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Have you ever walked out of a cinema/theatre half way through a show?

(261 Posts)
grandmajet Tue 16-Feb-21 08:12:04

I’ve done it twice. The first time was David Bowies’s film, The Man Who Fell to Earth. What a load of tosh! More recently we left Ben Elton’s stand up show at half time. I was disappointed as I used to like him and loved his books but he seemed to have turned into a bitter, unpleasant person and it was not fun to listen to him.
Anyone else done this, and why?

joannapiano Tue 16-Feb-21 16:04:24

I went to a live screening of “Amadeus” at our local cinema a couple of years ago. I loved the original film and all Mozart music, so had high hopes.
It was an awful “modern” production from a major London theatre and the actor who played Salieri mumbled his way through his lines.
I walked out at the Interval, as did several other people.
Just glad I didn’t pay West End ticket prices.

Sara1954 Tue 16-Feb-21 16:13:05

Bluebelle
Ha, yes I know, I also know people who absolutely hated it. Don’t understand it, but of course you’re entitled to your opinion

PamelaJ1 Tue 16-Feb-21 18:06:15

I’m surprised anyone could leave a Ken Dodd show early.
I thought he had rotwiellers patrolling outside.
He told us that - was he lying?
He wasn’t my favourite comedian but my DH loved him. I was full of admiration when we left. He was amazing - a little(OK a lot) of innuendo but no swearing.
I didn’t see the dogs when we left!

AmberSpyglass Tue 16-Feb-21 18:12:43

I never liked Ken Dodd but that Rottweiler line nearly convinced me!

Grandma11 Tue 16-Feb-21 18:21:16

I fell asleep through one of the early Harry Potter films, my Daughters pestered us to take them at the time, I had just finished night duty and was tired anyway, and could not remember anything about it afterwards!

The second time was when I went to a boring after Dinner history lecture by a retired Admiral, my husband's idea, not mine! It was onboard a Cruise ship, and was partly down to his droning voice, and partly the fact that I wasn't in the slightest bit interested in what the pirates and battleships did many years ago!
I could hear rumbles of snoring coming from the rows of seats behind me, and before l knew it, I had joined them, waking up only as the bright lights came up, and people were preparing to leave!

Juliet27 Tue 16-Feb-21 18:29:26

Priscilla Queen of the Desert

fatgran57 Wed 17-Feb-21 01:13:48

BlueBelle your comment made me remember The Mousetrap also.

I simply could not stay awake it was very embarrassing, made worse by the fact that we had travelled all the way from Australia and wanted to see as many shows as possible.

We did see some wonderful shows but The Mousetrap was very dated we thought.

Elrel Wed 17-Feb-21 02:20:44

GS had a 7th birthday trip to see a dinosaur film at the IMAX at Waterloo, he and his friends loved it but his mother and I had to take out sobbing 4 year olds, his sibling and cousin, in the first few minutes!
When GS was 4 himself I took him to Dick Whittington at Sadlers Wells, before the performance we’d handled the artificial rats and he was face painted as a pirate. When the rats appeared, moving, on stage he pleaded with me to take him home, eye patch streaking his face. The stalls seats were expensive and I calmed him down; by the end he was so loudly enthusiastic that Peter Polycarpou suggested from the stage that he should be the next Lord Mayor of London!
A friend and I left a matinee of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Savoy in the interval. She had a headache and I was happy to leave with her. Great set and costumes but schoolboy smutty jokes, loudly enjoyed by a coachparty. Onewomen in screaming hysterics was having such a good time that she sounded as if she might need a fresh seat cushion.

Oldwoman70 Wed 17-Feb-21 13:12:32

I'm with Bluebelle when it comes to The Greatest Showman - I have never got past the first 20 minutes, believe me I have tried.

Espana Wed 17-Feb-21 13:33:49

Yes, walked out on Les Miserable. Bored stiff. DH would have stuck it out but I couldn’t.

Maggiemaybe Wed 17-Feb-21 14:11:56

I’ve slept through a few and would have walked out of Mamma Mia if I’d paid to see it (as it is I just had to switch off the TV).

We used to get £1 tickets at our local theatre for the back row of the gods, and took the family to see all sorts. I realised they were a bit young for The Madness of King George when DS asked me at the interval which one the king was. I took pity on him and we went for a McDonalds.

We’d have walked out of Wicked if we hadn’t paid so much for the tickets. Though we seemed to be the only people in the theatre who didn’t love it.

Washerwoman Wed 17-Feb-21 21:19:20

I too was completely underwhelmed by Wicked but stuck it out as I'd taken DD as a birthday treat and she loved it.
I walked out half way through one of the later Harry Potter films.We had gone as a family to each one but I'd really had enough of them, had a good book in my bag and told them all I'd be in the cafe next door reading when it was over.
And a dreadful revival of some old musical called On your toes in the West End. DH and I and a couple of friends left at the interval and went for a nice meal instead.

NellG Wed 17-Feb-21 21:26:42

I walked out of Trainspotting. The scene with the drugs down the filthy toilet...just no. Nope. No thank you.

Tizliz Wed 17-Feb-21 21:40:11

LauraNorder

Orlin and I in our teens walked out of Women in Love cos I was embarrassed at the ‘exposure of their dangly bits’ during the fight.
Have seen it since and laughed at myself. The innocence of youth in those days.

This was my first walk out. We took friends to see Life of Brian and they walked out, we stayed!

Floradora9 Wed 17-Feb-21 21:50:05

I hated Les Mis too but stuck it out for my friend who was a great fan . La La land was rubbish we walked out but would have gone anyway as the heating had gone off in the cinema . I complained as we left got a full refund and two free tickets as well . Walked out of a few am dram productions as well a friend was a member and always wanted me to buy tickets. I remember one Carmen who looked like Olive Oil with her wig .

harrigran Wed 17-Feb-21 22:57:39

Would never go to see a stage musical or watch a film like Mama Mia. I have slept through many films that I was supposedly watching with GC but I can not recall leaving a cinema before the end of the film.

pen50 Wed 17-Feb-21 23:25:22

I've walked out of the same film twice! Bug (1975). An earthquake releases a bunch of mutant cockroaches that can create fire by rubbing their cerci together. It was too horrible for me the first time and I left after 20 minutes, but I thought I was a wimp and tried again when it was shown at college. I lasted ten minutes that time.

I also left after twenty minutes of Red Sparrow (oh dear oh dear, just nasty), and fell asleep during Adaptation (apparently I snored. It deserved worse.)

Chestnut Wed 17-Feb-21 23:28:55

I walked out of Catch 22 after the scene where his intestines fell out all over the place. I thought I was going to vomit and had to get some fresh air.
I very nearly walked out halfway through Clockwork Orange because I couldn't stand the violence in the first half. It calmed down a bit after Alex was caught and I managed to see it through!

MissAdventure Wed 17-Feb-21 23:33:59

I haven't walked out, but saw a comedian get booed and jeered off the stage.
He did some brilliant impressions, but they went on and on (and on!) and a slow clap started.

It was awful, he collected up all his props, apologised, and just walked dejectedly off.

misty34 Wed 17-Feb-21 23:34:50

The Excorcist aged 14, it was an 18 certificate so I should have not been there. I was not frightened, as I think I wanted to be, I just found it silly but I have never got on with horror films. I always find myself rolling my eyes while everyone else screams!

GrannyRose15 Wed 17-Feb-21 23:35:01

I wish I'd walked out of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". Never seen such a achingly boring film before or since.

DH went to sleep in "Pokemon", though that might be acceptable as he had only gone because our young son wanted to see it.

MissAdventure Wed 17-Feb-21 23:39:30

My dad left halfway through 'Jaws', and waited in the car.
He thought it was too gruesome to be called entertainment.

Ramblingrose22 Wed 17-Feb-21 23:55:31

We walked out of a play at the Hampstead Theatre a few years ago called "The Trial of UBU" directed by Katie Price.

There was a disgusting prologue with puppets arguing, swearing and sticking long poles up each other's backsides. The next scene showed journalists commenting on the trial. Their accounts were shouty and boring.

We stuck it out for about 15 minutes when we decided we'd had enough and left. Some of the reviews at the time were far from complimentary. I would never pay to see a play directed by Katie Price ever again.

FannyCornforth Thu 18-Feb-21 00:06:44

RamblingRose you mean Katie Mitchell, not Katie Price.
(Mind you, I'd love to see the Pricey's interpretation of Alfred Jarry's ^Pere Ubu^)

Eloethan Thu 18-Feb-21 00:36:50

My daughter bought tickets for my birthday to see a much-lauded and award winning play, "Closer", by Patrick Marber.

As it was a kind - and rather expensive - gift, I didn't want to upset my daughter by telling her, in the interval, that I really wasn't enjoying it. I found it too sexually explicit, not clever and not funny. We each had a glass of overpriced wine and returned to our seats. Four people who had been sitting in front of us didn't return after the interval.

When we left, it turned out my daughter hadn't been enjoying it either but didn't want to say anything in case I was. We were both amazed that it had received several awards.