What was the first movie you ever seen in a theater?

RCMerchant · August 27, 2024, 01:51:25 PM

The first time I went to see a movie was with my Aunt Carol and my brother Mike.
PLANET OF THE APES (1968). I was 6. It was somewhere near Wappinger Falls, NY.

Rev. Powell · August 27, 2024, 01:55:21 PM

I was too young to remember. It was probably the 70s re-release of BAMBI. My parents told me I was traumatized.

I remember seeing MURDER BY DEATH (1976) in a theater, not sure if it was my first or not.

First movie I remember seeing at the drive-in was YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.

LilCerberus · August 27, 2024, 02:03:29 PM

Quote from: Rev. Powell on August 27, 2024, 01:55:21 PMI was too young to remember. It was probably the 70s re-release of BAMBI. My parents told me I was traumatized.

Same here, except I don't really remember much of it....

Trevor · August 27, 2024, 03:12:29 PM

Murder on The Orient Express.

I was 7.

It made a huge impression on me.

I will always be grateful to my parents for taking me there 😊😊🐢

RCMerchant · August 27, 2024, 04:00:04 PM

Quote from: Rev. Powell on August 27, 2024, 01:55:21 PMFirst movie I remember seeing at the drive-in was YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.

I seen it at the Strand in Paw Paw! (not a drive-in, though.)
The first movie is saw at a drive-in was 2001: A SPACE ODESSY in 1968 or'69.

pacman000 · August 27, 2024, 07:08:05 PM

Probably "The Lion King."

M.10rda · August 27, 2024, 08:54:01 PM

Wow, the BAMBI re-release got a lot of us! It feels like that was my first theatrical visit, or the earliest I remember - but it was re-released wide to theaters in '75 and '82, which is either too early for me or too late. (By '82 I was a hardcore preschool horror addict, lol.) Maybe one of the local arthouses did a limited engagement of it in '79 or '80 - which seems like the right time frame for me to be entirely too young to see it and yet I saw it and had to be taken out in tears. I have the same recollection (oddly) about THE ARISTOCATS... which was re-released theatrically nationwide in December 1980.

Prior to ARISTOCATS, I clearly remember seeing EMPIRE in the summer of 1980 at the drive-in... possibly the same one that I still visit near my house, though there were several around here back then. I recall parts of it clearly, and I recall the football highlights that they played before and after EMPIRE (though they didn't interest me). The second feature was KRAMER VS. KRAMER, still hanging around after its Oscar victories. I think I fell asleep by the end of the opening credits and I've still never seen it.

Alex · August 28, 2024, 02:25:34 AM

Going by the release dates of the films I can remember seeing back then, I'd have to take a guess that Watership Down was the first one I saw in the theatre.

zombie no.one · August 28, 2024, 05:16:48 AM

101 DALMATIONS, for my 6th birthday... must've been some kind of random showing / re-release thing?

I vividly remember having a packet of cola flavour sweets I was eating during the film, and thinking how weird they tasted. When I got out I realised each one had been individually wrapped, and I'd been eating them with the paper wrappers on! It was too dark to see that in the cinema

Neville · August 28, 2024, 09:04:24 AM

My mum would take to the theatre now and then when I was really young. I remember distinctively watching "E.T.", "Superman III", "The Purple Color" and "Firewalker". Of all these, "E.T." has to be the oldest one, and I should have been like 5 years old.

The first film I went to watch on my own was "Batman" in 1989, being 12.

Rev. Powell · August 28, 2024, 09:13:55 AM

Quote from: Alex on August 28, 2024, 02:25:34 AMGoing by the release dates of the films I can remember seeing back then, I'd have to take a guess that Watership Down was the first one I saw in the theatre.

And I thought BAMBI was traumatic for a youngster... WATERSHIP DOWN ain't for kids. "Look, Alex, another cute little bunny-wunny got mutilated!"

Alex · August 28, 2024, 09:21:15 AM

Quote from: Rev. Powell on August 28, 2024, 09:13:55 AM
Quote from: Alex on August 28, 2024, 02:25:34 AMGoing by the release dates of the films I can remember seeing back then, I'd have to take a guess that Watership Down was the first one I saw in the theatre.

And I thought BAMBI was traumatic for a youngster... WATERSHIP DOWN ain't for kids. "Look, Alex, another cute little bunny-wunny got mutilated!"

Honestly at that age it was just another cartoon to me.

RCMerchant · August 28, 2024, 09:25:59 AM

The first movie I seen at the theater (without my parents or an adult- they dropped me and my brother Mike off) was WILLARD (1971). The one about a guy and his killer rats. I was 9.

zombie no.one · August 28, 2024, 09:39:28 AM

Quote from: RCMerchant on August 28, 2024, 09:25:59 AMThe first movie I seen at the theater (without my parents or an adult- they dropped me and my brother Mike off) was WILLARD (1971). The one about a guy and his killer rats. I was 9.

I only saw that for the first time last year...

FatFreddysCat · August 29, 2024, 11:06:26 AM

I'm pretty sure it was one of the "Herbie, The Love Bug" movies, but I have no idea which one.