Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Favorite seating

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Posted by Thomas Pitt (Member # 4322) on 07-13-2007, 09:50 AM:

Every time I'm in an auditorium, I notice that the patrons tend to sit in certain areas of seating while the other areas are much less popular. There are always a couple of people who will sit right on the front row, even though that's the worst place to sit (bending your neck back all the time to look up).
Small groups of people (friends or family) often go to the very end of a row of seats, right up against the auditorium wall. Also, the back row seems extremely popular with the patrons, even though it's probably got the worst sound (you can't hear the surrounds very well).

In the Vue Leeds Light, all auditoriums are 100% stadium seating; and nobody sitting in the row in front can block your view. In Vue Sheffield, (and others I've seen), the seating area seems to be divided in half! There's a front section of standard seating, where all the seats are 'flat' on the ground. Further back there are several rows of stadium seating. Like I mentioned, the "hot seats" seem to be the same regardless of the seating type.

In your cinema, unless you use allocated seat numbers, where do your patrons like to sit? Where do you like to sit when watching a movie? I myself like to sit as close to the horizontal centre of the screen as possible, and just high enough so that I get a direct line of sight to the centre of the screen without having to look up or down.

Posted by Shane Cooper (Member # 2510) on 07-13-2007, 10:18 AM:

I notice the same patterns. The most popular part of the theater is the horizontal middle, about 1/3 up the stadium. I almost always sit 8 rows up the stadium right in the middle. My wife, for whatever reason, always likes to sit way to the right or way to the left. We always end up moving if she picks the seats before I do.

What I notice is that certain types of groups always pick the same spots. The teens and tweeners always those occupied in the front and back rows. Those in the "prime" rows of the stadium tend to be couples and families.

Everyone that can't get someplace on time are at the front of the stadium, (and they usually complain about having to sit there despite the fact that they walked in 15 minutes after the show started).

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 07-13-2007, 11:12 AM:

Any theater that has a policy of selling assigned seats will likely never get my business. I strongly believe theater seats should all be strictly first come, first serve.

I arrive early so I can get a seat in the "sweet spot" near the center of the auditorium. The people who arrive late while the previews are running deserve to be stuck with shitty seats.

I feel that assigned seating penalizes those who care about where they want to sit in the auditorium and also encourages others to arrive at the show as late as possible -with the previews over and the movie already in progress. Why hurry when your seat is already reserved? Who cares if you annoy the piss out of a row of people when you stumble over them while getting to your seat in the dark?

Assigned seating might work in a Broadway play or a concert at Carnegie Hall. It has absolutely no place at all in a commercial movie theater.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 07-13-2007, 11:22 AM:

We have a couple of surrounds on the back wall, so our back row sounds good. I like to sit anywhere in the back 6 rows, but prefer the middle of said rows the best.

In other theatres, I try to sit in the middle and between 2 surround speakers, but I'm not all that picky so long as I can get a decent distance from the screen. My wife (fortunately) has the same preferences I do in that department.

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 07-13-2007, 11:54 AM:

Depends on why and when I am seeing a movie.

If I am in the auditorium alone or with a small group, I like to sit 1/3 back in the middle.

If I am in an auditorium with a large group, I like to sit 2/3 back on an isle.

Posted by Chad M Calpito (Member # 3736) on 07-13-2007, 11:59 AM:

I like to sit in the very back row, directly under the projector view. The reasoning is simple, I hate having to sit where there are people behind me.

Anyway, I see a general overview like everyone else who posted thus far.

Posted by Gerard S. Cohen (Member # 994) on 07-13-2007, 04:23 PM:

The theatres I patronize have small auditoria, some of which are wider than deep, and no stadium seating. Therefore, the best seating for me is in the last three rows center. I always arrive early, to get the center of the last row. If that's not a good location for surround-sound, I don't miss it, since it's seldom an important componant of the films I choose to see.

Posted by Cameron Glendinning (Member # 3516) on 07-13-2007, 05:01 PM:

I find that people tend to sit near the entrance doors, if its a rear entrance, bulk of the audience sits at the back and watch a postage stamp sized screen. Central entrance, bulk of the audience sits in the centre, ect.

I personally like to sit aprox 2x screen hight away from the screen, this changes the position in the auditorium depending on its design.

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 07-13-2007, 05:01 PM:

My experience is that the stadium tier (or the upper tier if it's a two-tier setup) always fills first.

Me...Back row center of the front seating area (be it stadium or not). I personally find that the best sightline for me can be found at most two-tier Cinemarks built before 2005, Act III's original Stadium Riser setup, or at Megaplex 17.

Posted by Lyle Romer (Member # 1266) on 07-13-2007, 05:25 PM:

I always try to sit dead center in a row where I can just barely see beyond the edges of the screen looking straight ahead.

Some theaters it is closer to the front than others. A lot of times it ends up being the first row of stadium seating. which is about 1/3 the way back from the screen. I have never understood the appeal of the very front (neck crane) or very back (not very immersive) seats.

Posted by Mike Croaro (Member # 3123) on 07-13-2007, 06:50 PM:

Hi Folks:

I prefer to sit between 5 and 6 picture heights back depending on whether the image is flat or scope.

Naturally the seats don't always go back that far and in those cases I pick the last couple of rows.

Mike

Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 07-13-2007, 07:49 PM:

My preference is to sit fairly close to the front. A bit closer to the screen than is average, I'd guess.

I like to see a nice big image, no use paying £6 to spend two hours watching a postage stamp. In a typical cinema with a front flat section then the stadium section, I'd be sitting in the middle of a row about 2 rows into the stadium section.

Thomas, my policy with Leeds Light is the 3 row back from the screen in the center. (so that's the center seat in screens 12 and 13, or the seat on the left of the isle in all the other screens), always the 3rd row [Big Grin]

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 07-13-2007, 09:47 PM:

Just as Fox determined in the 50's: just off center left/right (where you put your mike) and 1.5 times the width of the picture back from the screen.

Note that this won't work in some modern cinemas, since that will put you in the lobby. Louis