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

Soldier Blue, a long time ago-too bloodthirsty and made me feel queasy.
Like you Teddy123 I’ve dozed through a few including Chicken Little, that I’d taken the DGC to see.

Once. I don't remember what; there was so little legroom that we had to admit defeat!

DH and I went to one of those Solid Silver 60s shows featuring assorted old artistes about 12 years ago. It was so loud that it distorted the singing and backing music. We stuck it as long as we could and then walked out while The Tremeloes were on!

This is what all oldies say but why does it have to be so loud? Most TV series are now too, and as for adverts.....

Myself and my husband were invited to see Cats in the West End through his job so there were quite a few of us being wined & dined first and then taken to the show. Lovely seats and up to that point a lovely evening but, my goodness, the show started and I wanted to go home, it was awful! We sat there trying to look enthusiastic and come the interval we were all like nodding dogs, saying how much we were all enjoying it.
Only afterwards, when husband went back to the office the next day, did the others admit they'd wanted to leave as well.
The other time was back in the mid 80s, we'd been taken to see Barnum with Michael Crawford in the West End with friends who had seen it previously. They had raved about it and couldn't wait to see it again with us but I didnt like it one bit. We pretended we had.
Why do we do that ?

No but I've nodded off several times!

I have done this more than once but have 2 memorable occasions.
The first was when I was a student at Newcastle University in the 70s . I went to see a play in a pub with friends. It had a seriously antisemitic theme . I seemed to be the only person bothered by this but I still stood up , said something about this and left !
The second time was not so dramatic.
Several New Years Days ago, when we could still go to the cinema, my hubby and I went to see Will Smith in " I am Legend " .
Good film but horrible with zombies killing people.
All fine.... until Will's lovely doggy got it !!!! I burst into tears and fled .
Never been able to finish seeing the film nor read the book !
Latterly I sat through a performance of " Whiskey galore" at a local theatre but desperately wanted to leave.
The play was fantastic. Could not fault it.
However, at the time I was on crutches with a severely broken ankle. It was my first time out in 12 weeks and it had been a challenge.
I laid my crutches beside my seat , tucked well in , out of the way . Sadly that was not good enough for one overzealous usher who came and shouted at me that I was a trip hazard and needed to move. It was very upsetting and embarrassing. I'm certain this was only a small taste of how permanently disabled people are treated a lot of the time.
I sat through the performance in tears, desperately wanting to go home but I did not draw any more attention to myself so I endured the whole performance.

I'm not sure what it is where my two sisters and I are concerned - but we just DON'T agree on 'what we find entertaining'!

BOTH of them rave on - and on, and on - about:

'Mama Mia' - what a money-grabbing slapper who can't even work out which is the father and then let's them all think that her child is theirs!

'Les Miserables' (ie the crying bgrs )

'Blood Brothers' - over-the-top scouseness and far too predictable!

'Her Benny' - oh pleeeese - poverty Victoriana with a scouse accent

'Twopence to Cross The Mersey' - spoilt wife loses everything and has an ungrateful, resentful daughter.

Twice - I repeat TWICE - I've been dragged to see 'Blood Brothers' (on the pretext of a 'family outing').................... no more!

I was forced to sit through 'Mama Mia' on DVD - so for spite, I got my knitting out and didn't even look at the screen. I can't abide 'Abba Music' either .

Personally speaking, I LOVED watching 'Cats'.

When we lived in Germany we bought, on a whim, some eye-wateringly expensive tickets for Holiday on Ice, early 1980s. We were in the best seats in the house and thought the girls would love it. The youngest wanted to go home after 15 minutes in which a 747 had come across the ice and The Smurfs were doing their stuff, apparently it wasn't 'That man and that lady what are champions', ie Torvill and Dean who she's seen on TV during the Olympics.

In early 2nd pregnancy with bad sickness. On holiday in Margate, 1st child asleep & monitored, hotel put on ‘entertainment’ - a Chippendales-type act. Couldn’t bear the grinding hips in audience faces, I escaped before they reached me!

Only one I can remember is the film Event Horizon. Generally though, I tend to hang on in case it improves. But by the end there's been a number of times with plays and films that I've wished I had walked out half way through.

Clockwork Orange. Too violent. Also, Midnight Cowboy. Dustin Hoffman coughing made me feel sick. My Little Pony... fell asleep !

Cats the film was hilarious. That’s how I coped with it. My husband thought it was great. When Judy Dench started to sing I shouted out ‘ No Judy don't’. The cinema audience laughed. Couldn’t help myself!!!!

I don’t remember but when I was about 6 my parents took me to a pantomime as a treat. I wasn’t able to walk out but luckily I’d had the foresight to bring a book in my bag! Needless to say I didn’t get a treat like that again ?

Oldwoman70

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.

You've got further than I did, couldn't see the appeal though I'm not a fan of musicals.
I've tried the Tolkein films, never got beyond 10 minutes, I never liked the books either.
I wouldn't go and see Chariots of Fire because I don't like sci-fi!! Older members may remember the books around in the 60s.

Took my then 15 year old daughter (who was preparing for her GCSEs) to see Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' at a city theatre. it was produced by Michael Bogdanov and starred Vanessa Redgrave.

Far from being a magical island, the setting imagined by Bogdanov was one of a sink estate with a backdrop of burned out cars. Redgrave was full of herself rather than the character, and, I thought, embarrassingly OTT.

We walked out in the interval. Fortunately, it didn't put my daughter off English literature for life! Should have asked for our money back.

Never walked out but didn't 'walk in' until The PetShop Boys had finished their gig at Knebworth, I find them extremely irritating for some reason. The rest of the gig was great, Status Quo, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins and Pink Floyd were superb. We used the Paul McCartney and Wings set to find the loos and refreshment, I find him so dreary, but when they started singing Beatles stuff they were fine.

I walked out of a Tribute show, it was so bad it was embarrassing. I did wait till the interval tho !

An Elton John concert !
It was at the old Wembley Stadium and the support bands - Rufus with Chaka Khan, The Eagles, The Beachboys compered by (at the time) Radio 1 DJ Johnnie Walker. It was at a time when Elton was wearing pretty outrageous outfits for his live concerts, so we sort of expected the same - but no, he ambled on the stage wearing just jeans and a t shirt with a cap, no huge sparkly specs even.
He went on to just sing form his album Captain Fantastic that hadn't even been released in the UK. We left after 20 minutes, we were that bored! A great shame as the other bands had been amazing
At least we had no trouble getting onto the underground and catching an earlier train home !

Aeons ago, but a whole group of us walked out of the cinema only about 5 minutes after ‘Song of Norway’ started (IIRC about Edvard Grieg) since it looked so cringe-makingly corny.

I’d have liked to walk out of Les Mis (just too Mis for me). It did get a bit better but IMO too long.
The only bit I really enjoyed was the ‘Master of The House’ song, with Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter. Brilliant.

We once got free tickets to a cinema, back when a Sunday paper gave them away, and we went to see a film whose title I don't recall but we decided it was a dated thing that looked like the old Rock Hudson/Doris Day films, we left after about 15 minutes and weren't the only ones! Later found out that it was meant to be like that.
I wanted to leave Titanic, such a tedious film.
When we went to see a Clint Eastwood film, Unforgiven, I spent most of the film in the foyer doing a crossword.
I didn't want to go back in Phantom of the Opera after the half-time drinks!

Fernhillnana

Yes I walked out of Pulp Fiction. Had gone with the neighbours and left them to drive home. I walked home all the way anything to get away from that awful film.

Now that is my favourite film ever! I love all Tarantino’s work.

Walked out of a dreadful show about Margaret Thatcher and the Queen. Can't even remember the name. My friend and I waited until the interval so as not to disturb others, but that's 75 minutes of my life and £29 I'll never get back!

Lady in Black. Lucky to be near the West end. Theatre land. Missing it

OH and I walked out of a strange modern ballet years ago. We also walked out of a Tom Hiddleston film - High Rise? He is a brilliant actor and extremely good looking, but there are limits. Years ago I walked out of Performance with Mick Jagger. I took OH to see Dogville - a three hour film which is quite violent. OH wanted to leave after 10 minutes, but he stayed to the bitter end. I loved the film but people were leaving in droves.

Oh and I fell asleep three times during Phantom of thé Opéra, does that count ?