Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Annoying late-comers

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-08-2001, 07:22 PM:

You know what I hate? People who come to the movies LATE.

Last night we had this couple show up, 20 minutes into "Along Came a Spider," WITH A BABY.

So they're out there bumbling around in the dark getting settled, the kid is crying and fidgeting, they're talking, etc. and ruining the movie for everyone else. I finally gave them a slight "Could you please be a little quieter, the other people can probably hear you" and they just looked at me like I was an a-hole. On top of it, they probably didn't understand the movie since they missed the whole beginning.

I was driving home thru a construction zone recently and they have started putting up these signs: "Fines double in work zones." So why don't we apply this idea to the movies? Everyone put a sign on the boxoffice..... "Admission prices double after the feature begins." It'd be a nice little extra boost to the boxoffice and the latecomers might be encouraged to cleanup their act.

Posted by Michael Gonzalez (Member # 593) on 05-08-2001, 08:22 PM:

People never seem to be able to show up on time where I work. It really becomes annoying during the last set when you are ready to start counting down the box office drawers but cannot because people are still showing up 15 to 20 minutes after the last show has started. Just last night, I had a group of people show up to watch the Mummy at 10:15 when the movie had started at 9:40.

The other major annoyance is when people show up a half an hour late or so and insist on being allowed to watch the beginning during the next show.

Posted by Jerry Chase (Member # 660) on 05-08-2001, 09:23 PM:

I always used to cut off admissions after twenty minutes into the scheduled start of the feature, and let customers know that stay-overs weren't allowed. Late arrivers to the last shows of the evening are sometimes a security risk. Robbers like to arrive late so that no customers see them, and once entrance to the theatre is gained they can do their deed.

The number of people that arrive late is small, and encouraging it is disrespectful to the majority of the audience.

Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 05-08-2001, 11:18 PM:

The easiest way to handle this situation is to actively enforce a 'no admittance 15 minutes after the show begins'. One could interpret this to be 15 minutes after the machine is started OR 15 minutes after the FEATURE has started. Either way, late comers are a nuisance to the majority who ARE on time. The money gathered from those ONTIME far outwieghs the monies from those who don't.

Sad thing is, the industry needs every dollar it can get right now... so it's hard to turn anyone away...

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The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese!

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 05-08-2001, 11:21 PM:

Since I work in theatres (as do most all of the rest of us) this is kinda' like me talking out of both sides of my mouth, but here goes.

If I am PAYING for my seat I get really peeved off when some usher comes in and asks me to move my seat because some other idiot can't show up on time. I paid for my ticket (theoretically) and I showed up on time. These idiots that come in late and need an usher to find a seat for them ought to be shot!

I know that the usher is only doing his job but I don't feel any remorse in saying, "No" when asked to move.

This is not to say that if I see the theatre selling out and there are still a few more minutes before showtime that I won't move. I realize that there are sometimes long lines at the box office and concession stands. I will know this because I, myself, have probably gone through those same lines. Still, people ought to have enough brains to figure out that there will be long lines on Saturday night!

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 05-09-2001, 02:34 AM:

While people showing up after the feature has started (the feature, not the previews) is rude, I have no problem with people who walk into the auditorium once the trailers have started. Lines the way they are, its kind of hard to be mad at them.

As far as moving patrons goes, here is what I do:

If a wheelchair guest needs to be seated, I have no problem asking someone to move. The seat is marked handicaped. If I can get three seats together by 'squezing' a row together-ie, having people move over one or two seats to bunch a couple of open ones together-I will do it. I would never, however, never, consider asking patrons to move to a different row to allow late comers to sit together. If seats can't be opened up by squezing, the late comers will have to split up and take whats left. Its that simple.

Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 05-09-2001, 01:54 PM:

At the last cinema I worked in the policy was that if your bum wasn't on the cloth by the time the feature hit the matt white, then your bum would have to wait until the next screening.... We used to let people in whilst the ads and trailers were running, but once the BBFC logo hit the sheet and the lights came all the way down, that was it.

With regards to moving punters, if a show was busy, our ushers would be in there moving people up the rows, closing the gaps, that saves those odd single empty seats and "if I can't sit next to my girlfriend I want my money back" arguments. With a major film we might also use the computers to allocate seats, then the ushers would make sure that the punters actually sat in those seats. We take no prisoners here in Edinburgh!

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 05-09-2001, 03:42 PM:

If I went to the trouble to show up early to a movie (which I typically always do) and was later forced by an usher to move (more than a seat or two over or something like that), I doubt I'd go back to that theatre if I knew it would be busy. I tend to move on my own if a seat kicker sits in the row behind me. I've never been assigned a seat in a theatre nor have I had to move at an usher's request. I have moved on my own to help a group pack into one side of a row.

I think assigning seats or making people move would drive people away. I like the idea of limiting the number of people that can come in late.

I typically show up 20 minutes or more (usually more, often 30 minutes or more) before the scheduled show time and if I expect a large crowd, I'll buy my ticket earlier in the day so I can just walk in as soon as the auditorium is available. I'm often the first person in the auditorium for a movie.

The problem with people too lazy to show up on time is that in most stadium seating auditoriums, they have to walk across the field of view of the people sitting in the first three or four rows of the stadium section (best seats).

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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Info Site

Posted by Armin Pohl (Member # 789) on 05-10-2001, 08:14 AM:

I think I can top ALL your complaints...

I have had NUMEROUS people come to buy tickets after the show has started. THEY ALWAYS WANT A DISCOUNT BECAUSE THEY MISSED THE THE BEGINNING OF THE MOVIE. What's up with people's common sense these days ?!?!?!. We are located in a small mall(rhyming was not intended) and I LOVE closing the doors 20 minutes after the film was scheduled to start i.e. 7pm showtime means a 7:20 LOCKDOWN. It ruins the show for EVERYONE(I've had complaints to prove it) when someone comes in and walks/talks and balks(rhyming was intended.... this time) after the show's rolling.

FYI...The latest I've had was 45 Minutes after the show had started.

Posted by Michael Barry (Member # 237) on 05-10-2001, 11:42 AM:

We recently ran a double feature of 'Forbidden Planet' with '2001' in 70MM...I heard over the 2-way that there was a late-comer that wanted in, so I looked at the platter. There was about 15 minutes left on 'Forbidden Planet'!

'Memento' is a great one for late-comers. If they miss the opening sequence then they may as well forget it. Can anyone think of other films that have an absolutely crucial, efficient opening without which the rest of the movie is practically meaningless?

Posted by Michael Barry (Member # 237) on 05-10-2001, 11:46 AM:

Oh! I forgot to mention those late-comers that show up at 7:45 for a 7:30 session and actually express disgust that the film has already started.

But the previous story about the people that wanted an actual discount for arriving late - that takes the cake!

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 05-10-2001, 12:45 PM:

Me Too!

I hate latecomers. I have had them get upset that the movie has started without them, 20 minutes late. People expect that we have 15 minutes of trailers. I explain to them that as a small independent theatre, we don't get so many trailers, so we usually have 2 and they might play for as long as 5 minutes, but perhaps only for 3 minutes.

The Governor of Colorado used to come to our cinema in Denver. The first one, Dick Lamb had his chief of security call up and ask if it was all right for the Governor to attend. We always said yes and signed him in on the guest list. They always arrived 2 minutes before the show and sat in the balcony.

The next Governor of the State of Colorado was Romer and he never called, always arrived 20 minutes late, paid his $6 and then spent half the film in the lobby talking on his cell phone. But he never complained, so whatever. Apparently he was 20 minutes late for everything.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 05-12-2001, 03:48 PM:

I'm probably more annoyed by late comers to a theater than most people. I paid my admission, found that seat in the "sweet spot" of the auditorium and want to get primed up for the show. But the atmosphere gets screwed up by a few disorganized slobs who show up 10 or 20 minutes into the movie.

I know people who habitually go to the movies late. They fart around their house trying to find things they're supposed to take along or you get the last minute question, "does this dress look good on me?" I've already got ants in my pant and am trying to keep my manners when replying, "the theater is going to be dark, you'll be sitting down, no one will see --but you look fine anyway, let's get the hell out of here already."

People always think there is going to be 20 or 30 minutes worth of trailers on the front of the film, so they'll time their "just getting there in time" thing to that and actually just start driving to the theater after the advertised start time. Then they screw around at the refreshment counter in a line significantly longer than they imagined would be there. By the time they are entering the auditorium, the first act might be completely done. If it is a new movie, most of the seats are taken. Then you have the usher asking guys who got to the theater on time like Randy Stankey to move to another seat.

I personally don't think admissions should be allowed for any show 10 minutes after the advertised start time. I don't care if there are 20 minutes worth of movie trailers. Late comers always seem to search out the front rows of the theater and get in everyone's eyeline anyway. They just need to wait for the next showtime and learn to be a little more organized in their movie going habits. Damned slobs. Hehe.

Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 05-12-2001, 07:13 PM:

NOt to mention the fact that when you have near capacity shows, the late comer will be informed at the box office that seats are scattered and up front, yet they insist that they see the show.. then go into a dark house, piss everyone off but searching out a seat where *they* wanna sit, then come out and INSIST that there are ABSOLUTELY NO SEATS LEFT. I mean, come on jerk-off, did we not tell you that seats were scattered and up front? And now you want us to correct YOUR OWN DAMN IGNORANCE?

Mr/Mrs. latecomer, you seemed to have dropped something, please allow me to get it for you....

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The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese!

Posted by Joe Schmidt (Member # 822) on 05-13-2001, 12:15 AM:

Never mind all that. I've got just the thing for you, buried somewhere in my Laboratory...

You guys think FilmGuard is good?

It's nothing compared to BabyQuiet. Comes in a spray can, all you do is spray a little on the baby, it settles down and just sits there and GRINS! And grins.... and grins...

After the show, the people can take it home and use it for a doorstop.

And Coming Soon... Our New Invention for day care centers. Looks a little like a microwave, but isn't. You put the baby inside, set the timer for when its owners want to pick it up, it goes into suspended animation until the bell rings and it's time to take it out.

Gee whiz... I wonder. Would this be good for movie houses too?

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-13-2001, 02:10 AM:

Joe, where can I get some of that?

Posted by Thomas Hauerslev (Member # 566) on 05-21-2001, 09:55 AM:

We once denied director Milos Forman mid-film access to "Amadeus" to "gain audience reactions" when he was in Copenhagen on holiday (in 1985). Our theatre (ABCinema+D) got mentioned in Variety thanks to that. That's probably the best "costumer care" he's ever got for one of his films.

Take that!!

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All my best
Thomas
..in70mm - The 70mm Newsletter
www.in70mm.com www.dp70.com www.70mm.dk www.hauerslev.com http://hjem.get2net.dk/in70mm