Reserved Cinema Seating - Insanity

[Paratus]

Have you been to the theater since it converted to recliners? Converting an existing stadium unit can cause a major loss of seats. I've seen rooms that small before.

I was there back in May and some of the seats had been replaced with recliners. It didn't look like they would be losing 2/3 of the seating however.

So you have been to the actual theater, and instead of asking them at the theater about why you can only reserve from 5 rows, you decided to make a post on ATOT and think we would know better than the people who work at the actual theater?

I would have asked but the line was long, I was lazy, and ATOT knows all.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Reserved seating is awesome. Buy prime seats far in advance. Walk past the sad sad families of 5 in the lobby 5 minutes before previews to said prime seats.

So to answer your question, your problem was a lack of planning.

Yeah. While I make it a habit to not go to movies in theaters for a whole host of reasons reserved seating is a step in the right direction. Knowing you have good seats and can get 4 or 6 together if you need to is a giant plus. This isn't insanity, it's theaters improving the experience of going out to see a movie.

 

[Paratus]

So my wife sent a comment in on the Cinemark website. Turns out there are only 5 - 7 rows because the theaters are under construction adding in the new lounge chairs.

That explains quite a bit.

 

[Ackmed]

While I do like reserved seating, and use it whenever I can. It can be insanity too. At least how our theater does it. Because if you reserve a seat by buying it online, the actual theater has no idea apparently. People who buy tickets there, are not told which are reserved. We typically wait till 5-10 mins before a movie starts, and twice people have been in our seats. They had no idea that we had reserved them, and they did move. But by then they were fucked, because hardly any good seats left. Something needs to be done about that, because they got fucked.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Is there extra cost? Because that would be my guess that this is their way of upselling. This will also definitely piss some people off (just like the different classes on planes makes people feel like shit). Not that I care, you'd literally have to pay me money to watch a movie in a theater these days.

Reserved seating is awesome. Buy prime seats far in advance. Walk past the sad sad families of 5 in the lobby 5 minutes before start of movie to said prime seats.

So to answer your question, your problem was a lack of planning.

FTFY.

And the movie industry is quickly going to find that forcing people to have to plan to go see a movie is going to hit them money wise as well. Can't wait for the theaters bitching about how they can't make money because they keep doing stupid shit and jacking up prices though.

Yea reserved seating is the only way I'll go to a theater these days, that plus must have reclining seats.

Buy online, walk in to theater right at show time, sit down in the best seat in the theater ftw.



Were the other seats already reserved? May have possibly been the best seats/rows were available to be reserved, rest first come first serve? Although I've not seen this.

I've always seen the whole theater seating layout at all the ones I've been to, and it shows what is taken and what's available.

But at what cost? If they aren't yet, I can pretty much guarantee they will start upping the price, and that's if people don't start scalping, and then before you know it Ticketmaster is involved and have fun with that.

 

[Ichinisan]

While I do like reserved seating, and use it whenever I can. It can be insanity too. At least how our theater does it. Because if you reserve a seat by buying it online, the actual theater has no idea apparently. People who buy tickets there, are not told which are reserved. We typically wait till 5-10 mins before a movie starts, and twice people have been in our seats. They had no idea that we had reserved them, and they did move. But by then they were fucked, because hardly any good seats left. Something needs to be done about that, because they got fucked.

I think it’s more likely they were already forced to select crap seats and they hoped you would just sit somewhere else without saying anything to them.

 

[Aikouka]

I like reserved seating quite a bit. Although, it definitely favors those who plan to see a movie rather than those who say "Let's go see a movie tonight!"... when it's already the late afternoon. The other negative is that when you don't realize a hot movie has already released tickets for sale weeks ahead, you may miss out on some good seats. I completely forgot that Spider-Man was coming out this Friday, but luckily, I was able to snag a good ticket.

 

[Ackmed]

I think it’s more likely they were already forced to select crap seats and they hoped you would just sit somewhere else without saying anything to them.

Maybe, we always sit middle/middle. Maybe a few rows up. One time they were very nice, I showed them on my phone our seats. They showed me their tickets. Nothing was on them. Second time the guy started to be an ass, he came to the conclusion that was not the best way to handle the situation though. They moved, after making a show out of it.

But we have bought tickets last minute after a change of plans, and they made no mention of any seats that were already taken. Nothing on the ticket about anything, just general admission. Only two shows out of the 15 have the reserved seating, so it is not always an issue.

 

[RockinZ28]

Is there extra cost? Because that would be my guess that this is their way of upselling. This will also definitely piss some people off (just like the different classes on planes makes people feel like shit). Not that I care, you'd literally have to pay me money to watch a movie in a theater these days.



FTFY.

And the movie industry is quickly going to find that forcing people to have to plan to go see a movie is going to hit them money wise as well. Can't wait for the theaters bitching about how they can't make money because they keep doing stupid shit and jacking up prices though.



But at what cost? If they aren't yet, I can pretty much guarantee they will start upping the price, and that's if people don't start scalping, and then before you know it Ticketmaster is involved and have fun with that.

I don't think the movie theater commands that kind of demand these days. Seems they were already struggling, and this is their way of attempting to stay relevant. Back in Wisconsin/Minnesota where I was at, pretty much every major theater had converted to reserved recliner seating. Don't know how prevalent it is in the Bay area, but one down the street from me is reserved, so I go there.

Drive up prices, people are just going to continue watching movies in their home theaters.