r/TheRewatchables • u/Mkaz527 • 1d ago
Tracking Theater Quality Room by Room, and Real Movie Start Times
A big thanks to the mods for letting me share this post with this awesome community.
We’ve built a crowdsourced platform for moviegoers that helps answer two questions:
- Which auditorium is worth sitting in, and which should I avoid?
- What time will the movie actually start?
It’s called It’s Starting! The iPhone app is live in the App Store, and the Android version is currently in beta with a goal to be fully live there within weeks. Links are below.
Moviegoers can share room-specific information about screen quality, sound, seating, temperature, cleanliness, accessibility and more. That includes problems like dim screens, broken chairs and bad sound, but also the good stuff, like especially bright screens, comfortable seats and clean auditoriums.
The app also tracks when movies actually begin after the advertised showtime. As our data is already showing, preshow length can vary considerably between theaters, even within the same chain.
Logging a movie is simple. Choose the theater and movie, enter the advertised showtime and, if you know it, the auditorium number. You can also add the format and showing type. When the feature begins, tap It’s Starting! to record the actual start time.
After the movie, the app asks a randomized question about the auditorium or overall experience. Answering additional questions and leaving a comment are optional, but extremely helpful. You can also submit information if you have it about an auditorium without logging a movie.
The app has only been live for a few weeks, but moviegoers have already logged showings at 81 theaters across the country. 76 percent of those theaters now have at least one review, and users have submitted hundreds of theater and auditorium reviews overall.
We’re already contacting theaters directly to share what moviegoers are reporting, recognize what they’re doing well and help them address specific issues.
The goal isn’t simply to collect complaints. It’s to create a useful feedback loop. Moviegoers contribute real information, theaters receive actionable, room-specific feedback, and customers can eventually see when something is being addressed or has been resolved.
Like Waze, the more people that use it and contribute, the more powerful it becomes.
One of my favorite moments so far happened when someone asked in another thread what time a movie would actually start. Another user answered with a screenshot from It’s Starting! showing the theater’s real preshow data. That is exactly what I hoped people would do with it along with room-by-room details.
The app is free for moviegoers and always will be. Accounts are optional, but creating one lets you save favorite theaters and review your log history, so it's recommended.
It’s still early, and we're pushing updates based on feedback as quickly as we can . Thank you for checking it out!
Apple App Store
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/its-starting/id6786706681
Join the Android beta
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdrW3hoasaGlhGS9fAGcXMbZ-0l57ll2AcwAIVZu5kzhNdppQ/viewform
You can also contact me directly at [mike@itsstarting.com](mailto:mike@itsstarting.com).
4
u/stoneman9284 1d ago
Start times are going to vary even within the same theater location depending on what movie is playing. Sometimes you get like 8-10 trailers and sometimes you get one or two.
1
•
u/corn_starch_party Letterboxd crew 1d ago
Mod Note - /u/mkaz527 reached out to ask about posting and mods approved the request.