Your First Cinema Visit and Your Greatest Experience ?

[Mandon Knight]

Two questions really in ONE thread.

Which was, if you can remember, your first trip to the cinema to see what film exactly and separately, in your lifetime, if you can, choose a particular film watch, that stands out above the rest.

Be interested to see the responses. Cheers everyone.

 

[scarlet-witch]

The first movie I recall seeing in theaters is The Lion King, and my greatest experience was seeing Endgame at the TCL Chinese theater in LA on opening night. That was so much!

 

[henzINNIT]

I really can't remember what my first film was. My primary school used to do screenings for films on occassion, they were probably first. Saw Casper and a couple of others. I remember trying desperately to debate my mum into submission to let me see Jurassic Park. I was 3 at the time. I lost.

Best experience? I think it might have been Four Lions. The theatre was packed and the film was hilarious. Another great moment was watching World War Z, cause I saw it in Cardiff and the whole audience cheered when Brad Pitt ended up crashing there.

 

[Drizzle]

The first movie I ever saw in theaters was Beauty and the Beast when I was 3 years old. Still one of my favorite Disney films to this day.

My best experience was probably seeing Avengers: Endgame opening night in IMAX with a packed crowd that made the whole experience feel like a concert. The portals scene is something I wish I could experience for the first time all over again. Honorable mentions would be opening nights for The Dark Knight and The Force Awakens.

I remember trying desperately to debate my mum into submission to let me see Jurassic Park. I was 3 at the time. I lost.

LOL I had the same debates with my parents and lost. Not allowing a 4 year old to see a movie about dinosaurs is like some twisted form of child abuse.

 

[Steyin]

First film I saw in the theater was Batman when I was 3. Best experience was probably Batman Begins or The Matrix just from the pure joy and feeling they left me with afterwards. Endgame was great in the theater but everyone yelling in excitement made it very hard to hear the dialogue and kind of actually dampened the experience.

 

[Captain Tired]

My first visit to the cinema was with my parents to see Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. I was only four years old and I still remember certain moments so clearly lol. Good times. Were I to remember it even better, it might also serve as my answer to your second question.

But I also remember having a particularly good time seeing Casino Royale. I don't know exactly why, as I'm much less of a Bond fan than I am of Batman, Star Wars or Halloween, but for some reason it's always stood out as being a great viewing experience for me. It's one of the very few films I've made of point of going to see more than once.

 

[Prison Mike]

The first movie I ever saw in theaters was Beauty and the Beast when I was 3 years old. Still one of my favorite Disney films to this day.

My best experience was probably seeing Avengers: Endgame opening night in IMAX with a packed crowd that made the whole experience feel like a concert. The portals scene is something I wish I could experience for the first time all over again. Honorable mentions would be opening nights for The Dark Knight and The Force Awakens.


LOL I had the same debates with my parents and lost. Not allowing a 4 year old to see a movie about dinosaurs is like some twisted form of child abuse.

I didn’t see it in theaters but I did get BatB on VHS for Christmas when it came out. My brother got Batman Returns and I got Beauty and the Beast. I was really excited!

 

[Dave McFly]

I have very hazy memories of that far back but one of my first movies I remember seeing was Popeye back in 1980 we saw it in an old theater that the old school balcony seating with the plush velour chairs and the curtains on the sides of the screens. the greatest experience had to be seeing the Back to the Future trilogy for it's 30th anniversary back in 2015. I saw a lot of various people dressed up in character the couple in front of me were done up as Marty and Jennifer it was so cute I wish I took a pic of it but did not think to do so sadly.

 

[Scarlet Spider]

First cinema visit?

Back to the Future defined my childhood.

I was obsessed with the original film as a little boy and was insanely hyped for the sequel.

Me and my sister begged my dad to take us. It definitely lived up to the hype and my young mind was blown away. I really credit these movies for my love of film.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

First movie I ever watched in theaters was Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Best theater experience was when I went to watch The Dark Knight in IMAX. Back in 2008, there was only one theater near me that had IMAX screen so you can imagine how packed it was. We went to the 3AM screening because midnight showings were completely sold out and had been waiting in line since like 11PM. It was a fun night though as it was a large group of us

 

[Hunter Rider]

I'm not 100% sure but i think the first movie I saw in the cinema was either The Black Cauldron or Peter Pan, my early visits were all animated movies, my local cinema used to run old Disney classics. My favourite cinema memory from my childhood is going to see TMNT the Movie with my Mom and Dad, i was so excited i was quoting Mikey to my Mom all the way home on the bus.

My greatest experience is a tie, the excitement for The Two Towers was palpable and the atmosphere throughout the Battle of Helms Deep felt like we were living it as an audience. The other is Jurassic Park, the sense of awe was audible in the cinema when John Williams iconic score starts up and we get our first look at the Dinosaurs, and it felt like the place shook during the T-Rex attack. Special mention to Cliffhanger, me and my Dad went to see it and it was the first time we'd seen a movie with surround sound, perfect movie for that experience.

 

[MilkmanDan]

It may not have been my first cinema experience but I want to give a shout-out to the movie nights in my childhood elementary school. They showed children's films on a big screen at the school gymnasium for free. This was in the 80s'. I saw movies like Goonies, Stand By Me and Gremlins there. In a school gym filled with kids from the neighborhood.

 

[3rdstone]

Memories of my early cinematic experiences are quite dim all these decades later. I'm quite positive The Jungle Book was the first movie I saw with my dad. Now, that one came out in the 60s, but they must've done a mayor rerun at the cinemas over here, since I watched it at the age of five or six which would be in like 1971-72. I had the LP recording with scenes and songs from it dubbed to my language, and listened to that constantly. Then there's a bunch of cheap sunday matinées during the early 70s with stuff like old Tarzan and Disney compilation flicks. And lots of other stuff I've forgotten by now.

However, the first really spectacular cinematic event for me was in 1977. Star Wars - what else?! I was 11 and had never experienced such hype around a movie before. Everybody was talking about that upcoming space opera which looked like nothing else seen before on the silver screen. The amount of media were still ridiculously modest compared to today, but damn what a hype. And it had that short but effective and epic title: Star Wars, which promised that you were in for a true fun sci-fi space opera experience - not the way lesser cool after construction known as A New Hope lol. And of course it delivered in spades.

One year later Superman: The Movie came out, and had quite the hype and marketing around it as well. I remember my dad wanted to see it with me (back then grown ups in his age felt kinda weird watching comic book flicks at the cinema, unless they had their kids with them lol. Quite different from today). A great experience as well, and my dad really enjoyed it too. I was thinking of taking him with me to watch Man Of Steel as a cool nostalgic event. Watching the trailers made me realise dad wouldn't probably appreciate Snyder's version of Superman. As of today I think I was right (but I'm sure he would've thought Nolan/Ledger's version of Joker was an interesting modern approach).

Anyways, I guess these would be my "greatest experiences", since when you get older it's not the same as when you're a snotty big eyed kid which gets impressed in another way. Of course i.e. T2, The Matrix, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Batman 1989, Arnie and Stallone fun action flicks, Blade Runner, Back To The Future and a gazillion other classics from the 80s and forward were great fun and memorable. As well as lots of great comedies and memorable serious drama movies during the decades, which were different from these more loud blockbusters.

 

[TheVileOne]

Greatest, I think I have two:

1. Avengers Endgame at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank
2. Hellboy premiere at SXSW 2004 (Ron Perlman and Guillermo del Toro were both there. I sat in the same row as Mike Mignola).

 

[childeroland]

1) Don't remember. Perhaps a screening of Game of Death I saw with my parents when I was a kid at some revival theater, but that might be a mis-memory.
2) Millennium Mambo, Rebels of the Neon God, Spirited Away, Only Yesterday, A Brighter Summer Day, or The Godfather II

 

[HarveyHarris]

I'm not 100% sure but i think the first movie I saw in the cinema was either The Black Cauldron or Peter Pan, my early visits were all animated movies, my local cinema used to run old Disney classics. My favourite cinema memory from my childhood is going to see TMNT the Movie with my Mom and Dad, i was so excited i was quoting Mikey to my Mom all the way home on the bus.

My greatest experience is a tie, the excitement for The Two Towers was palpable and the atmosphere throughout the Battle of Helms Deep felt like we were living it as an audience. The other is Jurassic Park, the sense of awe was audible in the cinema when John Williams iconic score starts up and we get our first look at the Dinosaurs, and it felt like the place shook during the T-Rex attack. Special mention to Cliffhanger, me and my Dad went to see it and it was the first time we'd seen a movie with surround sound, perfect movie for that experience.

The UK cinema experience for me has always been more reserved, I've never heard cheering, seen applause or any of that but that's the one film I remember actually hearing a response from people.

 

[OutOfBoose]

My first theatrical experience was The Terminator in 1991 when I was 7. I don't think I understood much of the movie or even managed to get scared. I remember that I was more impressed when I watched the movie a few years later on VHS at home.

Easily the best theatrical experience is The Matrix in Autumn of 1999. I remember leaving a theater with what felt like altered state of mind.

 

[Immortalfire]

Very first movie I saw in theaters, was An American Tail.

Best experience as a moviegoer, was opening night of Spider-Man in 2002. I had literally waited my whole life for Spidey to be on the big screen, me my parents, and three close friends were there to finally see it happen. The finale really hit me though, he swings to black out the screen, the credits roll, and that sold out theater exploded with applause. It’s still a great memory !

 

[Mandon Knight]

Answer my own thread question....

First - would have been Superman with my Dad in 1978.

Greatest - will always be seeing my own film, The Divider, at it's premiere on the big screen when we hired the local cinema for the film and Q&A / party afterwards and my Dad (and Mum) being part of the audience to see it, in 2012. The making of the film and becoming a writer / film-maker, was wholly inspired by the experience of the first answer.