Moviegoing Rituals

[Reel]

At the theater:

- I like to sit in the middle of the 3rd or 4th row from the front

- Shoes always come off

- Bypass the overpriced snacks at concessions and bring Wendy's instead

- Wait for noisey moments in the film to unwrap food

- I smuggle in alcohol. Beer goes warm too fast so I've taken to wine.

- If phone must be used, you turn down the light all the way and look at it inside of your shirt.


At Home:

- Room dark as possible

- When I look at my phone, it means I've checked out of the movie

- It's fine to talk, but don't do it over other people's dialogue

- Try to pause as little as you can

- If you can make it through the entire thing without getting distracted and turning it off, you're a champion of the art form.

[Jeremy Blackman]

- Wait for noisey moments in the film to unwrap food

THANK YOU. I do that too (if I have anything to unwrap).

- If phone must be used, you turn down the light all the way and look at it inside of your shirt.

No. Just turn your phone off for two hours.

[Fuzzy Dunlop]

- Bypass the overpriced snacks at concessions and bring Wendy's instead
- I smuggle in alcohol. Beer goes warm too fast so I've taken to wine.

This might help: http://www.myrecipes.com/quick-and-easy/pairing-wine-fast-food

For me, its always in the center of the row, 1/3 of the total theater length back from the screen. On the rare occasions I get popcorn, I'm usually done with it 5 or 10 minutes in to the film. When I sneak in booze its usually those cheap little airplane bottles of wine. I don't go to theatres with shitty projectionists or sound, I don't walk into a movie even 1 minute after it starts, and unless I'm dying to piss, I always stay until the credits are over.

[jenkins]

if i feel comfortable, i like to sit where there's as little between me and the screen as possible. this isn't always the front row since the front row of some theaters requires neck action and returns are unsatisfactory. that's a common multiplex problem, so in some multiplexes i like to sit in the third-to-back row of the front portion. i don't like to sit in the front row of the back portion, because then people pass in front of me and they bother me

if there's excitement from the crowd, perhaps because a celebrity is present and the autograph-hounds are out, or because it's a premiere event and people are dressed for their selfies, things like that cause me to avoid the front row or front row equivalent, and i find whichever spot has the fewest number of people being inappropriately crazy. i've said it before and i'll say it again: i consider it inappropriate to attend a movie event for the sake of the event. 'cause what i consider appropriate is wanting to see the movie

if it's a scary movie, either from horror or violent tones, i like to sit near the back and toward an aisle. i like to be able to feel like i can escape. although i haven't left a theater during a scary movie since i started sitting this way. the feeling of being able to leave seems to calm me

[Garam]

If it's a commercial cinema I arrive 25 minutes after they say the movie starts to avoid the headache inducing adverts and trailers.

[Just Withnail]

Pee. Empty my pockets completely. Breathe calmly. Sit in a position where it doesn't feel like there's more pressure on any body part than any other. Try to release all tension.

Before I used to sit as close to the screen as possible, if the screen wasn't too big, to see the grain-dance, but I have no wish to see pixels so now I'm a few rows back.

[Reel]

if i feel comfortable, i like to sit where there's as little between me and the screen as possible.

Yeah. I hate when you've found that perfect spot and a couple dunderheads plop themselves right in front of you. This means I can't put my feet up AND I have to be subjected to their whispering throughout the movie, too often their impressions rub off on me.  I've changed my seat 3 times during a film, do you think that makes you look like a lunatic? When I got to see Spring Breakers in a completely empty theater, my favorite part was to be able to change seats at 20 minute intervals

Pee. Empty my pockets completely. Breathe calmly. Sit in a position where it doesn't feel like there's more pressure on any body part than any other. Try to release all tension.

This is good! I feel like I could use it as a guided meditation for every movie I see.

[tpfkabi]

I have had a problem with people sitting right in front of me or close by and talking lately.
All will be good until about 10-15 mins after posted start time - trailers and junk going still, but really dark in the theater.
I don't go during peak audience times either, so these people just have no sense of decency in regards to space, distraction of others, and privacy.