Reserved Cinema Seating - Insanity

[Paratus]

In a total WTF moment we went to watch Wonder Woman at our local Cinemark. The kiosk said the movie had "reserved seating"

When attempting to purchase tickets it forced us to choose our seats. Only 5 rows in the theater were available to choose from and not more than 2 seats were next to each other. Needless to say for a family of 5 that wasn't going to work so we punted.

This was the first time that I've come across reserved seats. So a couple of questions.

• This theater has way more than 5 rows of seats. Where the fuck were they? Neither the kiosk nor the fandango app would let me buy a ticket without selecting a seat in those 5 rows.
• Who the fuck benefits from this?
• Was my problem simply one of a shitty user interface and there is some way to purchase tickets in the other 12 rows?

 

[SKORPI0]

We have reserved seating too at our local movie house. Very convenient to know what seats are still available for a specific show time and are paired, usually for couples. Not sure for a group/family.
I tend to get seats about 3 levels lower than the projector, and as near the middle as possible. Previews for upcoming movies are usually 20 minutes, plenty of time just in case you're late.

Very nice DreamLounger recliner seats. Ticket prices are $5.00 Tuesdays/early bird showing before 11am. $3 extra for 3D.

 

[crashtech]

I don't have any answers to your questions, but the premise intrigues me. I for one would be willing to pay extra not to sit in an unfavorable spot in the theater. It is logical to value some seats above others, much the same way concert seats are valued. of course, this is little consolation to your unexpected situation; any change ought to be phased in and clearly explained.

 

[Ns1]

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.

 

[RockinZ28]

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.

In a total WTF moment we went to watch Wonder Woman at our local Cinemark. The kiosk said the movie had "reserved seating"

When attempting to purchase tickets it forced us to choose our seats. Only 5 rows in the theater were available to choose from and not more than 2 seats were next to each other. Needless to say for a family of 5 that wasn't going to work so we punted.

This was the first time that I've come across reserved seats. So a couple of questions.

• This theater has way more than 5 rows of seats. Where the fuck were they? Neither the kiosk nor the fandango app would let me buy a ticket without selecting a seat in those 5 rows.
• Who the fuck benefits from this?
• Was my problem simply one of a shitty user interface and there is some way to purchase tickets in the other 12 rows?

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.

 

[mikeymikec]

Reserved seating has been around for as long as I can remember (UK). I guess it probably became a widespread/common thing once online booking started happening.

The benefits are rather obvious aren't they? Booking in advance means you're not running the risk of turning up at the cinema with a party of 5 and having to sit separately Or not getting seats at all.

 

[sdifox]

When I was a kid all cinemas were reserved seating. They had a board with seating outline and rows of peg hols holding ticket. You can see at a glance what is available.

 

[K1052]

• This theater has way more than 5 rows of seats. Where the fuck were they? Neither the kiosk nor the fandango app would let me buy a ticket without selecting a seat in those 5 rows.
• Who the fuck benefits from this?
• Was my problem simply one of a shitty user interface and there is some way to purchase tickets in the other 12 rows?

• Without knowing more about the theater its hard to say. Could just be a shitty UI.
• Customers.
• Quite possibly. I've seen some real terrible implementations.

 

[pete6032]

This theater has way more than 5 rows of seats. Where the fuck were they? Neither the kiosk nor the fandango app would let me buy a ticket without selecting a seat in those 5 rows.

People had already reserved seats in other rows so those were your only options left.

 

[Ichinisan]

I started seeing this in my town at least a year ago. I dig the reclining seats at my local Regal cinema. Not sure how I feel about the assigned seats, but I've only watched a few movies that way. It seems that I've always been able to select the last remaining centered seats for me and my group, so I guess I've been lucky.

 

[gorb]

Reserved seating is the way to go. If we don't buy our tickets early enough and all the good seats are taken, we just look at another theater or do something else

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Are the seats less sticky? Will the seats around them be less annoying (laser pointers, cell phone conversations, rowdy patrons)? Will this make the experience less forgiving in terms of costs, parking, dinging, etc?

I think I will continue to not go to the public venues and maintain my 13 year stance on watching stuff in my home theater where the presentation is a heck of a lot better and without all of the annoyances and grief. And I don't have to look at the sad folks who are looking at the sad, sad families (ns1). Any my wife can whatever lingerie she wants, or nothing at all.

 

[futurefields]

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.

So its all about schadenfreude, gotcha

 

[OutHouse]

Are the seats less sticky? Will the seats around them be less annoying (laser pointers, cell phone conversations, rowdy patrons)? Will this make the experience less forgiving in terms of costs, parking, dinging, etc?

I think I will continue to not go to the public venues and maintain my 13 year stance on watching stuff in my home theater where the presentation is a heck of a lot better and without all of the annoyances and grief. And I don't have to look at the sad folks who are looking at the sad, sad families (ns1). Any my wife can whatever lingerie she wants, or nothing at all.

 

[OutHouse]

I dig the reclining seats at my local Regal cinema. Not sure how I feel about the assigned seats,

i dig the reserved seating, but the recliner chairs... I fall asleep...

 

[Paratus]

We have reserved seating too at our local movie house. Very convenient to know what seats are still available for a specific show time and are paired, usually for couples. Not sure for a group/family.
I tend to get seats about 3 levels lower than the projector, and as near the middle as possible. Previews for upcoming movies are usually 20 minutes, plenty of time just in case you're late.

Very nice DreamLounger recliner seats. Ticket prices are $5.00 Tuesdays/early bird showing before 11am. $3 extra for 3D.

Looks like in your pic all the seats in the theater were shown either available or taken.

Here's a showing for the Mummy today at 10:40. A movie which should absolutely not be sold out.

Fandango won't allow me to leave the page without selecting a seat from one of these 5 rows. The theater I know for a fact has several rows closer to the screen and at least ten more farther back. Hence my confusion.

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.

That would be cool if I had known about it in advance. Also let's be serious here the movie I wanted to see has been out for a month. There's no way a Sunday matinee was anywhere close to sold out.

And when I checked it and other movies as far out in advance as I could the app only shows the first 5 or so rows.

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.

My assumption is the other seats were first come first served. I just couldn't figure out how to buy them.

I would have asked but the line for the two folks selling tickets was long. It looked like a lot of others were confused by the new process.

 

[Paratus]

• Without knowing more about the theater its hard to say. Could just be a shitty UI.
• Customers.
• Quite possibly. I've seen some real terrible implementations.

I understand how it could be a positive for folks who buy early. In the future that's probably what we'll do.

However with the way it's implemented now it's not. With only the 5 rows available for purchase on line or at the kiosk the lines for purchasing tickets from the ticket office is going to be aweful. Not to mention with assigned seats I'm guessing a lot of single seats in the prime 5 rows are going to be empty for movies that aren't sellouts.

People had already reserved seats in other rows so those were your only options left.

Not so. Movies out two weeks in advance only show 5 rows available.

 

[gorcorps]

Reserved seating is great, but it sounds like Fandango may not be handling it correctly. That's Fandango's problem

 

[Paratus]

Reserved seating is great, but it sounds like Fandango may not be handling it correctly. That's Fandango's problem

The Cinemark kiosk at the theater shows the same thing.

Although judging from the number of you guys who it works fine for at your respective cinemas, I'm starting to lean towards a botched roll out of reserved seating.

 

[Malogeek]

I've had a lot of issues with the Fandango system for the past couple of months. Seat display not working properly or simply telling me it couldn't find the show for my selected time. However other local cinemas were working fine under Fandango so I believe it was that particular cinemas having feed issues to Fandango.

 

[sdifox]

Looks like it is just geared towards seats close to disabled spots.

 

[SKORPI0]

Here's the 9:50 am friday showing of Spider-Man Homecoming at local Marcus Cinema. Looks like my favorite seat J14 is already taken.
Since I'm a Rewards Card member, the $1.50 convenience fee is waived, paying just $5.00. And free popcorn on tuesdays.

"You can request up to 9 reserved seats per transaction" - in previous page.
It says "Note that the system will not allow you to leave a single unoccupied seat in between selected seats."

 

[Ns1]

 

[K1052]

I understand how it could be a positive for folks who buy early. In the future that's probably what we'll do.

However with the way it's implemented now it's not. With only the 5 rows available for purchase on line or at the kiosk the lines for purchasing tickets from the ticket office is going to be aweful. Not to mention with assigned seats I'm guessing a lot of single seats in the prime 5 rows are going to be empty for movies that aren't sellouts.

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.

 

[purbeast0]

The Cinemark kiosk at the theater shows the same thing.

Although judging from the number of you guys who it works fine for at your respective cinemas, I'm starting to lean towards a botched roll out of reserved seating.

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?