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Comment by m463 | Hacker News Reader

I'm finding that more and more, when I impulsively go to the theater and try to buy tickets at the door... I always find the only tickets available are horrible, like in the front row to the side. You want like F-6 and F-7 and get A-2 and B-2.

And if I even accept this, the people in the choice seats invariably show up right when all the trailers are wrapping up.

so - people buy tickets ahead of time, and it might be the only way to watch it from a reasonable seat.

This probably doesn't apply to off-hours like tuesday afternoon or whatever.

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wait... I don't think I've ever experienced assigned seats in a movie theatre. Is that a thing?

Yes for higher end theaters like imax and the kind where everyone had a recliner chair

Or just about any movie theater of any kind outside of North America.

I've never been to a theater without assigned seats. Maybe it's a regional difference?

Regional where...? Never seen this in the Northeast.

Outside North America just about every country I’ve ever lived in or visited had assigned movie ticket seats.

And in some places there are so few movie theaters that, at least on weekends, you have to buy days in advance or you might as well stay home.

As European, I can tell that it depends on the kind of cinema, and country.

My experience, being discussed in another thread, is that only big commercial multiplex do it, many small cinemas with more alternative content, usually don't do assigned seats, only ticket reservations.

I'm also in the northeast (Europe). It is quite normal to have assigned seats.

It's shifted a lot in the past few years: AMC has assigned seating in most (all?) theaters, for instance. Our regional theater, Harkins, same.

Personally, I like being able to select the exact seats and pre-order popcorn and soda and just have it show up to me right as the trailers end.

Adding on and being specific: AMC in the GSP mall in Paramus, NJ. Assigned seating for sure.

When I grew up in LA 20+ years ago, seating was way more casual. Now everywhere seems to want assigned seating. I think this is in part because so many theater chains now offer a "premium" dining experience. It's yet another reason I rarely go to theaters anymore, on top of most of the film offerings being crap.

It’s the only way I’ve ever seen movie tickets sold outside of North America anywhere.

You can find both kinds, in europe especially the cut is very clear, commercial cinemas ALWAYS have assigned sitting. The kind you see at malls and have the Hollywood rotation of marvel shit movies.

Then you have smaller cinemas with indie movies, european movie festival rotation, etc, and many of those in at least 4 or 5 countries in Europe I can confirm do NOT have assigned sitting.

I feel like the newer (e.g. post 2010s) theaters with more "premium" comfortable seats tend to assign seats these days. Probably differs by chain.

Yes, it's been a thing for at least a decade, I imagine it helps with pre-sales online, though it may just be offered as a convenience. It really does help keep the movie from unexpectedly being a lousy experience; if you're stuck in a crappy seat, or your family can't sit together, it's because you picked those seats. As someone else mentioned, it also allows them to bring you dinner and provide that upsell as well.

Even our small independent theater in town has reserved seats, some of which are couches.

> it's been a thing for at least a decade

Maybe in fancy theaters, but in most places it started during covid (and just never stopped)

When I was in college in the 00s, there was a Hollywood theater that was renowned for having assigned seats and charging close to $20 per ticket.

Neither of those is remarkable now, but they were both unheard-of then.

That actually sounds... really nice. Like they've borrowed some of the things from traditional theatre that make the experience not awful.

My reference point for movie theatres is the late 90s/early 2000s so maybe I'll have to give them another try.

The oldest theaters might still be the way they always were, but most have gone to offering direct ticketing (to cut Fandango and friends out) and they need something to offer you to make you buy ahead - being able to select the seat is the carrot.

I live in a major metro area, basically every theater has assigned seats now.

If you go up to the box office and ask for "Alt-F4" they will act surprised and confused, but just tell them to type it into their computer

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