Movie theater pauses: Yay or nay?

I practically flew into the Pirate theater to catch Caribbean when I was warned that this nearly two-hour-and-forty-minute movie includes a fifteen-minute intermission. Between that and those damn fifteen minutes of commercials, you’re looking at over three hours of sitting there.

In my opinion, this is completely unacceptable behavior from AMC Theatres and the distributors (whoever is calling the shots here). Even if they argue the film is "for kids" and needs a break—well, why not just schedule an earlier screening with an intermission specifically for families? Or better yet, offer a later showing without one for the serious cinephiles?

The way I see it, this is pure greed. It's all about squeezing more money out of snack sales and milking people for parking fees—after three hours, you've definitely had to pay up, haven't you?

Patrick Lee29 said:I almost skipped seeing Pirate in the Caribbean because they warned me this pathetic 2-hour and 40-minute movie includes a 15-minute intermission. Add in another 15 minutes of absolute garbage commercials, and you're stuck in a seat for over three hours.

Are you actually serious right now??...Good grief, what happened here...it's like watching local news on a massive cinema screen.🤮

I’m dead serious. A few years back, they pulled the exact same stunt with The Matrix Reloaded at the AMC Theatres and X-Men 2 as well. I was just as livid back then...

It seems like Broadway is the only honest movie theater left—they played The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and King Kong without any interruptions...

It happened during Lothar and King Kong. I swear, I actually cursed. Yeah, I did. They really ought to put a warning before the movie starts. Instead, the lights just hit me mid-film while I'm curled up in a fetal position on a loveseat, crying like a baby.

I’d say no, but honestly, only because I don't want to get kicked out of the "movie"😬
If I wanted to watch a film with constant breaks, I’d just stay home.☕

For kids' movies, they should probably just schedule separate screenings (usually earlier anyway) that include an intermission. For everything else—either take care of your business before the show starts or just deal with it until the end.🙂

I think banning snacks in the AMC Theatres would be about right.😠

I’d honestly ban group seating at theaters. People just grab seats randomly, so your chances of actually sitting next to your friends are basically zero. And don't even get me started on the people who won't shut up.

The only exception is if you end up in a loveseat with a stranger—then maybe something happens. Otherwise, it's a waste.

blueranger12 said:I’d honestly ban communal seating at theaters. People just pick seats at random, so there's basically zero chance you'll actually end up next to your friends. And don't even get me started on the people who won't stay quiet.

Proposal supported👋

They should probably just introduce a smoking section within the theater (cigarettes☕)😬

Jessica Davis12 said:she would have included a smoking lounge (cigarettes☕)😬

.... well, that’s an interesting suggestion. 👍
I remember the old August Cesarec cinema (which I believe is now the Coachella theater 🤔 ) on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Instead of the back rows of seats, they had bar tables there.
You could light up a cigarette and sip some coffee.

It was actually pretty cool... I mean, you could even light up a cigarette out on the summer patio if you wanted to.

A kid-friendly intermission?! Give me a break. Such intrusive little liars... they even forced a break during Superman. Seriously, just when I was about to slide off my seat from pure boredom, they slap a "15-MINUTE INTERMISSION" sign on the screen. In this instance, at least it provided a perfect window to make a discreet exit from a production that, quite frankly, felt like it was made for toddlers.

blueranger12 said:It happened to me during Lothar and King Kong. Honestly, I even cursed. They really should put a warning before the movie starts. Instead, they just blast the lights right in the middle of the film while I'm curled up in a recliner, crying like a toddler.

🤣 ..same here... I was watching a movie in Brooklyn when...
whatever, it doesn't matter 😬

Superskeptik said:I almost walked right into seeing Pirate in the Caribbean when they warned me that this pathetic 2-hour and 40-minute movie includes a 15-minute intermission. That means watching the thing—plus another 15 minutes of absolute garbage commercials—stretches it out to over three hours.

In my book, this is unacceptable behavior from AMC Theatres and the distributor (whoever is pulling the strings). I don't care if they claim the movie is "for kids" and they need a break—if it’s for families, they can just schedule an earlier showing with an intermission, or run a later screening without one for the actual cinephiles.

The way I see it, this is pure greed. They just want to squeeze more money out of snack sales and parking fees (because after three hours, you're definitely paying extra for the garage, right?).

Man, just take a deep breath. It’s really not that big of a deal. 🙄

I can't stand breaks. ☕

nimblemarlin17 said:Man, just take a deep breath. Everything is fine. 🙄

Roberto Bađo is actually Superskeptik's evil twin brother.

Thank goodness we don't deal with that kind of nonsense in San Francisco...

Jose Miller17 said:🤣 Same here. I was watching a movie in Brooklyn back when...
It doesn't matter. 😬

Breaks in Brooklyn? What a joke. Total non-concept. 🤣 🤣

Halfway through the movie, they hit the intermission. Nobody even moves. Everyone just sits there with their legs crossed. It takes maybe three or four minutes before the guys in sweats start to get up. Then after five minutes, the guys in jeans finally follow suit. That's how it goes. 😁

Who’s taking their break? To grab some condoms, or just end the shift entirely?

blueranger12 said:Intermissions in Brooklyn? What kind of concept is 🤣 🤣

Halfway through the movie, they call a break, and nobody moves an inch. Everyone just sits there with their legs crossed. It takes maybe three or four minutes before the guys in sweats start shifting, then five minutes later the crowd in jeans finally follows suit. Just like 😁

Oh, please. It’s practically a sacred ritual complete with its own social hierarchy.🤣 😁

The worst part is they always decide to take a break at the exact wrong moment, right when things are finally getting good. 😠

An intermission is really just a convenient excuse to cram in even more commercials (as if all those ads before the movie hadn't already been quite enough).