Boiling Point: Arrive on Time
Posted by Robert Fure (robert@filmschoolrejects.com) on November 17, 2008
Day in, day out, week after week we’re all expected to show up to work on time. Well, except those of us that have loose time commitments of course. But really, if we’re expected to always be on time, a slave to the Timex, shouldn’t we be allowed to stroll into a theater a few minutes late? After all, it’s our day off and we’re just relaxing. The answer is hell no. Get to the damn theater on time, sit down fast, and get out of my line of sight, thanks.
There are a lot of ways that a movie can be ruined – people talking, cell phones ringing, Blackberry phones lighting up theater, or a guy with the runs shifting in and out of his seat every 15 minutes. These are all annoying, but that’s not to let late-comers off the hook as they’re just as bad; but thankfully, they’re mostly relegated to being annoying in the first 15 minutes or so. Almost without fail, as the trailers run, people are in and out in front of you. As the advertisements end and the credits begin, people walk by. Come the fuck on, seriously. You couldn’t have arrived a few minutes earlier? Plan ahead. The advertised start time is 8:30pm, you get into the theater at 8:25 or earlier. It’s not hard. Number one, you won’t miss anything. Number two, you won’t make me miss anything.
Is it that hard of a task? You want to go potty before the movie starts? Get there earlier. You want to get some snacks from the lobby? Get there earlier. What, there are long lines? GET THERE EARLIER. Clearly I take my movie viewing seriously and a lot of us around these parts do as well. I try to get to the theater a full 30 minutes early. That way I can do whatever I need to do and then find my seat before the trailers start to roll. I count the trailers as part of the experience and I don’t want to ruin them for others or have them ruined for me. You should be in your seat before the lights go down, it’s just common courtesy. Just this weekend there were no fewer than 12 people who came into Quantum of Solace late. Not only did they disrupt the film for all of us that were there on time, several of them came in late in the beginning car chase, meaning they missed some badass stuff.
So maybe no one else cares about the trailers or maybe I’m the only one who gets bothered by late-comers disrupting my viewing experience, but I’m tired of it. Ninety-eight percent of us in the theater were smart enough and polite enough to get here early or at least on time and to take our seats and so why can’t everyone else do the same? There is a set start time, be there for it! All I know for sure is that when I’m in my chair ready to get my mind blown by an amazing cinematic experience and people bumble by late, in the dark, I slip past my boiling point.
How early do you get to the theater?
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