Was asked to move by theater employees and I refused. Was I wrong?

Last Sunday, I went with my wife and daughter to see Incredibles 2. It was the 12:30 matinee on opening weekend and sure to be crowded. I arrived 20 minutes early and got seats that I preferred, in the middle of the row towards the front of the theater. I was sitting left, my child in the middle and my wife at the right. The theater was pretty full just before the movie was about to start.

As previews were starting, a family of six showed up and walked up and down looking for seats together, which they did not find. There were a three seats open to the left of me and a few more to the right.

A theater employee walked up to us as the previews were playing and asked me to move the the left and fill up the seats so the family could sit together. I refused. I told them politely that I arrived early to sit in the seats I prefer and that it was not fair for them to come late and expect others to move for them. The employee stated that they had kids and needed to sit with them and I replied that they should have considered that before arriving two minutes before the movie start time on a premier weekend.

The employee again said that they bought tickets just like us, and I replied firmly that a ticket promised a seat and did not promise that you could sit with your group. A large group should arrive earlier than others if they want to sit together and I am not moving.

I don't know where the family wound up sitting, but as the employee walked away, i noticed half the kids were teenagers and could easily have sat alone.

Was I especially rude? My wife didn't have a problem with my response, but one friend told me I should have moved.

TLDR: Large family showed up right before the start of movie and couldn't sit together. A theater employee asked me to move to the end of a row even though I arrived 20 minutes early so I could secure the center of a row like I prefer. I refused politely, but firmly.

RUDE or NO?

Submitted June 19, 2018 at 08:41PM by shamblingman https://ift.tt/2tlOR18