I went to the Egyptian Theater at Arundel Mills Mall and asked for a ticket to see Blade Runner 2049. The kid behind the glass flashed a seating chart on the TV screen for me to look at and asked where I wanted to sit. Since it was my first time at that theater and wasn't familiar with the place I declined and told him to forget it.
I prefer to walk into an auditorium and choose where I want to sit right then and there rather than being restricted to the one seat and no other. My neighborhood theater in Germantown had all of six patrons in the theater when I walked in so having an assigned seat just seemed silly.
I prefer reserved seating. I order early, get a center seat about 2/3 of the way back, and don't have to worry about getting stuck in the front left, or about my seat being grabbed if I go to use the restroom (which has happened), etc. Plus in my local theaters the ones with reserved seating also tend to have reclining seats, etc.
Something of a pain in the ass, but I'm learning to deal with them. (To clarify, the seats are comfy, but the concept of assigned seating itself annoys me.)
I hate it. No options. Can't move if you get stuck next to a loud mouth, drunk, or noisy kids. But more importantly I have a specific place I like to sit in the theater. Eye level with the screen where my peripheral vision ends with the width of the screen. Which is more or less in the center middle. And you can't always pick out the exact spot on a seating chart at the window. Just one or two rows to low or to high can really mess with my vision where I feel like I am looking down or up at the screen.
But more importantly I have a specific place I like to sit in the theater. Eye level with the screen where my peripheral vision ends with the width of the screen. Which is more or less in the center middle. And you can't always pick out the exact spot on a seating chart at the window. Just one or two rows to low or to high can really mess with my vision where I feel like I am looking down or up at the screen.
But more importantly I have a specific place I like to sit in the theater. Eye level with the screen where my peripheral vision ends with the width of the screen. Which is more or less in the center middle. And you can't always pick out the exact spot on a seating chart at the window. Just one or two rows to low or to high can really mess with my vision where I feel like I am looking down or up at the screen.
I hate it. I work nights. If I go to a movie, it's a Tuesday matinee. There will be eight people in the house. It's absurd. And I can't even make sense of the video graphic I'm supposed to pick from.
I don't know if this "assigned seating" crap is just a result of online ticket sales, or if the industry is trying to reduce one cause of customer disputes in an era of rampant urban youth gangs making the theater environment more dangerous than it used to be.
I love assigned seating. I like the convenience of being able to pick whatever seat I want at the time of purchase. I like not having to wait in a long line to get in for a crowded show.
My two favorite theatres in Northern Virginia are assigned seating. I'd prefer to drive to one of those theatres rather than go to one that's just a couple minutes away but doesn't have assigned seating.
Love 'em. Eliminates a lot of hassle and worry beforehand. Especially for new films that will be crowded.
What do we do if we show up and some young punks are in "our" seats? Call for an enforcement action by the crack squadron of ushers? We could find ourselves in a confrontation because assigned seating had given us an illusory sense of entitlement.
Love 'em. Eliminates a lot of hassle and worry beforehand. Especially for new films that will be crowded.
What do we do if we show up and some young punks are in "our" seats? Call for an enforcement action by the crack squadron of ushers? We could find ourselves in a confrontation because assigned seating had given us an illusory sense of entitlement.
It hasn't happened to me, but I've seen other people have their assigned seats taken. Yes, when the jackasses refused to leave, they got the usher, who was accompanied by the manager --- if you can believe that --- and solved the problem.
Why is it any different than a concert or other performance, BTW, where your ticket has your seat assigned on it?
Most cinemas in Norway have assigned seats. As others have said, I prefer it, as I don't have to stand in pushy lines to get the best seats. Same as with airplane seating, really. I don't want to fell all agitated BEFORE a movie starts.
Some places do not have assigned seats, like the Cinemateque. But this is usually not the most crowded screenings either, so you usually get a decent seat anyway. This is not the case with the mainstream cinemas.
On the whole I prefer assigned seats. When all four of us go it takes some arranging, so we can book the seats in plenty of time and ensure that we get decent ones and all together. If it's just the two of us it's not so much of an issue, but I do like to be at the back and preferably on an aisle.
In my recent experience, very few showings are so heavily attended that you can't move if you don't like your seat or get someone smelly in front of you.
When I used to go to the pictures on my own during the school holidays (which I did a lot) I had my "own" seat at my favourite cinema. You had to turn up early to get it, and if I couldn't I'd spend most of the film giving filthy looks to the usurper who had the temerity to snaffle "my" seat.
Love 'em. Eliminates a lot of hassle and worry beforehand. Especially for new films that will be crowded.
What do we do if we show up and some young punks are in "our" seats? Call for an enforcement action by the crack squadron of ushers? We could find ourselves in a confrontation because assigned seating had given us an illusory sense of entitlement.
Like jenkwombat said, I've never had a situation where someone was sitting in my assigned seat when I arrived.
I like it but I am also glad that I still have options for theaters that don't have it. It is nice to not worry about getting to the theater early to get a good seat if you already have one. It is less helpful when I go at the last minute as I always have pretty limited options. Half the time I don't know which theaters have that and which don't.
