I don't believe I have seen any shots of customers, or executives, riding in anybody's theater car. Cannot believe all those railroads are paying to run the car empty . . . Unfortunately, even the 1:50 scale people are too fat to sit more than one in each seat, so each gets their own seat.
Peter, prototype theater cars run more miles unoccupied in deadhead movements than they do occupied. Usually, the deadhead movements are at the rear of a priority freight train. When I was Road Foreman of Engines, I was assigned to ride with a crew whenever there were business cars of any type -- whether deadheading or occupied -- at the rear of hot freight trains. If deadheading to an assignment, there will usually be a business car employee aboard, but not always in uniform. When deadheading back to storage, the railroad often moves the car entirely unoccupied.
My observation has been that, usually, the cars are not occupied to capacity, and single seating is quite common. So, you have accurately portrayed the prototype as it is usually occupied.
