Audiences reacting to a film at the theater?
- Thread starter MysticGon
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Depends. Jump scares? Spooky movies? Sure. Rocky Horror and other films that encourage audience participation and everyone has already seen them 100x? sure.
Clappin' hootin' hollerin' cause Captain America just zoom bopped some guy? Shut up.
Clappin' hootin' hollerin' cause Captain America just zoom bopped some guy? Shut up.
Depends on the kind of movie. It would be super weird for Cap to pick up Mjolnir and have the crowd be completely quiet.
Its one of the reasons I go to a cinema but I'm talking about earnest and entertaining audience reactions, not assholes just blurting shit out or what not. For example I went to see Stephen King's The Mist in theaters on opening weekend so there was a decent sized crowd for the film. When a certain religious nutjob finally gets it in the film its an incredible cinematic moment in of itself as there are few characters more easily detestable but hearing my entire theater basically cheering for that moment was pretty damn awesome. I've gotten similar reactions when I've shown the movie for friends at my movie nights.
It really depends on the movie.
Some of my favorite movie-going experiences were seeing the Paranormal Activity movies. It was so much fun to watch the collective audience tense up and then scream/flinch/shout when a scary thing happened.
Thankfully I didn't have any overly rowdy or "bad" experiences with people loudly critiquing, but seeing the audience react appropriately to a scare or cool scene is always fun.
Oh, and the audience laughing and booing at the end of Rise of Skywalker was hilarious and my favorite part about paying to see that movie.
Some of my favorite movie-going experiences were seeing the Paranormal Activity movies. It was so much fun to watch the collective audience tense up and then scream/flinch/shout when a scary thing happened.
Thankfully I didn't have any overly rowdy or "bad" experiences with people loudly critiquing, but seeing the audience react appropriately to a scare or cool scene is always fun.
Oh, and the audience laughing and booing at the end of Rise of Skywalker was hilarious and my favorite part about paying to see that movie.
Largely depends on the film. Most movies I want relative silence - but with appropriate pops of shock & laughter.
But if it's an opening night of some huge franchise movie? Go wild, that's the entire point of it. My most cherished memories of the theater always involve a good crowd popping off at the right moment.
But if it's an opening night of some huge franchise movie? Go wild, that's the entire point of it. My most cherished memories of the theater always involve a good crowd popping off at the right moment.
Reacting is one thing but talking is another.
But don't fucking clap. Please for the love of Christ....stop....clapping.
But don't fucking clap. Please for the love of Christ....stop....clapping.
Endgame was the most joyous time I'd ever had in a theater. I mean the movie is alright, but the energy and experience of that crowd was through the stratosphere.
I thought I'd hate it but when at a packed cinema in London for avengers endgame, the audience clapped and cheered, it was fucking fantastic. Electric atmosphere.
I usually go to Monday morning screenings so I miss out on that stuff.
Saw Sonic opening night and it was fun seeing folks react to the post-credits scene though.
Saw Sonic opening night and it was fun seeing folks react to the post-credits scene though.
Whether you go with friends, or you go alone, the cinema is a social place and watching movies there is a social experience.
I like that aspects of going to the cinema.
So long as it's reasonable, I don't mind people reacting. In fact, it can be really fun.
I like that aspects of going to the cinema.
So long as it's reasonable, I don't mind people reacting. In fact, it can be really fun.
Went to see the restored 1954 Godzilla in theaters. Great film but let's admit, it has a lot more downtime than your average American would assume. So my buddy falls asleep while we're seeing it in this art house screening. For whatever reason, he woke up and said in the most casual way "I saw Godzilla 2000" loud enough that everyone in the theater heard.
There was complete silence for a second then the entire audience cracked up. Natural reactions are hilarious. People trying to be funny or rude fucking suck.
There was complete silence for a second then the entire audience cracked up. Natural reactions are hilarious. People trying to be funny or rude fucking suck.
Nah I'm British so we're a lot more reserved. I find it very self-conscious and navel-gazing. I rarely react viscerally to anything, especially in public. I was OK with people cheering at Cap catching Mjolnir because it was informed by a decade of storytelling but that's pretty much it.
Audible audience reaction—laughs, surprise, maybe even cheers under the right circumstances—is fine, and part of the experience. People should laugh at a comedy, or gasp/scream at a horror movie, if the movie is working on the audience. It's only when people overdo it or are making non-reaction noise in the theater that becomes an issue.
Kind of has to be in sync with your own feelings to be an enhancement rather than a distraction, I guess, so it's a personal thing. I don't go to opening nights of blockbusters because that's not really my vibe. I suppose I can see the appeal if you're actually that enthusiastic about the material, though.
Kind of has to be in sync with your own feelings to be an enhancement rather than a distraction, I guess, so it's a personal thing. I don't go to opening nights of blockbusters because that's not really my vibe. I suppose I can see the appeal if you're actually that enthusiastic about the material, though.
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Depends on the movie and how appropriate said reaction is. With a big dumb blockbuster I have no issue with people popping off a little during the big moments. Someone talking and doing their own commentary over an entire movie on the other hand is a big no from me.
To me it always depending on the movie being shown. Some are just massive spectacles like Marvel films especially around opening weekend. Others though require a more subdued viewing. For me personally, sometimes the crowd reactions actually hype you up during the showing.
Here in NL they were and I went opening weekend
Its a culture thing
Poll is dealing in absolutes.
Should be about voluntary reactions. Laughter, gasping in shock etc is involuntary and what makes a great theatrical experience when watching in a group.
Any noise that you DECIDE to make (voluntary), is you choosing to draw attention to yourself when nobody paid to hear your stupid bullshit.
If whooping, yelling and clapping during a film is an involuntary reaction to you, you're either three years old or need medical attention.
Should be about voluntary reactions. Laughter, gasping in shock etc is involuntary and what makes a great theatrical experience when watching in a group.
Any noise that you DECIDE to make (voluntary), is you choosing to draw attention to yourself when nobody paid to hear your stupid bullshit.
If whooping, yelling and clapping during a film is an involuntary reaction to you, you're either three years old or need medical attention.
it's fine in moderation. But if you are yelling and clapping for no reason then thats wrong. We did not pay to hear you scream and yell over a movie when people are tying to enjoy themselves.
It depends on the movie and setting.
One of my favorite movie experiences was watching Machete at a late night session at a film festival. It made the film incredibly memorable to me.
I also had a great time at Endgame's premier and get goosebumps every time I see that video of people going crazy in that one scene. My girlfriend had a terrible time standing right next to a teen (that wasn't old enough to be born when Iron Man came out) that cried and sobbed for 30min straight though.
One of my favorite movie experiences was watching Machete at a late night session at a film festival. It made the film incredibly memorable to me.
I also had a great time at Endgame's premier and get goosebumps every time I see that video of people going crazy in that one scene. My girlfriend had a terrible time standing right next to a teen (that wasn't old enough to be born when Iron Man came out) that cried and sobbed for 30min straight though.
When this moment is literally crafted to elicit that response from the audience it makes no sense to expect people not to comply. Like you're not missing out on some crucial dialogue if Thor's "I knew it" is drowned out by audience cheers. And that's in the rare cases when those moments have anything BUT loud ass triumphant music instead of dialogue.
It's like watching your favourite team score during a comeback drive. It's not at all surprising for me to hear such reactions.
It depends on the film and experience. It's all relative. 95% or the time I don't like it. But Infinity War and Endgame were glorious to see with a crowd of people that were all legitimately sharing a happy and cathartic experience.
I worked in a movie theater in the 90s and after every screening of Apollo 13 the audience would be clapping. Not because they were letting Tom Hanks know they appreciated his work-but because they were all emotional and it was a way of expressing that and releasing that tension.
I worked in a movie theater in the 90s and after every screening of Apollo 13 the audience would be clapping. Not because they were letting Tom Hanks know they appreciated his work-but because they were all emotional and it was a way of expressing that and releasing that tension.
A scene being designed to elicit excitement is a different conversation from what people do with their excitement.
Paul Verhoeven making an audience feel titillated is different from an audience member jerking off through Basic Instinct.
No one really acts like that in movies like the latter.
Filmmakers: Let's create a moment that will literally make the audience cheer, similar to watching a team score at a sportsball stadium. These moments will have minimal dialogue, and the score will carry the hype.
Film: Has moment that literally was fine tuned and focus tested to make the audience cheer
Majority of the audience: *cheers*
Some people in the audience watching a hype ass comicbook film in the theater:
That's how this threads always read to me. It's like, what did you expect walking into an avengers or Star Wars movie? Now if EVERY theater experience were like this i'd understand but we all know it's something specific to certain IP and not the theater experience as a whole.
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It depends. If people are hyped after certain scenes that's cool. The only time it's annoyingly is when there's a person who gets hyped at every little thing.
I dunno, I don't mind some laughter and noice. But these reactions from super fans that are popping up on YouTube just seems really annoying. As in it would be annoying to be trying to watch a film while people are behaving like their favorite team just scored in overtime.
Scenes like the Cap Mjolnir scene, the female hero scene, and portal scene were designed to make people feel excited. Especially the Cap scene...so being totally quiet and not even an Omg yes!! in that scene would be weird.
The other thing I find unnatural is to not laugh in a comedy film. Like you're literally there to find humour and then you don't laugh....wut? What're you doing? Laughing on the inside?
The other thing I find unnatural is to not laugh in a comedy film. Like you're literally there to find humour and then you don't laugh....wut? What're you doing? Laughing on the inside?
The cinema is church but not all places of worship celebrate the same. Rocky Horror and The Room of course, but if I am watching a movie at a drive-in or something, it is different.
