I do that all the time because I actually enjoy watching movies alone. Nowadays, I'd prefer to rent DVDs because movie tickets are getting so expensive. I don't think it's weird, even if you don't have a significant half.
Thats the "best" way, if there is such a thing. Go preferably with company but if not, whatever. If you're making it a point to be all solo about it (which I'm prone to do), it can be too extreme. And same with the other way, can be too extreme if you ALWAYS need someone on your side. As far as what it looks like to other people, who cares. - - - - - Eating alone its nice to have an excuse for the aloneness. Just sitting around watching people while doing absolutely nothing feels and looks weird even for serial loners. Definitely bring something like a book to occupy attention. Unless I'm traveling or on lunch break I'm not into eating "out" alone. Eating to me's mostly a complimentary part to stuff like movie watching. I wont go to the theater to eat & a restaurant's not much different. The genre of movie definitely plays into it. Some unheard of independent film well received in the last Cannes festival is gonna probably be a one person outing. Comedies are better in groups. I watced American Pie by myself in the theater and it felt really awkward, the lamest movie experience ever. All the cool kids came out in droves for it but I was dateless and mildly depressed. Felt so transparent like everyone was reading into my life lol.
Until my youngest daughter was born last year, I went to the movies by myself during the day all the time. I, too, enjoyed getting to the see the flicks in a near-empty theater (there's always at least a few other people there). Now that the little one is home with me all day, I don't have the opportunity to go nearly as often (though I did get to go see Indiana Jones yesterday). The nicest part is getting to see something that I want to see. Generally, if my wife and I take the time and effort to go out, we either have to see something she really wants to see or compromise and see something that we both just kinda want to see. If I want to see something that she's not interested in, I have to either go alone or wait for DVD. I don't go to restaurants alone, but since my wife tends to pay more attention to the conversations going on at other tables, I might as well be alone.
I don't often go to the theater by myself, but when I travel, I do all the time. Since I work for myself, I'll occasionally take the afternoon to go see a movie to avoid a crowd. Never thought of it as odd, but I do alot of things by myself, so no biggie. I watch movies at home alone all the time.
I've been there and done that. As much as my wife and I share a host of interests, when it comes to movies, she simply doesn't like some flicks that I really enjoy. Ironically, I like seeing anything she does (maybe it's because of how I was raised... my father went to the movies easily 3 times a week and the rest of us went with him... drive-ins, the Majestic, the Met and the Lowes downtown in the old, beautiful Deco vaudeville houses... it was how he relaxed from an incredibly busy life). The same just isn't true in the reverse, so I go sometimes by myself, and not as much as I'd like. Having kids is just another huge movie complication, as those who have them know and those who don't will find out.
Same, can do both. I'll watch the Sleepless in Seattle, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and other shows like that with my wife, but no way in heck is she going with me to see No Country for Old Men, The Departed, The Blair Witch Project, and flicks like that. In those instances, I'll definitely go see them alone.
For some of us it's actually the only way to not feel isolated. The first Thanksgiving that I had my own car, I hightailed it out of Seabrook and watched a triple-feature at the Angelika.
I try not to go alone. Sometimes, I'll just be bored enough at home and can't rally any family or friends and will go alone. Most recently, out of sheer boredom, I went to see Our Idiot Brother at Alamo and 5 Fast 5 Furious at the Dollar Cinema on Westheimer and Synott. One thing I like about that Dollar place is that they put the butter on for you, and they fill the bag halfway first, butter, then fill the rest and butter the top. Looking back at my response when this thread was fresh, one thing that has changed is that both my sisters drive and have cars now, so I don't find myself in situations where they really need a ride somewhere that ends up with me being stuck with time to kill while I wait for them.
I'm not lucky enough to go to the movies by myself . The wife always wants to tag along. When a new movie comes out in the theater that I really want to watch, I usually wait a a couple weeks and go on weekday mornings to try to minimize the amount of people that are going to be there.
I did this before when I was going to meet up some friends, but their was a mix up and I ended up at the wrong theater..but I had already bought the ticket. The movie was about to start so I just stayed and ended up doing a double feature with another movie by myself. I've thought about doing it again a few times since then because all you're really doing is staring at a screen, not much time for socializing.
The only time I've watched a movie by myself was to see Episode I, the ****ty one with Jar Jar. I was in a new town and didn't know anybody. Today I probably won't. It's weird for me (I don't care if others do it) personally. Going to the movies these days is synonymous with a social event for me. As far as eating at a restaurant alone. Maybe I'll eat alone at a fast food joint or food court. I don't do restaurants alone often, especially not fancy ones.
Weird? Everyone says its not weird, but the fact that we are discussing this topic to 4+ pages long is obviously suggesting this is getting to some people. "IT IS NOT WEIRD!!! I WOULD DO IT ANYDAY!!! YOU GUYS ARE JUST BEING PARANOID ABOUT IT!!!" (its only just everytime i see a movie-goer alone i point and laugh at their faces)
I kind of want to do this once, like people have said you don't socialize during the film anyway, maybe one day when I am bored I'll just pay for a matinee and watch 3 movies throughout the day.
