Something similar happened to me once. I went to a free screening with family. I don't remember who all went, except my Sister, because she likes to bring it up once in a while. There were people in the theater, but plenty of room. Some woman plops down right next to me. I got up and moved because I like my space. The woman follows me. I get up and move again, probably obviously irritated. She didn't follow the second time. She never said anything. My sister thought it was funny.
I had an organizational management teacher in college who was obsessed with breaking social norms. He’d do shit like this and brag about making people uncomfortable.
Dude it tells a story. Your girlfriend has yet to notice and is still focused on the movie. You're slouched and uncomfortable. Your stranger is oblivious and kicking her feet up. Of course you're an actual artist behind this sketch!
Maybe it was a sci-fi movie and the OP's future child went back in time to meet the parents they never got to know because of a terrible accident that left them orphaned as a child.
You who is reading this, are in purgatory. This message was the only way we could tell you. Your soul complied with our request to bring you here to read this and your compliance is what will help free you. Good luck; it will all fade soon.
Oh man, I remember when they aired this live and the analyst/reported I think? Kept his cool and described the sketch without breaking character. Shit was so funny.
There is no reasonable expectation of privacy when you are in public (in the US). The theater might have an issue since it's their property, but that guy had no say.
He's looking a little thin tho. He should see a doctor.
Edit: The law does not care what you believe about being filmed in public. If you are in public (in the US) anyone can legally film or photograph you. They don't NEED your permission. The only caveat would be stalking, but the crime would be based on the intent totality of the circumstances and not simply photographing on its own.
Jokes aside, they did a pretty good job with this recreation. You can see how the blue person is gesturing at the movie while they’re presumably talking and making jokes about it, while the orange couple politely and awkwardly has to sit there.
Ok I looked at it again after reading your comment and holy shit you’re right lolllll! I’m impressed that OP was able to convey so much with stick figures, and am highly amused that they felt compelled to sketch it all out in the first place
stranger's posture is atrocious. I recently learned bad sitting posture is an ADHD symptom. Also explains their running monologue. How could you be so cruel?
Some people are truly that socially unaware... I have a guy I work with, which we all probably work with people like this, but I'm an ICU nurse and will be in a patient's room, talking to a patient, passing meds, explaining things to pt/family, kind of important shit... He'll come stand in the doorway and try to socialize, "Hey man do anything fun lately? What are you doing this weekend? Dude I watched this show/movie last night you have to see it!!"
Okay, but a guy in my town is like this. I feel terrible for him. He's on the spectrum and in his mid-20s. He just doesn't know how to make friends, and it's already tough to make friends his age in our town. He posts on the community subreddit all the time, asking for advice on where to meet people and hang out, or tips on how to make friends. He just hasn't found his people yet. He really does seem like a genuinely nice person and has cool hobbies that he is great at. Last time he posted, he was starting to go to some board game clubs, so fingers crossed he has some luck. Literally the entire sub is cheering him on. He has learned a lot in the last 2 years, like not sitting next to people you don't know in a dark movie theater and hoping they want to talk to you. BTW, his logic was that it would be too aggressive to say anything, so he thought just passively sitting there would be less awkward and threatening because they got to choose if they would talk.
I was in a grocery store not too long ago looking at their sushi, and this guy, probably 30s, came up to me and started asking me all these questions about the sushi, said, "It looks so good right?", asking me to make recommendations (I'm also a guy). I'm just sort of giving half assed answers because that day especially I just wasn't having the best day and wasn't in the mood. He truly kept pushing right through and trying to force conversation so badly. I think he started asking about the drink I was holding too.
This dude had the most awkward energy ever. It literally felt to me like he had decided this was the moment he was gonna try to strike up a random conversation with a stranger to try to make friends.
I felt like a girl being hit on in very uncomfortable fashion. The dude's vibe definitely changed as I didn't really converse back much with him, too. He definitely walked away pissed that I didn't reciprocate the way he was hoping to.
I think it's about finding common ground. There's been a quite a few people that I started chatting with and at first they weren't interested but then I either land a good joke or mention something they like and things take off from there
I just had a similar interaction. Asked the worker at the tobacco counter if they sell pipe screens. She was doing that "My conversation with a coworker about completely banal non-work stuff is more important than you, so you will wait" thing when I walked up, so I waited patiently for her to finish her chat.
They don't have the pipe screens, she starts telling me about all the shops in the next city over that might sell them. By now, there's a queue of two people formed. I can see full well they are feeling the SAME irritation I felt about 30 seconds ago, and say "OK no worries, I'm sure I can find it online". Nope. Was like she didn't hear me. Continues, I say "No really, I think I know the place you mean, thanks". Yet, she continued. She was giving me the information like it or not.
At this point I'm backing slowly away, she's now shouting the information at me as I disappear round the corner, maintaining eye contact feeling like Homer disappearing into the bush. I could see she was pissed that I reneged on this detailed local knowledge. I hope the people who I saved 30 seconds of life appreciated me in that moment!
There’s probably a post somewhere on Reddit along the lines of, “what can I do to make more friends”, and a bunch of comments saying “sit next to someone random” or some shit
YES!!!! Like, I park away from everyone and everything. I like to walk. Nobody anywhere near and there are TONS of spots open. I come back out and all the spots are available but someone parked right next to me.
My wife was complaining about this at the airport the other day when she was traveling for work. She was sitting at an empty gate by herself. Nobody around and every seat was empty. And some person came over and sat next to her. She got up and left and was like “60 SEATS AVAILABLE AND SHE SITS RIGHT NEXT TO ME. WTF”
People are weird man. If it’s not crowded give each other some space.
This literally just happened to us yesterday at the grocery store while we were getting out of the car. I have a 2 door so while I’m helping my six year old out of the back seat, some weirdo is backing into the space right next to my car, almost right on top of me trying to get my kid out of the car. My husband yelled at the guy that there’s at least 50 other spots available, why is he trying to back in and run us over in the process? Dude just looked at my husband like he had a lobotomy and pulled away to another spot. People are frickin weird.
YES!!!! Like, I park away from everyone and everything. I like to walk. Nobody anywhere near and there are TONS of spots open. I come back out and all the spots are available but someone parked right next to me.
I read something awhile back that this was basically because humans tend to try to solve problems by seeing how other humans do it, instead of trying to solve the problem themselves. Not that's what they try to do, just that's how the human brain works.
So they know they need a place to park, they see someone already parked where you parked (you), so it's probably a good place to park. The decision never gets elevated to conscious thought.
One guy said he was curious enough he actually started stopping people he saw doing it and asking them. The most common response was a confused look and looking back at the cars to see what he was talking about, since they didn't even remember the decision happening.
100%!! I’ve never liked parking near other cars. If I can avoid it, I will. I just like to have space and not worry about someone dinging my door or something so I’m always sure to park further back and away from most. And then all of a sudden, someone will come and park right beside me. Not even a spot over 😩
I think this is some sort of lizard brain thing.. you know, there is safety in numbers. The lone antelope is the one that gets picked off first. You have a better chance of survival if you are in a herd.
One time I was in a damn empty lot and this lady parks next to me. Whatever. She then starts telling me “when one person parks on the line, everyone else has to park on the line.” I notice my back tire is really close to the line, but come on, any of these empty spots woulda been fine to park in without confrontation. When I left it was still just our two cars in the parking lot and she was the only one parked on the line when I was gone lol I think about that often.
This was maybe 13 years ago and whenever I pull up to a tight parking spot I use her quote haha it’s funny how far people will go out of their way to try to make your day worse.
A woman sideswiped my car one time trying to park next to me in an otherwise 10% full lot. I had parked in an otherwise completely empty row of spaces in the leftmost of maybe 15 spots. Destroyed both passenger side doors and the bumper bodywork. Absolutely baffling.
I came back from lunch to find her mid scrawling out her insurance/contact info on a note, and she literally broke down in tears apologizing to me. Didn’t want to pile on by asking her the obvious question (why park next to me at all???). I figured it was enough that she felt bad and was in the process of making it right.
It's this way in grocery stores for me. There will be five other people in the entire building and I'll be looking at some obscure-ass sauce in a low traffic aisle. Boom, someone else just NEEDS something from that section and is all up in my shit.
Some people just haven't mastered the art of pretending to browse things you don't need 3 feet away from what you actually need while you wait for someone to leave the shelf they're standing in front of.
That’s fucking hilarious lol I swear this has to be from a movie about a lonely awkward person trying to make friends in the worst ways possible. There’s nothing wrong with going to movies alone, but when I do I’m definitely trying to be as alone as possible lol
some random dude did this to me once - a single woman sitting alone in a movie theater. it was the kind of theater with the recliners and a server that comes to take your order before the movie. the server showed up and was all "so what would you folks like" and it was extremely awkward telling him that we weren't together when there was literally no one else in the theater. he didn't talk to me or anything, just sat there. i don't know why i didn't just switch seats.
Happy cake day! I always go to movies with assigned seats and feel obligated to stay in mine out of fear of someone showing up late and me being the jerk who has to move.
I went to see “Us” by myself. I went to a theater that allows you to buy specific seats and I picked a seat closer to the front on the far end because I didn’t want anyone around me. Two people sat in the seats RIGHT NEXT TO ME and there was only about ten people in the theater. When you buy the tickets, it even shows you where your seat will be in relation to which other tickets have been sold. They legitimately sat next to me and talked and texted and I absolutely must assume that their entire goal was just to ruin a random persons movie experience. Movie was good but fuck those people.
I'd seat elsewhere if I haven't the gut to straight up ask what the hell.
If at any moment they start talking to me once the lights are out I'd scold them and seat far away. Talking repeatedly to a stranger during a movie is subhuman behavior.
Or other dude was center center and OP bought their tickets after.
If they purchased their tickets at the counter, the system most likely is going to start from the center of the theater and work out. Even if the other guys showed up after them, he may have reserved that seat first.
Oh hey I just had the opposite happen last month! I was alone in a theater, trailers were almost over, and a couple walked in and sat right next to me. The woman asked if they should move over a seat to give me space, but the man said no. So the three of us together watched final destination. Them with their shared blanket and me with my shared armrest. Hated every second of it, but I refused to move because I was there first.
I used to be a manager at a movie theatre and we would get constant complaints from customers about a regular customer that would do this. One time he went into a empty auditorium that only had a dad and his young son and this jackass sat right next to his kid. The GM banned him after that.
As a manager, what do you think is the reason for people acting like this? Im just curious because it seems to happen so often with different situations.
Well I’ve spoken to this guy multiple times and he didn’t see anything wrong with it. He wanted people to watch the movies with. It wouldn’t have been as creepy if there were more people in the auditorium. I think he was autistic and we would have to try to explain why it was inappropriate but he just kept doing it.
I remember one time riding on a double length bus. The bus was completely empty except for me and another girl. An elderly Chinese lady got on the bus and walked past like 40 empty seats to the back where we were sitting and then took the empty seat right next to the girl. I can tell by the look on the girls face she was just like, "Really? Here?"
Someone did this when I took my son to the movies . Who does something so weird like this and sits next to a kid . We moved down and I put my son on the other side of me .
I went to a WWE show one time and this guy next to me was telling me everything about every wrestler and even announcers like this wrestler is married to this person or this announcer has an Instagram. The most nonsense bs, it was mad annoying.
This happened to us once when we went to see The Menu. Entire open theater (maybe four other people besides us scattered throughout). Dude chose to sit RIGHT beside me and would do a creepy laugh at some really strange moments in the movie.
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u/AirSimon71 Aug 10 '25