What are your favorite movie going experiences/memories?

[SteelbookCat]

seeing The Rise of Skywalker with my free Imax ticket and everyone standing up and cheering when the credits rolled

[Show spoiler]and the audience cheering when rey and kylo kissed

[Thomas Veil]

A few that stick out:

Jaws - I was 10 and my parents took me to see it while we were at the Delaware seashore. For some reason it didn't bother me to go swimming in the ocean that very day as we went to the early show. Also got a Jaws t-shirt with the classic movie poster on it. Kept that for years.

Heavy Metal - My parents dropped a buddy and I off at the multiplex and we were supposed to go into another movie but got into Heavy Metal(it was rated R) instead. They didn't check our ages. We felt so cool plus I loved the movie and still do.

Great memories of my mom taking me to matinees as a kid to see flicks like Around the World in 80 Days, The Poseiden Adventure and Born Free to name just a few.

28 Weeks Later - Took a first date to see it (I figured what the hell) and she laughed at all the wrong parts (if there is a right part) and it was a kinda scary laugh. We didn't date again.

[dallywhitty]

I posted this in another thread, but I'll share it here:

Secret Cinema Presents Blade Runner, May 2018.

For the uninitiated: Secret Cinema takes place in London and involves pimping out a location to look like the world of a particular film. Everybody in attendance is in character. For two hours my partner and I (or rather industrialist Adelaide Clayton and bio-engineer Roland Deckler) wandered the 'streets' of Los Angeles 2019. Basking in the atmosphere - neon upon neon, indoor rain, smoke machines, etc - we spoke to a Nexus-6, traded with scavengers, enjoyed cocktails at The Snake Pit, and witnessed a replicant uprising. Then we watched the film on the big screen accompanied by live performers.

Needless to say, it was an amazing experience. We were supposed to attend the Casino Royale event last summer, but it just so happened to be on the hottest day of the year and our trains were cancelled at the last minute.

[Leslie Dame]

Jackie Brown (1997), moments before the end credits the audience gave the movie a standing ovation. A friend of mine who saw the movie with me was confused, he kept telling me during the viewing that Jackie Brown was boring AF. The audience reaction gave him food for thought and plenty to discuss on our way home. By the time we got home he had changed his mind about Jackie Brown.

[Toadbully]

Jurassic Park: Its the first movie I ever really got hyped about seeing in the theater.
Alien Resurrection: Having been such a huge fan of the series, it was the first Alien movie I got to see in the theater.
Independence Day: My brother worked at the theater and I got to see a midnight screening the night before it came out.
AVP: This one was memorable for being so bad. I've never been so disappointed, having been such a fan, it was the first movie in the series I did not like. People walked out laughing.
MacGruber: Only premiere I've ever gone to.
Event Horizon: First movie I saw by myself.
Star Wars: Episode 1: Huge group of friends went to see this. Anticipation was unheard of. Still remember being in denial, and all of us trying to hard to convince each other it was a good movie.

[BluRayTim]

Originally Posted by drb999

When I saw Star Wars in 1977. I remember that they had a couple of theater employees having a mock light saber fight just before the movie. It was goofy but everyone was so excited for the movie to start so no one was really paying it much attention.

You saw Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in the theater in 1977? What age were you when you saw it?

[stvn1974]

Going to the drive in with the parents and my little brother. I still remember seeing Wrath Of Khan and being creeped out when Khan but those slugs in Chekov's ear. I had nightmares for months as a kid.

[drb999]

Originally Posted by BluRayTim

You saw Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in the theater in 1977? What age were you when you saw it?

I was 9 1/2 years old.

[Damon1281]

I guess the most memorable would have to be The Empire Strikes Back. I had just gotten out of basic training and had a free night at a training base in Denver. Some friends and I went to the Cooper Theater and it had a marvelous screen that curved at the sides. It was so large I had to turn my head to read the scrolling text at the beginning. Quite a treat after being screamed at for 6 weeks.

[BluRayTim]

Originally Posted by drb999

I was 9 1/2 years old.

So you were born in November 1967.

[ArrestedDevelopment]

Transformers: It was the peak of the summer in 2007. Sweltering hot. A bunch of sweaty strangers crowded into a large auditorium with the AC blasting. I remember holding my breath when we witnessed our first live action transformation - seeing Blackout decimate that army base was insane. Also remember the audience audibly holding their breath when Megan Fox bent over Shia's car with some random dude sitting beside me nudging my elbow and winking lol.

Superbad: During the late summer of '07 with another year of college looming around the corner. Felt like the characters resonated with all of us. The entire audience kept laughing nonstop. You could barely make out the dialogue. Probably the greatest comedy movie theater going experience I'll ever have.

District 9: August '09. I remember driving to the local theater with some buddies despite the tornado warning in our area. The entire night had this eerie sort of vibe. I think the theater was mostly empty. Was absolutely floored by how good the movie was.

The Social Network: Fall 2010, opening night. The theater was overrun by teens sneaking in. There were so many people in the auditorium that some were sitting on the stairs with ushers coming in to kick them out. Despite all the noise I was absolutely captivated the moment In Motion started playing as we watched Mark Zuckerberg hack into the houses' websites and create FaceMash.

[notops]

Weekend At Bernie's. Two different screenings, both late in it's summer '89 theatrical run at two different "dollar" theaters. Both screenings were packed with kids and the level of hysteria during the second half was extraordinary. I've never seen a crowd(s) laugh so hard in my life.

A 35mm double feature of Point Break and Road House at the Egyptian theater in Hollywood. When Road House came on, a literal fistfight broke out a few rows in front of me. Very meta

[CreasyBear]

Without a doubt the Star Wars Prequel midnight showings were the best. The Dark Knight midnight was terrific as well. The whole theater was on the edge of their seats. Recently, Endgame was the closest to replicating those midnight shows. The energy in the crowd was infectious.

[Flash3000]

Back to the Future - Beverly Hills Cop
It was 1985 and I was 12. Every Saturday my friends and I would catch a train to the city, buy a record, eat Maccas and see a movie. My dad let me come home a little later than normal as I wanted to see these two movies when usually I only had time to see one. History shows they turned into classics.

Silence of the Lambs
I saw this on opening day in 1991. I couldn't be bothered going to work and thought I'd see a movie instead. I went in blind knowing absolutely nothing about it. I just thought the poster in the lobby looked cool. A very intense movie experience.

Stand By Me
This movie came out in 1987 in Australia. My friends and I were all 14. I knew it was something special when I saw it and as it turns out it's my all time favourite movie. My parents went crazy the amount of times I rented it out on VHS before I could purchase it on DVD many years later. I have so many different editions of this movie it's ridiculous lol.

[Dubstar]

there are so many I could state here:

Star Wars (1977) - literally what every kid experienced seeing it for the first time (I was 8) has said about it - eyes and jaw to the floor, everyone clapped and cheered at the end of the movie.

Episodes 4-6 back to back trilogy screening of the unaltered cuts of the movies - front row, my friend and I had a blast.

Close Encounters (1977) - it not only sealed my obsession with the whole UFO mythology, but it was what made me fall in love with Spielberg's movies.

Titanic - opening day, in 8-channel SDDS sound, on the largest screen at Pentagon City Mall, the story, the image, the incredible soundmix and soundtrack, every element coming together to such perfection, it's a movie memory that I'll always remember.

The Devils - so initially I had seen the movie on VHS in the 1980's, well when the AFI listed they were going to show the uncut 111 min. UK version of the movie, I knew I had to see it. Suffice to say, they couldn't get access to said print at the last minute. But ... they DID get the rarely screened original US 'X' rated print, so seeing a few extra seconds of previously deleted footage was golden in my book. Seeing this movie on the large screen is rare treat.

[BluRayTim]

Originally Posted by Dubstar

there are so many I could state here:

Star Wars (1977) - literally what every kid experienced seeing it for the first time (I was 8) has said about it - eyes and jaw to the floor, everyone clapped and cheered at the end of the movie.

Episodes 4-6 back to back trilogy screening of the unaltered cuts of the movies - front row, my friend and I had a blast.

Close Encounters (1977) - it not only sealed my obsession with the whole UFO mythology, but it was what made me fall in love with Spielberg's movies.

Titanic - opening day, in 8-channel SDDS sound, on the largest screen at Pentagon City Mall, the story, the image, the incredible soundmix and soundtrack, every element coming together to such perfection, it's a movie memory that I'll always remember.

The Devils - so initially I had seen the movie on VHS in the 1980's, well when the AFI listed they were going to show the uncut 111 min. UK version of the movie, I knew I had to see it. Suffice to say, they couldn't get access to said print at the last minute. But ... they DID get the rarely screened original US 'X' rated print, so seeing a few extra seconds of previously deleted footage was golden in my book. Seeing this movie on the large screen is rare treat.

When and where were the unaltered cuts of Episodes IV through VI of Star Wars rereleased in movie theaters? I would love to see those on the big screen!

[Shawn Elestren]

Originally Posted by notops

A 35mm double feature of Point Break and Road House at the Egyptian theater in Hollywood. When Road House came on, a literal fistfight broke out a few rows in front of me. Very meta

Wait, was that the one last year?

[SPilgrim]

Interstellar. I remember that I showed up late for the showing I planned to enter so I decided to wait 30 minutes for the next one. This one was in the biggest screen of the whole theatre so the whole film felt like I was in the planetarium.

Plus, I already knew

[Show spoiler]Matt Damon

played a small part in the movie but I assumed he was voicing TARS or the other robot. I was very surprised when

[Show spoiler]he appear waking up in the capsule.

I wasn't the only one because I heard whispers next and behind me asking

[Show spoiler]"Is that Matt Damon?"

[dancerslegs]

This past year saw both the restored Bondarchuk War and Peace and Tarr's Sátántanó at theater screenings. Those were both pretty sweet.

[theEXORCIST]

Seeing Jaws at a drive-in
Sneaking into Lost Boys as a kid
Seeing Batman 89 opening night
Seeing Pulp Fiction with the most beautiful girl in my high school
Seeing Scream opening night
Seeing Drunken Master 2 in a theater with my mom and little brother
Seeing Kill Bill and buying the soundtrack right after
Seeing Kill Bill vol 2 three times in a week each time with different people