It’s been almost an hour, you’re sitting cross-legged and sweating, and then you feel the relief of the RunPee app notification. All too happy to take advantage of a lull in the three-hour epic you’re watching, you slip out of your seat for a break.
For ‘professional peers’, it’s all too easy to blast through the break and be back in record time. After all, nobody wants to take too long and miss something important. However, it turns out that long, drawn-out dialogue scene recapping everything is still going on, and you’ve got an additional few minutes to kill.
As the slow scene shows no sign of stopping, and you can feel your eyelids getting heavier in the dark theatre. There’s only so much you can do to save yourself from being the guy or a gal who started napping mid-movie. Fortunately, this survival guide will help keep you focused until the boring part runs its course.
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Your Phone is Your Friend, But…
The obvious answer to this dilemma is sitting in the pocket of your pants. However, before you get your phone out, remember you’re in the middle of a crowded and dark theatre. You don’t want to be one who lights up half the hall with your phone. That’s why, before your screen turns on, do the usual sanity checks first:
- Your phone’s brightness should be turned down low.
- The sound should already be off. If it isn’t, make sure to bring the volume down to zero.
- You should also hold your phone low in your lap, so the screen does not distract other people.
When the check is complete, quietly move on to the next stage.
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A Quick Game Never Hurt Anyone
So many movies these days take time to get interesting. If you have ever sat through a boring part, you will know how hard it is not to check your phone. You might want to look at Instagram or send a message to someone. However, we’d advise against it; once you go through the social media rabbit hole, it is hard to come back.
Fortunately, you can rely on games to fill that gap. We don’t want anything complicated, as the goal is to pass a minute or two quietly. Fortunately, card games like online solitaire offer a great way to pass the time. The rounds don’t last long, so playing solitaire online is something you can easily squeeze in while waiting for the exposition to end.
Review the “Peetime Synopsis”
Of course, even light gaming can be distracting and spoil your enjoyment of the movie. That’s why a lot of players will choose to forgo anything that’s not movie-related at all. If you fall into this category, the RunPee app has a built-in solution.
All you have to do is go to the app and read the ‘What You Missed’ section. This will give you a brief synopsis of what happened while you were away. You’ll usually be caught up in a flash and free to devote your attention to the movie afterwards.
Before We Say Fin
From 1980 to 2025, the percentage of movies running over 2 hours rose from 14% to 32%. Action movies are the most responsible for this change, though they’re far from the only culprits. As gripping as Oppenheimer was, it didn’t need to run for 3 hours. Consider the pre-show advertising and trailers adding 20 to 30 minutes to each theatre visit, and you can see why people need a break mid-movie.
It’s no wonder that the RunPee app has been gaining ground, as movie-goers try to get the full experience despite flicks getting longer. Because let’s be honest: modern movies aren’t getting shorter anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean you have to sit there fighting sleep through every drawn-out scene. With a little strategy (and a well-timed notification), even the slowest stretch can work in your favor. So, the next time the app gives you the notification? You get out there and make the most of that intermission.