A woman was left baffled when she headed to the cinema and claimed someone was sitting in her pre-booked seat - despite the cinema being practically empty.

If you're an avid cinema-goer, chances are you might have a favourite spot to sit. Whether it's at the back, somewhere near the front of the auditorium, or slap bang in the centre, in the middle of the row, it's best to book your seats beforehand to guarantee the best viewing spots.

One woman did exactly that when she keen to see a popular film last year. "I found one showing that had barely any tickets sold and my favourite seat open so I chose that showing," she claimed. But imagine turning up to the cinema, excited to see a highly anticipated release, only to discover someone was already sitting in your preferred place. Would you ask them to move?

One 25-year-old woman asked a family to move when she noticed a young man was sat in her seat, with his parents by his side. Taking to Reddit, the woman wrote: "When I arrive I get my snack and drink and head into the theatre where there were maybe a total of eight people.

"I start walking to my seat when I see a family of three (dad, son, mom) and I notice that the son is sitting in my seat. I respectfully tell them my seat number was the seat their son was sitting in. At first the dad seemed confused , then shifted to annoyance when I wouldn’t go away."

The woman went over to explain the situation, but she wasn't met with pleasantries, as the dad told her "the theatre is empty, you can go anywhere you want." She added: "After his comment, I admit I became super stubborn and told him I wanted that seat as I had paid for it.

"So, his son moves next to the dad. At this point there is a seat between mom and dad left open. I tell the mom, if you'd like to scoot over so you're altogether I would be okay with that. The dad interrupted me and said 'you want your seat, go sit in it' so I did."

Eventually, the film fanatic was able to sit in her seat - in between the family - despite the fact that the woman had said she was happy to switch places with the mother so they could all sit together. The disgruntled dad reportedly said: "You want your seat, go sit in it." "The entire movie I sat in between the dad and mom while the entire theatre was empty", the woman cringed.

But the drama and awkwardness didn't end there. The dad was apparently playing on his phone throughout the film, encouraging his son to talk loudly, and shoving his arm in her face to get popcorn from his wife - which the wife apologised to the woman for.

"All of that said, I still enjoyed the movie and wasn't going to let him ruin it for me", she said.

In the comments, some people wondered why she didn't just move and why she seemed to enjoy the drama that ensued. But many supported her decision, saying it definitely wasn't her who was in the wrong.

"Assigned seating in theatres is nothing new", one Redditor wrote. "You should have gone to the theatre manager and complained about him."

Another commented: "I would have called the manager from my seat and the whole thing would have ended with an usher moving the family to the seats they paid for. It's silly to go nuclear about little things.

"But, don't harass people who are just trying to be comfortable and get what they already paid for." One other individual wrote: "Most movie theaters have reserved seating now. So sit in your assigned seat and you won’t have any problems. And book early if you want a specific seat.

"The fact that the theater was mostly empty is irrelevant. It’s not that complicated!"

What would you have done in this situation? Let us know in the comments.

A version of this story was first publish on April 27, 2023.