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At worst, you committed larceny and, at best, trespassing. That is, you stole someone else’s property — intellectual property, in this case — when you didn’t leave the premises after the first movie ended. It’s a less fancy name for it than “fun run,” but a more accurate one. Spare a thought for this Indiana husband and wife team who decided to see the zombie movie “Warm Bodies” by hopping from one auditorium to another. They were pounced on — and not by a flesh-eating zombie, but by two off-duty cops. They were taken into custody, given a warning for trespassing and charged with a Class D felony for theft.
It was easier when I was a kid, there was no real set times for movies, they'd just show the movie, then after the movie ended, they'd just rewind the film for a few minutes, then show it again. It was common to see people walk in during the middle of the movie, then wait to catch the next showing, then walk out at the point in the movie they had walked in before.
I'm really surprised that theater chains haven't made it easy for movie buffs to watch multiples, (legally).
They should provide an on-line tool that makes it easy to find movies to watch, back-to-back.
About once a month, I pick a movie I want to see, and then spend a considerable effort researching additional movies to watch, just before or just after.
If I've already decided that a movie is worth dragging myself out of my nice comfortable home and out into the world, it isn't for the bullion-priced (but rarely fresh) popcorn and a cup of ice (with a tiny bit of soda flavoring). It's because I like watching a movie on a BIG screen, an audience is nice too. Besides, other than the current A-List flicks, I can stream most of the movies I want to see, and I own the rest.
So before I head on out, I first jump on the net to see if there's a different movie before, or after. Going to two movies makes it double the chances it's worth it to me.
Why don't they make it easy to pick movies I'd decided I want to see, and then select other movies I'd like to see as well, and come back with a time grid of start+duration=end times, with gaps and overlaps.
If I'm already out there to see a movie, the above tool would hugely increase the chance for me to see a second flick. (Double the income to the theaters, and almost zero additional inconvenience for me).
There used to be a web-tool that did this, made up by some movie-buff. But he let the site die.
It's been more than a decade since I tried it last time. A quick trip to the restroom, then back to the snack bar for another cup of soda. I didn't feel guilty at all. I only did it when the theaters had tons of extra seats, plus they made some money with the extra goodies I bought at the snack bar.
Times have changed. I used to see about 30 to 40 movies a year. Now I'm lucky if I see six. Most movies aren't worth the premium to see them on the big screen, especially since they're at Redbox within a few months for a fraction of the price.
I always get the side eye from the ticket taker when I walk past my theater and over to the bench to wait for my movie to start. I don't like walking in before the time as this decreases the amount of commercials I have to sit through. They even try to hail me to tell me that I walked past my theater... Sir. Sir? Sir!
When I was managing I used to nail people who did this. There were people higher up on the food chain that didn't understand why I was so adamant about it, but I had seen the full extent of what happened in theatres that hadn't. There is a progression, and it goes like this:
1. A few people find they can slip from one movie to another without being noticed.
2. They begin to do this regularly.
3. They tell their friends (you can imagine the ethics of the friends and THEIR friends)
4. Other customers notice and either join in or begin avoiding the theatre.
5. They swap or double-dip movies on busier nights.
6. They swap or double-dip on opening weekend shows and take seats at a sell-out, making those who paid VERY angry.
7. The theatre gets a reputation as out-of-control and older customers avoid it.
8. Swapping, double-dipping and door-opening become endemic and alcohol and pot become common.
9. The level of seat-cutting and other vandalism increases.
10. Someone shoots another customer - either in the theatre or parking lot. (YES it does happen, I'm not trying to scare.)
11. The theatre closes.
The exact sequence can vary slightly, but that IS the progression unless someone comes in and stops it. A good theatre will prevent you from buying a ticket to a movie that is past the initial credits. My software and most other good software for ticket sales will show the cashier that time. 90% of customers trying it are going to be problem customers. They aren't interested in the plot of a movie, they may want to stay over to see the beginning of the next show, or they may be wanting to skip around the auditoriums. On the last shows of the evening, there is a strong chance that they may be robbers who want a minimum number of people able to act as witnesses. If you get admitted an hour into a show without a grilling, the manager is incompetent.
At times, I had some fun with the miscreants while I was cleaning up the act of a theatre that was out of control. Each auditorium in a multiplex has a directional sign with the name of the movie playing. I would hold the audience for the next show of a popular or R-rated film that pre-teens wanted to see. While the ticket holders for that showing were in the lobby, I would wait to the last minute and move the film to a different auditorium unannounced. Those who were sneaking in from other auditoriums or attempting to see two showings would be left sitting in a dark auditorium. By the time they figured it out they had been identified and booted out.
FWIW, a theatre that consistently doesn't have a physical head count that matches the box office reports can be blackballed by the distributors or made to pay based on the lost revenue from unreported sales.
I couldn't care less about delusional ethics or excuses why someone thinks seeing two films is OK. It is simply a matter of operational policy to stop such behavior.
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