Do You Like Going To The Movies Alone?

[Gloriana]

I really value seeing a movie in the theater, too...I think movies are a communal experience and I love that vibe of everyone gasping together or laughing together. It's kind of a solitary group experience, if you will. It kind of bums me out that so many people watch movies on the internet. It's like listening to a symphony on a crackly transistor radio with crappy headphones.

One of my extended family is fifteen and she's literally never seen a movie in a theater. She and her friends are all about Redbox and Netflix. It wigs me out. I don't think she's ever listened to an 'album' in her life either, she just buys singles off iTunes. *shudder*

 

[Queen Kat]

I do like it. If you always need to bring yourself someone with you to the movies if you want to see one, you become way too dependent on other people. So what if nobody else wants to see the movie? Then you DON'T see it? Come on, in that case you're probably a pussy with some serious dependancy problem. Besides, if you look stupid, it's all about how you present yourself. If you show that you're a dependent pussy who's ashamed of being in the theater all alone, yes, then you look fucking stupid. If you show that you're having a great time and that you're quite confident instead of ashamed, you actually might even look fucking awesome and independent. It's all about pre-sen-ta-tion. Duhh.

 

[gromit]

Hm. I don't think I've ever done it before. I do like going out to eat by myself sometimes. I think I could like going to the cinema alone too. Maybe I will try it...

 

[xpersephonex]

People are distracting... so it depends on whether I want to be distracted or not.
Majority of the time I just go to the movies by myself...

 

[Ponyboy]

One of my extended family is fifteen and she's literally never seen a movie in a theater. She and her friends are all about Redbox and Netflix. It wigs me out. I don't think she's ever listened to an 'album' in her life either, she just buys singles off iTunes. *shudder*

Ugh!! Now I know why people look at me funny because I still call music stores "record stores"!

Anyway I used to go to movies alone when I was in the Navy and under 21. Most of my friends were older and abler to go to clubs and bars. The theater on base was usually all people alone who were either under 21 also or just people passing time. I have never gone alone since but I don't know why since usually when I'm w/ someone I tell 'em to hush up so I can watch the movie!
That being said, since this is mostly an anonymous forum (I know one person) I guess I can admit that the last time I went to a movie in a theater was "Lethal Weapon 3". Ya, I guess I'm not a big movie person.

 

[011235813]

I hate going to the movies alone. I need to be cushioned from the rest of the audience by a buffer of human warmth, and I need a hand to clutch on to at moments of emotional excess.

 

[Lark]

I do and I think its the best way to go to the Cinema, you can get food without worrying about it getting accidentially spilled when its being shared and can give the movie your full attention. I dont like or get the whole group entertainment thing in which people cheers, toss popcorn at each other or the screen, mexican wave or talk through the picture, its like a stadium sporting event or a circus when that happens but I get people telling me that I should sit at home and wait on the DVD release if that's what I'm interested in.

 

[93JC]

I don't like to, but I usually do. It's often just not worth trying to schedule it with other people. Too much effort, not enough reward.

 

[mrcockburn]

I used to do that as a little kid, when I couldn't be bothered to see if my friends could come and desperately wanted to see it.

 

[Ingrid in grids]

I've often gone to the cinema alone. When I do go alone, I find I actually enjoy it more. When I want to see a film, I'll go see it. I'm not that active in finding someone to come with, though I'll always offer if someone finds that I'm going and seems keen.

It's interesting that when I go alone, I'm more aware of the other people in the cinema who are also watching the film alone. More than not they spot me out too and give me a smile.

I remember when I went to see Inception, it was before some appointment of mine and the first session of the day on a weekday. There were only 3 people in the cinema, including myself, and all of us had come to see it alone. We actually ended up sitting together and talking about it afterwards.

 

[violaine]

I love going alone and I do it a lot when I have time. (I didn't even realize some people won't go alone until a friend of mine told me so.)

I like going alone because I can get truly absorbed in a film. I'm an editor and that plays into it too. I also don't generally like reading in-depth movie reviews as a way to pick a film. I have to do that if I'm picking a film for someone else to see with me. Then I'm worrying about whether they liked it. It's just better going alone. I even enjoy the bad movies, cos I get to pick them to pieces and think about the things I would have done differently.

 

[Such Irony]

I also don't generally like reading in-depth movie reviews as a way to pick a film.

I've never placed a whole lot of stock in movie reviews but I know some people who swear by them. I prefer to just trust my own gut feeling. Usually that's worked for me as I enjoy about 80-90% of the movies I've seen. I am pretty easy to entertain I guess. After all, the review is just one person's opinion. If I went solely by reviews, I'd miss out on a lot of movies I would have liked and I would have seen some that I thought were disappointing. Now if the majority of reviews are positive or negative, then I might start paying attention.

 

[mmhmm]

yes! i always get the couches. sit and sprawl and surround myself with food i smuggled in, asian style.

 

[wolfy]

I don't get the difference. It's nice to hold hands on the way in and out and share popcorn. But the movie is a movie and I can always find someone later to talk to about it.

 

[MacGuffin]

Yes. I've gone to movies alone for years, and sometimes I prefer it to going with someone.

 

[Giggly]

I've only done it once and that was because I was absolutely dying to see the movie a 2nd time and everyone knew I had already seen it and would call me a loser. lol

Otherwise I'm not too fond of that or of dining by myself, but I am going to change that attitude pronto. I'm missing out on too much waiting around for the people to not be busy or to save up enough money.

 

[kelric]

I go alone probably 75% of the time.

Yeah -- me too. I don't really go to the theater often, but it's very rare that I go with someone else.

I've spent my whole life doing things alone, easily; and now I'd like to actually have people my life whom I share experiences with. I've done the "alone" thing more than enough, and I'm bored and tired of it.

This. I'm not particularly uncomfortable doing anything I'd want to do alone, because it's the way I've always done it. It feels weird and somewhat awkward for me to do things like go to movies or fly on a plane with people... even though doing those things alone is nonstandard. So doing things alone doesn't bother me, but I'm just sort of tired of it.

I also like using the bathroom alone.

And I thought that *I* was antisocial.

 

[EJCC]

I like the feeling of sharing the movie experience with others. I like occasionally seeing how my friends react to the movies; I like laughing, gasping, jumping from surprise, etc, in response to the movie, with them. And most importantly, I like talking about the movie afterwards - analyzing it, explaining likes/dislikes. i.e. Reviewing it.

Sigh - makes me really want to go watch something, just thinking about it.

 

[guesswho]

hell no.

I think it depends actually...but here everyone goes to the movies in large groups or with a girlfriend or something...I'd feel awkward if I'd go alone.

 

[lunalum]

Yes, I would like to be able to go to the movies alone. Too bad the one time I asked to do that, I wasn't allowed to because "only weirdos do that." But it doesn't make much of a difference to me anyway. I can't really interact with anyone during the movie. I suppose it is interesting to hear the people's reactions to the movie, but I can do that with anyone who is in the theater. And it's actually kind of better for me not to be too close to anyone because sometimes I can't help but burst out laughing about something that was only mildly amusing to 99% of the moviegoers

So, I like to enjoy the movie for the movie, and then seek others who have seen that movie for that whole "connection" part. I don't see the connection in the theater itself.