Why did we stop doing this? Going to the movies used to include an intermission, a nice short break midway-ish thought the movie.
It gives everyone a chance to stretch, go to the bathroom, and get extra snacks (making more money for the theater in the process).
The theater still has an intermission so why did we do away with it at movie theaters?
I can’t believe this isnt a popular opinion but it just not be as evidenced by the fact that we don’t do it.
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When and where has this ever happened during movies?
I think most movies just aren’t constructed that way anymore, either in terms of overall length or in how the story is structured.
Back in the days of Cleopatra or Lawrence of Arabia, you had very long films which had a very distinct first and second half, so an intermission makes perfect sense.
You don’t get a lot of 3+ hour movies anymore, and when we do they’re generally not split up like that in a narrative sense either, so an intermission would be disruptive rather than complementary.
I’d love for this to come back too. I usually finish my soda about half-way through, and would love to be able to get a refill without needing to miss part of the movie.
I was at the movies just last week and thought the same thing. I would have liked an intermission
Any movie over two hours long should have an intermission. Way too many movies getting close to or surpassing the 3 hour mark in recent years to sit there without at least a stretch at some point.
I’m 44, and I don’t recall a movie ever having an intermission.
I’ve seen at least 50 movies in theaters over my lifetime. Not once has an intermission ever happened.
I remember going to Oppenheimer and there was no break! You want us to sit through 3 hours without a bathroom break? Without a break for your attention span? No opportunity to sell is more food and drinks even?
YES
They do it at drive-ins that have double features. I think studios did away with it because they have a lot of control over what times movies play.
The Brutalist had one, which I’m very grateful for
I don’t think I’ve sat through an entire movie at the cinema without having to go pee. Especially when I’ve got a drink which I smash through in the first half hour lol. I definitely like the idea of a 5-10 min break somewhere in the middle of the movie. I hate missing a section of the movie, even if it’s only a few mins.
How short is your attention span that you need a break after 1-1.5 hours?
Intermissions started in the plays to allow set changes, costume changes and to give the performers a break.
They still have them, but only for long movies.
He’s saying what we’re all thinking!
As someone who sat through the entirety of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in a VERY uncomfortable seat and way too much Dr Pepper, I absolutely positively one hundred percent agree with this sentiment!
Been saying this a while too. This could possibly save movie theaters. Give people a break to grab another drink or a smoke. Then make movies a touch longer too
Gods and Generals is the last movie I went to with an intermission that was 2003.
breaks the pacing of the movie, and movies are not designed with an intermission in mind.
Maybe for any movie longer than 2 hrs
I’ve been going to the movies in movie theaters since the late ’60s. I only ever recall there being an intermission a few times, and that was with movies that were constructed specifically that way, for instance, the Ten Commandments, Lawrence of Arabia, etc. Movies are constructed much more differently, nowadays, so it just wouldn’t catch on. You also have to remember that the movies that you’re talking about followed at the tail end of the great Hollywood system, in which movies were promoted in movie theaters as one of only several things to be watching; you go to the cinema, and there would be a newsreel, a couple of cartoons, a few shorts, and then the feature presentation, so intermissions were more common because there were lots of breaks spaced out. But, as with all things capitalist, the system changed, desires changed, and methodologies changed.
I think what will start to catch on more and more, will be these full service movie theaters, where you purchase a ticket to a specific seat, and then you order from food runners, so you never have to leave your seat to get something to eat…
I was thinking similar just last night at the movies watching Final Destination.
Granted it was only 1 hour 50 minutes, I felt exhausted from it midway through and just wanted it to be over.
I’m sure they’ve done the numbers and squeezing in one more show a day sells more concessions than adding an intermission would.
I’d also venture to guess it cuts down on free refills too.
Time = money and intermissions take up time
The brutality had an intermission that was tasteful and fit neatly into the movie. Changed my opinion to wholeheartedly agree.
How old ARE you? Intermissions were rarely a thing when I was a kid and I’m 40. I can think of one movies that ever had intermissions when I was a kid. One was Schindler’s list.
I remember watching ‘Its a Mad, Mad, Mad World” from 1963 and I was floored as kid that movie could have an intermission. I think the reason it’s gone is that the movies are completely not special in 2025. Honestly, going to the movies feels like a chore these days, and it isn’t fun or exciting, thanks to streaming apps that just feed our desperate American need for instant gratification.
The Brutalist had one! It really caught me off guard in a good way. Killers of the Flower Moon is about the same length and nada.
Even for film buffs it’s a big ask to eat popcorn and drink soda and not pee for 3.5 hours.
I like this idea but I feel like modern directors and screenwriters would not be so keen. Movies nowadays are about sheer immersion, and taking a break mid-way is hard to recapture attention.
I don’t know if it would work now, they wouldn’t be able to put as many showings on because they would have to accommodate for the intermissions. Also I don’t think movies are structured that way anymore to accommodate this.
They should establish a wait service at all movie theaters, and still give the option to go to the stand if you want to avoid paying add. Tips.
I’d happily pay a tip to get more snacks delivered to my seat and not miss the movie but also have the option to go to the stand if I wanted to instead
Just watched latest mission impossible today and it had an intermission.
I think theaters should include SOME showings with an intermission. Not all, but some should have an intermission clearly marked when buying a ticket online or in person.
That way if you don’t want it interrupted, you can just see a different showing. (Or maybe they alternate various days that have intermissions weekly) so every day would have maybe 1 showing of every movie with an intermission, but every week the time for the intermission version changes so everyone who wants an intermission gets a chance to see it.
Like week one of every month the intermission showings are at 1pm, week 2 4pm, week 3 7pm, and week 4 10pm. And repeat for the next month.
Idk.
I think it’s an American thing. It’s been a few years since I’ve lived in Europe but they do intermissions there. In Japan too.
I remember watching one of the fast and furious movies and it cut right into an intense scene. It was hilarious.
My wish is to have new movies go straight to streaming bc it’s so nice to pause a movie at home.
They only ever did them in the first place because long movies required an attendant at the theatre to switch film reels partway through the movie. Now that movies are filmed digitally, this isn’t necessary anymore
Eliminating intermissions allows for more showings of the movie, actually making MORE money for the theaters.
Look forward to when there is no theater, everyone just streams it day of release
No crying babies, no cell phones going off. Pause when want to. Eat/drink whatever
Indian movies has intermission. Good indian movies have great cliffhangers just before intermission. Time for a loo break or decide whether we should continue watching the movie
Only for movies over 3h
When was this? Are you 90?
I can’t think of a worse idea than shoehorning an unnecessary 10-15 break for films that were absolutely not made with that in mind all because a few are “long”.
Failing this, my film student buddy gave me the best advice about when to pee. Wait for something super important to happen, then pee, script writers apparently know to not put two important events right next to each other.
Movies are getting longer and longer, how much time do you to spend in the theater ?
I can’t imagine watching dune 2 and then boom everybody takes a 15 min break…and you have people coming back late again and eating again…
Just no.
I need a pee break.
Someone should make a website telling people when it’s a good time to take a break. For example, I just saw Mission Impossible 8. I took a bathroom break in the middle of him exploring an abandoned submarine. By the time I got back, he was still exploring said submarine. I didn’t miss a damned thing.
The site shouldn’t reveal major plot spoilers, but should say which scene you should leave, and what you’d potentially be missing out on.
No.
Intermissions work against the economics of movie theatres. There’s a reason why most films clock in at less than three hours, with even fewer of them reaching four. Any longer, and it because difficult for theatres to rotationally screen three times a day. Bear in mind the extra time it takes to shuffle audience members in and out of theatres and clean up after them before playing the movie again. Intermissions would add an additional burden on a business model operating on already tight time constraints. Fewer screenings mean less profit.
Like, I agree that intermissions would obviously be beneficial for audiences for the reasons you’ve listed, OP. The thing is, those don’t matter as much to theatres as a business as making sure they can screen films as many times as possible each and every day. The reason cinemas don’t like to give them anymore is due to financial, not practical considerations. Any discussion about intermissions would have to contend with that.
I’d rather not have an intermission but I’m also someone who works through lunch so I can leave work earlier. I don’t want to wait for things and unless it’s several hours I don’t want to wait for people with smaller bladders/more thirst.
I wouldn’t think my opinion is shared widely though. I’m an impatient person.
Just wait until the guy talks to the girl, that’s when you pee. Nothing important will happen for at least 5 minutes.
It’s still a thing in a lot of countries. One of the reasons why I rarely go to theaters in the US.
I can’t believe you can’t get enough snacks before the movie starts.
If a movie is over 2 hours long then I’d like a break in the middle. Especially if they’re bringing me beers every 30 minutes.
The introvert in me honestly prefers going to the bathroom/for another refreshment at a random time in the movie, and even if there were an intermission I would deliberately time my trip to avoid it so I wouldn’t have to deal with lines.
The Brtutalist did this last year and it was great
I like this idea!! It makes so much sense. (Or make movies shorter. I miss when you could be done with a movie in under 2 hours. Most movies these days come closer to the 3 hour mark).
No.
The foreign films I see have intermissions. Saw Mission impossible today and no intermission. Seated for 3 hours so I had to run out in the last 30 min after having that large pepsi 😭
Honestly, there needs to be more times in life where somebody stops you and says “go take a shit and grab a pretzel”
Because movies today are much more engaging and story-driven. People don’t want to be ripped out of the movie and have their immersion shattered just because you can’t hold your piss for 2 hours.
My favorite cinema chain (Vue) always has a break! I prefer if for every movie too. I always take a moment to take a bathroom break, stretch my legs and often get a drink or snack.
For the specific break moment in the movie they often pick a moment just after a big scene, where the movie often turns into a lower gear for a bit. If’s really not that hard.
When was this? Because I’m in my 40’s and intermission at the movie theater has never been a thing.
No. Piss off with this.
I was so happy when I found out a local movie theatre still had intermission in all movies. It made me want to go see a movie instead of waiting for it to be available at home. I can’t sit still long enough to sit through an entire movie. Dune was long enough even the break only came just in time. Stretch your legs, go to the bathroom,get a new popcorn. Having a break is perfect.
Most big (chain) theaters however stopped with them in the past 20 years so I just stopped going to the movies.
They do this in Germany and it’s fantastic. Also they serve beer in the cinemas so it’s a great chance to pee and then buy more beer.
Yay 100%. Also bring back supporting films, felt more like a night out years ago.
You do not need an intermission for anything less than 3 hours long, just go do what you need to during the movie, a piss break isn’t gonna ruin your experience
I was in Iceland recently, they still do intermissions. I didn’t know this going in to see Thunderbolts, it took me right out of the movie. Completely ruined the flow of the movie for me.
Could just be me though.