Movie Theatre Etiquette (1 Viewer)

So, two weeks in a row now I've seen movies on a Friday night (Wild and The Imitation Game). Two weeks in a row I've had people go on their phones in the theatre to either text, check a notification, or even look up the movie they're watching.

I'm getting pretty annoyed and frustrated that this continues to happen, because it's completely rude, inconsiderate, and disrespectful to others. I don't know why people can't disconnect for two hours and enjoy a movie. If things are going on and you're expecting a call, stay at home. If you don't like the movie, just leave.

Can signal jammers get put into theatres to prevent this? It's completely ruining the movie going experience.

I don't go to the theater because of everything you have stated. I even have had to require anyone enter my HT to leave their phone on a table before you enter. The reason I had to do this was my wife had hers on, a bright flash erupted from her phone notifying her of a message...which scared the crap out of me.


I've even have to lock the door into the HT. Once I was fully emerged in the movie and I noticed my wife standing next to me...scared the crap out of me (my HT is pitch black.) She said, "I knocked and knocked and knocked, you wouldn't answer so I came in!"

I don't have a problem telling people to get off their phone. I suppose me shouting "Turn off your phone" also interrupts the movie but it's the last time that I see a phone on the entire time I'm there.

Rian said:

Can signal jammers get put into theatres to prevent this? It's completely ruining the movie going experience.

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No. Signal jammers are against the law in the USA in most cases.

I usually tell the jackasses that I can see their screens and to please turn it off, sternly but politely. If that fails, then I tell them again without being polite. After that I'll go get someone from the theater staff. Cinemark says before the shows not to use your cell phones in the theater or you will be asked to leave. I expect them to stand behind that.

But I'm thinking a portable cellphone jammer would be interesting to try.

Sean Bryan said:

I usually tell the jackasses that I can see their screens and to please turn it off, sternly but politely. If that fails, then I tell them again without being polite. After that I'll go get someone from the theater staff.

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This is the aspect that really bothers me. When I go to a movie, I liked to be drawn into the story being told, but once I have to become a "theater patrol person" I am completely out of the movie. Even if I have to go out and find a staff employee I end up missing part of the movie (without knowing if I had missed an important part) which make matters even worse.


Anymore, I will only go see the "blockbuster" movie during the day (take time off of work) when the crowds are at a minimum.



I will never forget the first time I saw "Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl". It was a sold out showing, and I sitting next to a lady whose cell phone started ringing in her purse. She immediately reached in her purse to grab the phone. I was expecting her to ignore the call, and turn off the phone. Boy was I wrong. She then proceeded to place the phone on her lap while covering it with her hand (still ringing). I shot a glance at her, and then she decided that she was going to answer it right there. Some people just don't understand how to be polite. I really wanted to "let her have it", but I bit my tongue (can still taste the blood). Thankfully that was the only interruption.

Oh I agree. Once I have to address them my "blood is up" and I'm pulled out of the movie. But if they comply it'll go down relatively quickly. If they don't comply, then it's a mess. I've been in quite a few movie theater confrontations over the years.

Sean Bryan said:

Oh I agree. Once I have to address them my "blood is up" and I'm pulled out of the movie. But if they comply it'll go down relatively quickly. If they don't comply, then it's a mess. I've been in quite a few movie theater confrontations over the years.

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You are taking your life into your hands. Always get staff.

Brett_B said:

I will never forget the first time I saw "Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl". It was a sold out showing, and I sitting next to a lady whose cell phone started ringing in her purse. She immediately reached in her purse to grab the phone. I was expecting her to ignore the call, and turn off the phone. Boy was I wrong. She then proceeded to place the phone on her lap while covering it with her hand (still ringing). I shot a glance at her, and then she decided that she was going to answer it right there. Some people just don't understand how to be polite. I really wanted to "let her have it", but I bit my tongue (can still taste the blood). Thankfully that was the only interruption.

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Was she elderly? I have had two experiences very close to yours since cell phones were introduced.
Both of them with older ladies (60 or up I'd guess). And both were very flustered when their phones went off. I never say anything to anyone, but the one lady tried to muffle her phone in her coat while getting yelled at by some guy ahead of her. I really felt bad for her, she was so apologetic, and shaken that she got up and left. Shortly after the guy that yelled at her got up, and left for a few minutes. I'm assuming to apologize to her for cussing her out.

The Alamo Drafthouse still said it best (and depicting the root of the problem:

/\/\ It's sad because so many people seem to be under the same delusion as the woman leaving that voicemail. I wish there was an Alamo Drafthouse in MA so I could give them all of my movie going money.


When I went to see The Hobbit the woman in front of me was clearly pissed when I politely asked her to stop texting because I could see her screen. This was 10 seconds after the PSA on the screen telling everyone no texting was allowed. Sometimes I don't know if people are dumb or just don't give a shit about being inconsiderate to others.

Bryan^H said:

Was she elderly? I have had two experiences very close to yours since cell phones were introduced.
Both of them with older ladies (60 or up I'd guess). And both were very flustered when their phones went off. I never say anything to anyone, but the one lady tried to muffle her phone in her coat while getting yelled at by some guy ahead of her. I really felt bad for her, she was so apologetic, and shaken that she got up and left. Shortly after the guy that yelled at her got up, and left for a few minutes. I'm assuming to apologize to her for cussing her out.

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For what it's worth, the times that I've had to yell, it's at people who are checking their cellphones in ridiculously high amounts. I'm not a total maniac screaming at old ladies who are having trouble turning off their phones.

Jim_C said:

Sometimes I don't know if people are dumb or just don't give a shit about being inconsiderate to others.

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I think it's that a lot of people today (young and old) don't think about anyone other than themselves. And not in a 'normal' way but in a medically diagnosable narcissistic way.

TravisR said:

I think it's that a lot of people today (young and old) don't think about anyone other than themselves. And not in a 'normal' way but in a medically diagnosable narcissistic way.

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Or mostly, that the generation that grew up with cellphones think they're the ones that "discovered" cellphones/texting whereas the previous one did not, and that every time they text in theaters or while driving, they've created a their own unique extension of themselves to the world, that nobody else outside of their tech-awareness has (even though pretty much everyone on the planet has one by now), and which doesn't affect the outside world in any way.


Hence the distinctly personal reaction to "You're saying I CAN'T text here??"

That she was using it as a flashlight, maybe, but the reaction seemed to be "Wait, you're saying there're rules against it, or did you just make that up?"

The last movie I went to last year, 10 minutes into it, a family of 5 came into the theater. They all turned on their flashlight phones to find their seats...talk about being pushed out of the movie. Of course no one said anything to them...I'll let you guess why.

I always pick and select when to go. I'd NEVER go see a "new" movie on opening weekend. My girlfriend and I wanted to see AMERICAN SNIPER this weekend but not a chance in hell. With that many people seeing it you're bound to have an asshole there.


What I don't get is why people can't wait a couple hours for the movie to be over. Yes, some of us go the movies for the love of it. Some go to kill time. I think most just go because it's something to do and these are the types on their cell phones, talking with each other or whatever else. Hell, my girlfriend thinks I'm a jerk because I wouldn't let her take her kids to a certain movie a couple weeks ago. She doesn't understand that "adult" natured movies should have kids in there talking. If I'm not there, she would certainly be on her phone too.


What I don't get is WHY the hell people pay $10+ a ticket only to go in there and talk, not pay attention to the movie or play Candy Crush. We went and saw TAKEN 3 Saturday at the midnight showing. There were about 20-minutes worth of trailers and then the movie started. As soon as the movie started people stood up and walked out to go to the bathroom, get something to eat or whatever else. They ended up missing the first ten-minutes and they were in the theater a good ten-minutes before the trailers started. Why on Earth would you wait until the movie started?

It's a different world now. Today's audiences are just rude...Period. Todays generation are the same..Attention people...when you are eating in a resturant. TAKE YOUR DAMN HAT OFF. People today just don't have a clue. They were never taught the right way. I always go to the first showing on a Tuesday morning /afternoon. Most of the MORONS are not there because they don't get out of bed until noon. I remember when going to a first run movie was an event and the audience was respectful of other patrons. Those days are LONG GONE. All I have are memories.

TravisR said:

For what it's worth, the times that I've had to yell, it's at people who are checking their cellphones in ridiculously high amounts. I'm not a total maniac screaming at old ladies who are having trouble turning off their phones.



I think it's that a lot of people today (young and old) don't think about anyone other than themselves. And not in a 'normal' way but in a medically diagnosable narcissistic way.

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Yeah I agree. I think in the case I witnessed it was just an old lady that either forgot she had her phone in her purse, or was cell illiterate, and just knew how to turn it on or off. Not use the settings to turn the ringer off. Either case if she planned to see a movie she should have been aware of her phone(along with everyone else that enters a theater).
Just to go slightly off topic, I worked with two guys both in their early 20's that got fired because of their cell phone use last year. They were even given a couple warnings before they got let go. I watched them operate, and it was freaking SCARY. They couldn't go 5 minutes without checking their phones. I had a horrible thought that this is what the world was coming to. Being anchored to an electronic device. I hope I was way off base with that assumption.

No, Brian, this is the way of the future: being anchored to an electronic device. Lunch: 2 or more people at a table constantly gabbing or texting while eating, and paying no attention to their companions, who, in turn, are not paying any attention either. What's the point of a lunch or dinner date? Pay an exorbitant amount of money to NOT watch a movie while annoying everyone else at the theater? Just stay home and do the same in front of your TV!

Walking while dodging texters is also fun. Many times I just continue on a collision course forcing the texter to (gasp!) pay attention and stop texting.

And on the subject of hats...well, I was taught that you never wore a hat inside a building, particularly where ladies were present. Check old movies: men wore hats in elevators until a lady entered the elevator. The men immediately removed their hats, or at least lifted them as a sign of respect. BTW, by the time I was a young man, nobody wore hats, thank heavens!

I've actually found far fewer incidences of people using their cell phones in movie theaters recently.

And the UI on most smartphones is such that most people know how to quickly shut it off if it starts ringing (although it should have been silenced or off in the first place).

But when I went to see Gravity, there was a woman who took out her cell during the movie to look at a text. If she had looked quickly and put it away, I would have let it go, but she kept it out with the screen on so I leaned forward and said, "Please...the glare is bothering me." She got up and walked out and didn't return.

Personally, I think if your phone rings or you take it out during the movie, you get thrown out with no refund. But that would require staff monitoring the theatre, which the exhibitors would never do.

There are some theaters that had/have such a policy. I don't know if it still exists, but the theatre in the Union St train station in D.C. had such a policy.

ok i LOVED that Alamo Drafthouse thing! LMAO!