Movie theater assigned seats - what if someone is sitting in your seat?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the theatre isn't packed, we just sit wherever. It's an $8 ticket. Nobody cares. Only the movie theatres seem to like this assigned seating.

If the place is packed then say "Oh, I think this is my seat, but maybe I'm confused - what does your ticket say?"

What? No, you don't just sit wherever. Then you'll end up sitting in some other person's seat.

If you arrive to your assigned seats and someone is sitting there, you simply say "Excused me. I believe these are our seats." And show them your tickets. If they do not move or respond, then you get someone who works at the theater.

And we sure do care. We chose the seats we wanted for a reason.

You don't say "I think" or "I believe."

Be more direct. "Excuse me. You are sitting in our seats." Not "I think you are" or "I could be wrong" or "I believe you are." Just "you are."

I'm the PP you are responding to. Someone was "direct" to me at the last movie I attended and they were in fact wrong. They "believed" I was in their seat but they had the seat numbers wrong. There's nothing wrong with being polite throughout the interaction.

So this. You can't even entertain the thought you might be wrong? You might be wrong so just take a chill pill and say I think these are my seats. Can you check your tickets please? Because that's what is happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An important distinction is whether or not this dispute happens before the movie starts, or after. If the movie hasn't started yet, they should honor your request that they move. If the movie has aleeady begun, you're late and are interrupting. Go find some other unoccupied seat. That is fitting consequences for being that late.

Disagree because you'll then be sitting in someone else's seat. The last movie I went to, the theater was mostly sold out, but was half empty by the time the previews started playing. It eventually filled up, people were late because of long lines at concessions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An important distinction is whether or not this dispute happens before the movie starts, or after. If the movie hasn't started yet, they should honor your request that they move. If the movie has aleeady begun, you're late and are interrupting. Go find some other unoccupied seat. That is fitting consequences for being that late.

Disagree because you'll then be sitting in someone else's seat. The last movie I went to, the theater was mostly sold out, but was half empty by the time the previews started playing. It eventually filled up, people were late because of long lines at concessions.

Right. One of the luxuries of reserved seating is that if you are held up in the bathroom, at concessions, in the parking lot, you know that seat is waiting for you.

If I walk in and the movie has started, I still have claim to that seat.

[Anonymous]

"I'd rather miss the beginning of the movie than do without overpriced snacks and drinks for the next two hours." If you care that little about the movie you propably shouldnt care about what seat you half-watch, half-ignore it from.

[Anonymous]

I would pull out my gun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Oops...I think we've had a mixup. Our tickets say Seats 9H, I, and J. Can you check your tickets to be sure we have the right seats?"

I allows for "mistakes," and correction.

For the most part, I can't imagine someone not responding. And I think you did the right thing, OP, by just sitting on the other side of the other 2 seats you had reserved. Sure, you could have escalated...but why??? Over one seat??
(I would assume that someone who just sat there was either not all there OR had a much different temperament than I did. I'm not interested in getting into some sort of weird altercation with an unpredictable stranger at a movie theatre. In this case, I'd pick my battles. If that makes me lack a backbone, so be it.)

See, I agree with this. Also, it would ruin my movie if I had an actual shouting match with someone before a movie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An important distinction is whether or not this dispute happens before the movie starts, or after. If the movie hasn't started yet, they should honor your request that they move. If the movie has aleeady begun, you're late and are interrupting. Go find some other unoccupied seat. That is fitting consequences for being that late.

For this, you resurrected a zombie thread from 2018 that was last responded to 3 years ago? How did you even find this thread? My guess is that OP has figured out how to handle the situation at some point in the last 6 years.

By now, I think most people have figured out how to handle this. If not, the right answer is the one already posted on every page, which is politely point out that the person is sitting in the wrong seat and needs to move, provide your ticket as evidence if they object, and contact a theater employee (typically an usher, if one is available) and have them assist if the person does not politely accede to your demand.

[Anonymous]

How stupid are you that you can't figure this out on your own? You don't quietly and meekly say "sorry, um, uh, this is our seat, um, heehee, sorry, okay, I'll just sit here" which is what I am SURE you did.

Instead you say "Excuse me, this is our seat" and show them your ticket. If they don't move, you say "We bought three seats together, it looks like there is an empty one over there, please move." And if they still don't move, then yes, absolutely go find a manager.

Now some dumb baby gen z will call me a Karen, but whatever, grow a spine you weak little babies.