Late for movie

[Yueehs]

Do I interpret these correctly?

If someone say this when the movie is about to start in 2 hours:

1) "I might be late for the movie".
Is it means he is doing something else at the moment so there is a possibility he will come after the movie has started?

2) "I may be late for the movie".
Is it means he don't know what will he be doing when the movie is about to get started and it's likely he will be coming late?

3) "I will be late for the movie".
Is it means he is certain he will come after the movie has started?

4) "I am running late for the movie".
Is it means he is on the way but there are resistants along the way (e.g. traffic jam) which slow him down and possibly will cause him to come late for the movie?

 

[emsr2d2]

The differences are not as clear-cut as that.

Sentence 3 expresses a certainty. However, we can't tell if they will arrive after the movie has started or simply after the time they agreed to meet the person they're talking to.

Sentences 1 and 2 mean the same thing. There's no difference between "may" and "might" (for many speakers). We don't know anything else about their circumstances or the reason for that possibility.

Sentence 4 simply means they're not going to arrive on time. We don't know that they're definitely on their way. They could have spent longer in the shower than expected. They might not have been able to find their keys just before leaving home. There are thousands of possibilities.

 

[5jj]

I agree with emsr2d2 about the first three.

I feel that the fourth carries the suggestion that the speaker is behind time on the plan, but it's not impossible that they will make the beginning of the movie.