Crowd Reactions

[Kent]

Is it just me, or does it seem that most of the times when someone takes the time to report on how the audience reacted to a movie he/she recently watched, the audience conveniently seems to have reacted in a way which supports said persons opinion on the film?

Like... "I saw movie X yesterday, and everyone cheered at so-and-so scene. At the end it got a standing ovation and people were high-fiving each other... oh yeah... and I loved it."

Or...

"I saw movie X yesterday, and everyone was dead silent during the supposedly humorous parts. After half of the running time I'd seen more than ten people walk out, and at the end the remaining audience booed... Oh yeah... and I hated it."

Or sometimes it can be very specific things. Like I remember a debate about '300' and whether it was a racist movie... and some dude (maybe it was on this forum) who thought it was racist was quick to tell everyone how some guy in the theater had gotten up after the movie and said something like "Spartans rule. Luckily I'm a spartan. Now I'm gonna go beat up a n-gger... like a spartan would"

Do you think people are just shamelessly making **** up to support their own opinions, or are people just more inclined to report about audience reactions if they coincide with their own opinions? Or are people just remembering the stuff that coincides with their own opinions and forgetting the rest?
Maybe it's a mix?
How about you? How often does it seem to you that the audience likes a film when you like it, and dislikes it when you dislike it?

 

[BizarroAids]

I see where you are going with this Kent, and I totally respect your thinking on it.

I think, yeah sometimes it can be exaggerated to a point. But, anytime I've said something about a crowd reaction, it's been true. Why would I make up a whole audiences reaction to a movie? I'm not doing it to impress other poster, I'm just one man.

I like talking about it because,and this may sound silly but oh well, the excitement. I'm talking about the general excitement a movie can cause to get an audience cheering and clapping. It seems like some, not all movies can do that to audiences, and in my cases I use our comic films. It's a fun experience when the crowd is really into a movie, it's one time for like 2 hours, that everyone agrees on something.

I'm not trying to knock your topic or anything Kent, I just wanted to give you my 2 cents on it, so you could see at least another persons side of it.t:

 

[Rando Aces]

no one ever cheers or anything where i am. people are always silent, sometimes they clap after a movie. i dont let other peoples opinions in the theaters sway my decision if i enjoy a movie or not.

 

[Lighthouse]

I think it has a lot to do with psychology too. It's normative social influence and conformity. You read about this when you're a psych student. If everyone in the theater likes the movie, you are much more likely to like it, and vice versa. Sometimes a movie can be a great theater experience but a not so great movie. I remember liking Pirates 2 in the theater, but when I saw it on DVD, I thought "Wow, this movie sucks."

 

[hpwiz89]

Well the only time I have been with a "lively" audience was when I saw Iron Man, other movies' audience members have pretty much been dead silent.

 

[Kent]

I think it has a lot to do with psychology too. It's normative social influence and conformity. You read about this when you're a psych student. If everyone in the theater likes the movie, you are much more likely to like it, and vice versa. Sometimes a movie can be a great theater experience but a not so great movie. I remember liking Pirates 2 in the theater, but when I saw it on DVD, I thought "Wow, this movie sucks."

That's an interesting perspective, and is probably true... at least to some extent.

 

[Victarion]

I've never, never, NEVER gotten half the reaction some other guys and gals on here seem to. Its mostly pretty low key stuff, like when I saw TIH yesterday the guys behind me and my dad started whispering

Spoiler

"The Leader" when that blood dripped into Sterns's head wound

and a few "Aw I'm not seein' that" at the teaser for The Spirit. Sometimes there's a collective chuckle at a funny part, but they're far and few between.

Then there's the times when everyone's climaxing, confetti's spraying from the projection booth, and the old people's pacemakers are exploding from the sheer awesomeness of the movie. I like to pull this one out from time to time.

 

[A.J.Rimmer(BSC)]

Unless its a comedy, my cinemas are rightly silent.

I remember watching X1 in America on holiday. I found the crowd's need to bawl at every Wolvie one liner "this certainly is a big round room" "whadda they call you? Wheels?" really off putting.

 

[bullets]

I saw the Incredible Hulk twice . The first time was opening night in a packed theatre and the reactions were pretty good. I saw it again on a sunday afternoon in a half packed theatre and there was almost dead silence throughout the entire movie with only a few chuckes.

So i generally see a movie on opening night or opening weekend because i hate going with an audience that isn't really into the film.

I think most people online [especially imdb] have the tendency to make things up or bash a film out of boredom it seems. I know there are people out there that are telling the truth but because there are so many trolls it reduces credibility for all of us.

 

[PyroChamber]

I like how some DVDs, sometimes bad ones, have a commentary track that's pretty much just the crowd cheering and stuff like that. I guess they go to the first screenings of certain movies and record the crowd; they've done it with Date Movie and Grindhouse. But I think it would be cool to have one on The Dark Knight DVD whenever it comes out.

 

[War Party]

Yeah, I never really experienced great crowd reactions at the theater, except for comedy. The only time there was crowd reaction when I saw a movie was Indy 4. People were really into it and surprised the hell out of me. And I was thinking to myself "I guess those people on SHH aren't lying when they say people cheer and clap during movies." I even mentioned it to my friend and he said he's never seen anything like that too.

 

[irratebass]

I don't care if the audience cheers or laughs or not, but I will cheer and laugh and clap and what not, screw them lol

 

[StarkTheProdigy]

The most laughter in a theatre i've heard was when i saw an early screening of Pineapple Express, and they weren't exaggerating, it was really funny. you all should see it when it comes out.

 

[Nirvana]

It pisses me off when people cheer in the theater.

 

[irratebass]

The most laughter in a theatre i've heard was when i saw an early screening of Pineapple Express, and they weren't exaggerating, it was really funny. you all should see it when it comes out.

I'm there opening night!!!

 

[StarkTheProdigy]

it was great, im sure you'll be pleased

 

[Lighthouse]

My whole theater gasped when the Joker did his pencil trick in TDK.

 

[Girl_Wonder]

I think the only movie that I've seen in a theater that has received a great reaction from the crowd(from gasping, to laughing, to applauding) is The Dark Knight.
Also, a funny reaction came at the end of the Iron Man credits, when a kid behind me(and one of the few who stayed) screamed : [BLACKOUT]"Samuel L. Jackson is in everything!"[/BLACKOUT]

But yep...every other movie the crowd is either too loud and annoying or too silent..making me afraid to even chuckle at a whatever funny scene.

 

[Drizzle]

I remember watching X1 in America on holiday. I found the crowd's need to bawl at every Wolvie one liner "this certainly is a big round room" "whadda they call you? Wheels?" really off putting.

Jeez, people actually laughed at that "big round room line"? But I'll admit the wheels line was kinda funny.

As for crowd reactions in movies, the one that stood out most to me was the Yoda fight scene in "Attack of the Clones". The movie wasn't that great, but man, the crowd went nuts. Cheering, clapping, some people standing. It was quite a sight.

 

[Brian Braddock]

Unless its a comedy, my cinemas are rightly silent.

I remember watching X1 in America on holiday. I found the crowd's need to bawl at every Wolvie one liner "this certainly is a big round room" "whadda they call you? Wheels?" really off putting.

Same here Arnie.

Must be a British thing, eh?

 

[30+Dark]

Yep, I live in the UK too, and its been quiet every time I've seen a film at the cinema, except for the occasional laugh.Only one that got a round of applause at the end and that was (showing my age now) Robocop in 1987.(I was 14, managed to get into an 18!).

 

[Brian Braddock]

Laughing at a funny moment in a movie is natural and ok (obviously) -but I absolutely hate it when people make unecessary, distracting noise throughout a movie.

There's a good reason why cinema' ask that people don't talk or have their mobile phones on during the movie; it's a common courtesy to all the other people who have payed their money to watch the film without disruption.