u/8-LeggedCat

Context: I moved back to my hometown area recently after being away for 15 years. I am from the midwest and there is a certain type of people here. The down-home type. Well, there used to be.

Anyway, the last three movies I saw in theaters were Star Wars EP 9, Top Gun: Maverick, and Jurassic World Dominion.

Those last two were in little theaters that cost $7 for a ticket and were down the street from my house. I saw Star Wars in an AMC and was just a nice theater. It was an 11pm showing so it was sparsely occupied and a good (enough) experience.

BUT NOW: today I am in an AMC in my down-home hometown. This place wasn’t here when I left. There was a 13-screen theater but it’s apparently been torn down.

Anyway, I must not have realized how much has changed. So I bought my ticket online. That’s different, but not even a big deal. What threw me off was when I got to the theater there was no one near the from door like there used to be. There were just ropes guiding me to the concession counter. Apparently that’s where they scan the QR code. Point is, a sign or something would have been nice. Yes, I (now) know, it’s been long enough that signs are not really necessary. But I don’t go to the movies very often.

Anyway, I got past that rather quickly. But while I was at the concession counter the cashier literally just wanted to shuffle me through. She didn’t ask if I wanted a drink or something. She just scanned my code and handed me the ticket and said flatly, “in theater one down that hall.” She didn’t even look at me.

So I came into the auditorium and there were still people cleaning it. It was 5:54pm and my movie start time was 6:00pm. At least they were cleaning it, and I was glad they were. But I just found it odd. It’s a Saturday night and the entire building is relatively empty. It doesn’t seem like they would be behind in their schedule. But whatever, a clean theater. So far I was the only patron here. Fine with me.

At some point I decided I wanted some popcorn and a drink so I went back out and got them. When I came back in it was past 6pm. I looked online at my reservation and there is a disclaimer that said “movies start 20 minutes after the posted time,” or something like that. I saw that when I bought my ticket but I thought that meant there would be 20 minutes of previews. That’s what it has always meant. But no one had to make that disclaimer up front. We all just knew it.

Apparently, they must have gotten too many complaints because now they have to make a disclaimer.

But whatever; that is not the issue. The issue is that it is now 6:21pm and the show hasn’t started; not even the previews. What the hell? Is hey meant that the lights will stay on until 20 minutes past the posted time and then they will start rolling the ads?! The fuck is that?

Oh, and BTW, I’m here seeing Mortal Kombat II. There are now people here with babies and a whole blended family with a bunch of 6 years-olds. The hell is that? I hope they can at least keep quiet and not shriek through the whole thing.

Anyway, I’m done yelling at the clouds. The pre-preview ads have started (at 6:24pm).

Why? Why do they buy the thinnest ones and then set the machines to dispense what amounts to a quarter of a paper towel?

They think it saves them money , but it costs them more because I (and most people) will just keep dispensing them until our hands are dry, and in doing that we use MORE material than if you’d just buy some decent paper towels!!

Why is that even a thing? I hate it. I bow pour (mostly) over a sink or the grass outside. The problem arises when I need to keep using the original container but now it’s wet and possibly sticky.