If you were in a movie theater that was mostly empty, and someone came and sat down right next to you, what would you do?

I call it the “pack mentality”. I would’ve moved. People do this at the gym. There can be 15 empty treadmills and someone will get on one right beside me. Same thing at the beach. Not another soul on the beach and someone has to come and put their towel within spitting distance of mine.

I’d move. That shit is not cool.

I don’t know. That’s kind weird. I’d probably_look_ at them as I was getting up to move, but move I would. I’m confrontational in a theater to te extent that I will say “Are you going to keep rattling that paper? Tell me now, I’ll move.” I will also tell someone to please take their screaming child out if they don’t do so within a minute of screaming commencement. Why anyone would think it is appopiate to brng a baby to a movie for adults is beyond me, but I did not pay eight bucks to listen to a screaming kid. I can follow them around the grocery store if I want to hear that shit.

I’d hope they didn’t try and hold my hand.

As long as they’re not screwing with their cell phones every three seconds, I’m cool.

Those idiots get to feel my wrath. I think I “accidentally” dumped part of a soda on one girl that actually answered the phone and was talking “I’m like, at the movies with Carla and Jenny. Oh my god it’s so boring… we should have gone to Juno instead. I know! *obnoxious giggle *”. I almost felt bad, but it was Eastern Promises. You don’t get between me and Viggo. You just don’t.

I’d move.Yep.

I’m notoriously picky about where I sit and who sits near me in movie theaters. I can’t abide talkers, cell phone checkers or noisy kids and will move as many times as I must to get away from these types.

To answer your specific question, if one person comes in and sits near me in an almost-empty theater, I probably won’t move. But if two or more do, I definitely move.

Geezer alert! Today’s audiences are mostly made up of people accustomed to talking in their living rooms while watching TV, so they do it in movies. I just don’t have any patience for that.

By the way, the very best movie audiences I’ve ever experienced are in L.A. People there really know how to watch movies.

@Seek_Kolinahr Bravo, Well done! I don’t know if I have the balls for that, but I would applaud if I saw it.

I would move.

Do you think there is a remote chance that it was a party of four that took two separate vehicles?

I’d ask them to make out.

My way of handling it is kind of wimpy and passive-aggressive. If the theater is almost empty and someone starts walking into my row, I put my bag in the seat next to me. If they get closer, I turn and frown at them. If they get within about three seats of me, I say something like, “Oh, gosh, I’m really sorry. I’m saving this seat for someone. Is that ok?” Most people are pretty non-confrontational in public and will just move to another seat instead. The more polite I am about it, the more polite they are.

If you’d asked me this in 2002 or earlier, I would’ve said it wouldn’t bother me a bit and I might even strike up a conversation with the person if there was time before the movie started. These days, I need a two-seat buffer between myself and anyone I don’t already know and if someone is sitting directly behind me, that makes me nervous, too. Also, if there are people in the rows behind me but not in front of me, that’s not okay, either. I don’t really go out to the movies much anymore. :(

I’m with @Haleth. I’m passive aggressive and I’d put my stuff next to me. Most people ask if there’s anyone next to me, and I’d say “yes”. They might think they smell or something since I got up. Plus, I sneak snacks into the theater sometimes and I get self concious if anyone is near me.

I went to go see Predators last month with a friend and the theater was almost empty. Fifteen minutes into the movie a couple arrives and they decide to go sit in the back of us (we were at the edge seats in a far right side). I felt uncomfortable because out of the many seats there were they decided to sit there. I have this little problem where I tend to jump, almost like a twitch of my whole body during sudden impacts/noises, and throughout the movie I did that (movie wasn’t scary though). And there was this part where I was biting my nails and a something popped up in the screen and my hands flew all over the place, when that happened heard this big sigh from behind me and looked on the side of my chair, unfortunately I am not tall enough to look up and see someone, then the guy told me “do you have to do that?” I replied with an excuse me and looked forward. Hey, it’s not my fault and they didn’t have to go sit right behind me and be rude.

I’d stuff my business back into my trousers and ostentatiously wipe my hands on the armrest.

@py_sue I too sneak in snacks. I would move. I sneak in all kinds of things. I usually go at about dinner time. I have at Mcdonalds it a movie theatre. Food there is sooo expensive.

Depends. If it was a pretty dish with a set of nice “headlights”, I’d strike up a conversation with her immediately. Lol.

@Frenchfry I’ll go to the dollar store to get soda or candy. And I’ll usually stop at some fast food place on the way there. I know this is a bit off topic, so I’ll be quick. I asked the food person at one theatre why it was 6 bucks for a small popcorn at there and $4.75 at another. They said it’s because they get more foot traffic at one then the other. Which makes sense, but it’s still stupid.

Just as they were about to sit down I’d exclaim, “Hey…HEY! You’re gonna sit on Bobby! Bob, are you ok? Sheesh, could you watch where your sitting?! It’s awright Bob. Don’t cry. NOW look what you’ve done!”

@cprevite GA, I’d name him Harvey, though.

@Pied_Pfeffer : they definitely were not in the same party – the lady (in the couple) looked annoyed when the two women sat down, and the two women were the types that are moving a lot, kind of jumpy. they were not all four friends at all. i was watching, amused, as the lady (in the couple) who had the two women sit next to her, looked annoyed. i was wondering “will she move” but she didn’t. i would have.

I saw Thelma and Louise in a nearly empty theater with a friend who is also quite short. A couple of loud tall teenage boys came in and sat right in front us. My friend yelled at them: ”Really? You do this in a movie about angry women? Really?” They moved very quickly. Gotta love the Power!

I suppose if one wanted to be polite about it and still move, they could say, “Pardon me, but I prefer to sit alone. Please do not take offense in the fact that I’m about to change seats.” People on airplanes, buses, and trains do it all the time though without a word said. Granted, they are different scenarios. I just don’t like sitting next to a stranger in a dark, virtually empty theater.

@jca I figured as much, but thought it was worth asking. Surely, you would have witnessed some type of acknowledgment had they planned to meet up with each other.

@py_sue Would you be comfortable feigning taking a phone call or going to the restroom in order to duck out for a moment, and then returning to the theater and selecting another seat? (I did this once while waiting in a virtually empty airport gate.)

if it were me i would not feel obligated to explain if i got up to move. i would hope that them seeing that i moved would indicate that “hello, you did a stupid thing..” i think some people just don’t think, they’re clueless.

@py_sue: I went to the movies with Harvey once. He would not stop talking. His pleas for attention were so transparent.

It would annoy the CRAP out of me and i’d move too. I hate being in close proximity to strangers, and even more so when there is no need for them to be so close.

I would stay.
Not because i like them to sit so close to me, but because i don’t want to give them the pleasure of thinking that they made me go.
My girlfriend and me had a similar experience some weeks ago when we went to a beach.
It is a quite big beach, it stretches some 600–800 meters about, but four fifth of it was occupied.
The empty part is some 150 meters without umbrellas and beds and we decided to lay there.
As did an other couple, some fifteen minutes after we did.
I crafted a situation sketch in Paint…., if there are creative companies looking for employees…, don’t bother.
We were pretty annoyed by them (sitting meters away from us), but we stayed.
Strangely enough we didn’t feel as comfortable anymore, we felt our boundaries were disturbed.
Fuckers.

@rebbel Love the situation sketch. LOL

@Pied_Pfeffer I might. But, I wouldn’t think to do it at the time.
@cprevite Sounds like Harvey. ;)

I love going to the cinema on my own and this has never once happened to me. I think British people are much more reserved and polite and it would be almost unheard of to not leave at least a seat between you and someone else, unless the theatre is very busy.

@Seek_Kolinahr if I was sitting next to someone using their phone I’d tell them firmly to either turn ot off or have their conversation in the lobby. There’s even reminders before the film starts to turn phones off. Heck, if she’s that bored why doesn’t she just go? (btw I loved Eastern Promises, I think Viggo is an awesome actor).

Wow! This actually happened to me once. Some girl sat next to me at the start of the movie, but then left halfway through the movie. Maybe she expected me to make a move on her, and when I didn’t she lost interest (yes, I can be a gentleman sometimes). Or maybe she mistook me for someone else in the darkness and didn’t realize her mistake until the movie was half over.

@JilltheTooth I don’t blame the guys. I hate that movie too. So phony.

I’d move. Wait…how old is this question? @JilltheTooth? @MRSHINYSHOES? @MacBean?! @downtide !!!!