Best Audience Reactions

[Jim H]

I saw Freddy VS Jason in a really packed theatre in a part of St. Louis that is predominantly black.  That was pretty awesome, especially the reactions to the "Got your nose!" gag. 

Not quite to a movie, but I remember being quite moved one time when I was at a daytime screening of some film where many people in the audience were elderly, and the trailer to Pearl Harbor got quite a reaction.  Very memorable.

Friend of mine likes telling about the guy who, after the trailer for the original Pirates of the Caribbean, yelled out "Rated Arrrrr!".  Everyone in the audience groaned.

[Trevor]

Friend of mine likes telling about the guy who, after the trailer for the original Pirates of the Caribbean, yelled out "Rated Arrrrr!".  Everyone in the audience groaned.

Karma for that one!

When I was eleven, The Wild Geese was playing in my hometown cinema of Gwelo, Rhodesia. Roger Moore had a line something like "Where to now?" Richard Burton's reply was: "Rhodesia." The whole audience cheered. 

[schmendrik]

Hard to believe, but once upon a time JAWS on the big screen actually was scary. In the scene where they are throwing bait off the back of the boat and suddenly the shark appears and leaps onto the back of the boat, the entire theater jumped and a few people literally fell off their seats.

It's weird that I just saw the Harry Potter movie and can't remember the scene people are describing. The mind is going, I guess.

We saw Spiderman 3 in the theaters, and there was a scene where Evil Peter knocked down MJ. Somebody up front shouted "Oh no, he didn't!" and somehow it was perfect. The whole theater erupted in laughter.

[AndyC]

One that stands out for me was seeing Star Trek 6 in the theatre. There was that moment when they forced the bird of prey to decloak and then blasted it to smithereens. The whole theatre erupted in a huge cheer. Funny thing was, we already knew something good was coming, because the people next door (where the movie started half an hour earlier) started cheering. This was before all the old downtown theatres disappeared where I grew up, when you could still find remnants of the first multiplexes, that were just sort of cobbled together from existing buildings. This one had two screens made by putting a paper-thin wall down the middle of one big theatre. It was interesting to hear both audiences having a virtually identical reaction to the movie.

Another one that was kind of interesting, in spite of being a chick flick, was when my girlfriend at the time convinced me to see Evita. When it got to the really sad part, the whole audience was silent, except for this faint, scattered symphony of sobs and sniffles and tissues being pulled from packages. Really, the only thing I remember about that movie was the audience reaction to Evita's death.

The same girl, when a bunch of us went to see The Relic, actually talked out loud to the characters. Can't remember the exact scene, but it was a really tense moment, one of those times you're sure something is going to pop out of somewhere. Suddenly, she blurts out "Don't open that door!" She realized what she'd done almost as she was doing it and clapped her hands over her mouth. It made a bunch of people jump, followed by laughter.

[Monster Jungle X-Ray]

I remember lots of audience cheering during the original Star Wars films and 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'.

Probably the best audience reaction I ever witnessed was in 'The Exorcist III'. There was a shock in there from out of nowhere that had the audience screaming and jumping for at least a full 2 minutes. My friend and I just looked at one another in disbelief after our own initial jumping, it was surreal.

[Mr. DS]

It's weird that I just saw the Harry Potter movie and can't remember the scene people are describing. The mind is going, I guess.

The part after Dumbledore and Harry retrieve the locket and the dead hand rises from the water to grab Harry's.  I'd say its one of the most perfectly timed scares in cinema history. 

[jimmybob]

I went to see Drag Me To Hell, and a guy puked up in the row front of me when an eyeball popped out of dessert. Everyone was like "Whoa, dude!"

A bit off topic; Am I the only one that thinks the TV Broadcast in the original Night of the Living dead is way too long? Seriously it's like 10 minutes.

-Jimmybob

[bladerunnerblues]

I do not think I ever witnessed an audience enjoy a film more than when I saw Fright Night at Blue Ridge West Cinema

When I saw Superman 3,some people applauded(including me)when Superman beat his "evil half"

When I saw The Untouchables,it was obvious that the audience really cared about the characters(the ones on Nesses side)because when Sean Connerys character died it was obvious some were not happy.When the little balding guy in glasses died,some guy in the audience said"Ah,c'mon man!"

[bladerunnerblues]

I don't know if it qualifies as a reaction,but when I saw Popeye,the theater was absolutely packed.I mean ALL of the seats were taken and some people were standing through the entire movie(in the very back).
I had not seen a theater that full before and have not since either.
It was also the only time that I went to the movies and the line of people waiting in line to buy a ticket stretched outside.

[Rev. Powell]

It's weird that I just saw the Harry Potter movie and can't remember the scene people are describing. The mind is going, I guess.

The part after Dumbledore and Harry retrieve the locket and the dead hand rises from the water to grab Harry's.  I'd say its one of the most perfectly timed scares in cinema history. 

I had the same experience as Schmendrick.  Don't remember the scene at all, or rather, I remember it but I don't remember having any particular reaction to it.  I think some of us may just be immune to jump scares.

My most memorable audience reaction story came from seeing BOYZ IN THE HOOD in a packed theater in downtown Milwaukee.  There were five white people there, myself included.  Some members of the audience were cheering and laughing at the scenes of gang violence, exactly the opposite of the reaction the director intended.     
 

[Ozzymandias]

Friend of mine likes telling about the guy who, after the trailer for the original Pirates of the Caribbean, yelled out "Rated Arrrrr!".  Everyone in the audience groaned.

Karma for that one!

When I was eleven, The Wild Geese was playing in my hometown cinema of Gwelo, Rhodesia. Roger Moore had a line something like "Where to now?" Richard Burton's reply was: "Rhodesia." The whole audience cheered. 

Ozzymandias speaks: My father had a similar experience when he was in the service in Tokyo. He went to see The Paleface. In one seen an indian shoots an arrow at Bob Hope. He picks up the arrow, looks at it and says (something like) "Oh great! This is Made in Japan." He said the audience cheered and clapped, even though it was supposed to be a slam.

I took several film classes at MSU (back when it was SMSU) in the late 80's. We watched Caberet in one of the larger classes. There is a scene where Liza Minellie keeps telling Micheal York about a guy named Max. She won't shut up about what all this guy can do. Finally Michael York says "Oh screw Max!" Liza says "I do." The class let out this groan of disappoinment toward Liza's character. Michael York looks mad for amoment then smiles and says "AND I DO TOO." The class lets out his "UGH!" in disgust and shock. It was like they felt sorry for him until they found out he was bi. Remember this was Missouri in the late 80's. MSU students are more PC now.

Ozzymandias has spoken!!!

[AndyC]

Friend of mine likes telling about the guy who, after the trailer for the original Pirates of the Caribbean, yelled out "Rated Arrrrr!".  Everyone in the audience groaned.

One that I heard second-hand was a guy seeing Star Trek 6 for at least the second time. In that brief moment of silence between the opening credits and the explosion of the Klingon moon, this guy, doing his best Marvin the Martian, yells out "Where's the kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!"

[RCMerchant]

Me and my freind Nick,his sister Daphane,and her freind Tina went to see the SHINING way back when. Tina was pretty much in hystercs throughout the film-but the best part of the whole night came when Jack planted an axe in Mr.Halloren-Tina jumped out of her seat and ran screaming down the aisle into the lobby. She didn't come back-she sat in the lobby the rest of the film!  THAT'S Entertainment!

[WingedSerpent]

Sin City

The early scene where Bruce Willis's character shot some guy in the D@#K.  One audience member cried out "OH S#$T!" Quite loudly and several times after that as well.

[bladerunnerblues]

When I went to see Monty Pythons Meaning of Life,during the scene where John Cleeses character,along with his wife are going to demonstrate sexual intercourse to the students,my mom got up and left.
She went to one of the theaters and watched Tootsie.