The art of picking your seat at the movies

Posted on September 27, 2013March 26, 2024 by Matt Todd

We went to see Turbo at the dollar theater on Saturday. OK. It’s more like the two-dollar theater now. But we still got everyone in for the price of one ticket at a regularly priced cineplex.* I’m glad we went. There are certain movies that must be seen on the big screen. I think I believe that Turbo is one of those movies. It sounds like most people missed out on this amazing opportunity to see the larger-than-life Indianapolis Motor Speedway highlighted on a larger-than-life screen.

That’s their loss.

I think the only way this movie is worth watching is on the big screen. The movie screen is the only medium that’s large enough to come close to capturing how giant and special the Indianapolis Motor Speedway really is. I have to admit that I had some goose bumps pop up when they entered the Speedway for the first time. It was a pretty cool site to see.

I love going to movies for the larger-than-life experience. It helps you get lost in the film’s world when the images fill your sight line. I didn’t realize that until I saw Apollo 13 while I was on Days Off at Philmont. Dan, Trigger, and I had decided to drive to Taos for opening night. The theater was packed. The only open seats were in the very front row. So the three of us sat in the middle of the front row. Of course, the movie was great. But I believe I was even more engaged because the giant screen was right there in front of me. It helped suck me into the movie even more.

I used to like sitting towards the back of the theater. After Apollo 13, however, I haven’t been very satisfied by sitting so far from the screen. I might as well watch it at home if I’m going to sit so far away. Since I prefer not to have to look up the entire time, I generally sit a little bit farther back. As a rule, I aim for sitting in the front third of the theater. Any farther away from that, I feel like I’m not getting the full effect of the movie theater experience. I honestly don’t understand why people choose to sit in the back of the theater anymore.

Our boss has highly encouraged all of us to go see the movie about Steve Jobs. I’m hoping to go see it this weekend. Maybe even today. You’ll find me in the front third of the theater.

Do you have a favorite place to sit at the movie theater? Where?

*I had originally launched into a diatribe about how going to the movies has gotten way too expensive and why it’s no surprise that Hollywood movies are bombing left and right. But that wasn’t the point of this post. It might be a post in the near future, though. I definitely have some opinions about the current state of film.

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Matt Todd

Howdy. I'm Matt. My wife, Christy, and I have four kids and two dogs, I'm passionate about orphan care. I'm a die-hard fan of the Evansville Aces, the Indiana Hoosiers, and Star Wars. I'm trying to live life by the Todd family motto: "It behooves us to live!"