Assigned seating in movie theatres?

[Earth 2 Chris]

Our Regal does it too. If a movie is going to be HUGE, I can see the benefit of it. Order the tickets, get the seats you want, and not have to rush to get to the theater to "save them" once the room is opened for seating. BUT, you are basically expected to know the theater and the room, and hope someone obnoxious doesn't sit near you.

I'd rather just leave it to chance, which is why we normally go to CineMark in Lexington, not Regal. Cinemark's concessions prices are nuts, but Regal's are certifiably insane as well.

Chris

[JRT!]

SOME cinemas in England do it,yes. I don't go there. I know where I wanna sit and if it's seat assigning,I just go somewhere else. Or,if it's just half full,I just sit wherever I want that's available. I really do hate assigned seating,ANYWHERE! Luckily,on a flight you can choose when checking in online. Amtrak doesn't seem to have that option,on the rare occasions they've assigned me a seat.

[Goblin19]

This is interesting. I'm surprised how many people dislike assigned seating. I'm indifferent towards it myself.

[Hedji]

I think it evolved as a result of preordering seats from Fandango and other online sites. Dwayne, be aware, that if you do pre-order online, you get to enjoy paying an additional $2 per ticket for a "convenience fee" because, yeah, it's so convenient.

I dunno. I love it and hate it. I like the comfort of knowing I've got a great seat to, say, The Last Jedi, that I didn't have to stand in long lines for (remember those?). But I agree with your reasoning that it makes impromptu moviegoing much tougher.

[rykerw1701]

The concept has its pluses and minuses. You can be assured of getting a good seat and you don't have to worry about getting to the theater early, which I like. But you have to plan it out days ahead of time to get the best seats and you need to know for sure you're going and how many will be there. Real tough when you're getting tickets for kids and kid's friends. They do refund the ticket price if you cancel some amount of time prior to the show. The biggest drawback is the extra fee alluded to above for Fandango, though some chains (Regal maybe?) refund that if you're a club member.

I also think this will be the beginning of charging more for the best seats. AMC tried that years back but it didn't work. But now with ticket pre-selection, it seems like only a matter of time before they try it again, also in the live theater or concert model. And while we might not like it, if people are willing to pay more for the good seats, it's going to happen.

[EMCE Hammer]

I love reserving my seats. We get online, choose our seats, and print the tickets at the kiosk on the way inside. There are usually five or six of us, and this way we never need to worry about being separated. We usually get our favorite location that's favorable to multiple popcorn refills. I hate trying to slide through a bunch of annoyed people when getting a refill, and my kids love their corcinogen-laced popcorn, so being able to plan is nice. I have no idea how it works for the seats that aren't sold in advance. I always assumed that what remained was first come.

[CrimsonGhost]

I love reserving my seats. We get online, choose our seats, and print the tickets at the kiosk on the way inside. There are usually five or six of us, and this way we never need to worry about being separated. We usually get our favorite location that's favorable to multiple popcorn refills. I hate trying to slide through a bunch of annoyed people when getting a refill, and my kids love their corcinogen-laced popcorn, so being able to plan is nice. I have no idea how it works for the seats that aren't sold in advance. I always assumed that what remained was first come.

I love assigned seating!! It takes a bit of pre-planning, but it's totally worth the trouble. I also like movie popcorn.

But then again, I always get to the theatre early and usually get the seats I want either way.

[Allie Fox]

A couple of the theaters near me do this. However they only have pre-selected seating in a few auditoriums. Films that show on the IMAX screen and GTX have the option. All other films are GA. It works out for those that like to see the midnight or early preview, but if I'm just going to the picture show. . . I like to get there early and get the best seats on my own.

[Bronxboykev]

I personally love the feature myself. It's all about convenience for us and Being a larger gentelman I like to be on the ends this way if I need to get up i'm not uprooting the whole isle same with trying to get into the isle.

[hedrap]

Just bought my Kong tickets and the reserved seating is limited to the night XD/3D shows. Logan didn't have that limitation.

[ubermanx]

This is becoming more and more common and all the younger (dare I say Millennial) members of my extended family consider it the only way to go.

I personally love it. Instead of getting to the theatre an hour in advance for an opening or busy night to get a good seat I can buy a ticket days in advance with my preferred seat and not have to worry about it. I can show up late, halfway thru the credits and still get my seat (I don't but I could). If I'm meeting someone we will buy tickets together or I'll buy this time, they the next.

Once, for the Jack Black Kong flick, I ended up in the front row, off to the side of a packed theatre because one doornail in our group couldn't get their stuff together and made our car pool super late. It was one of the worst cinematic experiences of my life.

- Marty

[Klosterheim]

I'd go Wolverine berserker. Either I demand a refund...or security would throw me out after cursing and screaming at that dude, lol.

Ha!,Ha! Yeah.

[sprytel]

Once, for the Jack Black Kong flick, I ended up in the front row, off to the side of a packed theatre because one doornail in our group couldn't get their stuff together and made our car pool super late. It was one of the worst cinematic experiences of my life.

That's exactly the thing for me... not about the "ideal" seats, but being assured you are not stuck in crap seats (or split up) in a packed theater.

[Duncan]

I now love the assigned seating. We go to the Marcus theater nearby specifically because of it. I can go on-line a day or more in advance and choose whatever seats I want, and know that my group won't be split up or stuck in bad seats. Plus, they have the big reclining seats with the footrest that pops up; plenty of room between rows; armrests that can be used or folded away - we wouldn't go to as many movies without these amenities.

[EMCE Hammer]

I now love the assigned seating. We go to the Marcus theater nearby specifically because of it. I can go on-line a day or more in advance and choose whatever seats I want, and know that my group won't be split up or stuck in bad seats. Plus, they have the big reclining seats with the footrest that pops up; plenty of room between rows; armrests that can be used or folded away - we wouldn't go to as many movies without these amenities.

Yep - that's the Moore SOP. I even took a blanket to Rogue One in case my old bones got chilled. I am definitely spoiled; I would have a hard time adapting back.