Solid Snake

Cinemark just got that kind of stuff in. I kind of don't like it for just any movie I'll just randomly go when I feel like it. Cuz now I gotta plan it out a bit more. I do like it for on day of release though. I like it and don't like it depending on how I want to roll.

Brack

I really like reserved seating, but there is some experimentation if you reserve a seat at an unfamiliar theater, where the rows are a little wonky on a website like Fandango. For example, you buy a seat at the center of the theater, but when you get there it's either too close or farther away than the chart lead me to believe. That has happened to me twice at the same theater, and the seating isn't the same for all of their screens. At the AMC Dolby Cinema I started frequenting, I've had no trouble with the seating chart.

Why So Blu?

Reserved seating is still the only way I roll. ArcLight Cinemas for the most part.

TomOpus

It's situational with me. If I'm going to the Alamo Drafthouse I have no choice; all theaters are reserved seating. My go-to theater is the local AMC which the only reserved seating is the Dolby Cinema screen.

Normally I decide on a movie the morning of, so the reserved seating is usually not a good option as the good seats are taken by then. But, it's cool since I always show up early to a movie and I usually have my choice of seats.

Other than the added expense and being locked in a specific showing, the only downside to reserved seats would be if you get stuck next to someone you would rather not sit next to for an entire movie. You really can't move to another seat. It's never happened to me but I see the possibility.

mphtrilogy

I thought i had a perfect reserved seat for an imax 3d dr strange viewing, left one seat clear in last row, near middle under projector.

Theater wound up getting close to sold out, some dude bought a ticket, looked like he came from work still had his id badge, wound up checking his phone through the previews and at least 4-5 times during the film.

Ugh, i usually grab the end seats, but i was unfamiliar with this imax theater and went for the middle.

Oh well, cell phones in theaters suck.

Ash Ketchum

I hate reserved seating. I went to the Metrograph, a new theater in Manhattan, for the first time the other day and I had to pick a seat. So I went with the back row, like usual, but it was too far away from the screen, so I moved up a few rows closer in the middle. There were only eight people in the audience, so no one came in who'd picked a seat near me.

But I usually have to try five or six seats before I find the one that's least uncomfortable before I settle in.

Going to the movies has become such a chore.

TomOpus

You're complaining that you had to move a few rows up. Yet, you state you usually move several times in a non-reserved theater. Sounds like it was LESS of a chore this instance.

Deftones

The AMC near me upgraded this year. The reserved seating is fantastic. No more going to the theater early to get a good seat. I just get my tickets early the day of and roll in a few minutes before the movie starts.

asianxcore

I've only experienced Reserved Seating for three theaters in San Francisco, CA. The Alamo Drafthouse, The Metreon & The Kabuki.

I love Reserved Seating. I usually show up early anyway but it's really nice not having to worry about getting an awful seat.

Ash Ketchum

Well, the good thing about the Metrograph is that all the seats are the same, so each one feels the same. None of the seat backs move, so they're all good for my spine. In most theaters where the seats move back, I have to find the one that bends back the least and one in which the seat isn't too low. In many theaters every seat is a little different from every other one.

Check out the solid backs on these Metrograph seats:





Craftsmanship, baby!

mdc3000

I love reserved seating but honestly 50% of the time, EVEN IF IT IS NOT BUSY, inevitably, some jackass will be in my seat. It pisses me off. When there is only 20 tickets sold for a 200 seat auditorium, I look like the asshole for telling the people to move - so half the time I don't...but I go so often I know 'the sweet spot' of each screen at my local theatres and I always sit in the same spot, so it is very annoying. 90% of the time it's teenagers... if a movie is very busy, I don't cave so easily but how hard is it to sit where you are assigned?!

Dan

I've gone to a ton of movies this year and damn near every one of them has been at theatres with reserved seating. I love it. Only ever had someone in my seat once, so I guess I've been lucky on that front. People do seem to generally understand that they can't just sit wherever they want at these places. I've seen other people tell someone to move, and it never became a big thing...
I was going to skip out on opening weekend of Rogue One, but managed to get an aisle seat at my local Alamo Drafthouse.
So yeah... 100% on board. Going to the theatre for high profile films has become far more convenient, so I wouldn't have it any other way. Happy to be done with showing up 30 minutes up to two hours in advance only to get stuck in the first few rows because people are "saving" seats for their friends that never show up.

lopper

I love theatres with reserved seating, but I rarely take advantage of it. The tickets are more expensive and I generally go to the movies so early in the day that finding an open seat is never a problem. Also, the closest theater with reserved seating doesn't have the popcorn seasoning that I like or $1.50 refillable loyalty cups, so there's that too.

Pizza

Can't stand it. I like to pick my seat after evaluating the theater for kids, phones, gabbers, etc. I could care less about how nice the seats are. I'm seeing a movie not looking for furniture. It's also a pain when planning to see a movie with a group of friends if you like to sit together but pay separate.

Jon2

There's this, which I hadn't thought of.

The AMC theaters in our city all seem to be going (or have already gone) to reserved seating with recliners. Also far fewer seats as a result. Our local go-to AMC theater is almost done being remodeled with these new seats although they haven't instituted the reserved seating yet. It originally had 30 screens, but closed up about half of them about four or five years ago. They have four large screens (including one Imax) and all the rest are typical multiplex small screens. I just saw Moana in 3D in one of the big auditoriums. There wasn't a dozen people there. Had the best seat in the house and no one else in the row with me.

For the past couple of years they've had a $4.99 matinee price for most movies showing before 4:30, with a $2-$3 surcharge for 3D/Imax shows. It's been nice, but when the remodel is done the price goes up and reserved seating starts. I think it starts this Friday with Rogue One. Fewer people will be nice, but truthfully, I know the price increase will force me to find another theater for matinee shows, and I don't find their recliners that comfortable. They're nowhere near as comfortable as my 3-piece recliner sofa.

I was at one of their other theaters a few months ago, and it had been remodeled a few years prior. The seating chart on their computer screens was not an accurate representation of the auditorium layout and our seats were way off to one side when I thought we had center seats. Also, the recliners had clearly sustained a lot of wear-and-tear, and were rather uncomfortable. This theater is attached to a mall, but when they remodeled it, they closed off the mall entrance into the theater lobby.

There isn't a big lobby area and if lines form for the blockbusters, people are going to be standing outside. For a good part of the year that's not bad... unless it's raining, but for the summer blockbusters in the Phoenix area that's brutal.

Reserved seating? Good if you can afford it, I guess.

Hazel Motes

I work at a big chain movie theater that offers reserved seats for at least 10 shows daily, if I'm ever in box office selling tickets, most customers reaction is one of mild inconvience. IMAX is always reserved seating, but we also offer a theater experience that has a bigger screen than regular theaters and also reserved seating. We charge more for those tickets. Which isn't sound business if you ask me. If you're coming to watch Fantastic Beasts on a Wednesday at 4PM in the 3rd week of the films release, why in God's name do you need reserved seating. Especially when you have to pay more for it. It probably drives away more customers than what it brings in in revenue.

Reserved seating is good for one or two things. Buying tickets way in advance for something like Star Wars. Or when a movie is new and there is a reasonable chance of a sell out. Thats it. The only purpose it serves in my eyes, is eliminating having to line up 2 hours early(sometimes outside in the cold). Other than that, its not necessary. Its something that should be used only in a very calculated way as a means to avoid long lines.

Brack

Huh, all the theater seats around here that have reserved seating don't charge more, but then again they're reserved or not at all. The only surcharge is if I go see an IMAX/3D/Dolby Cinema screening. Considering I only go to the theater maybe once a month, I'll gladly pay the premium anyway, go to a later showing like a 9 or 10p show, avoid kiddie/horror movies, and boom, no annoyances.

BrewCrew

Pretty much every theater has reserved seating where I live. The experience is so much better with the recliners and plenty of leg/walking room. It is nice going to a movie knowing my entire family will be sitting together and we don't have to rush to get to our seats knowing they are ours.

fumanstan

My thoughts haven't changed, still love it and prefer it for major releases and opening weekends. It's nice seeing other theaters add reserve seating options, but I still prefer the Cinepolis chain over the other ones i've been to like at the Irvine Spectrum.

SmackDaddy

I love that most theaters in my area now have reserved seating. Where I would normally average maybe 6 movies a year at the theater, I know see at least twice that, if not more. No more getting there early or fighting crowds and hoping I get a seat I like. Couple reserved seating with dine-in theaters like Alamo Drafthouse or Santikos (a local chain) that have more strict rules on age limits and it's great for me and my wife.

Noonan

Love it. Gonna show up on Sat 5 min before Rogue One starts, knowing I can just walk in to my seat. The only theaters are here which offer it are the Premium version with the super comfortable seats.

TomOpus

I like the previews so I aim for 20 mins before the movie starts.

Timber

I won't pay for imax or 3D but I will certainly pay to reserve a seat. Nothing worse than turning the corner into the theater and seeing it packed with people and know you're going to have to hunt for a seat or sit down front.

Ash Ketchum

I went to see MOANA in 3-D today at a theater with reserved seating and recliner seats. Forgetting for a moment that it was 3-D, I went with my default position and chose a seat in the back row on the aisle. When I entered the auditorium, I remembered that for 3-D, the optimum seat is somewhere in the middle. Nobody else was there, so I moved my seat. 4 other people showed up over the next 20 minutes. No one sat near me. The recliner seats were so comfortable that I fell asleep about 45 minutes into the film for a period of about 10 minutes or so. Not that I missed anything. Nothing of any consequence took place during the movie's entire running time.

OldBoy

Now that I've experienced it three times now. I love it. No premium charge at a great theater. Don't mind the 40 minute drive at all. Those fully electric reclining seats are so cool. At first I wasn't used to them and still sat up right, but it gets cozy reclining. Gonna see Rogue One at it in IMAX 3D...