By CHRIS DANIELS
The days of saving movie seats for friends by draping bags and coats may soon be over because allocated seats at the cinema are back.
From Thursday next week the Village Force cinema chain will begin handing out seat numbers to moviegoers at its Queen St and West
City multiplexes.
And if all goes according to plan, it hopes to introduce the system nationwide.
Patrons at all screenings - the opening night of a blockbuster or the last days of a tired old flop - will be told where they must sit.
The company is promising that customers who buy tickets early will get the best seats in the house, rewarding those who pay by credit card over the phone or on the internet.
Joanne Watt, chief operating officer for Village Force Cinemas, said patrons could ask for specific seats - for instance an aisle seat for a tall person - but too many special requests would slow the system for everyone else.
She said seats would be "first come, best seated," although customers buying over the internet or phone would not be able to choose a specific seat.
Seats would be graded on a scale of one to nine.
Allocated seating had been tried before but it had been dropped, mainly because of staff inexperience and poor planning.
It was hoped that by telling the public more about the system it would work better.
"We ask you to sit in the allocated seats, but once the movie starts, if there are free seats, you are free to move wherever you like. It's a bit like a plane really."
One man not happy about being told where to sit is Auckland lawyer Sampath Soysa, a part-time movie reviewer for the nzoom.com website.
He is urging movie fans to protest about the change.
"You have no way of choosing your seat. Movie theatres in a multiplex are all various sizes.
"By the time you have found out that the cashier has sold you bad seats, it is too late to do anything about it."
