Philly man saw 316 movies at a Regal theater last year, more than anyone else in the nation

When the email arrived informing Glenn Miller that he’d seen 316 movies last year at the Regal UA Riverview Plaza on Columbus Boulevard, he was shocked. Twist-ending-Keyser-Söze-sunken-place-here’s-Johnny-I-see-dead-people shocked.

“There are only 365 days in a year," he said.

In fact, Miller, 65, of West Philadelphia, saw more movies in 2018 than any other Regal Crown Club rewards member in the country. As a result, last week he got a private screening at Riverview and a $500 Regal gift card.

“I knew he came quite frequently, but when they told me the number, I was completely blown away,” said Gary Dailey, general manager of the theater.

Miller hasn’t always been a movie buff. Television used to be his thing. He once had three TV sets placed on top of each other — a 19-inch on top of a 25-inch on top of a 35-inch — and he’d watch different programs at the same time.

But last year he began renovating his house, and “not being much for the bars or for the streets,” he needed a new place to hang and a new form of entertainment.

Miller had tried several theaters closer to his West Philly home over the years, but nowhere else was as comfortable for him as the Riverview in South Philly. So, he’d hit the theater up on his way home from work as an electronics technician at Philadelphia International Airport.

“It’s my comfort zone. I do a little praying in there, a little meditation,” Miller said. “I may not even always go into the movies every time. I may just stay in the lobby and do a little prayer.”

Dailey said people come to his theater for a variety of reasons.

“Some people come to be entertained, some people come to get away, and some just want to be around other people,” he said.

Miller sometimes has trouble paying attention during movies, which is why he saw a few films multiple times last year, including Black Panther and Creed II, which he estimates he saw “25 times each, at the minimum.”

He considers Black Panther his favorite movie of all time. But this year, the movie he’s looking forward to the most is The Secret Life of Pets 2. And while Miller is open to all types of cinema, he’ll generally skip the horror movies.

“There’s enough horror living in this life,” he said with a laugh.

Despite racking up enough popcorn rewards to make Orville Redenbacher jealous, Miller said he’s “not a popcorn guy” and prefers Nestlé's Buncha Crunch as his go-to movie snack.

For his private screening, Miller chose Kingdom Men Rising, a documentary about “what it means to be a real man in the midst of cultural trends in which there is confusion about masculinity,” according to the film’s website. He chose the film with his pastor and invited members of his congregation at Calvary Baptist Church to the screening.

This year, Miller, a single dad of three grown sons, has cut back on his moviegoing habits a bit. He’s got “other interests to divert" him these days, though he’s coy about just what those might be.

“I’m also going to dinner every other night too, so I’m treating myself,” he said. “I’m very blessed at this point in time.”