Start your story with two people sitting in a movie theater, waiting for the lights to come back on.

Posted in Sad on Nov 1, 2022

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✍️ 72 stories

“Discordant Double Feature” by D. Grimes

Submitted to Contest #147

The movie concludes and everyone is hollering, except for Marc, who decides that the old saying is flawed: an audience full of folks in their underwear is awful, actually. He looks over to Benji, his dark beard scruff, his soft cheeks, his deep brown eyes behind round frames—he’s hollering as well. It clashes with his gentle air.Marc dumps the last of his popcorn in his mouth, and spits out the kernels like watermelon seeds, licking the salted butter from his lips. With oily fingers, he brushes back the blonde fly-aways caught at the corner ...

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“Getting to know each other” by Lorenzo Lizio

Submitted to Contest #147

TW: Mental health, violence, self-harm On a beautiful rainy Sunday, I finally mustered up the courage to ask her out. We went to watch a movie, that was fun. The date was nice, it went well. That's it. The movie's over. As the credits roll by, people start leaving the room, and soon enough it's just the two of us. To be completely honest, I don't know what compelled me to keep on sitting down and being silent, I just did. She seemed to feel the same way, so we just sat there, doing nothing but watching the big screen fade to black, the sa...

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“Inevitable” by Jessie Robertson

Submitted to Contest #147

I’m sure that he brought me in here to delay the inevitable: we will break up once this movie is over. Once the lights flicker on. I’ve made my decision and not even McAdams and Gosling can convince me to give this another shot. Really though, it’s my own fault for agreeing to go into the theater when I was prepared to give my breakup speech the minute I saw him. Maybe I was wanting to delay the inevitable too. Now here I am with 100 minutes left on the clock. I sneak a peak to my left and the blue light of the screen lets me catch the fain...

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“If I Can Survive That I can Survive Anything.” by Laura Eliz

Submitted to Contest #147

I love independent movie theaters. I especially love the one in my city. They have the best snacks, they have fun movie nights, like fright night, and bring in speakers to speak before movies, like directors or actors. I had made a first date with a guy I was really interested. He was an artist and writer for a local publication, and we had decided to grab dinner and see an independent film at 5pm. However, I wanted to see an old 80’...

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“Fairy Tale Therapy” by Bobbi Brone

Submitted to Contest #147

Beside me sits a veiled menace. On my other side, my sodded friend whom I recognize by his satisfied gurgle as the sloshing liquid from his flask flushes down his throat. In the darkness, I have only my ears as front-line defense against my overcharged imagination. No matter, I was on a mission.If you're wondering why I'm here, ask my therapist. Yes, that one, the one who tinkers with your mind. My therapist insists that my rabid interest during sessions of childhood story tales should have girded me for dealing with real life horrors. It di...

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“The Bride of Clucky” by Max Stone

Submitted to Contest #147

Lights “Abs, can I have my phone back now?” Bennie Powell stretched an arm over the arm of the reclined theater seat where wife, Abby Preston, sat staring ahead. Like all of the other patrons in the auditorium, Abby watched the credits roll. In response to Bennie’s request, Abby shook her head, never taking her eyes from the big screen in front of them. “Movie’s not over yet. There’s supposed to be a scene after this.” “The credits are playing. It’s over.” “Credits are part of the movie. Relax. This is for your own good.” Bennie rolled her e...

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“The Couple” by Grace Ryane

Submitted to Contest #147

Even the footlights were out. The film had unceremoniously been cut off at the height of the climax. Had they been followed? Around them, the theater chattered. Men slapped hats against their legs while women rung their gloves. The couple sat in stony silence. His grip tightened on the armrest as sweat dripped down his temple. The darkness pressed against her eyes. She strained to see anything. Red nails tapped against her skirt. She believed she could make out the head sitting in front of her. She thought of their small apartment, prob...

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“A Captive Audience” by Daniel Harder

Submitted to Contest #147

There are only five moviegoers attending this 10:00 pm Tuesday evening showing of the latest Marvel summer blockbuster film. The film has been out for a few weeks already, so some of the excitement has worn off and not a huge number of people like going out so late on a weeknight. Two of the five members in the audience just got off work at 9:00 pm. Bob Anderson and Lisa Curbowski had a long, stressful day patrolling the streets of the South side of Chicago, and they’d both repeatedly talked about wanting to see Doctor Strange...

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“We shared popcorn” by Jenny Kidwell

Submitted to Contest #147

The screen went black as the orchestra’s score rang out the final resounding theme, and the end credits began to roll. I stretched with an audible groan. How long had we been sitting here? I’m pretty sure the movie was three hours long. I rubbed one eye vigorously with the knuckle on my thumb. My contact lens was stuck to my eye and now I am wondering what I missed because I’m pretty sure I fell asleep for a little while. The stretch and the groan were matched by the lanky man to my left. I met his gaze and he smiled warmly. I’m pretty sure...

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“All about Toni” by Kenneth Allan

Submitted to Contest #147

All about Toni Larry and Toni sat rigid in the back seats of the cinema as the credits rolled down the screen. People were already leaving. “I told you not to do that,” said Toni through gritted teeth. “You didn’t need to hit me,” replied Larry, cradling his aching groin. “Then you shouldn’t have tried to grope me. You know how I feel about that and zip your fly up.” “They’re right about you.” “Who is?” “All the fellas. They reckon you’re a lesbian.” Toni slumped in the seat while Larry struggled with his zip. She wasn’t a lesbian; she w...

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“Post-Credits Melancholy” by Eden Sohlberg

Submitted to Contest #147

TW: brief mentions of homophobia and conversion therapy The air reeked of despondency and buttered popcorn. Everyone else in the theatre had since left, not particularly keen on staying in the dimly-lit room any longer. But not them. The couple remained motionless, stoic faces illuminated only by the credits that crept up the screen. They dare not leave, for they knew that the second they did, it would be over. Their relationship would come to its close the second they stepped out the door and returned to the land of talking and fi...

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“Flickering Fixtures ” by Zoe Mozzelle

Submitted to Contest #147

There was flickering everywhere, inside and outside. The lighting just as annoying as the indecisive light bulbs that line the ceiling. Sitting in the dark theater, Meredith thought about the possibility that her husband might show himself. The very thought of him strolling down this scene was about as appetizing as the butter in her popcorn, which according to Meredith, wasn’t appetizing at all. She had her drink in one hand and her partner in crime’s hand in the other. She looked at him in lust and disgust, but he understood better than h...

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“The Theatre” by Jack Burns

Submitted to Contest #147

Steve yawned and stretched his arms above his head. He gave a small shiver, frowning at the feeling of the icy breeze leaking into the old theatre. Adam, his friend, sat sleepily next to him. “This movie has been brilliant,” Adam said sarcastically, as the end credits rolled down the screen, “but I’d be keen for it to be over”. The two friends were waiting for a rumoured end credit scene they had been told about, it was meant to be a teaser for the sequel. ‘Don’t be too harsh Ad, it was pretty entertaining, not much better to do o...

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“The Fourth Date” by Becca Yurok

Submitted to Contest #147

It had been a year since I’d had sex. A very long year. You’d think that an especially dark theatre would be a great omen for a fourth date with the perfect guy. I had tried online dating half heartedly before. No, not Tinder. For a 29…okay, 34 year old woman, the guys I met online tended to consider me kind of old fashioned due to my no sex before four dates rule. But this time was different. For one, he seemed to really agree with my no social media stance. When I perused Instagram, Facebook, Twitter a...

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“The Night They Came ” by Cristi Ropp

Submitted to Contest #147

As Jamie and I sat in the back of the movie theatre waiting for the mad rush for the bathrooms to thin out I felt a hot breath across the back of my neck. I brushed at it but it came again and with it the stench of burned matches. "You could have waited till we got outside for that." Jamie whispered. Just as I leaned over to tell her it wasn't me there was a guttural growl from the seat behind us. I turned only to come face to face with a fuzzy muzzle and a black nose as big as my face. I wanted to scream. I wanted to grab Jamie and run. ...

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Start your story with two people sitting in a movie theater, waiting for the lights to come back on.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 72 stories

“Discordant Double Feature” by D. Grimes

“Getting to know each other” by Lorenzo Lizio

“Inevitable” by Jessie Robertson

“If I Can Survive That I can Survive Anything.” by Laura Eliz

“Fairy Tale Therapy” by Bobbi Brone

“The Bride of Clucky” by Max Stone

“The Couple” by Grace Ryane

“A Captive Audience” by Daniel Harder

“We shared popcorn” by Jenny Kidwell

“All about Toni” by Kenneth Allan

“Post-Credits Melancholy” by Eden Sohlberg

“Flickering Fixtures ” by Zoe Mozzelle

“The Theatre” by Jack Burns

“The Fourth Date” by Becca Yurok

“The Night They Came ” by Cristi Ropp

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who has been nominated for a prestigious award, but isn’t sure they deserve it.

Start or end your story with someone realizing that life isn’t like the movies, for better or worse.

Write a story about someone who keeps being cast as the hero but is actually a villain (literally or metaphorically).

Write about a relationship that has been greatly impacted by a movie.

Contest #147

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

179

Contest entries

94

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: