As a result of the pandemic, favorite activities are no longer the care-free pleasures they used to be for many people.
Many still feel a bit uneasy about going to restaurants and bars or movies and theatre.
As a result, many people tend to make certain adjustments to ease their way back into having fun out and about again.
This includes Redditor srock0223 who thought they found the perfect solution for his pregnant wife to go out to the movies safely and comofrtably.
But when things didn’t go entirely to plan, and he and his wife were called selfish for their actions, the original poster (OP) took to the subReddit “Am I The A**hole” (AITA), where he asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA for buying an extra seat in the movie theater.”
The OP explained his wife was a bit hesitant to go to the movies in her condition, but felt that he’d found the perfect solution to put her mind at ease.
“We went to the movies last night.”
“There were still multiple empty seats throughout the theater and a few clusters of empty ones, and where we sat (just right of center) seemed ok.”
“My wife is 7 1/2 months pregnant and was hesitant to go to the theater for such a popular movie during Covid, but really loves Marvel so I tried to make it comfortable for her.”
“We purposely went on a weeknight to avoid crowding.”
“When I booked the tickets I saw that someone had already skipped a seat on one side of us, so I purchased a 3rd seat on the other side to give her a bit of breathing room.”
“This theater lets you pick your exact seat when buying the ticket.”
However, things did not end up going as planned, after a fellow movie goer seemed unaware of the theatre’s protocol.
“About halfway through the previews, the next group over from us arrived and one of the guys just sat down directly next to her instead.”
“I figured he probably didn’t pay attention to his ticket, so I politely told him we had purchased that seat and asked him to move to his assigned one, one seat over.”
“He seemed really confused and asked if the person was running late and said he’d move when they got there.”
“I explained that my wife is very pregnant and didn’t want someone to be unmasked and sitting directly on top of her, so we bought the extra seat for some personal space.”
“He got really annoyed and told me it was an AH move to buy a seat you don’t plan to use because we were ‘forcing’ him to sit in his own seat, a few feet to the right, which was not as good of a view?”
“The screen is like 80 feet.”
“You can see it well from everywhere.”
“His friends joined in mumbling about what AHs we were, but eventually slid down one.”
“I did switch with my wife and she sat on the other side of me, but at this point i was just upset that I had preplanned something to try to make her comfortable, spent money on it, and then this random person felt entitled to stop all over that.”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation by declaring:
- NTA – Not the A**hole
- YTA – You’re the A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everybody Sucks Here
The Reddit community agreed that the OP was not an a**hole for buying an extra seat to protect his wife.
Everyone pointed out that the unruly movie goer should have sat in his assigned seat, regardless of the situation, and as the OP paid for the seat he could do as he liked with it.
“NTA, you booked the tickets fair and square.”
“The dude bought his own tickets and decided to sit beside your wife for some reason.”
“He’s definitely the asshole.”- Mindless-Curve-8956.
“Uummm no dude, if the seat is taken it doesn’t matter when the person sitting there arrives.”
“Besides, wouldn’t that be the worse situation?”
“You wait until last moment and then start looking for a place to sit?”
“Thus bothering other people?”
“What’s wrong with people like him?”
“NTA.”
“You paid for the seat, it’s yours to use for the duration of the movie.”- LordDesanto.
“NTA, assigned seats are assigned seats and anyone arguing over it is TA.”- unjessicabiel_evable.
“NTA.”
“I saw something similar at my local theater this weekend and it always blows my mind.”
“’It doesn’t matter where you sit’.”
”’Yes, yes it really does matter, or they wouldn’t ask you to select your seats buddy’.”
“I watched it all go down and was so thankful my seats weren’t the ones in dispute.”-Miserable_Maybe_6631.
“NTA.”
“We have the same setup in our local theater where you purchase specific seats.”
“You have to select the seat on a touchscreen map at the ticket counter.”
“They’re assholes for pretending it’s a free-for-all.”-Mrsscientia.
“NTA I had a similar experience at Red Rocks regarding my $275 seat.”
“I’m not moving and all y’all giving me the stink eye can F off.”
“Those clowns weren’t even in the correct section.”-Wonderful_Horror7315.
“No, you’ll take your entitled ass to the seat you fucking picked and sit there the entire time, because I don’t want the person who actually got that seat to deal with secondhand ass warmth.”
“I am aware no one was in the seat but even if there was, f*ck that guy for not just moving.”
“Like, I could get the initial confusion.”
“’I bought the seats right next to someone, so the last seat we have must be right next to her’.”
“But the second someone says “’no, that’s not your seat’” you check your ticket and move your ass if that’s the case.”
“NTA.”
“You paid for the ticket, you can do what you want.”
“Some places let you rent out the whole theater and you don’t see this guy wandering in and saying that’s not fair.”-NotTwitchy.
“NTA.”
“Wow the nerve of some people!”
“You bought an extra seat so your wife would be more comfortable.”
“You paid for it so you have every right to tell the guy to move to his assigned seat.”-ScoobieSubieDoo.
“Nta it’s like a seat on an airplane, you bought it, is yours to do with as you wish, if you want it empty, that’s your choice.”-whitewer.
“That seat was available when he bought his.”
“He could have bought it He didn’t.”
“You did.”
“Doesn’t matter what for.”
“NTA.”-EwokCafe.
“NTA.”
“Not even a question.”- ItsJamieDodgr.
“NTA and he was a jerk about it.”
“I would have sat in that seat to show him it was occupied.”- BeeYehWoo.
“NTA that’s an amazing level of entitlement he has for a place that has assigned seating.”
“Ew.”-Icy-Election-2553.
“Your not the AH.”
“You sound really sweet to your wife.”
“She is lucky to have you!”
“But I don’t get whats the problem.”
“Why couldn’t he just sit in the seat he paid for.”
The group are the AHs.”-FragmentedGhost.
“NTA – it’s YOUR seat.”
“Who cares if you bought it for another person or not.”
“You spent the money, he needed to sthu and move.”-mizfit0416.
“NTA.
“He didn’t have a right to the seat you bought.”- GothPenguin.
“NTA.”
“You bought the seat, so it’s yours to do with as you wish.”
“He didn’t buy the seat, so he has no say over it and needs to stay in the seat he did buy.”
“You don’t need to justify how you use your purchases to some stranger.”
“If he had wanted more seats, he was free to have bought them himself and he chose not to do so.”-Hi_Im_Dadbot.
“NTA You pay, you have the say.”
“It may help to drop a coat onto it next time.”
“Why do the people who don’t pay always seem to get mad at the people who do?”- Not-a-Cranky-Panda.
“NTA.”
“You paid for the seat – apparently the best seat in the theater and it was not used.”
“If the guy wanted that seat, he should have been faster on buying the ticket for it.”- crbryant1972.
“NTA – you paid for the seat so it’s yours.”
“If it were a super crowded theatre and someone pulled this move, I’d probably be annoyed too.”
“But that doesn’t make you in the wrong here.”-justforaita007.
“NTA! “
“They actually are.”
“If they wanted a better view of the screen, then they should’ve bought a seat with a better view.”
“You held your composure better than me.”-NickiCodeRed.
“NTA you paid for the seat, it is yours.”- sarella93.
“NTA.”
“You pay for your seat and you sit in it.”
“I wouldn’t dare just go and sit in someone else’s for better view.”
“If you want a good view buy one with it!”- JoylessJug.
“NTA!”
“I ALWAYS book an extra seat because my partner is the same way.”
“I always get the end 3 seats… it’s also YOUR money.”
“People are rude and disrespectful, especially when they know they’re wrong.”
“It’s literal ASSIGNED seating nowadays.”
“I use Fandango — in which you can only do assigned seating.”
“I bought 3 tickets for just my partner and I.”
“He gets nervous & anxious, and having the extra seat helps immensely; especially in a popular movie viewing.”
“We walked in, sat down, and I placed my bag in the 3rd seat I was next to it.”
“The person on the other side gave me a look.”
“I didn’t say anything. once the movie theater advertisement for itself came on, he spoke up and said i need to move my bag as it was his seat & his friend was running late.”
“I pulled up my Fandango app & showed him the tickets that said I13, I14, and I15.”
He went quiet and turned around, leaving it alone.”- moonknightlily.
Rules are rules, which the man who sat in the OP’s seat should have remembered.
Here’s hoping the encounter didn’t spoil their enjoyment of the film.