Ever sit in a movie and wonder if it would be a good time to get up and get something to eat, buy a drink, visit the restrooms or smoke? But you put it off, thinking the best scene in the movie will be on while you are out. Then you kick yourself because you realize that you missed the perfect window and now it's too late?
What If you could request from the theatre, a silent buzzer that lets you know periodically that the next 5 minutes of the film are- according to a screening panel, not the best part or least relevant to plot. It would probably mean increased business for their concessions. The directors might complain, but patrons have a choice not to use it, don't they?-- wombat, Aug 10 2003 (?) Dinner & a movie http://www.drafthou...downtown/frames.aspFor my idea, not yours. [Canuck, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004] You are aware that 99% of movie theatres are owned by the movie studios themselves, right?
Maybe the other 1% of independent theatres would do this...-- DeathNinja, Aug 10 2003 [DeathNinja] According to the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) In 2000, in the U.S., concessions accounted for over 20% of gross revenues and these sales account for 40% of the profit. I think they know where their money comes from. Let me rephrase the last part, thanks.-- wombat, Aug 10 2003 I don't think the buzzer idea would work. Management would just assign different "good time to go" times to different buzzers so their concessions wouldn't experience a peak rush of patrons. I think a better idea would be concession service to your seat. Have a keypad built into the armrest...
Sorry to interrupt this idea in progress, but I understand it is already baked (see link). We now return you to regular programming.
... into the grease pit below the school.-- Canuck, Aug 10 2003 [Canuck] Would the theater management ever worry about a peak rush of patrons? Is that a bad thing? Especially if it's just one theatre in a 15 cinema complex.-- wombat, Aug 10 2003 Good point. Perhaps I should have said "a lack of patrons", as in "Hey, Manny! Dis really sucks. Press button number six so we can get some customers out here, fer cryin' out loud!"-- Canuck, Aug 10 2003 [wombat] Everyone knows the concessions are where the big profits come from. The question is are the studios going to voluntarily admit that *any* part of their movies are worth "missing"... I have a very low opinion of the movie studios and just don't see this appealing to their egos.-- DeathNinja, Aug 10 2003 A Good Time to Go: every time Madonna has a scene.-- Cedar Park, Aug 10 2003 Cedar, Nah, that would be just a good movie to avoid.-- RayfordSteele, Aug 10 2003 There is no such thing as a 'good time to go'. The film is presented as one piece of work. You should go beforehand and be prepared to watch it in its entirety. If this is a problem for you, wait for the DVD.-- waugsqueke, Aug 10 2003 I admire a man with a good bladder.-- po, Aug 10 2003 [Still trying to figure out how you hear a silent buzzer.]-- DrCurry, Aug 10 2003 I suppose one could create a Web service or site that offers downloadable timer "scripts" for movies that you run on a PocketPC or Palm device. You trigger the device upon the opening scene of the movie to provide loose synchronization for the countdown to the times to step away from the movie. It could even provide a brief synopsis of that portion of the movie you miss.
Each of the "step away" times are rated, perhaps by movie reviewers or even by Web community members, as to their story-value to the movie so that you can decide which of them you want to take advantage of--whether you want to go at the first indicated opportunity or wait for a lower story-value rated scene.
If you wanted to get extra fancy the device could listen for a particular passage to synchronize upon.-- bristolz, Aug 10 2003 Who decides when's a good time to step away?-- waugsqueke, Aug 10 2003 Pundits.-- bristolz, Aug 10 2003 Nah, can't go for that. I think maybe a Stadium Pal is a better solution.-- waugsqueke, Aug 10 2003 //99% of movie theatres are owned by the movie studios themselves// Not sure this is really correct, at least in the US. There are a few chains like that have close ties to studios, but many others do not.
<history>In the middle of the 20th century the US government took antitrust action against the studios over this very issue, and made them divest their theater chains. Those rules are no longer in effect, however.</history>-- krelnik, Aug 10 2003 [waugs]: What, for catheter-delivered popcorn? (or essence of popcorn as I guess it would have to be).-- bristolz, Aug 10 2003 bris, please don't illustrate that. Thanks. What we need is a theatre with specific seating sections, such as "get up and leave at any time", "leave only when the pundits say it's OK", and "I paid good money to watch this whole damn film in its entirety so sit down and shut up you pencil-necked cretin".-- Canuck, Aug 11 2003 This is baked into some movies, in the script itself. At a boring part In "Twister", they announce "If anyone has to pee, better do it now." A similar reference to "pee" occurs in a slow spot of "Saving Private Ryan." When they mention it, it's time.-- Amos Kito, Aug 11 2003 What ever happened to the intermission? It seems silly to make people sit 2-3 hours without some kind of break. Let's all go to the lobby, let's all go to the lobby, let's all go to the lobby, and get ourselves a snack!-- jivetalkinrobot, Aug 11 2003 Haven't seen an honest-to-goodness intermission since "Doctor Zhivago".
Amos, Tom Hanks pisses in all his movies. Not sure what's up with that. It was even a plot point in "Green Mile".-- waugsqueke, Aug 11 2003 I understand this is the perfect way to make film watching more entertainment than art appreciating, but commercial films have always been that, so I like this idea. I always have to pee.-- Pericles, Aug 11 2003 I'm with [waugs] on the whole 'you-paid-for-it!-enjoy-it' thing. It is a sad state of affairs that so many movies even give you time to consider your bodily functions. Ideally you would be riveted from fade in to final fade out. Crawling to the restrooms with locked knees and a look of wonderment on your face only after the movie was over. If the dratted things were written a little better, this wouldn't be an issue!-- k_sra, Aug 11 2003 In my local cinema there was an intermission for "The Two Towers". Likely, they had to change the reel, more than that they thought the patrons would like a pee break.-- silverstormer, Aug 11 2003 I don't think the studios give a rats ass if you see the movie or not, as long as you paid for it. Go play video games in the lobby for the entire film, what's it to them. Anybody actually think that a studio that can put out the crap that's coming out these days really has an aesthetic sesibility you could offend by missing a few minutes?
In other words, a good time to go is any time after the opening credits. Still like the idea.-- oxen crossing, Aug 11 2003 So, what movie do you consider worthwhile, [mr_imagonna]? To me, what is coming out today is not a lot different then what came out 10 years ago or 10 years before that.
I guess I just don't assign much importance to movies in general.-- bristolz, Aug 11 2003 If a movie isn't good enough to make me want to hold it till the end, then it won't hurt it to have large crowds rushing to the bathroom at the same time. I really don't think anyone involved with say, Legally Blond, would really mind if you skipped any of it. I'd bet, however, the likes of Woddy Allen and Jim Jarmusch wouldn't allow any type of potty signal. I was just being flip earlier.-- oxen crossing, Aug 12 2003 waugs, re: intermissions. I was surprised and delighted to discover that the 'full and uncut' DVD version of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World was so complete that it even had the ten minute musical intermission in the middle of the film. Just the right length to trundle off to the kitchen and make a cup of tea without having to resort to the remote control.-- DrBob, Aug 12 2003 we could have personal versions of these so when a conversation got boring we could just press <good time to go button pressed>-- neilp, Aug 12 2003 random, halfbakery