Going to the movies isn't cheap these days, but sometimes, finishing a flick just isn't
worth it, or even possible.
Movies have the power to move us in many ways, including out of our seats and straight to
the EXIT signs.
The following films forced audience members to bail before the credits rolled, thanks
to disturbing content, nauseating cinematography, and, in one case, utter boredom.
The House That Jack Built
Danish director Lars von Trier is known for making dark, upsetting arthouse fare that's
celebrated and denounced in equal measure.
He's also known for causing a stir at the Cannes Film Festival.
AFP reported that "at least four people fainted" in 2009 during the Cannes screening of his
experimental horror film Antichrist.
But his 2018 showing at Cannes was his most controversial yet.
"Help!
There's a murderer in the building!
It's Mr. Sophistication!"
The Independent reported more than 100 walkouts in the middle of The House That Jack Built,
which stars Matt Dillon as a child-mutilating serial killer.
One disgusted moviegoer told Deadline,
"[It was like] spending two hours in Hell."
The film still received a standing ovation from those left in attendance, with one Guardian
critic raving that the finale, in particular, was, quote, "spectacular."
Cloverfield
The 2008 found-footage horror film Cloverfield follows six Manhattan millennials attending
a party when a gigantic monster attacks the city.
Their experience is shakily documented on a personal video camera later recovered by
the Department of Defense.
Audience members reportedly bailed left and right during Cloverfield's record-breaking
opening weekend, complaining of migraines, nausea, and motion sickness caused by the
film's unsettling cinematography.
"I don't feel so good."
Some theaters even posted warning signs comparing watching the film to riding a rollercoaster.
Inherent Vice
Director Paul Thomas Anderson has amassed a considerable amount of cred with critics
and casual moviegoers alike with films such as Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood.
But his star-studded 2014 adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's '70s noir novel Inherent Vice caused
enough audience walkouts for the media to take notice, thanks to the power of Twitter.
Steve Rose of the Guardian wrote about the online reaction in a piece subtitled "How
to make a film your audience will be dying to leave."
Rose gathered several "walk out" tweets from prominent UK writers baffled by the Joaquin
Phoenix-led flick, including one from novelist Philip Hensher, who tweeted, "Understood so
little of plot or dialogue, I worried I’d had a stroke."
But it wasn't an isolated phenomenon: Rose reported that the internet was "buzzing" with
similar reports, including:
"Saw Inherent Vice and at least a quarter of the audience walked out"
"I couldn’t sit through more than an hour of Inherent Vice"
and
"50% walk out rate is highest I’ve seen in awhile”
Many viewers found the dark comedy incomprehensible and boring, but a lot of critics were impressed
with the movie, calling it a faithful adaptation of the equally puzzling source material.
If you're willing to put in the time, Jordan Hoffman from Vanity Fair advises it's far
more rewarding if you watch it twice.
The Revenant
Leonardo DiCaprio finally won his first Academy Award for his starring role in the brutal
wilderness revenge epic The Revenant.
But when the film was first screened for awards voters in November 2015, many Academy members
in attendance reportedly couldn't handle the movie's more gruesome moments, including the
now-famous bear attack.
Scott Feinberg of the Hollywood Reporter noted,
"... several people walked out throughout the movie, apparently unable to take the gore
…"
Film historian and critic Leonard Maltin later expressed doubts about the film's chances
for Oscar glory, explaining,
"The older members of the Academy will accept a certain amount of violence if the balance
of the film pleases them.
But if, as they leave the theater, the lingering thought is how violent it was, that can be
a detriment."
In the case of The Revenant, several Academy members left the theater early because of
the violence, but director Alejandro G. Iñárritu still won his fourth Oscar, and the film was
nominated in 12 categories, the most of any film that year.