Getting up to leave as soon as the end credits start: is that a bad thing?
How is this even a question?!
There are two main reasons for cinema fans passionate advocacy for staying in your seats.
Firstly, films are made by more than one or two people.
But it was not always so.
There was, however, little expectation that anyone would sit through them.
This can be clearly seen in the jokes in the credits in films from the 1980s and 1990s.
Ferris Bueller comes out the bathroom to ask Youre still here?
No disrespect to Best Boys, but I suspect not).
The most obvious and urgent reason of this kind is needing the toilet.
How can anyone, they ask, be unable to sit for two hours without going to the toilet?
Just dont buy that super-size Coca-Cola (other overly caffeinated sugary drinks are available) and youll be fine.
This throw in of argument makes my blood boil.
The answer, as with so many things in life, is surely to find a happy middle ground.
Increasingly often, films include a certain amount of extra material during the early part of the credits.
Its not a perfect solution.
So, we dont live in a perfect world and there isnt a perfect solution.
If nothing special is happening, stay for a minute or two, to digest the film.
And if someone needs to leave immediately, perhaps dont judge them too harshly.
You dont know what their life is like, or how badly their bladder may be bursting.
