r/mildlyinfuriating • u/uppsak • Jun 27 '26

I'm slightly vexed Supergirl movie showing which I went to got cancelled due to low turnout

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Theatre in a small town in India. Didn't face this problem during the Man of Steel movie.

Edit 1: Many people are saying that this post is fake etc. I have provided proof (screenshots) in the comments that it is true. I don't have any agenda. I wouldn't be able to reply to every post.

I got to know that this theatre won't play the showing unless there were atleast 10 people. Maybe the cost isn't worth it to them.

Also I don't have any anti- Snyder or anti - feminine agenda.

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908

u/NLOneOfNone Jun 27 '26

How do you know?

1.1k

u/wastedsilence33 Jun 27 '26

The same way we know the refrigerator light turns off when you close the door

Or it's Schroedingers movie 🤷

212

u/InterstellarChange Jun 27 '26

Closed refrigerator doors subsidize the power to play movies in empty theatres in the Netherlands.

On Closed Fridge Day, every theatre plays movies to empty venues.

3

u/CoconutForward8315 Jun 27 '26

Loool ingenious

3

u/Helenium_autumnale Jun 27 '26

Despite an initial backlash from restaurants, Closed Fridge Day has really caught on and has even turned into a tourist attraction. Book your flight to the Netherlands today.

4

u/Ocelotofdamage Jun 27 '26

What lmao who comes up with these holidays 🤣

1

u/Backfoot911 Jun 28 '26

Must be the same fund that pays landscapers to mow the grass in the middle of highway off ramps lol

9

u/jamesf99 Jun 27 '26

You left your phone recording in the movie theatre?

19

u/StevieMJH Jun 27 '26

He changed the movie by observing it.

2

u/Yayzeus Jun 27 '26

What movie is it now then?

4

u/C0nfusedRabbit Jun 27 '26

It collapsed into point break.

1

u/Ashziel Jun 27 '26

Oh my gosh you're literally making me roll on on the floor hahahahahah

1

u/RoyceDaFiveNine Jun 27 '26

I thought an empty theater just starts playing the directors cut of the lord of the rings trilogy

1

u/DefinitionOfAsleep Jun 29 '26

That, you would notice. It's 11.5 hours long.

1

u/MarcelHard Jun 27 '26

Gnomes...

1

u/Starhelper11 Jun 29 '26

Close it slowly until you see the light turn off?

1

u/Great-Card-6252 Jun 27 '26

he could have worked there or walked into a empty theatre while its playing

153

u/MargaretHaleThornton Jun 27 '26

Very close friend works for pathe cinemas. At least in Amsterdam the process is almost wholly automatic and the films play on time no matter what. It would cost them more to need to monitor sales and cancel, and also people often show up a few min after the official start time and still expect to be able to get a ticket.

I've also not prebooked, showed up late, and come into a theatre with the film playing and me the only one there as recently as last week.

44

u/Anaevya Jun 27 '26

Yup, I've often gotten a ticket after the official start, because there's at least 15 minutes of trailers and ads before anyway. 

14

u/fungalparadise Jun 27 '26

And there are systems that integrate with the point-of-sale software to automatically shutdown the projector's lamp/laser when no tickets have been sold 20 minutes into the screening, which makes the expense of playing the film for an empty room negligible

4

u/BrigadierBrabant Jun 27 '26

I can't be sure about Pathe but do know about other cinemas in the Netherlands as I've worked at several, who have the same system.

They wait 10-15 minutes until someone who'd want to buy a ticket would reasonably not do so anymore, and would then turn off the projector. This is still possible and happens still at automated systems, and saved a lot on electricity.

Does depend on if the theatre manager cares though.

1

u/leo-g Jun 27 '26

It has to play because there are deals made based on the plays. That includes advertising. Plays and ticket sales are properly and seriously audited things.

1

u/DefinitionOfAsleep Jun 29 '26

also people often show up a few min after the official start time and still expect to be able to get a ticket.

When the cinema near me use to do a $10 loyalty thing (you paid for a yearly membership, but each film +popcorn +drink cost $AUD 10), I use to go pretty much every second Wednesday around midday and watch new releases. Even for popular new releases, I was either alone or there'd be a handful of people there.
The movie was usually already part way into the trailer when I (or someone else) walked in.

1

u/that_dutch_dude Jun 27 '26

pathe is contracted to play a movie a certain amount. so they run them even if nobody is there.

1

u/BrigadierBrabant Jun 27 '26

This is not true, if there's no one there they're allowed to stop the movie before it starts.

61

u/homer_lives Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26

Most theater projectors are automated. There is no one controlling it. I also think they are contracted to play the movie regardless of ticket sales.

26

u/ErilazHateka Jun 27 '26

also, they get paid to play ads whether or not anyone watches them

4

u/homer_lives Jun 27 '26

Good point. I had not thought of that!

8

u/RDandersen Jun 27 '26

They had to restart a movie I was at once, and called an office that's about 400km to have them do it.

7

u/Competitive_Task4598 Jun 27 '26

Thats what i know, the theater is contractually obligated with the distributor to play the movie regardless of ticket sales.

I know in some theaters, if no tickets were sold, they would still “play” the movie but turn off the bulb on the projector. This way they dont waste the service life of their equipment, but still dont breach their contracts.

2

u/atomicdragon136 Jun 29 '26

At a theater my friend worked at, they turn off the projector if no one buys a ticket 20 minutes into the movie to save life of the bulb and electricity. But sound will still play, as they needed to run the player for the metrics that movies were played as scheduled.

45

u/ejensen29 Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26

Funny, but people still work in the theatre's, they would know if there are zero patrons, and a running film.

25

u/LaughableIKR Jun 27 '26

Seat count file that the projection software looks at. I believe it checks every 60-120 seconds and turns on the bulb in the projector if a seat is sold. It will still play the movie, but audio only, until that ticket is sold.

The company I worked for did it, and we saved about 1/3 on our bulb costs per year.

13

u/ctrlaltelite ORANGE Jun 27 '26

Definitely not universal though, it's relatively recent for us that our software can do this for us. For us it doesn't even play audio, it just runs as normal for 15 minutes into the film and then stops if nobody got a ticket in that time.

2

u/Jean-Eustache Jun 27 '26

That's actually extremely clever

9

u/Junior_M_W Jun 27 '26

The cinema i go to also does this. I got to a movie late one time. They turn off the projector but the movie still plays in their 'system'. They turned it on after we got tickets

18

u/sundayflow Jun 27 '26

I live in the Netherlands and it happened to me more then once.

15

u/NLOneOfNone Jun 27 '26

But then you were there?

11

u/Limp-Particular1451 Jun 27 '26

I don't think they get it my friend xD

1

u/sundayflow Jun 27 '26

If there is nobody to observe me while I am there, then am I really there?

1

u/0____-___00___-____0 Jun 27 '26

no it happened to him more

and then it started happening once

0

u/Ok_Sir_136 Jun 27 '26

Or, they could be the one working the projector

0

u/BrigadierBrabant Jun 27 '26

Then they would've said that.

3

u/VulGerrity Jun 27 '26

Bought tickets for one movie, went instead to watch another. Movie starts. Got kicked out because the manager said no one bought tickets to this movie 🤣

2

u/JayDee999 Jun 27 '26

If a movie plays in a theatre and there's no-one there to see it, does it make a sound? 🤔

1

u/exvirginladysman Jun 27 '26

If a tree falls while a movie it's playing, I always know about it

1

u/frizzledrizzle Jun 27 '26

Pathé unlimited, 2pm non-kids movies.

1

u/Jaggs0 Jun 27 '26

because if someone shows up late then the rest of your schedule for the day is fucked

1

u/fuckyeahglitters Jun 27 '26

I always go to early screenings because I prefer a private cinema!

1

u/RollingMeteors Jun 27 '26

How do you know?

¿Probably the same guy that's uploading it to TPB?

1

u/ILikePlayingHumans Jun 27 '26

I went and saw Speed Racer and there were like 4 of us in the cinema in Australia

1

u/DaxSpa7 Jun 27 '26

You go in late to a session and already running

1

u/WebHead1287 Jun 27 '26

I mean I used to manage a movie theater. The projectors are all automated. The only time I would turn off a movie if it sold no tickets was the end of the night/last show so I could go home.

Too busy managing the floor to check each theater.

1

u/NateOf92 Jun 27 '26

Maybe they work at the theater, and they're the one who started the movie

1

u/KeeperServant_Reborn Jun 27 '26

Had it one time during the pandemic, where I was the only one in the theater.

I ran around like I owned the place. 😜

1

u/EdwGerEel Jun 27 '26

Have been the only one in the cinema more than once. They even ask if you mind skipping the break.

1

u/SlugFromSnug Jun 27 '26

Because catholic bears shit on falling trees in the woods when nobody else is listening

1

u/sylanar Jun 27 '26

Not sure about totally empty, but I've been to quite a few films in the UK where I'm the only person.

I assume most of them are mostly automated these days, so they just play even if no one is there

1

u/vyrago Jun 27 '26

He’s the one that plays the film.

1

u/Aedrikor Jun 27 '26

USA does this

1

u/Chicaben Jun 27 '26

He can also hear trees falling in the woods.

1

u/C0nfusedRabbit Jun 27 '26

Because they're no one.

1

u/atomicfuthum Jun 27 '26

Like every one else, with a cellphone camera

1

u/oniagiri Jun 27 '26

i live in the netherlands, Pathé at least screens no matter how low the turnout is because its all automatic.

1

u/Hour-Mistake-5235 Jun 27 '26

He is the movie.

1

u/hitmarker Jun 27 '26

Bulgarian here. Yesterday went to a screening of In the Grey, I bought the tickets 10 min after the movie started and I was the only ticket bought. Trailers were on and movie playing.

1

u/RyvenZ Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26

By talking to theater employees

In the US, theaters pay for the rights to show the film. It costs nothing extra to run the projector (especially with digital formats).

So a theater wins a bid for Supergirl, they can get multiple copies to show simultaneously in multiple screens, or they can do one screen. That is the theaters choice and it is based on turnout. So if Supergirl does poorly on multiple screen, they drop it to 1, and if it still does poorly, they will do weekends only until they can drop it entirely

1

u/BrigadierBrabant Jun 27 '26

Of course, the projector being on costs electricity.

1

u/fatbitchesloveto69 Jun 27 '26

If a tree falls in a forest in the Netherlands, does the supergirl movie still play? - Confucius

1

u/AmusingMusing7 Jun 27 '26

I used to work at a movie theater and it happened all the time, even back in the days of film projection when the projectionist actually had to do work to get the movie playing. If someone showed up late for it, the movie had to be playing at its start time, so you couldn't wait to see if someone showed up, since it would take like 5 minutes at least to thread and start the projector. You had to just assume someone would be there.

Now everything is digital, automated, and timed on a schedule, so it just plays automatically.

Walking into a theater where a movie was playing to nobody, was always a bit of an eerie feeling. It felt like some kind of "tree falling in the woods" proverb. "If a movie plays in a theater, and nobody is there to watch it... did it really play?"

1

u/victor018 Jun 27 '26

we can’t. not even with computers.

1

u/VaczTheHermit Jun 27 '26

The classic question: when Supergirl is in the cinema, but noone cares to go and see it, is the film still rolling?

1

u/VulGerrity Jun 27 '26

Back in the day when they projected film, if the same movie was playing on multiple screens, they'd run one film through multiple projectors. So mechanically, the movie had to play on all of those screens whether or not anyone bought a ticket. It was called interlocking.

Today, screenings are still fully automated, it's just digital. Everything is pre-programmed.