It’s very sad that I have to write an article like this in our day and age. One would think that society has grown and matured over the years to the point where we wouldn’t have to be told how to act around other people. Well it would seem that courtesy has been thrown out the window and a new day is dawning where people couldn’t care less about others around them. Back in 2003, Screen Rant founder Vic Holtreman wrote a great rant about people talking during films. I’ve decided to expand on those thoughts.
We could talk for hours about how rude society has become and how we ultimately got to this point, but that is a discussion for a different time and place. I want to discuss some of the issues facing the modern day moviegoer and what they can do to make everyone’s movie watching experience more enjoyable. So, I will be discussing the 3 biggest problems in movie theaters today: cell phones, babies and talking during films.
Although technology has improved our lives, it sometimes degrades our theater going experience. Take cell phones for example: these are wonderful modern day gadgets that allow us to be in constant contact with everyone and everything around us. Car broke down? Use your cell phone to call a tow truck. Want to order a pizza and pick it up on your way home from work? You can do that too. Miss your mom, girlfriend or boyfriend and want to catch up with them? You can now do it from anywhere in the world. However, “anywhere” does NOT include the movie theater!
Cell phone interruptions has become such a problem in theaters that the original “Please refrain from talking during the movie” slides that used to be shown before a film have now been replaced with “Please silence your cell phone.” Unfortunately, people didn’t respond very well to that because it was still happening on a consistent basis; theater groups and studios then upped the ante by producing very elaborate fake movie “trailers” that grabbed the viewers attention. Some of them are so well done that I’ve often wanted to see an actual film based on those fake trailers.
The problem with cell phones (as I see it) is that people think they are the most important person in the world and therefore the “common” rules don’t apply to them. They think that their phone call is SO important that it just absolutely can’t be put off for two hours. Unless you are a doctor, detective or district attorney (it would seem those people are constantly getting phone calls that they just can’t ignore – at least in movies) then you don’t need your phone on. At the very least put it on vibrate; no one is impressed that you have the latest P. Diddy, Dixie Chicks or Adam Lambert song as your ring tone.
I can understand if it slips your mind and you forget to put it on mute or vibrate – accidents happen, but the sake of everything fuzzy, grab it and hit mute when it starts ringing! Don’t sit there and act as if you can’t hear it ringing. The people outside the theater can hear it ringing! And do not answer the phone and say “Hey bro/mom/honey. What’s up?” or “Hey, I can’t talk now.” Just mute the ringer, and let it go to voicemail – that’s what voicemail is for.
So be courteous please and remember to mute your ringer before going into the theater. It shows how much you care about other people’s theater experience. After all, we paid to watch the film on the screen, not listen to your ringer jam out to MC Hammer’s “Too Legit to Quit”.
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@Steve Brown
I’ve never really had that much of an issue with annoying kids at a Vue, but I was once in a Cineworld where some people had to be removed and all they did was remove them, no stopping the movie or anything. I wish all cinemas did what your Vue did.
Didnt Hugh Jackman get mad at a guy who wouldnt answer his cellphone during a performance of Jackmans most recent play?
I think Screen Rant covered that.
I was really proud to be a Jackman fan at that moment!
How about the people that just HAVE to crowd up on you from behind while you’re waiting in line just to buy a ticket or some concessions? I like to give people their space and get tired of having people ask me if I’m in line. Duh, I’m not standing here because it’s fun to do lol. It’s just like the bathroom rule you speak of for me. I don’t need to be that close to the people in front of me and I expect the people behind me to show me that same courtesy.
@Vic
lol, I’ve had that too, and somehow the continuous non-stop ringing was actually more annoying than if he had started talking, lol. Either way it’s unacceptable… Inconsiderate a-holes, lol.
@Mandarr
I’ve had people do that to me in loads of places… even places where I need to put my PIN in to pay for stuff and the people behind me are uncomfortably close.
I forgot to mention that I’m bat crap crazy and take it upon myself to let the offending people know just what they’re doing wrong and what they can do.
Remember when the Star Wars Special Editions came to the theaters? Well, here’s another annoyance that started then…the laser pointer and its brilliant cherry-red fairylight flitting all over Han Solo, Jabba, etc. like a PO’d TinkerBell.
I now go to movies with a small hand mirror…this helps me look behind myself where the laser is coming from…then I find my way to a seat behind Larry Laser and snatch his pointer from behind and stomp the sucker.
Does this mean we should ban all DVDs of MST3k? My mother used to think the show was good for promoting that kind of behavior. Hard to convince her that wasn’t the case.
@ ken J
Where can I get one of the lights/laser pointers in question. That was a good laugh. LOL.
It’s just a regular flashlight, the only difference is that it’s of high output. There are lights brighter, but this one is pretty small and has very good runtime.
http://www.lapolicegear.com/sug2ledhiouf.html
Not cheap though, a mini-maglite is like $15, but its output is something like 15-ish lumens (brightness) while this LED light puts out 80 lumens. The LED is shock proof as well and has a life of like 50,000 hours or some crazy thing like that so you’ll really never need to replace the bulb. But yah, it’s if you’re willing to pay $70 for a flashlight, lol. There are others that are well in the hundreds, so this is actually relatively cheap, haha.
Ironically enough, I saw a movie with Paul yesterday and he answered the phone, unwrapped candy, nuked popcorn, had some sort of tweet thing going on laptop that sounded like babies crying. Most of which happened in the first 30 minutes of the film! Luckily we were at his house, but hey, still ironic!
I was going to say, how do you nuke popcorn in a movie theater??
@Thomas – My house my rules…next time I may not put my pants back on.
Pants are only for outside the house. Come on Paul, what were you doing with them on in the first place??? Unless you wear tighty whities, then you need to have pants when there’s company…
I don’t think it’s that bad during a movie to lean over and WHISPER quietly to the person next to you if you missed something or to make a quick comment. I’ve done that plenty of times when I didn’t catch something or didn’t hear what the actor said. If anyone has a problem with that, they should just wait until they get to see the movie at home. You’re in public, so deal with it. I don’t see it as being rude unless it’s at a loud tone or during the whole film.
I still think that going to a mid-week matinee is the best way to avoid alot of these problems. I realize not everyone has a schedule that allows them to do that, but then even going on midweek evenings keeps alot of the riff raff out of the theaters.
“There is NEVER a moment during a movie, with exception of someone falling under physical illness, when it is necessary to talk. Never. Lights go down, lips shut for the duration of the film. End. Of. Story.”
Precisely what I was scrolling down to post. Unless there’s a fire to be warned about or a heart attack occurring, there is NEVER a valid reason to talk during a film. NEVER EVER EVER.
@Andy S
I also don’t mind whispering. Yes I can still hear them if they’re close, but I’m only offended if they don’t even try to be quet about it. Trust me, I’ve been at movies with people who don’t understand what’s going on sometimes. I’m not going to shush them if they lean over to ask me what happened. That’s just going to get me slapped and no 2nd or 3rd date or whatever, lol.
I agree with Andy S. It’s ok to talk at a whisper because usually the movies sound effects overpower the persons voice unless its a slow moment with little or no sound. And yes if you want to avoid the annoying people go in the afternoon when its way less crowded.. hell go to a 10 o clock showing and be the only one in the theater if it bothers you that much. I mean honestly are you really going expect like 50 people to keep their mouths shut for 2 hours? It’s 2009 brother get real and deal with it! A movie experience in no way shape or form is “ruined” if someone makes a few remarks during a cool scene or whatever. Goodness knows I’ve done it. And these days you can actually recreate a movie theater experience by getting a big plasma, subwoofer, blu ray etc. So if going to the movies is too much of a problem for them than they can invest in something like that and never attend a movie theater again.
I always go during a weekday and to a theater that isn’t usually really packed even on the weekend, so it’s practically empty during the weekdays, lol.
I would also say that everyone should take a shower before going to a movie.
I went and saw LOTR opening night and it was bad enough having to sit on the very front row, but then a couple that looked like they weighed about 800 pounds combined sat next to me, sat their baby which was in a car seat on the floor, and they smelled as if they had rolled around in raw sewage all day.
Had to hold my nose the entire movie.
one time when i went to see state of play and it started at 10:30 and about 30 min in these teens all of a sudden come in they start talking to each other and have there cell phones out and they’re texting and then about ten minutes later one of them throws they’re drink around me and my dad’s general area splashing us and the people in the row behind us and after that they left immediately. that was only my second worst experience with the movies
I would have chased one down and decked him, then came back into the theater and sit down as if nothing happened. Teach them a lesson that they can’t always get away with it without some level of punishment, lol.
my worst experience was when my dad and i went to see the third mummy movie opening weekend on saturday,so we go to the theater and its pretty packed and everyone in the theater is talking loudly and texting. so i thought well they are just talking now but i’m sure once the movie starts they’ll shut up right, NO instead they continued texting and talking very loudly and the people behind us were kicking my dad’s seat and people kept going out and coming back in and at one point this group of peaople come in and they are shouting out to people in the highest row so at that point my dad and i left, got our money back and left, and then saw an early show the next day. But here is the disturbing part,these people who were talking VERY loudly and texting, kicking my dad’s seat and shouting out to each other were not little kids, were not teens, but ADULTS!!! every single person in that theater besides me was a GROWN man or woman so that is what disturbs me most is that even some adults behave worse than children at the movies i am 14 and i behave way better then every single adult in that theater. now yes i am a teen don’t put me in the group that has teens as doing nothing but text during a movie and talk to their friends because i don’t do any of that the only thing i may do during a movie is whisper to the person next to me about something but that is all so for me that was my worst experience
I usually see new releases on the day they come out during mid-day at work…
I get to the theatre around noon when there’s nobody there and avoid all the crowd bs, get paid at the same time,,,lol!
Its great!
Brilliant article.
I work at a cinema in the UK and am forever telling people to switch their mobiles off. If you have to answer a mobile call then leave the screen completely and phone the person back.
I don’t know how it works in the US, but over here it is actually illegal for an underage child to be allowed into a certificate 15 or 18 film, whether they are a newborn or not. I have had many arguments with people over this, sometimes heated enough that I’ve asked security to escort them off the premises.
We actually do a specific showing per week for parents with newborns, where the lighting is higher and the sound a little quieter.
If I have to tell someone off for talking because I’ve spotted it or had a complaint I give them an official warning. If I have to speak to them again then they are ejected from the cinema.
Oh my god…..That is not how it works over here sadly. I wish it did because I went to Shark Night 3D and some guy brought his young child with him. Usually I wouldn’t mind as my folks took me and my younger sister to LOTR when we were at least 10 years old, but in the case I mentioned, Shark Night was totally inappropriate for this child. It had naughty jokes (especially a certain word that rhymes with “wussy”), loads of profanity, examples of guys being creepers and blood and gore galore. Since some folks can’t determine what is good and what isn’t for their kid (LOTR was just war, no coarse language and the eternal struggle of holding your pee for a good three hours) they need to ban them. I am officially jealous….it sounds like the cinema in the UK is much better than in the US!
@Azzza
I wish we had ushers like you here in movie theaters. Heck, I wish we had ushers at ALL (we just seem to have ticket takers).
Vic
Haha I remember throwing a drink and popcorn in the theater when I was like 16 but these days if someone did that to me I would lay someone out strate up. Especially if they hit my mom/dad. I almost wish some idiot would do that so I’d have an excuse. Cheers
I hate when there are like 200 other free seats and people still choose to sit next to me or directly behind/in-front. Or if the people in the vincity behind you choose to stick their bare feet through into your row.
Talking is pretty much unacceptable… ever. If it requires a conversation, then wait til later.
And lolly wrappers! Argh. Open the bad before the movie starts, and open the top of the bag completely so you don’t have to russle about.
I noticed the baby sign, and that, unfortunately, would be my wife! It pisses me off when she insists that she takes the baby to the film! Lately, I just stay home with the kid while she goes out with the gal-pals for a movies (which is probably more annoying than having the kid along). Sorry, honey, just kidding. Seriously, guys, sorry if it was my kid that annoyed you guys in a theater. Even *I* think I should be beaten like a stupid dog!