Obligatory Monty Python sketch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrqW_BZu5Xk
They used to have intermissions!
this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2026
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They did? Bring them back.
They did, but it was mostly to boost snack sales (the long-time moneymaker of theaters).
Let’s all go to the lobby, let’s all go to the lobby, let’s all go to the lobby to get ourselves a treat!
DON'T TALK! WATCH!
DON'T TALK! WATCH!
YOU CAME HERE, WATCH IT!
DON'T LIKE IT? WALK OUT!!
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The little boy takes a bite out of a chocolate bar and it stretches like a piece of taffy.
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It was great. You could even get little pots of ice cream during them.
I died a little inside reading thos comment. I'm so old.
I remember when I was a wee lad, we went to see Titanic, and the movie was so long they showed it in two parts!
First time I saw it was during Titanic!
But then it kind of faded away
Musical theatre and opera still do!
And non-musical live theatre too!
I went to an opera a couple of days ago and was very pleasantly surprised about the extended breaks. It actually makes it so much more of an event, not to mention that nobody was rushing to the bathroom because the breaks were like 30 minutes each (between each act they redo the decor on the set). It also gave you plenty of time to grab a bite to eat and a drink.
Wonder if the studios said they can't have them anymore. Would be cool if a theater brought them back. Probably have tons of people just leave when the movie is bad.
I have to assume it's studios -- movie theaters make most of their money selling concessions, and intermissions are great for that.
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They still do, at least where i live (western europe). Source: went to the cinema last sunday
In my country (also Western Europe), we only get them if a film passes the three hour mark. We saw the extended versions of the LOTR trilogy a few months back and they were a lifesaver for a quick bathroom break!
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The Brutalist had a 20 min intermission. It was very welcome. Theaters should totally encourage it, the line for concessions during intermission was crazy.
You guys don't have intermissions?
No and some movies are 3 plus hours. The last one I saw with an intermission was the brutalist and it helped me enjoy the movie a lot more.
I know Scorsese said he didn't like them or something but I didn't go see killers of the flower moon in theaters because no intermission on a 4 hour movie is not my jam.
I think he has a point actually.
A lot of times the break is inserted in a random moment, regardless if that falls in the middle of a scene. And also if you take too long you'll definitely miss a bit of the movie.
Film makers could fix this by finding break po8jts. Even using them for suspense.
Yeah, but then every movie would have a cliffhanger in the middle, or even just a clean cut into two halves that would limit a director's artistic freedom.
Plus I bet cinemas have to break movies differently based on what else is playing so the bathrooms and concessions stands don't get overwhelmed by more than one screening going there at once.
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The app that tells you the best time to run and pee during a movie without missing the best scenes.
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RunPee is a website to tell you when its safe to leave the movie to pee.
Movies in India actually do have midway break times included, though.
I would like to hear about a 3+ hour movie that spends the first two hours in the desert or savanna and then the last hour somewhere with a lot of waterfalls and running water with jump scares.
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At the very least they should be piping the soundtrack into the bathroom.
They don't usually have one bathroom (for each gender, if that's still a requirement) per screen.
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Last 3+ hour long movie I saw was Killers of the Flower Moon.
It was good but if a film ever needed an intermission, that one sure did.
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We had this when I was a kid, the movie reel would run out , bathroom break and snack break while projectionist loaded the next half of the film
I saw Kenneth Branagh's 1996 Hamlet in the theater. It's just over four hours long and you better believe they had an intermission.
Main barrier is i don't think the failing movie theater system will pay out for these renovations but maybe they can be convinced with studies showing this pause will lead to massive increase in purchases during it.
Could use devices instead of adding buttons to each seat. Argh dammit, a reason for them to demand customers install a fucking phone app.
Not that I go to theatres these days anyways, so I guess it doesn't really matter.
Just have a QR code on the ticket that you can scan, opens up a website, and you are good to go. One time use, cannot reuse since bound to a ticket, and expires automatically when movie ends.
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I had a buddy with a particular beef with one of the Hollywood studios. I can't remember which, but he swore that there'd be some huge water scene 3/4 of the way through when everyone was about to burst.
It was always great when he was right.
Kids be messing with the buttons
like an intermission? they solved this problem quite a few years ago
Can you imagine the line-ups there would be, if the movie paused to let the majority of viewers all head to the bathroom at once?
I recall seeing Dances with Wolves in the movie theater and that was the last US major release i can recall that had a built in intermission
Arrr, we've done solved this problem already matey!
One of the many reasons I haven't gone to a theater in over ten years.
They have just one advantage over my living room, and that is they get the movie first.
In my living room, no one is talking, no one is looking at their phone, no one is kicking my chair, which is more comfortable than movie theater chairs. My snacks are better, the sound isn't too loud or too soft, I can pause the movie, I can "switch theaters" if I don't like the movie, and watch something else, there's no line at the restroom.
I don't have a 100" TV, but I could. And, if that was important to me I would, before I'd go back to watching movies in a theater.
I'll wait, thanks.
Just bring a blanket and a hospital urinal.
We have those!
Hateful Eight had an intermission; 2 hours 55 minutes.
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