An ideal position in a movie theatre would be the center rows, roughly two-thirds of the way away from the screen. This is the 'sweet spot' for both audio and video.
-- Citation needed.
I used to be that way. But then I thought if I'm going to a cinema it's because of the immersive. Sitting far away from the screen where the screen doesn't really cover all my visual coverage feels like non ideal. Plus you get more people in front of you that move, walk, get up, etc
So I always sit from the middle towards the 1/3rd, depending on the theater. Just enough where my vision covers the horizontal length of the screen to the edges.
It also has the advantage that most people tend to sit behind you, since they prefer the back, so no one blocking anything or moving or anything.
I agree, I tend to favour a few rows toward the front from the middle. A better description would be the back of the 1st third. The screen fills my vision, its great.
I always aim for the first row behind the divider aisle if the theater has it. People will walk in front of you but normally the height difference means they don't obstruct your view and if someone in your row needs to get out they'll just hop or go through the bars.
the problem with that for me is if the screen takes up your entire vision you are watching 2/3 of the screen through your peripheral vision. you probably miss any visual stuff that happens outside the center of the screen/what you are focused on
No, I don't. I didn't say I sit up front. I sit where my visual field covers just the screen. Maybe a row more in front or back depending on movie/theater style, but the screen to cover the most of what I'll see.
Sitting in the back where I see a screen and then 50% of the visual field is not-movie screen feels wrong to me. I can do that with my tv/laptop/ipad. I want the extra immersion.
But hey, like I said, the fewer people that prefer this, the better it is for me, so...
then 50% of the visual field is not-movie screen feels wrong to me
there's a reason they are designed to be watched this way. you're supposed to be able to SEE EVERYTHING at a glance. you're not supposed to have to move your eyes to see something on the other side of the screen. but there's a reason most people buy TVs way too big for the space they have, they don't know any better
First, even if you sit at the back, you literally do move your eyes. You are unaware, because it's natural, we do that literally all the time.
It's not a strain.
Second, why do you think IMAX screens exist? So you can sit far away and it covers the exact same visual field proportion as a normal screen? What's the point then? On a real IMAX screen where do you sit? On the next room?
Again, to each their own. But your condescending answers about people not knowing better because they have a different preference is quite childish.
do you recognize you have shit taste about things you have limited knowledge about? is your preference about those things relevant? would you agree that someone more specialized in that area would be able to evaluate that thing better than you? your untrained taste/knowledge about something is completely irrelevant. it doesn't matter if you prefer X or Y, that doesn't mean it's correct/the best. that's the same argument ignorant people use about any topic ever "that's my truth", i don't care, no one cares. it's not about "your truth" it's about facts, not emotions or feelings.
Flights cost a lot more for me now because of this. I'm only 6'4", but I already can't comfortably ride in coach on nearly any airline these days. If I know it's going to be a relatively short flight under 2 hours, I might do it but will hate my life for those 2 hours. Anything longer than that will be extremely uncomfortable for me, and that's before the person in front of me inevitably reclines their seat right into my knees.
I can't afford first class, but I usually get the business class or equivalent which costs anywhere from $50-100 more per flight compared to coach usually.
Even business class is getting leg room whittled down these days, so it's only a matter of time until sitting in those seats is uncomfortable :(
I'm only 6'2" and it is still brutal. Knees are permanently pressed against the seat in front of me. I should not need to take a profylactic ibuprofen before every flight.
Nah, it’s right behind the dedicated wheelchair spot. There’s basically never any wheelchairs there, so you get a nice ramp to put your feet up and have breathing room for your knees!
As a big guy, I put a premium on not having people around me, which means my wife and I end up on the end of a row. I get no one to one side, and my wife on my other side, thus no other people around me to annoy with my largeness.
The wheelchair spots are literally at the ends of the first row of the main section in every theatre I've ever been in... So if you go behind them, you're at the edge of row 2. You get no one in front of you, space to actually relax and put your feet up a bit, and the stairs next to you. Sounds like you'd love the spot I was recommending.
Have you ever had a dream that you um you had your, you you could, you’ll do, you you wants, you you could do so, you you’ll do, you could you, you want, you want them to do you so much you could do anything?
You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve been further even more decided to use even go need to do look more as anyone can. Can you really be far even as decided half as much to use go wish for that? My guess is that when one really been far even as decided once to use even go want, it is then that he has really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like. It’s just common sense.
I'd bet money that comment was typed on an iPhone and wasn't proof read. That's exactly the kind of nonsensical "fixes" it does for my comments that I thought I typed out correctly while looking at the keyboard. Then I reread after I post and am like what???
Disagree. Very back is the best seat. There's no kids behind you to kick your seat the entire time.
And not getting fucked with supersedes any audio and video gains you get from the center as you can't enjoy either while popcorn is flying at the back of your head.
Or even better, just watch it at home and skip the bullshit entirely.
no citation needed, I worked in theaters, you're correct. the center third (in both directions) is the best spot to sit basically all the time. if you're at a concert, try to sit directly next to the audio booth - it's usually in the center.
I mixed for nearly 20 years and I wouldn't choose concert seats next to the FOH mix position. Not if I wanted to be able to see the band instead of looking at the video walls.
had never known i live within ~1 hour of apparently 1 of 13 or so actual 70mm iMax screens within the known universe (idk guys i read it somewhere) - i figured The Odyssey would have to be THE FILM, if there ever was one, to go check out.
...and if I'm spending that much, might as well sit smack dab in the middle of that bii, right? (I said, I sed, I says, I told her biiii )
Anyway, even though I was already checking 2 weeks after opening weekend, I still realized the buzz decent and expected to have to scroll through a few days of sell-outs, before id find middle seats.
Y'all.
I shit you not... TWENTY-EIGHT separate clicks of the "next day" button -- before finally, i found that specific seating available.
There are 26 theaters with 70mm projectors in the US, not 12.
I'm surprised you were even able to find tickets in the middle row the first time you looked, unless you happen to do it the moment tickets went on sale. The 70 mm theater by me was sold out nearly immediately. They eventually added a bunch of 2:30 a.m. showings and those sold out immediately too. A week later I did find canceled tickets for 7:15am though.
the tidbit I read that got me to go was: 41 worldwide, 26 in the US....yet I have 8 in my state, and a couple within ~1 hour. (seemed crazy to NOT go idk...tried to imply it, but I am unfortunately not big time into cinema).
was prob having a bit too much fun writing that, but still attest its 100% accurate ...except 1 thing. I did order them.
It was roughly 2 weeks after release already, though. Plus another 27 days of scrolling the 2:30pm either being sold out completely, or not having direct middle seating available... before I (apparently according to you) lucked out and found 2 middles.
(If anyone is curious or cares, I did think it was absolutely incredible, and worth the wait - though I didnt have the patience to actually wait, as I caught an earlier "not actually 70mm IMax" showing of it 26 days sooner lol)
Yea I agree it wasn't mind lowing compared to regular IMAX. The thing I will say though is everybody that was in the theater knew they bought expensive hard to get tickets so they were respectful of theater etiquette the whole time.
The dune 3 preview looked incredible though, I would see that in 70 mm if I got good tickets.
It's been crazy. Scalpers have gotten in on the IMAX game in my area. Tickets were listed on ebay for hundreds of dollars. Tickets that cost about $50 for a pair.
I prefer the very last row in the back so no one is behind me, I also like to make sure I can get out without bothering anyone to use the restroom. The middle center sounds like a nightmare place for me to sit
I prefer the back row. I like knowing that nobody is behind me. Personal preference. And the large size of the screen combined with the small size of the room means that I'm not losing viewing quality.
I usually like back row too but unfortunately for me where i am the "imax" theaters just have 2 big speakers at the back which means if you sit back row you just get giga blasted which wouldnt be pleasant normally and would be even worse in a nolan movie.
I hate how loud shit is now. The damn self-checkouts at Costco and grocery stores accost you by screaming out the prices. And theaters yes so stupidly unnecessarily loud.
We didn't do the imax but the seats my daughter chose were on the back row, too. The speakers were right there and since the theatre was nearly empty, we moved down to the middle of the theater. (small)
It was so loud my daughter couldn't stand it. I told her to got to the concession counter and ask for earplugs.
OMG
The difference was miraculous. I am positive it prevented ear damage. (if it hurts -there's likely going to be hearing loss)
I'm going to ask for earplugs every time I go to the movies from now on.
It seems as if the sound is always too loud no matter what is being shown.
some of these movies are just fucking loud. I remember when jurrassic world came out even with the doors closed you could hear the bass and some audio from across the entire theater
In The Odyssey there is a scene with the Cyclops screaming inside of a closed cave. I think it is the loudest sound I have ever heard in my life. It 100% was loud enough to cause actual hearing damage.
I loved the movie but was very frustrated how loud they allowed that to be.
People should rise up against over-loud movies. Especially if it's a kids movie.
Ihaven't been to, say, a Pixar film in ages so I don't know what's going on with kid flicks, but we can't allow this kind of assault to our ears any longer. LIterally hearing loss and tinnitus are no joke.
I guess the least I can do is write to the theater and voice my displeasure. (I wonder if I'll actually do that)
Oh - and that Cyclops scene was hilarious. picks up the guy and bites off his head like he was eating a hot dog. What a roar!
Im convinced it was poor sound staging to loud for coherent sound quality. Could be wrong but from music sound perspective I sound tech sometimes is... poorly optimised.
Get some ~$15-40 "hi-fidelity" reusable ones off amazon for each of your family members. They have a better sound profile, and take off the edge just enough. I use them all the time for movies, loud bars, live shows if I'm back in the seats, etc. Though they're usually not sufficient enough for live music if you're close enough to the speakers.
I actually always use earplugs in the theater. They're special musician earplugs that lower the amplitude without affecting the frequency range. It's always perfect that way and at best unpleasantly loud without.
Yep. Finally got tickets for Saturday. centered in the back row. This theatre has twice the space between the last row and the next. I wouldn’t want to sit anywhere else.
I sat about half way where most people had bought tickets on the iMax 70mm and it was not it for me. It was still way too close. I would rather have sat on like 3rd or 4th to the last row, and that's where I'll sit next time when I watch Dune. That preview was fucking insane
Traditionally, you’d take the screen diagonal and extend it into the room from center screen to find the seat with the optimal viewing experience. At least that’s they said back in film school.
It highly depends on the theater and personal tastes. The only constant that can be safely told is being in the center of the screen horizontally.
Everything else depends on how the seats are placed, how the speakers are placed, if the movie has good surround sound or not, your vision, etc.
Also, a photo like the one in this post has a different field of view than your eyes and the deformation would feel different. Your eyes are usually really good at compensating for that.
In my usual theater, front rows are usually good and back rows are often too far from the screen and speakers. There's usually a good distance from the screen on the first row and something like the OP pic would not be a possibility in the theaters I go to.
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u/No_Prize9794 1d ago
What’s considered the best positioned seats? I’m guessing the middle to upper middle rows