continued to ask them to be quiet, and for the first time ever actually considered going out to find an usher.

After the girl left for a bit, she came back and sat on the far side of the guy, now leaving two seats of space. This was a little quieter, and at this point I was tired of fighting it. The people behind me were talking too, and when I glanced back were also looking up something on their phone. Researching the real-life history of Frankie Valli, maybe.

I made an effort to see Jersey Boys in the theater to support the musical genre and a film that I figure won't be in theaters for long (I'm a fan of the stage show), but it just reminded me why I tend to avoid the theater.

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went to a matinee screening of 'Edge of Tomorrow' and was quite annoyed that the guy in front of me one seat to the right decided to text during the first air drop scene - dude, can your phone light BE any more brighter? leaned over and said "would you mind please turning off your phone?" - he complied, thank god he didn't have a gun or go ape shit.