Have you ever been to the movies for the first time with someone you're dating (actually, I don't think I've ever taken a girl out on a date that didn't include a trip to the movies... perhaps that's why I don't have a girlfriend right now), and when you walk in, you sorta go through this scene:
"So where do you wanna sit?"
"I dunno, where do YOU wanna sit?"
"I don't care, it's up to you."
"Well, anywhere's fine with me."
"I'm okay with whatever, I'll sit wherever you sit."
Everyone's so polite early in the relationship. A month later, we guys walk into the theater, and we tell the girl, "Let's sit here."
Everyone has their own preference of where they wanna sit in a movie theater. Most people seem to prefer dead center. However, if you ask me, that's the worst place to sit, precisely for that reason... most people prefer sitting there. When I go to the movies, I like to be away from people. I want no one behind me, no one in front of me, and no one next to me. Well, except for the lucky gal who gets to watch the movie with me, of course.
I used to like sitting halfway up, but against the wall. It seemed logical to me. I may have someone behind me, and someone in front of me, but I'd have the lucky vixen on one side, and a wall on the other. I still ran the risk of having a stranger sitting next to me if I went to the movies alone, though. Also, the surrounding area still got pretty crowded. I needed a new spot to watch movies in. I eventually realized that most people avoid the first few rows, so I gave that a try. That's now where I sit whenever I go to the movies. I don't sit all the way up front, though, I usually sit in row three, four, or five, right in the middle. And I love it. I almost always end up sitting away from people. Obviously, if the theater is really crowded, it makes no difference where you sit, but I usually go to the movies between 11AM and 2PM, when it's much less crowded (and cheaper, too).
But you don't care about me, do you? You wanna know where's the best place to sit for YOU. Well, it depends on who you are. If you're an introverted, dorky, anti-social film geek like me, you'll wanna sit in the first few rows. Yeah, it's weird at first, but you get used to it fairly quickly. If you wanna make out with your date, you're probably better off in the back somewhere. Other than that, there really ARE no bad seats in a movie theater. Okay, the front row sucks, especially if you're against the wall, but no matter where you sit, you'll eventually get used to watching the movie that way, usually before the first few movie trailers.
Actually, I DO know of an unofficial guideline of the best place to sit. A couple of years ago, on Roger Ebert's web site, Ebert was asked for advice on the best place to sit in a movie theater, and Ebert had an answer. Apparently, some guy told Ebert, though I don't remember who the guy was, that the best place to sit is right in the middle, as far from the screen as it is wide. In other words, if the screen looks to be about 30 feet wide, you sit in the middle, 30 feet away from the screen. I don't think that serious scientific analysis was involved, but that's the best answer you're likely to get.
In the end, what it comes down to is personal preference. Since I like to be away from people when I watch a movie, I sit where everyone else is less likely to sit, but that's just me. You may not care about those other people who talk non-stop, have their beepers go off, bring along the crying babies, babble on the cell phone, get up and block the screen so they can pee or get Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for their bratty kids... if you're happy sitting in the danger zone, by all means, knock yourself out. Me, I get to actually enjoy the movie uninterrupted.
Most of the time.