Reserved seats at the cinema. Who else hates it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last year I took my son to see a movie at AMC Tysons and I was super annoyed by how slow the line was moving to purchase tickets. When I FINALLY got to the front of the line I discovered why. They forced you to reserve your seat before going in. I was super annoyed and decided I wouldn't be seeing movies there anymore. Well, today we went to the Regal Cinema at Fairfax Towne Center and we were forced to reserve our seats again! I'm not going back.

It's annoying because I prefer to choose my seat when I get there. What if I get stuck sitting beside someone who is doing something really annoying and then I can't switch seats because somebody else already reserved the seat. It's annoying to be put on the spot like that when I'm purchasing my ticket. I wish they would stop doing this. Does anyone know if the cinema at fairfax corner does this? Does anyone know any cinema in fairfax county that doesn't have reserved seating? I will not go to these reserved seating cinemas anymore.

You sound like you are easily annoyed. Do you also have a short temper?

[Anonymous]

Love reserved seating. It makes it so much easier to go to the movies with younger kids that you don't need to get there 20 minutes before the previews start in order to get good seats, which means they're bouncing off the walls by the time the movie starts. Also makes date night cheaper, we easily save half an hour of sitter time by having our seats purchased in advance so we don't have to build that extra time in to get there early.

[Anonymous]

I think reserved seating is fine for evening and weekend showings, but it's really weird to have to reserve seats for a 10am showing.

[Anonymous]

on a weekday.

Continued from abov

[Anonymous]

Open seating is the dumbest concept ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Open seating is the dumbest concept ever.

Agreed. I LOVE booking seats ahead! So much easier and less stressful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

IT IS THE BEST THING EVER.

We had gone to Europe many moons ago, probably two decades before reserved seating happened here, and saw that they had reserved seats. Reserved seating was past due in our area, because there was always (ALWAYS) some jackass who refused to move over for one person who insisted on coming late, and (ironically) having people move. Of course, the late comers would always feign desperate circumstances.

In any case, it is for the greater good that the seats are reserved, and it is a done deal. Until of course, someone feels their circumstances circumvent even this, which is inevitable.......

OP, perchance are you part of THAT group???

No, I don't attempt to impose my beliefs and desires onto other people. I hate the reserved seats. I've always shown up early and I'm not actually even picky about where I sit. I don't want to be behind someone who is blocking my view, I don't want to be near noisy people, and I don't want to be near cell phone users.

I won't go to the theatres that have reserved seats. I will see the movies when I can watch them at home. I'm not a big movie watcher anyways, I only go when my son asks me to go. He usually goes with his friends nowadays anyways, so no big deal I guess. Glad you all are happy with the reserved seats since it seems like the majority of people actually love it, I just posted because I thought I couldn't be alone in hating this, but I guess I'm wrong lol.

But all of those things can also happen with unreserved seats. You get there early, and then someone comes and sits near you who is noisy, or on their phone. There's often not room to move your group to a different spot, and then you're stuck. There's always a bit of luck of the draw involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

To the OP - I thought it was only IMAX that was reserved seating at Tyson's. AMC Courthouse has it as well. AMC Potomac Mills does not except for IMAX.

It used to be only IMAX at Tysons, but they went to all reserved about a year ago.

Thanks.....haven't been there in a long time.

To the OP - why didn't you use a kiosk (or were you paying cash)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

To the OP - I thought it was only IMAX that was reserved seating at Tyson's. AMC Courthouse has it as well. AMC Potomac Mills does not except for IMAX.

It used to be only IMAX at Tysons, but they went to all reserved about a year ago.

Thanks.....haven't been there in a long time.

To the OP - why didn't you use a kiosk (or were you paying cash)?

I bought the tickets at Costco, so I had to bring them to the cashier to redeem. Then they charged an extra $1.50 and made us pick a seat. Plus, if you reserve online ahead of time, they charge you a fee to do that. I guess I'm just tired of being nickel and dimed by the damn movies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

IT IS THE BEST THING EVER.

We had gone to Europe many moons ago, probably two decades before reserved seating happened here, and saw that they had reserved seats. Reserved seating was past due in our area, because there was always (ALWAYS) some jackass who refused to move over for one person who insisted on coming late, and (ironically) having people move. Of course, the late comers would always feign desperate circumstances.

In any case, it is for the greater good that the seats are reserved, and it is a done deal. Until of course, someone feels their circumstances circumvent even this, which is inevitable.......

OP, perchance are you part of THAT group???

No, I don't attempt to impose my beliefs and desires onto other people. I hate the reserved seats. I've always shown up early and I'm not actually even picky about where I sit. I don't want to be behind someone who is blocking my view, I don't want to be near noisy people, and I don't want to be near cell phone users.

I won't go to the theatres that have reserved seats. I will see the movies when I can watch them at home. I'm not a big movie watcher anyways, I only go when my son asks me to go. He usually goes with his friends nowadays anyways, so no big deal I guess. Glad you all are happy with the reserved seats since it seems like the majority of people actually love it, I just posted because I thought I couldn't be alone in hating this, but I guess I'm wrong lol.

But all of those things can also happen with unreserved seats. You get there early, and then someone comes and sits near you who is noisy, or on their phone. There's often not room to move your group to a different spot, and then you're stuck. There's always a bit of luck of the draw involved.

You're right, but the only time I ever go see a movie is when my son asks me to go see the movie with him, and so it's usually just the two of us, and occasionally dh will come with us. So it's only ever 2 and sometimes 3 if we needed to change seats. I typically only go to one or two movies a year with ds, and I usually try to convince him to wait until it's showing at the university mall theatre, but it's been a year since we've been there, so who knows what's changed since then.

He goes to see movies with his friends more often because I'm just not into seeing movies, but sometimes he just really wants me to see one that he really enjoyed, but I find myself disliking the movie experience more and more each time I go. I do like the university mall theatre though, haven't had a bad experience there yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

To the OP - I thought it was only IMAX that was reserved seating at Tyson's. AMC Courthouse has it as well. AMC Potomac Mills does not except for IMAX.

It used to be only IMAX at Tysons, but they went to all reserved about a year ago.

Thanks.....haven't been there in a long time.

To the OP - why didn't you use a kiosk (or were you paying cash)?

I bought the tickets at Costco, so I had to bring them to the cashier to redeem. Then they charged an extra $1.50 and made us pick a seat. Plus, if you reserve online ahead of time, they charge you a fee to do that. I guess I'm just tired of being nickel and dimed by the damn movies.

Not true on the extra fee for booking ahead of time (at AMC). If you have their stubs cards, all fees are waived.

Of course, if you get the tickets ahead of time (kiosk or cashier), you can avoid fees w/out having a stubs card. Same would go with Regal theaters.

[Anonymous]

Online YO!

[Anonymous]

It's such a good idea but it does make it difficult to impulsively decide, "Let's just see what's playing at the movie theater" when you're out.

The last time I was there, which was in the winter, the Regal in Kingstowne didn't have reserved seating, BUT now they are splitting the movies with the new Regal in Springfield Mall which does have the reserved seating. So Kingstowne might not have the movie at all if they're showing it at Springfield Mall instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Love it. Makes everything so much easier. I just buy them on my phone beforehand. Now we don't have to race for movies and sit and wait with the kids.

But 3-D sucks. I have vision problems that make those glasses impossible. My kids hate it too, thankfully. We only see the 2-D versions.

Same here. We never watch anything in 3-D. Makes us all feel queasy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who calls it "the cinema"?

OP does. Can't you read?

It's not a literal question, dummy.