Part of the fun of seeing a movie in theaters is sharing the experience with others. Sharing a good laugh or scare with total strangers can be a surprisingly gratifying experience. However, too much of a good thing is almost always a negative.
I went to Infinity War today with my family. We pre-purchased our seats because we anticipated it being a full house. We were right. I found myself seated directly next to a couple of forty-somethings, a family with small children and a phone addict. With the full theater, I was expecting a bit of noise, but I had no idea of the horror to come.
The man seated next to me whispered every major plot point to his companion who almost always answered. The woman seated in front of me had her phone resting on her leg throughout the entire film, shining like a beacon. A young man stepped on my foot while getting popcorn mid film. And these were just the people next to me.
Any mildly funny line prompted raucous laughter from the entire theater, drowning out the next several lines. People were incredibly mobile with someone walking in front of the screen every ten minutes or so, not to mention the fact that people were streaming into the theater up to twenty minutes after the film started.
In this case, my fellow movie-goers totally ruined the movie for me. I didn't hear 75% of the dialogue and I missed several major scenes due to people constantly walking in front of me. I didn't even stay for the end credits scene. I couldn't get the fuck out of there fast enough. By the end of two hours and forty minutes, my mild, but persistent hatred of humanity has been magnified a thousand fold. My family agreed. My brothers saw it yesterday as well and reported a similar experience.
I plan on seeing it again in a few weeks, hopefully with more respectful people. I can't wait the day I can rent a new release in my home. I'd pay fifty bucks not to deal with this shit again.