I've started doing this now that I've got a little expendable income and I realize that I love going to the movies, but I hated the hassle of getting a group together to pick a time, arrange rides, select a movie everybody likes, etc. I'm normally a really social guy but after a few movies by myself, I realize that it's awesome. I went and saw Interstellar because I had a few hours in Chicago by myself and I recently went and saw Jurassic World because nobody else was free. Agreed, 10/10 would recommend.
Have you ever gone to a movie alone... and then realized no one else is in the theater? It's like your own private screen. Except when it's a horror flick and then you're totally getting the fear.
The trick is to going on a weekday for the first showing of the day, my theater has an early bird special for $4.50 for a 9 am show, NO ONE EVER GOES , Avengers : Age of Ultron was 10x better without hearing 100 normies munch popcorn simultaneously
I did this for Paranormal Activity 4, say what you will about the franchise but when you're alone in the cinema and it's on a huge screen in front of you it's bloody scary.
Yes! Interstellar was the first movie I watched alone, also, since all of my friends had already watched it and I didn't want them to inadvertently give anything away. I'm thinking of doing the same with Jurassic World.
That's why I sit alone in front of my PC/TV and watch movies. I love the cinema, but people like to be assholes and talk or text or whatever. Fuck them. I want to enjoy the fucking movie, that's why I'm here. If you wanna talk, get the fuck out.
It was my first alone movie too! I took myself on a date for Chinese mall food and a movie (SO was at a conference) and I drank right around 40oz water before I sat down at the theater. I didn't even realize I had to pee until the credits rolled- and that's a 3hr long film. What an amazing experience, I was so involved in it. I've been going alone every once in a while since.
I saw the Incredibles, everyone else wanted to see Oceans whatever's the number was at the time. I didn't, told them I'd wait for them since mine got out earlier. I came out satisfied, they came out disappointed.
I wanted to watch interstellar in IMAX, but all my friends said that it was too expensive. I went by myself, and it is no doubt the best cinematic experience I have lived through.
My friends doesn't love the movies as much as I do, or not enough to ahem pay for them at least so I simply got tired of harassing them (and they're probably glad for it too) to go for this and that movie so I just started to go alone.
I started doing this a couple years ago...it has become a habit now and I really don't like going to the movies anymore with other people. It's not like you need to talk to each other during the movie.
People who talk during movies annoy me. I don't mind as much if it's at home and I can pause the movie, but in the theater it drives me up a wall. I paid money to be here, ask me after.
Lol. I just saw Ex Machina when I fucking felt like it this last semester of college. Pop that popcorn for me. I am the reason you have a job, and you're damn right I'm getting this entire aisle to myself. Best movie time ever. Something, something procrastinating finals studying.
I just saw Jurassic World by myself a few weeks ago! A lot of people had already seen it and I didn't want to wait to wrangle a group to go. It was awesome and going to the movies solo is an experience I tend to repeat!
My warning to you is be careful. I have loved solo activities for a decade now. I consider myself a social gent as well and always have. It may sound weird but I grew to love my solo time.
To the point that people stopped inviting me anywhere because I said no so often. Five kids in my family, involved church life, social was what I knew.
Realizing I had the power to say no to an invite, the power to decide when and where I chose to spend my time, was addicting. I lost the social aspect of living life, and started doing everything by myself until I realized that I literally did everything by myself.
Realizing I didn't want to spend the rest of my life like that, I've started swinging back the other way. Saying yes when I didn't want to, inviting a few people over to watch the game I had planned on watching alone, basically feels like I need to force myself to feel the draw of social interaction.
The irony of what I advise is not lost on me, as I sit at a bar on my fifth beer, finished with dinner as the last third of the Haiti/Honduras match begins. I neglected to invite a few friends I know for a fact are watching right now, and I hate that I learn more about me through inspection of other people than I do through introspection.
Anyway, I hate tl;dr's, but balance solo time with social time. You'll find harmony in the balance.
I wanted to go out to see a blockbuster, looked up all the ones they had showing, ended up choosing one I wouldn't have asked someone else to see with me, kind of a historical romance, sparse theater with mostly only adults, good experience good movie. The Water Diviner
I went to see Interstellar alone at 11:30pm on a random tuesday night after it'd been out for over a month. I was the only guy in the entire screen. They played that movie "just" for me. It was absolutely amazing. Having the whole screen to yourself late at night is something only millionaires can dream of. I highly recommend it!.
I watched interstellar alone in IMAX. I went during a weird time and the theater was basically empty. It was... Amazing. Sorry, got emotional thinking about how awesome it was.
I'm not gonna diss going to the movies solo, because it is great. But I think the main reason you have bad memories of doing it in groups is the method; you said "hey let's see a movie," got a group together, and chose a movie. But completely stress free and super easy is to only go to the movies when there's a movie you want to see. A group forms around the movie, and you don't have to choose a movie for the group.
Of course, I don't mind sharing snacks, but if you don't I'm sure you won't lose any friends.
My Interstellar experience was not so stellar because of the giggling and jokes that were made by my friend group. You might be thinking "What jokes? It's not like you can easily make fun of the movie." I would agree. Their jokes were just bad. "Haha he said tesseract like in The Avenegers haha!" It's still one of my favorite movies, though.
My standing rule is to tell the friends who might find the movie interesting when and what I'm seeing. If they're free, splendid. If not, it's whatever.
Totally agree. Near my childhood home in LA, there's a theater where we used to go as kids. It's since fallen on hard times and in an effort to save itself it's become one of those second-run cheap theaters, and I freaking love it.
$3.00 for a movie most days of the week, $1.50 on Sundays and Tuesdays, and $1 hot dogs every day. I'm there seeing movies alone ALL the time, and kicks so much ass.
I'm on board with this.
I have monthly membership card for a cinema chain that lets me see any movie for free at any time. This means I can go to the local cinema whenever.
The only reason I don't do it more often is that I really like the experience of sharing a good film with a friend, especially if it's a film I've been looking forward to (Avengers, Jurassic World, Ant Man etc). IMO nothing beats watching an awesome film with friends who are loving it as much as you are.
Something like Robocop on the other hand, I'm more than happy to watch on my lonesome.
Getting one buddy is usually what I do. Spur of the moment, meet at the movie if we don't have time to pick each other up, grab a later showing and have dinner a beer first if we feel rushed. It's nice, and less trouble than getting half a dozen people, but I still have someone to discuss the movie with.
More movie theaters need bar/lounge areas. And not the "$50 bag of popcorn" type places, but reasonable local places. I'm sure byzantine exclusive contracts and whatever make this hard, but I've been to a few theaters somewhat along these lines ($1-5 tickets, an actual kitchen, casual, but usually older films)
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u/GreenGemsOmally Jul 13 '15
I've started doing this now that I've got a little expendable income and I realize that I love going to the movies, but I hated the hassle of getting a group together to pick a time, arrange rides, select a movie everybody likes, etc. I'm normally a really social guy but after a few movies by myself, I realize that it's awesome. I went and saw Interstellar because I had a few hours in Chicago by myself and I recently went and saw Jurassic World because nobody else was free. Agreed, 10/10 would recommend.