Why Do I Get Back Row Seats Even Though I Made Reservations?
Even with the staggering economy, movie theaters are bustling with moviegoers. The total number of moviegoers as of September is 110 million, a 25 percent rise over last year. The growth rate of the number of moviegoers for multiplex theaters, such as CGV, is over 30 percent and as a result many people fail to get good seats at the theater.
Where are all the good seats? And what can we do to get them? For those of you who've suffered the pain of having to sit all the way at the back, we will disclose the secrets to getting good seats.
Most theaters have incorporated a system that enables customers to choose their own seats when buying tickets at the booth. However, buying tickets at the theater costs both time and money. On weekends and holidays, the waiting time is almost 6 or 7 hours. So many people turn to Internet or telephone reservations.
Nowadays, theaters tend to provide preferential treatment to those who buy their tickets in advance. However, the key lies in the fact that each of the theaters has a different way of distributing tickets. CGV and Megabox have both allotted their best seats to their reserved sectors. However, one moviegoer who frequently visits the Megabox theater in Coex Mall complains that she used to buy tickets on the Internet in advance, but her seats were always in the back row. She says that now she just goes in the morning to buy the tickets.
Why do these cases happen? It's because of the time of the reservation. Megabox assigns the seats the moment you make your reservation. So the earlier you reserve, the better seats you'll get. In the case of our disgruntled moviegoer, she always made reservations on the morning of the movie, which means that she got the last tickets in the reservation sector.
CGV, on the other hand, makes reservations beforehand, but assigns seating once the customer picks up his or her ticket at the theater. So the moment of reservation is less important than the time the tickets are claimed at the theater. This system has its ups and downs. For those who make early reservations, this system may not prove to be so effective in ensuring good seats. However, one thing is for sure. If you want good seats, you must hurry!
Theaters like Megabox and Coex have reservation rates of almost 40 percent. So, it is advised that you make reservations at least a week ahead of time. Seoul Theater and Joongang Theater have similar systems.
Many people point out that most concert halls provide information on seating when reservations are made on the Internet, calling for movie theaters to provide similar services for its customers.
