Lucie and I went to see "Super 8" on Sunday at a large movie complex in Brussels. It had something like 20 screens, so you can imagine how busy the place was that afternoon. First off, there is no such thing as reduced matinee prices: tickets run $13, no matter when the show. But just buying the ticket is where the real problems begin. Unlike the U.S., where there are usually humans involved and an individual can buy a ticket in, say, 30 seconds, here it is almost entirely automated, with banks of ticket-vending machines resembling rows of slots in Vegas.
To choose which language you want the instructions in, then which card you intend to insert, then which movie, etc., etc., you can see how this takes about 3 minutes per customer. With 15 people in front of every machine, well, you do the math.
But the problems continue: humans are involved in the actual ticket taking. How many would you guess are on duty, to handle the hundreds of customers? A grand total of two. So, tack on an additional 10 minutes or so in line.
You make it into the auditorium where, I do have to admit, the chairs are about the most comfortable I've ever seen in a theater. Then come the previews and, more often, the commercials. Not just 10 or even 15 minutes-worth, like at home. Nope - here the pre-game show runs a full half-hour. Only after this string of ordeals can you sit back, relax, and hopefully enjoy the movie (which I didn't even like much: it seemed like Spielberg couldn't decide whether he was shooting for a remake of Stand By Me, ET, or War of the Worlds).
But I save the best for last: a trip to the potty. I would have thought that $13 ought to entitle me to, say, one free visit. Not in Belgium, my friends. Here, you pay yet again, for the privelege of a pee.
Boy, how I wish they had Blockbuster or Hollywood Video over here...
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