What was the first movie you watched?
Posted by Gold-Shopping-4137@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 232 comments
What was the first movie you remember watching as a kid? Either on the big screen or TV?
Lopsided_Tomatillo27@reddit
Star Wars
It was a confusing memory for me until recently. I remember being 5 when I saw it. But doing the math, I was 4 in May of ‘77. But I know I saw it in the theater. I learned recently that Star Wars was re-released right before Christmas and I had turned 5 by then.
Honest-Mouse-7953@reddit
Cinderella on Sunday night Disney.
classicsat@reddit
In the theater, one of the Herbies. They never really put movies on TV until the 80s. And then there was hove video rental.
Odd_Program_6383@reddit
Ben Hur (1959)
Apprehensive_Wash914@reddit
Herbie the Love Bug
TieStreet4235@reddit
Battle of the Bulge in Cinemascope in 1965. At least thats the first I remember
4jules4je7@reddit
I don’t remember which one was the first one, I remember there was a church near my parents house that would occasionally have movie nights and we could pay $.50 or something and they’d give us a mom-made popcorn and they’d show Disney films. A lot of them are old like The Parent Trap or Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
But I’ll never forget the first theater experience of going to Star Wars.
citrusfruityum@reddit
Star Wars.
Casual_Observance@reddit
I was 11 when my parents took me to see it opening weekend
Breadcrumbsofparis@reddit
I was seventeen ish when it came out, saw it opening day a the theater,
042AF@reddit
Same. In a discount theatre easily 6 months after it premiered. I remember a Darth Vader cosplay person out front. My dad was so excited and I didn’t understand why but I do remember liking it. Relatedly, when RotJ was released, my grandparents took us and it was the last movie my grandfather saw in a theatre. Threads through our lives.
Jmazoso@reddit
Saw it in the theater.
mommagawn123@reddit
Same. I was 5 lol
RevolutionaryWeek573@reddit
I was 6 when I saw it in the theater. When my kids were born (1998 and 2001), I hooked up a VHS machine to the hospital room television and watched it with them when they were a day old.
mommagawn123@reddit
That's amazing!
Zealousideal_Draw_94@reddit
Yes, Star Wars is the first movie I remember seeing in a theater. The only other movie that I might have seen first was Watership Down.
DeaddyRuxpin@reddit
Same. My brother and I sat on the roof of my father’s Ford LTD station wagon at a drive in listening to the audio on a hand held transistor radio.
Casual_Observance@reddit
First one i remember is the original Herbie The Love Bug in theater.
Frequent-Language-20@reddit
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Shoeless_Jase@reddit
The Cat from Outer Space
PsychologicalBat1425@reddit
Bambi and it made me cry.
Breadcrumbsofparis@reddit
Pinocchio at the drive in
m4ckl@reddit
The Wizard of Oz 1974 in the movie theater
Timely_Loan_7423@reddit
The Shaggy Dog. With Fred McMurry
Illustrious-Lead-960@reddit
I don’t remember the first viewing but I’ve been told it was “The Three Amigos”.
ThoughtPhysical7457@reddit
The first movie I remember seeing in theaters was the Transformers cartoon movie
rydray1@reddit
Alien. It scared me so bad that I couldn’t watch it again until I was a teenager 1984 (born in 1970).
nb6635@reddit
Lost Horizon (1973) in a theater, I was 5.
alessaria@reddit
Benji.
Sergeant_Crunch@reddit
I don't knowbif it was the first I watched, but the first I remember is E.T.
Aurochbull@reddit
Late X'er here. First movie I recall seeing at home was E.T. First theater experience was Return of the Jedi.
MotherOf4Jedi1Sith@reddit
The first movie I remember was Jaws. I was 5.
Phobos1982@reddit
First move I remember seeing was Grease at a drive-in. I’m sure I saw other movies before that, but that’s the one I remember.
mrsprkle6@reddit
Blazing Saddles, I couldn’t have been older than 3 or 4. It explains a LOT about my personality
OperaBunny@reddit
Star Wars. Remember how dark it was in the theater, and going out of the cinema, still daylight. Parents bought us kids, the light sabers afterwards. Think they liked the movie more than I did.
exhaustedexcess@reddit
Jaws. At the beach.
Gold-Shopping-4137@reddit (OP)
Respect!
exhaustedexcess@reddit
My dad took me. I was 5 and honestly havnt had a single desire to go to a beach since lol
therelybare5@reddit
It had to be a Disney movie like Bambi or Old Yeller.
ExtremeWild5878@reddit
Freddy Krueger A Nightmare on Elm Street and I saw it in a theater shortly after release.
pukekolegs@reddit
Benji
FBS351@reddit
I think it was Bedknobs and Broomsticks, 1971, I was 5. I remember laughing at the soccer match.
It might have been Mary Poppins, on re-release, but I can't find when that was. All I remember of that is crying when she leaves at the end.
MaiBoo18@reddit
Ladyhawke
imscruffythejanitor@reddit
Lady and the Tramp. The scene with the rat is still with me. Saw it in a theater when it was pouring down rain
GarionOrb@reddit
My grandparents took me to see Superman 2 in the theaters. That was my first movie, and E.T. was my second.
Quirky_Commission_56@reddit
The first movie I remember seeing in a theater was the re-release of Song of the South in 1980, when I was five. I hated it and bawled my eyes out the entire time.
Effective_Pear4760@reddit
I think I saw it on that release too. I was twelve but cried so much my grandmother and I left. It was the pasture scene that freaked me out, strangely.
killslikeaninja@reddit
Charlotte's Web 1973, I was 2ish years old. My mom said I cried at the end.
Effective_Pear4760@reddit
One of our teachers would tell us the plots of horror movies. That was mid-70s. For a long time I knew the plots of most Alfred Hitchcock movies but hadn't seen any. I did see High Anxiety though so that filled in some gaps. Trilogy of Terror was one she told us I think.
My mom saw Jaws on a date. She was traumatized when she got home (she's always been more squeamish than me.)
medusamagpie@reddit
The first one I remember was Bambi
Strong_Mulberry789@reddit
Broke me.
truejabber@reddit
My sister made fun of me for crying at the end. I was 6.
medusamagpie@reddit
I cried so hard and then begged my mom to see it again and she turned around and got in a fender bender and I remember bumping my head on the glovebox.
marshallkrich@reddit
I remember being 4 and being with my mom and older brother seeing Empire Strikes Back.
medusamagpie@reddit
I saw that one too!
Decent-Structure-128@reddit
On the big screen: Raggety Ann (The Camel with the Wrinkled Knees)
I probably saw other movies on TV, but that was pre-cable in my house where we had a black and white TV still.
Effective_Pear4760@reddit
I think our elementary school went to that one. When we heard we were going to a movie we were hoping for Close Encounters. But no. I get it though... we were the oldest cohort in the school, and there were little kids who would be terrified by CE.
Strong_Mulberry789@reddit
Bambi rerelease...messed me up for life, I was taken out of the theatre hysterically crying. 6 years old.
Effective_Pear4760@reddit
Probably the Red Balloon or Yellow Submarine. I remember the first few non-G movies though. Silent Movie. (Marcel Marceau says the only word...) High Anxiety. Close Encounters. Star Wars. My brother and I really leaned on our parents to take us to see it. They did--they were divorced by then so they each took us to see it, and each of them fell asleep during the movie.
Low-Palpitation-9916@reddit
Damnation Alley. I remember going with my parents to see Oh God, but it was sold out. I still remember the giant scorpions.
mn-mom-75@reddit
The first movies I remember seeing in a theater would be ET and Star Trek:Wrath of Khan. There may have been others I watched on TV before seeing those, but I can't recall them.
HistoricalTowel1127@reddit
Maybe 6 with brother and sister in back of van at drive in with folks. We were allowed to watch the pink panther flick then were supposed to lay down and be quiet but watched most of check and Chong up in smoke peeking over seat.
QuirkyForever@reddit
Star Wars in the theater
MyriVerse2@reddit
Rosemary's Baby
ransier831@reddit
First whole movie I watched was Poseidon Adventure - it came out in 1972, but I remember watching it later in the 70s - like 1975 or so with my parents, maybe at a drive in? Not sure if it was a drive in but I happened to catch it again a few years ago and was shocked how much I remembered - i was born in 1971, so I must have been 3 or 4? The first film that I watched that I understood was Convoy - i totally remember rubber ducky, the truckers talking on the CB and my parents bought us Convoy coloring books. Before this we didnt have a television, so I must have been around 7. We also could have watched Convoy in the drive in. I remember wishing I was boy so I could drive a truck when I grew up lol
WhiskeyAndWhiskey97@reddit
Big screen: E.T.
TV: Star Wars.
I’m up on the Star Wars movies and spinoffs, but I’m a Trekkie.
marzenie248@reddit
Xanadu. The steps to get into the (crappy general cinemas twin theater in a mall) theater were huge to me.
No_Strain_1234@reddit
“Race With the Devil” at the drive-in, I was 4
weird-un-normal5150@reddit
Alamohermit@reddit
Star wars
Ill_Ocelot7191@reddit
The first on I remember was Sssssss in 1973 at a drive-in. Next was Star Wars on opening day.
Electrical_Beach6630@reddit
Snow White and the seven dwarves
vulcangod08@reddit
ET is the first i remember
SensitiveArtist@reddit
Earliest ones I can remember are Top Gun and the Princess Bride
RealSharpNinja@reddit
Grease
Difficult-Republic57@reddit
E.T.
jeremyism_ab@reddit
I couldn't say which movie was the first I watched in general, but the first VCR movie was The Blade Runner. First Netflix at somebody else's house was Children of Men. First Netflix on my own account was Prometheus. I can't recall the first DVD.
Informal-Tour-8201@reddit
Big screen? Either Watership Down or Star Wars
TV? The one I remember most is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (or at least the Child Catcher - GenX's original predator)
well-it-was-rubbish@reddit
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) at the theatre; I was 3.
dcknifeguy@reddit
Wizard of Oz
NaturalProfession922@reddit
Blazing Saddles . Back of the Oldsmobile green monster with wood paneling. We were supposed to be asleep.
JimVivJr@reddit
Dunno, I was very very young.
Weird-Ninja8827@reddit
In the theater? I'm pretty sure it was Mountain Family Robinson
exhaustedbut@reddit
Bambi.
DPax_23@reddit
No idea exactly but the earliest movie I remember watching was Disney's incredibly racist Song of the South.
YMCA had free kid things on weekends and my single mom would drop me off so she could go to work and not have to pay for childcare. Even in the 70s as a small child it was an uncomfortable film to sit rheough.
CandleSea4961@reddit
Clearly remember going to see Disney’s Hot Lead and Cold Feet with Don Knotts in 78. My Dad took me and my brother and sister saw Grease with my mom. I allegedly saw Snow White in 76 but have no memories!
run_squid_run@reddit
My mom rented a cartoon for my 5th birthday so we kids got to watch Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards. It wasn’t the first movie but the first I remember.
bryguyYNWA@reddit
I was around 5. My family went to the theater and watched Bambi
Maurice_Foot@reddit
Apple Dumpling gang, early 1970s.
And then a few more Disney live actions; The Cat From Outer Space, Pete's Dragon, etc
Striking_Bee_9369@reddit
Pete’s Dragon!
Striking_Bee_9369@reddit
I think it was the original Disney Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
DMVlooker@reddit
The first one I remember is Born Free about the lions and I cried like the baby that I was
PeanutTimely6846@reddit
Krull was the first movie I went see with friends my own age and with no adult supervision. I was 11 y/o..
CthulhusEvilTwin@reddit
My dad got us a VR and brought home Excalibur and we all watched it, which all things considered, was probably quite awkward for them - particular the sex scene in field plate armour.
Gold-Shopping-4137@reddit (OP)
That's one of my all time favorite movies!
Pendragenet@reddit
I remember seeing it and realizing that King Arthur was actually Prince John all grown up!
I loved it just for that reason alone.
Gnatlet2point0@reddit
“I know. You know I know. I know you know I know. We know Henry knows, and Henry knows we know it. We're a knowledgeable family."
Pendragenet@reddit
"My God, if I went up in flames there's not a living soul who'd pee on me to put the fire out!"
I love that movie!! I remember going to see Flash Gordon and yelling out "Oh my God! That's Geoffrey!" :)
Gnatlet2point0@reddit
"Let's strike a flint and see."
Definitely fueled a life-long love affair with both medieval history and Timothy Dalton.
Pendragenet@reddit
That cast was perfection. They were/are all absolute tops. I love watching British shows and seeing Geoffrey (John Castle).
Gnatlet2point0@reddit
My mom was watching I, Claudius back in the day, and he popped up! Then again, just about every working British actor at the time had some role in I, Claudius. Dang, I'm going to have to dig that up and rewatch.
truejabber@reddit
I don’t know how many times I watched that when it was on HBO. If my dad were here he’d grumble, “Too many.” I couldn’t watch it enough.
Gnatlet2point0@reddit
I watched it much too young and really didn't get most of it. I couldn't figure out why Lancelot was cutting himself in half, like, how is that going to help? Now, as an adult, "being torn both ways" makes total sense but I was very literal as a kid.
Open-Channel-D@reddit
The Guns of Navarone. My Mom and Dad took me to the theatre because they couldn't afford the movie and the babysitter. I was 4 1/2. I quoted scenes from the movie for years. Last movie they ever took me too.
Raynet11@reddit
Raised by myself on peoples floors while my parents partied, I remember watching a bunch of movies in a row while I was at someone’s house, Airplane it was hilarious even at as a kid.. No rated R during my upbringing..
very_free_and_easy@reddit
Capricorn One
4Q69freak@reddit
Disney’s cartoon version of Robin Hood
Thebox2-2@reddit
Not sure but I think it was “Escape From Witch Mountain”. The other one I remember is “For the Love of Benji”. The first movie I saw on HBO was “The Car”. Scared the crap out of me.
FantasticScout@reddit
Star Wars at the drive in.
SadLocal8314@reddit
Mary Poppins in the theater. Wizard of Oz on television.
beccadahhhling@reddit
Mary Poppins
ZenHalo@reddit
First cinema experience was a Disney double feature: Gus and Bambi.
jdogworld@reddit
Karate Kid probably
DAGB_69@reddit
First adult was film Jaws aged 7, my older brother snuck me into the cinema.
nerfherded@reddit
Munsters Go Home at the drive-in, 1966. One of my earliest memories.
feelingmyage@reddit
The Jerk
robm1967@reddit
Fantasia, first I remember
LayerNo3634@reddit
Saw Jaws at the theater at the age of 5. Mom wanted to see it and drug me along (it was fine because there wasn't any sex). Didn't scare me, instead started a fascination with sharks. I begged mom for us to go to the beach and she said absolutely not.
No_Caterpillar_8573@reddit
My mother took me to see Bambi while my older brothers got to watch Jaws. I was so jealous.
Aggravating_Cable_32@reddit
The first movies I remember watching were Poltergeist or Blade Runner, at the drive-in when I was about five; but it was so long ago I don't remember which was first.
SteevoHatezGoogle@reddit
Airport
ComfortableEgg3768@reddit
The Wizard of Oz
badtiki@reddit
I have a vague memory of seeing Pete’s dragon in the theater, also Popeye and Dragon Slayer!
imadork1970@reddit
Bambi
Beauphedes_Knutz@reddit
First Drive-In Movie: Empire Strikes Back First Broadcast TV Movie: Wizard Of Oz First Multiplex Movie: E.T. First Movie I Was Far Too Young For: Jaws
WatersEdge50@reddit
The rescuers
Open_Appointment1091@reddit
Earliest I remember is Eat My Dust at a drive in with my mom and step-dad in his station wagon. I would have been 8.
Agitated_Ad_6702@reddit
ET
Tamara2066@reddit
Snow White.
Tsujigiri@reddit
Pete's Dragon
Ok_Sundae2107@reddit
The first movie I remember going to in the theater was The Towering Inferno. I was 4.
IsaWinter@reddit
I remember seeing Mary Poppins in a movie theater, but it had to have been some special presentation because it was originally released before I was born.
The Apple Dumpling Gang was an early one.
Dumbo -may- have been one.
My parents were movie buffs, so I remember going to the drive-in in my pajamas when i was four or five, but I couldn't tell you now what the movies were.
revchewie@reddit
Blazing Saddles at the drive-in. My parents had no idea what they were taking their 6-year old to, they thought it was just a western.
Antmax@reddit
First one I remember was Jaws. I don't know why I watched it in the theater aged about 5 or something. I know I was really young and have this slight recollection of going to watch Superman but something was wrong and we watched Jaws instead.
It was actually a bit traumatic. I had nightmares of body parts floating in a cave and insisted having the lights on in the upstairs landing with my door open for a while. The next one I remember was Battle Star Galactica in Cairo. We went to watch Star Wars for my best friends birthday. Everyone at school had been going on about it and making Darth Vader breathing noises and acting all cool in the playground. Went to see it and they put Battle Star Galactica on instead. The sound system was so loud and bassy it made me nauseous and I swear my trousers were vibrating.
We lived in Egypt 3.5 years. On the way home we stopped at a friends apartment in Athens where they had a video player. I watched James Bond, on her Majesty's Secret Service. First action movie... I was blown away.
Incidentally, the day we arrived home in the UK from Egypt, Star Wars was on TV. Went to turn on the TV and the CRT tube had blown. So sound only. I was so disappointed, try to listen to it, drove my parents nuts. I watched Empire Strikes back at school before I got to see the first Star Wars.
Did get to see ROTJ at the cinema with my best mate when it released. Was the first time I got to go to the cinema without parent supervision. Me, my best mate Mark and his sister who was 4 years younger than we were. Was awesome.
Gold-Shopping-4137@reddit (OP)
Man, that would be called child abuse by today's standards 😂
Antmax@reddit
Which part, Jaw's or not being able to watch Star Wars till years after it was released haha.
To this day I'm not fond of the water and get a kind of vertigo standing near the edge of deep water. Strangely, I prefer swimming in the sea to swimming pools. Also did a bunch of surfing in my 20's, so can't have been that bad.
may_april080316@reddit
Disney Jungle book. With dad while my folks were separated for a bit. Really good memory for me 46 yrs later 😊
Substantial_Layer_79@reddit
I went to a theater with my two older brothers and watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. I was 3, my older brother was 4, and my oldest brother was 8.
The_Observatory_@reddit
First one I remember going to the theater for was Star Wars, I was 5. I’m sure I went to others before that but I’m drawing a blank.
airckarc@reddit
First movie I kind of remember is The Hobbit in 77. We went for my birthday. The first movie I saw by myself was Flash Gordon.
Turkn8r@reddit
Flash Gordon is an uber-classic. Campy as heck, but soooo good.
These-Educator-1959@reddit
The first one I remember (we watched from a blanket on a large screen) was Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I am pretty sure it was a holiday (maybe 4th of July) and the town showed the movie on a screen or a building. My family sat on large bedspread and I’m pretty sure after the movie the fireworks were next. For a child of 4-5 years old it was magical.
Turkn8r@reddit
Disney’s re-release of Bambi in 1975.
dreamanxiety@reddit
i remember seeing the herbie the love bug movie in ‘74, the pink panther returns and jaws in ‘75. i spent all summer saying, “smile you son of a bitch” to all my aunts and uncles.
good times.
Whipstich-Pepperpot@reddit
I remember seeing the Aristocats in the theater around 1971 (I was about 3 1/2) and having to leave because I got so upset at the "bad people" trying to hurt the cats and wouldn't stop crying.
LazyTree1884@reddit
I forgot I had seen this one. Mom did take us to all the Disney movies. I vaguely remember Chiti chiti bang bang.
Whipstich-Pepperpot@reddit
I still love old Disney films, and watch them frequently. I also remember seeing the Apple Dumpling Gang and Candleshoe at the theater too. In Kindergarten (1973), the whole school (K-4) watched Toby Tyler or 10-weeks with the circus in the gym and we all sat/laid on the gym mats. I have never been a fan of that brat actor, known as "Moochie". OH HOW HE GOT ON MY NERVES.
I am all about what I heard/read someone refer to as "Gen-X regressive nostalgia". I still love Snoopy, Strawberry Shortcake, and The Smurfs too.
Love Chitty Chitty Bang Bang too, except for all the singing. Not a fan of musicals...
TestDangerous7240@reddit
Vanishing Point in ‘71 at a drive in in Phoenix, sat on dads Pontiac hood
I was 4 or 5 at the time
Batmaniac7@reddit
First in-theater movie was Time Bandits
AromaticGas5552@reddit
My dad was in the Air Force and we lived in Panama City, FL. We spent every weekend on the beach. I was five. And we went to see JAWS!
My parents allowed a 5 year old to see Jaws then expected me to hit the beach again the next Saturday.
Underground_turtles@reddit
My mom and grandmother took me to see Cinderella at the theater. It originally came out in 1950, but this was around 1980, so it must have been some kind of re-release or special showing.
ExquisitePreamble@reddit
Pinocchio at the drive-in theater on our road
LazyTree1884@reddit
Benji, I sobbed when Tiffany was kicked to the wall.
DesertRatt@reddit
Mary Poppins. A 1970 rerelease in the theaters. I was 5. My older sister took me. Blew my mind.
amp7274@reddit
Grease at home Empire strikes back in the row next to the screen and my sister went out the side door to use the restroom didn’t take her ticket and couldn’t get back in
FadingOptimist-25@reddit
Bambi. The mom dying traumatized me. 😔
ChiliAndRamen@reddit
Probably Star Wars, I was born 1976 and my mom mentioned that she took me with to Star Wars and I was well behaved the entire movie.
Glass-Shelter-699@reddit
Star Wars on the big screen when it came out with my dad and sister.
Repodmyheart@reddit
Walking Tall (1973, not The Rock remake). We lived one county over from where it really happened. My mom and my aunt thought it would be neat to watch, but didn’t realize it was too inappropriate for a kid under five.
kalelopaka@reddit
Probably an Abbott and Costello movie.
flyingminnow@reddit
Benji. My mom loves to tell the story of how she told her friend who was taking her slightly older kids that I would be fine because I could sit still for long periods. Then when Benji was separated from his family I was so upset and sobbing because Benji would never find his people and was all alone. She had to take me out because I was inconsolable for poor Benji.
Lamest_Fast_Words@reddit
First movie I saw in the theater was “The Apple Dumpling Gang.”
ZombieAlarmed5561@reddit
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
jefx2007@reddit
Willy Wonka was the 1st one I remember.
15SecondBreak@reddit
The first one I remember watching was Every Which Way But Loose. It was the first showing of a drive-in double feature. No idea what the second movie was, I was told to go to bed in the backseat during the intermission, lol. To this day, I frequently say Right Turn Clyde, and nobody under 40 has any clue what I'm talking about. But that movie imprinted big time on my 4 year old brain.
Wonderful_Highway629@reddit
Bambi
rei1004@reddit
Dumbo, I was 3.
devilinthedetails@reddit
According to my parents it was Disney's The Fox and the Hound, but I don't remember it.
EverydayAdventures2x@reddit
The cartoon movie Rikki-tikki-tavi narrated by Orion Welles. That’s where I learned that every good mongoose wants to be a house mongoose.
irbicn@reddit
Wizard of Oz
truejabber@reddit
Big screen, The Land Time Forgot.
Small screen, The Thing From Another World.
And for some reason I’ve had a lifelong love for schlocky sci-fi movies.
Nazz1968@reddit
On TV: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
At the movies (drive in): The Longest Yard
WhatTheHellPod@reddit
Jaws for sure, but When You Coming Back Red Rider is the one that sticks in my brain because it was on HBO during "free weekend"
My folks MUST have thought it was a cowboy movie. It was NOT a cowboy movie.
DJErikD@reddit
Disney’s Robin Hood (1973)
Nikonus@reddit
Bonnie & Clyde, at a theater.
eweguess@reddit
The first movie I remember watching was on tv and it was one of the Gamera movies. It’s one of my earliest memories and based on where we lived at the time, I was under 3. We also owned a large stuffed turtle that my mom made and my dad would fly us around the room on it. We called that toy Gamera. But the first movie I saw in a theater (that I can remember) was Star Wars. The first one. 1977.
kree-of-gamwich@reddit
the first movie I remember watching was the 1976 version of king kong at home on the tv. I also remember going to the theater to see 20,000 leagues under the sea
HughFatBastard@reddit
I remember the first being the Disney cartoon of Robin Hood.
Len_Zefflin@reddit
Mom took me to the theatre for my fifth birthday to see "Valley of the Gwangi". I loved dinosaurs when I was a kid.
Nervous-Rooster7760@reddit
Star Wars. I was 6. Before that all I can remember watching was Sesame Street.
MrsRunnyonTheinside@reddit
Chatty chatty bang bang
Expat111@reddit
The first one I clearly remember seeing in a movie theater is Willy Wonka. But, there may have been others like a Disney movie of some sort.
Expat111@reddit
The first one I clearly remember seeing in a movie theater is Willy Wonka. But, there may have been others like a Disney movie of some sort.
Frigidspinner@reddit
I think it was E.T.
BoldBoimlerIsMyHero@reddit
I remember wizard of oz and the hobbit and Chitty Chitty bang bang as movies that played regularly
Fragrant-Jellyfish13@reddit
either a love bug movie or godzilla vs megalon
maddiesclutch@reddit
It was either The Muppets Take Manhattan or Jaws
MorganFerdinand@reddit
I love the wild swing between the two. Kermit or traumatizing
eric90125@reddit
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
Ok_Fall_9569@reddit
Jaws. I was 4 or 5. Walked into the theatre with my parents during its re-release in ‘77 or ‘78 just as the shark smashed the boat and bit down on Quint. In those days, you could walk in whenever you got there and watch multiple showings. Mom wanted to leave immediately, but dad insisted we stay. It instantly became my favorite movie of all time and launched my obsession with sharks and film.
Consistent_Case_5048@reddit
Mary Poppins was the first I saw in the theater.
Wonderful_Pain1776@reddit
I believe it was Star Wars and then that goofy movie Caveman (still a classic though)
Respond-Leather@reddit
I knew Ringo Starr from the Caveman movie before I knew he had been in The Beatles
Short_Tailor@reddit
Any Which Way But Loose. My first movie theater movie.
Respond-Leather@reddit
Right turn, Clyde!!
sungodly@reddit
The first one I remember was Blazing Saddles at the drive-in. I must have been four years old but I vividly remember up to the quicksand scene. Then I fell asleep in the back of the station wagon.
in-a-microbus@reddit
That is AWESOME flair!
strumthebuilding@reddit
I don’t remember the movie really but I remember some of the logistics of going to the theater (it was on a layover) - it was some Benji movie in 1979.
in-a-microbus@reddit
No clue. I don't remember anything before Star Wars
wellbalancedlibra@reddit
The Sound of Music
ZanzerFineSuits@reddit
My earliest movie theater experience I actually remember was The Bad News Bears
Respond-Leather@reddit
Star Trek The Motion Picture (1979)
I was too little to see Star Wars (1977) when it came out, but that was my older brother's first movie. To this day, he loves Star Wars over Star Trek, but I prefer the Trek to the Wars. He's Han Solo, I'm Spock
rodeler@reddit
What's Up Doc on the big screen, 1972.
Funcrush88@reddit
ET 1982
International-Dig36@reddit
ET at a drive-in theater
YvonnieAzul@reddit
Charlotte's web in the theater
Life-Wealth-3399@reddit
The Jungle book (animated). I had to be 4 or 5. We were at the beach for the summer and one night we went to the movies. This was the only one that was suited to 5 kids 10 and under.
Komaisnotsalty@reddit
Star Wars, 1977 (I think? Around there anyway).
It's the first movie I remember watching in a theatre, though there likely could have been others. I just don't remember. I still remember coming out of the theatre, totally excited and stoked and I wasn't that old - 5 or 6 years old.
The first movie I was allowed to see on my own was The Fox and the Hound in 1981. I woulda been 8 or 9 and my cousin was with me.
We were given $2 and bought everything ourselves: the tickets and the snacks, and shared it all.
We were SO proud that we were allowed to be there all by ourselves and felt so grown up.
Just2Breathe@reddit
I feel like it might’ve been Grease, but it was probably Wizard of Oz or Mary Poppins on commercial TV. I don’t actually remember much detail before like age 8, just snippets. Like loving Dukes of Hazard. But I remember seeing movies edited for tv, like Jaws (scary) and Smoky & the Bandit.
Pendragenet@reddit
I couldn't even begin to remember. One of the earliest tv memories I had was of Tommy Smothers coming out on stage in an Easter Bunny costume. I remember my mom turning to us and saying "he's lying the Easter Bunny is real". I was about 3.
Otherwise tv and movies were just things that were always around so it wasn't a major moment.
Meauxjezzy@reddit
Porkies
Round-Public435@reddit
Pete's Dragon - the 1977 version. It was the first movie I recall going to an indoor movie theater to see.
However, it was more common for us to watch movies at the drive-in. Our parents would take us to the local drive-in movie theater to see movies as a family, because we didn't have a lot of money for entertainment, and it was $5 a carload to get in, so it was a cheap way to get everyone a night of entertainment. No trips to the snack bar for us, though - Mom took care of that before we left the house. She would pop a big batch of popcorn, toss it into 2 doubled paper grocery bags, throw in some melted butter & salt & hand it off to one of us kids with the top of the bags folded down to shake it up. Then she'd boil water and dump it into the big old thermos jug with the wide-mouth lid - then she'd pop a couple packs of hot dogs in the jug and seal it up - the hot dogs would be steamed and ready by the time we wanted to eat them. A separate thermos jug of cold Kool-Aid was next on the list. Then she'd pack everything up, including all the condiments, buns, potato chips, paper plates, napkins, plastic cups and the food, and off we'd go. We kids would be dressed in our PJs before leaving the house, so we could just be dumped into bed when we got back, without having to be awakened, because it was certain we'd be asleep before we left the drive-in, because it was always a double-feature, so we'd be home late. We'd play on the playground equipment directly in front of the gigantic movie screen until the previews started, and then we'd race back to the car - a big old station wagon - to take our spots on the roof and watch the movie while we enjoyed the food Mom had brought.
I saw my first R-rated movie on one of those drive-in trips - my parents didn't realize I was still awake and watching the 2nd film of the double feature - it was The Wanderers and I was about 8 years old.
ladyxanax@reddit
The first one I remember is the first Star Wars, at the drive-in.
Gnatlet2point0@reddit
The first one I remember seeing was Star Wars. I was 3 and all I really remember are the little shoebox-sized droids that reminded me of my grandmother's terrier.
Justisaur@reddit
I was 7 for Star Wars. First movie I can remember and it was mind blowing. I may have watched a Disney movie of some sort before that, but I can't remember anything for sure, maybe a re-release of Fantasia. If it was this, I slept through it though, as I remember falling asleep to it whenever it was my mom brought me to it.
We didn't have a TV until I was older, so I know it was in the Theater.
RJKaste@reddit
Logan‘s run
LadybugCalico@reddit
Empire Strikes Back with my dad and older brother Second one was Annie with my grandma, two of her sisters, one of their daughters and another's granddaughter
Jolly-Guard3741@reddit
Midway (1976).
RetrogrouchCargonaut@reddit
The theater I saw it in had those huge "Sensurround" speakers that would crank up every time there was an air battle; a group of stoner longhairs sat right in front of the speakers and when they'd kick on, their hair would start streaming in the wind like those old Maxell tape ads.
RickyDontLoseThat@reddit
Mary Poppins, I do believe.
CultureShipsGSV@reddit
Platoon was the first R rated movie. My parents were watching it and I snuck downstairs to watch it. My older brothers were watching Porky’s too one night. I grew up real fast that night.😆
thonda27@reddit
Porky’s
Carinyosa99@reddit
First movie I watched ever was "The Wizard of Oz" on TV. The really funny thing is that we only had a black and white TV so I didn't understand what the big deal was.
But the first movie in a theater...I think it was Star Wars Empire Strikes Back and I went on a class field trip of all things.
My dad taught on US military bases overseas, so I didn't have a lot of access to movies until I permanently moved to the states as a teenager.
Jett44@reddit
Superman. I remember going to the theater with Mom, Dad, my two older sisters and younger brother. Passing around the popcorn and my Dad having to move seats and yank my brother over a few seats away from me.
AHippieDude@reddit
Jaws 3d at a drive in is one the first I remember, purple rain because it stayed at the local 2nd run theater forever, karate kid, and platoon... The last one is how I learned what PTSD was because it was the first time I saw my dad cry
Dry_Photograph_3559@reddit
Flash Gordon (1980). I was 7.
Mariecal2@reddit
Rocky II..... I was 3 days old and my parents refused to miss it.
KurtStation68@reddit
Snuck in, being successful my friends and I ran into the first theater and watched Jaws. 😅
lscraig1968@reddit
First one I remember is Mary Poppins at the Fox theatre, Atlanta GA. '73 OR '74
ExpertRegister1353@reddit
Probably Dr. Doolittle late 60s early 70s. I remember the giant snail.
mutarjim@reddit
First movie I can still remember watching in the theater is Superman '78, but my mom tells me they took me to see Star Wars in '77. Superman was always a favorite character, but I remember it mostly because the volume was not balanced and I was sitting next to the speakers and it was painfully loud.
OGBullyninja@reddit
Friday the 13th OG with my dad when I was way to young to be watching it 🤣