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The Average Movie Theater Has Hundreds of Screens
theodp writes "The "average" movie theater reportedly has a capacity of 200-300 people. Which, thanks to the wonder of mobile devices, means that it also has hundreds of screens. And — thanks to Facebook, Twitter, and texting — hundreds of potential annoyances. Which prompts NY film critic David Edelstein to ask: How Should We Treat Texters and Talkers at Movie Theaters? 'Has our culture become so private that no one knows how to behave anymore in public?' Edelstein wonders. 'Is selfishness the rule rather than exception? Are people who say, "Shut up and turn off your phone" today's version of "You kids get off my lawn"?' Jason Bailey argues that the only way to solve movie theaters' talking and texting problem is to give in to it, perhaps with anything-goes phone-friendly talk-amongst-yourselves screenings in the seven and eight o'clock hours coupled with no-tolerance shows later in the evening. Any other ideas?" You could always throw it.
No, because phone screens are way too bright and blind the people behind them.
I'd probably just sit there and be quiet.
I have never, ever noticed this, not in a single movie. Talking on the phone would definitely be a problem, but I've never seen this either. Frankly I don't really give a shit if people are texting or surfing on their phone during the movie. I'm looking ahead at the screen. I find it hard to believe that it should really bother someone that much.
I like my living room a whole lot better than some movie theater. The popcorn is a lot cheaper, too.
The answer is don't go if you are bothered by it. Just spend a few bucks on a good home entertainment system and then Pay Per View on VUDU or whatever in HD when it's available.
I've always liked the notion of enclosing the theatres in a faraday cage. In any new construction, it should be relatively cheap to include a mesh around the theatre itself -- and then you don't have to worry about people's manners. At least not as far as cell phones are concerned.
How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
Most people won't use their devices if there is no connectivity. Just start building theaters with built-in Faraday Cage technology.
I have never once understood going out with a group and sitting silently in a straight line. Seems silly to me.
Just stop going entirely. It is expensive and isn't even as nice as watching at home or with friends. There's certainly no chance that social conventions will make it palatable again within our lifetimes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb7XlUoEKtE
2nd amendment for the win?
Leaving aside racial stereotypes, is this more of a regional or cultural problem? In San Diego, I virtually never see people texting /during/ a movie, and I don't think I've heard a cell phone go off (eg, ring) during a showing any time in the last five years. About the worst thing that happens is people (myself included, occasionally) leaving a phone on but silent (no vibrate).... A flicker of a bright screen might show up if they have their phone facing outwards in a thin pocket or something, but that's it. Anyone who actually talked during a show would be told to stfu by the movie-goers, no doubt...
FWIW, I'm normally just going to the local AMC20 or 18; nothing fancy or unusual, so I have to assume my observations are typical for this area.
Is San Diego just a nice town, or are other places like this too?
Hire a Linux system administrator, systems engineer,
Just don't bother to go to movies. They're expensive, dumb, and annoying, with or without the foibles of your fellow movie fans.
The sound is louder, the previews are more irritating, and the movies are more mindless. This is fun? The occasional good flick can be viewed in comfort and privacy in your home theater (or other device) on your own terms.
If you can't be without your phone for the length of the movie, don't go to the movie. We don't need to change society for pretentious self-absorbed assholes that can't part with their phone. You aren't that important that you need a phone 24/7.
Theaters should collect the phones at the door, and you get it back when you leave.
I have never found it to be a REAL problem, and even if it might annoy some people, you can not make a blanket prohibition, there are people that just might need to take that emergency call, Doctor, EMS, Volunteer firemen, Parents with a sitter and a hurt kid! So the selfish and self absorbed get to skate by! So all that on top of the fact that a theater that deployed a cell blocker, just might be on the wrong end of a whopping law suit, all I can say is suck it up and cope!
>"'Has our culture become so private that no one knows how to behave anymore in public?"
Yes it has. A large percent of the population are very rude regarding phones. And the younger the generation, the more rude.
I'm surprised the idea of the miniplex hasn't caught on. Instead on one big room with 300 morons, have 30 rooms that seat 10 each. Most people want to watch a movie by themselves or with friends; they don't care about sitting in a room full of strangers. With digital distribution, each room could show any movie, and showtime is whenever a room is available. Yes, in the end it's just a fancy home theater, but many people don't have the money or the room for a decent home setup.
This is hardly a novel problem. All manners of talking, noisemaking, and other disturbances have been problems in theaters for centuries; phones are simply another type of potential disturbance.
Yes, it is to some extent a cultural problem. I also think it tends to be a problem of lack of any enforcement of reasonable etiquette in theaters, perhaps from a concern for repercussions and retribution, but also, at least in many movie theaters, from a lack of staff.
But I think it is only through enforcement by venues, and cultural unacceptability, that disturbances like these can be minimized, especially in this case. I don't think anyone particularly wants to be in a theater full of other people on phones; the people who use them in theaters would likely be upset about others using them were they not using them at that particular time. There are already venues for watching movies on large screens while being able to talk and generally be more casual, and perhaps we could use more of those, but that's not the problem here: the problem are people who are selfish. If someone wants to be able to disturb others, but not be disturbed by others, then letting everyone cause disturbances isn't going to help: everyone will go to the no-tolerance shows, and become upset if they're thrown out.
Well, here in Brazil one pretty much has to turn the damn things off, otherwise people will kick them out of the screening room. Texting with very _low_ light and absolutely no noise might be tolerated, but don't count on it.
All the theaters (movie and live-action) tell you right at the beginning of the session to shut the cells off. They _have_ the right to kick you out if you don't... but they don't even have to, the people right behind you or next to you will make your life hell until you run out in fear of losing your annoying gadget.
An EMP works for me.
Why has “get off my lawn” become code for cranky senior citizen? What the fuck do those kids think they’re doing tearing up my meticulously-mown property, and why is it unreasonable to object to trespassers?
I mean, if you’re just picking up a wayward frisbee or something, fine, but other than that, unless I invited you, seriously, stay off my lawn.
I assigned CVEs here: http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2013/06/30/2
One is "I wanna watch the damn movie", use a cellphone or talk too much and you get tossed out. The other is "I wanna be with my friends", anything goes. Run the experiment a couple months, see which gets the bigger audience. / Last movie I saw in a theater was Return of the King, due to talkative asshats // Second to last movie was The Two Towers
The entire movie theater industry is dead.
Even if cell phones were eliminated (which in my experience have been more or less a non-issue in theaters) you've still got the fact that its $8 for a ticket and then $5 for a popcorn, $5 for a soda, $5 for a box of Junior Mints... Its simply too expensive for the 2 hours of (possible) enjoyment, especially when a couple of months later you can watch the movie on Netflix or pay $1 for it at Redbox. It used to be you could offset this by the fact that you were getting a higher quality picture and sound, but anymore a HDTV and surround sound are pretty common. 3D is simply a gimmick, its fun for a movie or two but doesn't really add much to the experience. I mean, other than for a midnight premiere, does anyone actually go to the movies anymore?
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
And the younger the generation, the more rude.
Speaking as a 52-year-old...
My personal experience has been that the most egregious offenders in this regard are middle-aged women. Followed by men in the 25-40 demographic.
The young'uns are mostly texting. It's annoying if you're attempting to converse with one of them, but otherwise it's not a big deal.
#DeleteChrome
Mandatory dose of Rittalin and a punch to the dick.
This is the kind of nonsense that makes you cringe at what bothers people.
I think they need to rethink the concept of the movie theater. The value of "going to see a movie" in this digital age is that you are going out to see a show. So get rid of the "lines of chairs facing the screen" thing, change the layout so that groups are further apart, with more comfort.
Serve booze - they do it at baseball games! That would both offset the cost of the new concept and make the experience more enjoyable for adult audiences.
Nobody really needs movie theatres anymore. They have to make it something out of the ordinary that people will be excited about.
No talking or texing. Period.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/05/31/ethan_hawke_julie_delpy_don_t_talk_psa_for_alamo_drafthouse_is_the_best.html
http://drafthouse.com/about
I go to the theater about 5 times a year. I admit that I'm not an avid movie goer. But out of my limited experiences at the theater, I don't think I have ever been so annoyed by someone else's phone that I gave it a second thought after the movie. I see a lot of people talking and texting through the previews, but once the movie starts, people seem to stop. I have seen one person answer their phone and run out of the theater. And I see people checking their phones or texting here and there but not constantly and not with sound. Sometimes I wonder if I just live in a more polite region or if people are just anal.
Oh Hell no... Fine, that was three.
Something is very wrong if the movie cannot keep people entertained enough to stay off the fucking phone.
I'm a band director, and we've got the same problem at music concerts. A few years ago I was at the national music teacher's convention and went to one of the sponsored concerts. Essentially everyone there was a music teacher. Right as things were getting started, a cell phone rang a few seats over from me- you could hear the muttering from angry concert goers for several rows. When the lady had the audacity to actually ANSWER her phone (rather than just sheepishly turn it to silent) people literally stood up and turned around to give her the stink eye. I believe she was very nearly lynched that night.
But I pull it only half out of my pocket, hit the button, see if the text I got was from my kids or if there's an urgent issue requiring me to leave the theater to make a call, or go home/work. So maximum exposure time is less than 3 seconds, and any light would be directly to my left (so, the stairs, or my wife...), or reflected off my pants.
OMG... I have a sig?
like this
I find that supporting the Movie or Music industry is like giving money to my local mafia. Something I will NOT do.
So going to theaters is out of the question.
Be seeing you...
My wife and I are going to see the Star Trek movie tonight, six weeks after it came out, on the last showing on Sunday. I'm guessing there will be maybe 10 people in the theater. I'm not expecting to hear any of the other customers, but if I do, it will be pretty easy to move away from them.
------RM
Have little mini rental lockers, like safe deposit box size, with keys. Charge a quarter. Tell people to put their phones in them. Present the key for the rental locker for $1 off a 32 oz soda at the snack bar. Net cost to consumer: +75 cents, a drink, and diabetes. Net cost to theater: -75 cents on big gulps, but potential increased sales and happier customers all around.
Occasionally living proof of the Ballmer peak.
Prevent the phone from transmitting and receiving signals inside the theater and put a disclaimer on the ticket. Anyone who doesn't like it is free to not buy a ticket. If you feel such a great need to send or recieve calls or texts, you simply need to step outside to the concession area to do so.
Shut up brain or I'll stab you with a Q-Tip. - Homer Simpson
I was watching G.I. Joe: Retribution in a theater with a "zero tolerance" cell phone policy, and the jerk in front of me took his phone out and texted several times during the movie. I considered asking him to stop, but I just don't like getting into confrontations. I further considered going and telling a staffer, but I didn't want to miss part of the movie to do it. Also the guy was there with a kid, and I didn't want to be responsible for ruining the kid's movie experience.
I'm just too nice. :P
Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
Design a shirt, keepsake, or sticker that is emblematic of the show. Have it on display, and offer it for sale to viewers on the way out. You dont have to stock the merchandise, just have people use their cards and offer free shipping to the card's address. That way you can take the most advantage of the "high" a movie generates....while they are in the moment. Offer a discount on the DVD if they order it right then and there.
You can then fairly accurately target the quantities you will have to manufacture and pin the price breaks on production.
I cannot drag myself to the movie theater anymore, unless it's something I desperately need to see, or the wife really wants to go. Together, both situations add up to maybe two or three times in a year. I'm just so spoiled when it comes to entertainment. Why should I drive to a movie theater to see a movie that starts at a specific time, paying for both myself and and my wife, when I can watch Netflix, or movies on HBO or Showtime on demand, or rent via the cable box or iTunes? The movie starts when I want to, pauses if one of us has to go to the bathroom, and I don't have to pay twice.
Like others have said, the picture and sound are really the only reason to go to the movie theater anymore, and I have HDTV and surround.
The movie theater experience sucks. The only thing keeping it in business is people's impatience to see movies NOW.
------RM
I stopped going to theaters after some incidents like teens speaking on the phone very loudly, or speaking to each other about the movie also loudly. I talked to them, even screamed at them, and still they they acted like nothing happened, as if it was their right to do it. Since then, any time I go to the movies is very late at night, when there are only 10 or so people attending.
Another big problem still remaining is that some theaters turn up the sound volume too high. Even after plugging my ears with napkin paper I still get out of the movies with buzzing sounds in my ears that last for days.
Ah! Grasshopper! When you can snatch the phone from my hands it will be time for you to leave.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
The Alamo Drafthouse theaters (now in many major cities and expanding) famously has a very strict no talking and no cell usage policy during all movie showings. Here's an example of their strict policy in action from their corporate blog: http://drafthouse.com/blog/entry/she_texted._we_kicked_her_out
I instruct the babysitter to SMS me if they need to. I will ignore vibrations from phone calls and emails, but an SMS is rare enough that it's probably the baby sitter, and I will answer it.
But if it is the babysitter, I probably need to leave anyways, so go ahead and kick me out. It would suck if it wasn't the babysitter, but that movie is probably costing me over >$100 because I have to pay the babysitter too, so I get really annoyed at those who ruin it for everybody...
Texting should be OK. You do not need any noise to text. And in a pitch black room the screen brightness should always be minimal. yes a cell needs to pump out a lot of lumens to be readable in the noon day son, but there is no excuse for a cell with a camera attachment to be a noticeable detraction in a movie theater.
Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
I was having dinner with an old friend of mine (I'm early 50's and he's early 60's). you might think its only kids (relatively speaking) who are rude and will break out their phones and start thumbing thru stuff while in the middle of a dinner conversation, but NO - here he was, dinking around with his stupid iGadget while I was trying to carry on a conversation with him. yes, it really annoyed me.
I don't do that to others. when I'm with someone, I won't whip out my phone and start messing around with it. not sure why people think this is the 'new normal'; its new but its still NOT polite and should not be considered acceptable social behavior.
its bad enough that you cannot find people walking on the street looking where they are going, anymore; they all look down and are thumbing thru their phones and wearing earbuds while walking. car drivers, too! I see so many people wearing earbuds while driving. so unsafe! but do they care? of course not.
I don't like the direction all this is going in. and I realize I'm in a tiny minority, on this subject matter ;(
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
Throw the offender out and don't give them their money back.
I also say bring back the jamming technology to stop any signals coming in and going out.
Want to talk/text? Go outside, go to a cafe, or stay home. Want to watch the movie? Shut up and watch the movie.
... in the cinema walls are the answer.
I have gone to the cinema many times and in all cases that I can remember they have big signs in the lobby saying "turn off your phone when in the theater" and then they have a message at the start of the movie (during the ads and previews and stuff) also saying "turn off your phone". No reason why movie theaters in the US couldn't simply make it a condition of entry that you turn off your phone or dont use it in ways that distract other people.
If you cant be without your phone for a couple of hours, go to the cinema (or session) that doesn't restrict phone use.
I quit going to the movies because the theater refuses to deal with the cell phone problem. When I do go, it's during the week while everyone is in school or at work.
Eventually, I'll either quit going completely, or take the evil path once again and buy another jammer. They work VERY well to keep texting / calls to a tolerable level.
Don't like my evil approach ? TOUGH SHIT. Perhaps you should mind the requests to TURN YOUR FUCKING PHONE OFF DURING THE SHOW. Since you have no issues pissing everyone around you off to the point of violence, I have no issues removing your ability to do so to begin with.
did back in 2011: http://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/11/06/11/1940219/austins-alamo-drafthouse-theater-gives-texters-the-boot
Wait for the DVD or Blu-Ray to come out and watch it at home without all the annoyances.
I don't understand why anyone still goes to a theatre today with all the rude behaviour from the audience. You can't enjoy a movie at the theatre any more.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
Throw nickels at the heads of anyone talking or with a bright screen out.
I'm in western canada, you see people doing it during the ads and bullshit before the movie, but i've only noticed it happen may be once or twice during the movie, and the occasional forgot to turn phone off, but those people always react quickly and seem ashamed of there mistake
And yet "You kids get off my lawn" had (has) its merits too. If someone's doing something risky on your property (usually the cause for "get off my lawn"), then there are liability issues. If they're tearing up the lawn (the other possible cause), then it makes sense then too. Just because teenagers think the old man is stupid (because they can't grasp the reasons) doesn't mean he's wrong.
"Hell is other people" - Sartre
That is all.
Mod down people who tell people how to mod in their sigs
Besides being able to drink a nice beer, you can be sure that you won't see phones out at the Alamo Drafthouse:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L3eeC2lJZs
with home theaters getting better and more affordable movie theaters need to be better. giving in would make me even less likely to go.
its a dying business but no need to hurry it up.
The current generation is taught through the education system a great deal about their rights, but very little about their responsibilities.
Consequently we get a very inward-focused generation with a false sense of self-entitlement and, rudeness in general.
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
+1
And also the "instant gratification" factor where they seem to expect and demand everything instantly, with no effort, no waiting, and no research.
A lot of people are suggesting faraday cages as the answer. I'm not sure that is really as cheap as people think it would be, and I really don't care if people are using their phones during the pre previews or previews. I'm thinking that a zero tolerance policy along with a phone detector system is a better answer. My guess is that once the lights are out, an HD camera mounted in the ceiling over the audience will easily be able to pick out any light coming from the audience. With a one time simple calibration (putting a light in the end seats of each row and telling the software how many seats are in the row) the software can probably report the exact seat location, or close enough. Then after some threshold, say 30-60 seconds of light, the system could report the theater number and seat location of the light source to theater staff. An usher could then be dispatched to observe the behavior and throw the customer out, or at the very least cause the customer to quickly put their phone away when the usher walks into the theatre.
http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2011/06/booted-texters-angry-voicemail-message-becomes-dont-text-during-movies-psa
The young'uns are mostly texting. It's annoying if you're attempting to converse with one of them
Or if they're sitting in front of you in a darkened movie theater.
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
My solution is to watch movies on Netflix (streaming or disc). I stopped going to theaters long ago. Mostly because the movie industry is in bed with the MPAA, which I despise.
Turn off your phone, pull the battery, then set off the EMP and watch the poor Apple fuckers cry.
If you sit in the front row you will not be bothered by 96%+ of the other patrons. Bring a neck brace.
I maybe go to 5 movies a year and *maybe* once I've seen someone talking on a cell phone. I think it's really rude, but the "yapping in a movie" thing is almost a meme that doesn't seem to warrant the attention.
I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
"And the younger the generation, the more rude."
More rude, or just practicing a different set of values than you? Remember what the old folks used to say about Rock-n-Roll? Now WE are those old folks . . .
Sdelat' Ameriku velikoy Snova!
Agreed. Detroit area and it rarely happens. I think the problem is over-blown by people who so can't stand to be inconvenienced by the presence of other people that they lose perspective.
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/movie_theater_layout
" A large percent of the population are very rude regarding phones."
To the point of driving a car while texting, subjecting everyone sharing the road in their immediate vicinity to a much greater risk of injury/death, much like someone that has been drinking. Yet, for some reason, laws regarding texting while driving are effectively neutered compared to DUI laws. Why is that?
I suspect the "guvment" doesn't want to clamp down on cellphone use in any way as cellphones/smartphones are apparently the most used means of gathering data about everyone--"The Goose that laid the Golden Egg" sort of thing (although it appears the Goose just shit in their collective lap).
How Should We Treat Texters and Talkers at Movie Theaters?
Paraphrasing Shepherd Book (Firefly):
They'll burn in a very special level of hell. A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theater.
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
Cause the kids and hate to say, less civilized societies, are so stubborn that they want to repeat history. Period.
Even in Hollywood context, much like sequels and repeats stories are the raged nowadays in the theaters, the people have spoken. They crave it.
"And the younger the generation, the more rude."
More rude, or just practicing a different set of values than you?
Umm, "rudeness" by definition is "practicing a different set of values."
Politeness is simply a social construct -- there is no absolute objective standard. That said, there are social conventions that have little effect on others if violated. For example, for many decades it was considered important to come to a black-tie event wearing a black bow tie. In the past 10-15 years that convention has turned into black buttons, other clasps, and most recently long black ties seem fashionable. (Of course, at some events these variations may be more or less likely.)
Such a change in polite etiquette doesn't really have any broader effects other than a personal fashion choice. I may think someone looks idiotic in some faux "tuxedo," but it's not going to do any harm to me or probably anyone else except in unusual situations.
Similarly, your example of music choice probably doesn't harm anyone else, except if the sound is actually disruptive to others -- but you could be playing a Mahler Symphony too loud and also have that same problem... the actual choice of music isn't usually problematic.
On the other hand, one of the main reasons people go to a movie theater and pay the extra money is to experience a high-quality sound and visual experience on a large screen.
If you're shining a bright screen in a theater, you're degrading others' experience. Same thing with talking through the whole movie.
Violations of social conventions that have substantial effects on others are generally seen to be more disruptive than a personal choice that has little impact. "Rudeness" of this fashion is actually a bigger change in our culture than simply picking a different song to play on your stereo for your own experience.
Stop going to the movies. I'm being serious. You have to put up with the manners of strangers, cell phones, 6 dollar popcorn, no pause button for bathroom breaks, curiously uncomfortable seating, and the godawful commercials they force you to sit through before the movie.
Seriously. Screw that. Get a DVD/Blueray player and a big screen TV. Wait for the disc and invite some friends over. And you can have a beer while the movie is on. That's a million times better than the current "sit in a gigantic uncomfortable closet with random bits of humanity" movie model.
Of course there are exceptions. If you can find an actual real theater go to that by all means. Things to look for? Red velvet curtains beside the screen, a balcony, decor from the 50s, one screen only, and an usher. If you can find a movie joint like that, go there. But as for these 20 screen megaplexes? Avoid those like the plague. You shouldn't be surprised that they treat you like crap there. Because they are treating the movie experience in general like crap, so you shouldn't expect anything different for yourself.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
That's all.
STOP . AMERICA . NOW
That's the main problem. I would still shell out to see a big screen rendition of Blade Runner, or Apocalypse Now, or even half of the Hitchcock canon, or even some of the (non-animated, mid-century) Disney canon.
But every film now has the sheen of sameness about it and just isn't worth the cash. They're spending more and more, and meanwhile I want to spend less and less. I spent *a lot* of dough putting together a home theater so that I could see some classic greats. The last several times we shelled out for the theater for myself and my wife, I left thinking that I could have spent that $30-$40 much better elsewhere.
STOP . AMERICA . NOW
Seriously, a Faraday cage isn't that tough to build (three layers of metal door screen separated by a thin rubber insulator, where the outside two are grounded and the inside one is a white noise generator. Next, you attach one or two cell phone jammers inside the theater, and another in the lobby. "Whoops, no signal here hon! I guess we'll have to go outside to check on the babysitter". Seriously, people went to movies for 50+ years before cell phones. *SOMEHOW* they managed to sit with their yaps shut and not text or know everything under the sun. No yapping, no texting, no gaming. You are here to watch a film. Everyone here is here to watch a film. If you don't want to watch the film, shut up, get the hell out, and let those who paid to watch the film, watch the fucking film (If it's a fucking film, that is, if its Disney you won't see any of that).
Realizing that having ushers patrol all the screens would both impractical and expensive, I propose each theater complex keep just 1 or 2 people on staff to handle these cases. They can operate out of a central, 'security' type room which has video feeds from each auditorium. The cameras would be positioned near the back of the theater, pointing down at all the patrons. Anytime a phone is operated, its screen is activated and puts out a detectable amount of light. Special software analyzes the incoming video feeds and senses a phone activate by its light output. After a certain configured amount of time (say greater than 5 seconds to rule out any 'accidental' phone usage), an alert can be sent to one of the staff members along with the auditorium and seat number. Staff member will then deal with the problem according to theater policy. The best thing about this is that if people learn about it, they may be able to defeat it by ensuring they don't shine their screens up or back, effectively solving the problem. Of course, this too would probably be too expensive as well.
That is what I do, and for just the reasons this article mentions.
Prices are too high, most movies are not very good, and then I have to listen to some asshole run his mouth through the entire thing.
I would rather wait a few months, and watch the movie on pay-per-view, or something.
Home theaters are good, and affordable. I can stop the movie when I like. I do not have to pay $15 for popcorn and soda.
I used to go to movies all the time, but not anymore.
Have you been to a modern movie theatre in the last 5 years? They know they are hurting and are making the experience better. Yes you have ads before the movie, but you have threatre seating that is pretty damned nice. leather chairs with wide arms, cupholders, and some even recline. Some even recline automatically (serious AMC, that was awesome.) Its a huge screen, houses are getting smaller, not bigger, you have a uptake of new theatre experiences such a fine dining while watching the movie, drive ins with FM broadcasting so you don't have to leave the window cracked, 3d, IMAX, etc....
They know they are in trouble and while prices may still be going up, they are finally starting to give you more in return. Watching at home is overrated. Yes you save money cause you rent instead of pay for tickets, you buy groceries instead of buying at concession, and yes, your friends are there, and they talk, check phones, ask you to pause while they go to the bathroom, your phone rings cause you didn't turn it off before the movie, the neighbors are loud, dogs are barking, sirens wail nearby, your neighbors complain when you crank the sound up...its almost comparing apples and oranges, yeah they both have a rind but you can eat it on one of them, they both have seeds and you don't really want to eat them, both have an inedible core but one is much smaller an easy to deal with, one can be sectioned by fingers but the other has to be cut into pieces. They are both fruit but they are also different experiences.
Hear! Hear!.....Bravo! (I just finished using all my mod points on the previous Fine Article)
While I find the sound level of the musical scores annoyingly too loud, I would rather hear that distraction, than to put up with being subjected to the inane conversations within earshot.
I guess I'm sub-consciously paranoid that stupidity is transmissible...*Hint: There is a valid reason why the President's speech writers have to write the speeches targeting an 8th grade educated audience in the USA...*
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
Nice try.
It is not just cell phones and texters, it's the jackass who runs his mouth though the entire movie.
"One of the main reasons people go to a movie theater and pay the extra money is to experience a high-quality sound and visual experience on a large screen."
According to the MPAA, the "Age Group" with the highest propensity for movie going are teenagers (12~17). I seriously doubt that the above is their main reason for going to see a movie. . . It is probably to get away from their parents so that they can text in peace. . . : )
Sdelat' Ameriku velikoy Snova!
Everyone seems quick to complain when things go wrong, but too few people lavish praise when something is done right.
Allow me to attempt to correct this here....
Thank you, two thumbs up, and an "Atta boy/girl", for your display of courtesy and social responsibility.
That behavior and attitude seem to be less common lately.
Very reassuring and refreshing, indeed!
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
Beat the living shit out of them. Male - female - what evs. If the audience pounces on these assholes EVERY TIME, these self absorbed dumb fucks will quickly get the clue that it's not cool, and stop doing it.
Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
Wow, I would have been fooled by your UID...that's what I get for assuming!
Welcome to the Geritol Corner. We guard the the Hallway to the Elders (5 digit UID's), keeping the whippersnappers off the lawns.
But we are not old enough yet to tell them to "Turn that CRAP down!"
Where was I? Oh Yeah...I agree 100%
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
I brought a water pistol. A nice small one that fit up my sleeve. Not even those around me noticed
when I beaned the bastard in front of me with the screen full bright. But did that guy jump! Went
back to texting, and one more squirt. He quit texting and turned the phone off. Milk instead of
water is also good.
But you need one that doesn't leak or seep. Otherwise when you leave the theater you look as if
you peed yourself. Or worse.
I've never had an issue with people on phones. As in, no one uses them in the theatre.
The conversations happen sometimes, but there is a solution for that. Drive-ins. It's so much better not worrying about other people, you can actually enjoy a movie with someone instead of sitting beside them.
Faraday cages.
Stop going to the movie theater. Why spend all that money on a remake of a reboot of a remake of a ripped off story line? I haven't set foot in a movie theater in at least 10 years and am better off for it. Same for airlines, I haven't flown anywhere since 1998 and did it then under protest. Stop supporting these business that rip you off.
>"It is probably to get away from their parents so that they can text in peace. . . : )"
And now we have come full circle. The teens (and even young adults) don't NEED to get away from their parents to text in peace, they text constantly, all the time, regardless. And they do it at the dinner table, while you are trying to talk to them, in the car while driving, in the classroom, at a wedding, in a theater, in church, just about anyplace they want and often where it is rude and/or unsafe.
And that is not a matter of just having a different set of values". Most of them KNOW it is rude or unsafe and just do it anyway.
Just wanted to mention that this is only a problem in places where people are complete assholes to each other all the time. You know, New York, California, most of the south, etc. Here in Wisconsin, everyone is quite polite at the theater.
Have a camera detect the number of grlowing cell phone screens in the theater. After a certain threshold, lock the doors and release the Zyklon B.
Yes, of course. . . you and I, through years of life experiences, know this to be true . . .
.).
However, when you and I are long dead, and today's teens are the old-farts, such behavior will no longer be rude (though, I am sure they will be complaining about some other "rude" behavior that the teens of that time will be doing . .
Admit it . . . you are old. Just buy a nice home theater with your social security money and get over it. : )
Sdelat' Ameriku velikoy Snova!
You walk behind or past them and accidentally spill your super large 64 oz big gulp and then apologize profusely for the accident, never recognizing that they were using a cell phone in any way.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
I don't have to go to the theater.
Try talking on your phone or annoying texting in a play and see what happens. They will kick you out and not refund your money. And if you're obnoxious about it, you'll get banned.
That is the solution right there. The problem is not that people are texting and talking on the phone. The problem is that the theater's aren't stopping it. And they can very easily.
Theaters have become disgusting. The seats are gross. The food is gross. The movies are gross. The people that go to see the movies are gross. Its a disgusting experience. And on top of that, the price has well exceeded the rate of inflation by a factor of three or four. So you know what... I don't need to go to the movie theater.
maybe that's what we're really seeing here. The death of the movie theater. I've got a 60 inch flat screen at home. Explain why I should go to the theater and deal with their garbage? I don't see the attraction.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
A couple of months back, I was at a movie and the lady in front of me had a child on her lap. I didn't see it, at first, because I was directly behind her, but it was bothering my wife: the child was playing a game on the lady's phone. He was too young for the movie, so the mother was letting him play a game, instead. Of course, I told her to put it away and just ruined the movie experience for her child. She was quite annoyed at me.
Makes me think of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L3eeC2lJZs
I haven't seen this at a Century theater in Silicon Valley in the last year, and I see about two movies a month. Even at the Mountain View theater complex, which is surrounded by Google's campus, it doesn't happen. Century runs two warning messages, a cute one from Sprint ("When you turn off your phone, does it dream?") and a hard line one from Century ("You will be asked to leave the theater.") I've seen people using a smartphone when they're running commercials (not trailers), before the house lights go down, but not once the theater goes dark.
I have a mobile jamming device I got on ebay. Fits in my pocket. Seems to have about a 30-yard range. Works great.
Rudeness to me is starting anything, anything at all, with "umm" or similar.
It is a construct from modern comedies, where the speaker, and the audience, know the speaker is correct. In this forum, you have no such certainty, unless you are ignorant enough to assume you are correct in all things. Already, your attitude toward what is rude is in question, no matter your point. Keep a civil tongue in your head and it will serve you well. Fail to, and you will serve it many times over.
Forgive me if I ignore your point - if it is valid, someone will make it without the antecedant gutteral.
The only thing that annoys me is the sound of people crinkling their packets of crisps/nuts/sweets or whatever. Seriously, can't you go 2 hours without having to munch on something?
I think because most DUI laws were enacted in a time that legislation of public life was still socially acceptable.
These days, whenever there is any hint of legislating public behaviour, no matter how well proven the negative impact of said behaviour, a howl comes up from a mass of mean-spirited, egotistical, entitled shitheads. Enough that no politician is willing to brave the brouhaha.
For an example I refer you to the various Slashdot threads on DUI and texting while driving. All of them replete with 'get the government out of my life' as an excuse for their arsehole behaviour.
"I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?
Umm, "rudeness" by definition is "practicing a different set of values."
That's a bit of a cop out. There are plenty of examples of "rudeness" that are pretty much universally acknowledged (in which case you could probably just call them "selfishness" or "self-absorbtion"). But even if not universal, the VAST majority of the time the "rude" person was not some recent transplant to a social situation and clearly knew the local "values", they just didn't care...
Too soon?
We could just tazer them.
It's the other way around. Society has become a public toilet. You have to share everything with everyone, if you're not elite. You have to share your neighbors crap upbringing, his social networking, smoking, bars, movie theaters. Not private enough.
...or, they could have a zero-tolerance policy for all screenings and people who can't put their phones away during a movie can take their 'private screen' and go elsewhere.
The posted article and comments thereafter are completely pointless. This problem has been solved in many countries around the world with Cell Phone signal jammers. They are extremely cheaply available from hundreds of Chinese manufacturers, just Google them. Walk into many theaters OUTSIDE the USA and you get 0 signal. No more calls, texting, bbming and whatever else people tend to do on their phones that make noise. Very rarely do people actually play games with the volume on in a theater so 99% of the nuisance is gone. For those thinking about what people would do in emergency situations, the theater operator has an emergency cut off switch for the jammers in the event of something haven gone awry, just like a bank employee has to sound the alarm during a robbery.
I would say just to be on the safe side the cinema should install signal jammers that cover ther screens and place it so i only covers the screens and not the loby and outside that would just sole all the phone problems as in no singal not txting or calls
Courtesy of Kermode and Mayo's Film Review show on BBC Radio Five Live, The Moviegoers Code of Conduct. Also available as a poster!
War is God's way of teaching Americans geography
I just turned 25 yesterday, you insensitive clod...
gotta love it
...that people who talk in the theater are going to a SPECIAL hell.
Where I live things like pagers have gone the way of the Dodo... Everybody uses text messages on cellphones instead.
Now it shouldn't be hard to realize that while emergency calls can be made by the staff from hardline phones if necessary, some people need the ability to *receive* messages while in the theater. They may be on call 24/7 and thus cannot just pick another time to watch a movie - they'll still be on call.
So active or passive shielding isn't the solution - and it would not prevent people from gaming or similar.
What is needed is reaction and punishment. Basically something along the lines of being kicked out immediately, having to refund the tickets of all the people disturbed and have the phone confiscated. That will force the offender to buy a new phone before he or she will be able to bother other people again, and having to pay everybody elses tickets ensures that it will be a lot harder to afford a new phone any time soon.
"For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong." -- H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) --
...movie screens will be active LED screens, with no projector, and the theater will not need to be darkened. Then, the little gadgets will not be so disturbing to others.
In America, I thought this was law rather than the rule.
That could be because every theater I go to these days has the surround sound cranked up so loud that I can't even hear a conversation going on in the seat next to me.
> How Should We Treat Texters and Talkers at Movie Theaters? :)
Have you seen the film "god bless america" well thats how
The concert was completely ruined for the orchestra and the entire audience -- the profound effect of the music was lost.
That guy should face civil and criminal responsibility for his acts. You can't just go and ruin a concert that cost thousands of dollars to enact.
Considering that people had been preparing and expecting that experience for a long time, it wouldn't be too much to make him pay, let's say, $5,000 to each person in the audience plus $100,000 to the production.
Set them on fire.
There is no "-1 offended" or "-1 you don't agree with me" mod options for a reason.
I don't understand people who want to gulp down gallons of soda while they watch movies.
Your bladder gets full and you have to either sit there for two hours in discomfort or scuffle out to get to the bathroom to relieve yourself having inconvenienced half the row on your way out.
If I want to eat candy at the movies, I bring my own. The selection is not always that good at the theatre, and the prices are horrible.
"We mustn't be caught by surprise by our own advancing technology" -- Aldous Huxley
You do realise that the older generation has been saying versions of this complaint about the younger generation for all of human history, right?
I've started only seeing movies at the alamo drafthouse theaters. They tell you many times, they WILL throw you out without a refund for texting, talking, or being disruptive. They even play voicemails left at the customer service hotline (before the show) with outraged customers who didn't think it was right they they were ejected for disrupting someone elses movie.
The other day I went and saw Hangover 3 at an AMC theater (Drafthouse sold out) and I walked out. I couldn't stand it - an entire row of chatty girls behind us. One carried on a 20 min phone call during the movie. Complaining to the manager did nothing. I wasn't issued a refund. I'll never go back.
Being a pompous prick and using phrases like "antecedent gutteral" in an attempt at intellectual willy-waving is also pretty rude. Unfortunately for you, "gutteral" is actually spelled "guttural".
... with one of these cellphone signal blocker
I find it far preferable to create a theater experience at home. We don't switch on our TV unless there is a film we want to watch.
At home I have better (and cheaper) popcorn, no disturbances, no cellphones (we can pause the movie if we need to as well). Not to mention NO ADS and cheaper tickets. We have a nice surround sound system and a projector (the only way to go).
And to those that think it's cool to suggest Faraday cages. As parents I need my cellphone for babysitter emergencies, not to mention medical and other emergency calling. Will never work, not even if we tried.
Simple. Early last year I bought a jammer that stops cell coverage for an area the size of the average theater or restaurant. Only when someone is being an ass do I turn it on, and as soon as they've given up and put it away I turn the jammer off. I use it only rarely, and try to be as tolerant as reasonably possible. I've never yet needed to have it on longer than 5-6 minutes. I know it's technically illegal to even have the thing, but until threre becomes some better way to deal with idiots, I'll choose to avoid needless confrontations and just turn my lil gadget on briefly.
Tear their heads off and stuff them on pikes. Genocide is the only answer. Was THAT the answer you're looking for? Because there's always going to be people who wake up every day looking to go Genghis Khan on some such trivial nonsense no matter what.
Personally? I think the people on the ticket line who are slow and confused and can't make up their mind should be sodomized to death with road flares while their children are thrown off the roof of the theater.
Honestly, the cellphone thing has gotten *better* by me. It used to be pretty bad; maybe 10 years ago people would talk on the phone and stuff or have TXT chats back-and-forth with the thing beeping each time. Now I guess the people that do / did that are either more discreet or realize that it sucks and stop all-together.
But, what still annoys me... bringing an infant to a 10PM+ showing of a loud / scary movie. What. The. Hell. You're ruining the experience for lots of people, which is inconsiderate as hell. Obviously the infant isn't to blame, it's just a child.
Whenever I bring this up people treat me like the Devil, but it's flippin' annoying when some parent brings their kid to a 10PM or 11PM showing of a loud and scary movie. The infant inevitably freaks out at some point and starts crying and crying and CRYING. And only half the time does the mother carry the infant outside to try to calm it down. Of course the whole theater lets out a collection sigh or F-bomb because the parent is being inconsiderate.
Listen, I get it... you're a parent and you still want to have a life. Well, having a kid means making some changes: you don't get to get to the Bahamas every year, you don't get to go out drinking every Friday night, and you shouldn't bring your infant to a 10PM airing of a horror flick. They have matinee showing of colorful and cheerful movies for kids: learn to the theaters then. Wanting to have a life doesn't mean you get to poop on 100+ people's evening.
So either get a baby sitter, ask a relative to watch the kid, go to an earlier showing, or wait until the DVD.
The same kind of goes with fancy restaurants... if your kid is too young and/or you can't control them then please don't ruin the experience for the whole place (or just the surrounding tables).
Install downward pointing finger-sized AGM-88s on the theater ceiling. Man, I'd sit through a 3hr movie called "The Life of Jar Jar Binks" just to see that used.
Because wherever I go whether it's in the Us or in the Philippines, I never encounter this as a problem. Rarely will anyone whip out their phone during a movie and if they do, they have their screen set on minimum brightness. Typically people turn off their cells as soon as the movie starts. In the philippines there's a new anti-camcording law that came out and you're not supposed to even use your phone because they can detain you since you can record movies with it. Sounds reasonable enough but it's the philippines... Nothing really gets enforced, in fact right next to the movie theater there's a bootleg store full of pirated movies within the same mall.
...I don't go to theatres because the audience can't shut up.
Many if not most people where I live who go to theaters are nasty, loud, backward trash who babble on their phones and yell at the screen. If James Holmes lived where I do he'd have snapped sooner!
If you live where the social experience at theaters is actually FUN, for fucks sake support those establishments. Small and specialty theaters need audience support to survive being overwhelmed by commercial suckage.
"This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
The megaplex near the fast-food strip is full of distracted teenagers at early evening shows.
Around the corner is an 'artsy' theater where people in general behave very well.
Actually, even at the megaplex last time I was there people were pretty good
about keeping quiet.
Nothing beats the local early music concerts though. Near silence from the audience.
Maybe the quality of movies has gone down. When I went to the movies I should not take my eye and ears off the screen, even if the person in the next seat was crunching peanut brittle.
someone mod parent up! Damn kids and their *insert current toy here*!
There are two types of people that cause this problem to be bigger than it should be:
1. The people who are either too dumb or too rude to turn off their phone while in a theatre.
2. The people who make way too big a deal out of it when other people are dumb or rude.
Both of these types of people make the rest of us uncomfortable and break the movie experience for us. I see a lot of type #2 commenting on this thread. I guess the summary is asking for it, though.
Theaters that don't enforce no-talking/no-texting rules don't get my business anymore. If I go out to see a movie anymore, The Alamo Drafthouse gets my business. They don't set texters on fire, unfortunately, but they do deal effectively with those inconsiderate fucks.
Give in to it? No. Not now. Not ever.
A Canadian company Time Play has the audience use their smartphones to play word games with each other on the big screen. Years ago a company in Spain set up a LAN party in the movie theater but they're out of business now. Any news of something like this happening in the States, aside from one-time theater rentals for console gaming?
There is a difference. I may or may not appreciate the music the kids are listening to (it's not all bad) but it hardly matters to me what they choose to listen to. That's just different tastes.
OTOH, yakking on your phone while others are trying to watch a movie or while a cashier is trying to complete your transaction is rude to all around you. That is, you are actively intruding upon everyone else's time for a purely personal matter.
Texting while driving is beyond rude. Now you are actually putting others in harm's way.
Fun game of differing values though, It seems to me that if you are making sure I hear a conversation by yelling into your phone on the train, you must want my input :-)
I am not keen on the light from people's screens but I can tolerate that so long as doesn't get too ridiculous. What I really hate though is people yakking all the time, whether into their phones or to the guy in the next seat. How come the movie theatre is not able to broadcast the sound channel somehow so you can take along your favourite wireless headphones? You can get a really nice bluetooth stereo headset for not much money.
"Don't belong. Never join. Think for yourself. Peace." V.Stone, Microsoft Corporation
I see a few posts recommending faraday cages in theatres.
This has 2 obvious problems:
1) Faraday cages require an actual cage. Doors and other openings might prove problematic.
2) 911 calls. The FCC would not be cool with blocking all access to 911.
I have a better idea. Mandate all phones sold in the USA MUST prioritize joining a specific theatre carrier over all others. We'll call this carrier STFU and whenever a phone sees this carrier it must join to it instead of any other operator(AT&T, Sprint, etc) it might otherwise prefer. Our STFU carrier will then blackhole all traffic not destined to 911. Then put a low power antenna(cell tower) in each theatre covering all available frequencies. All SMS, internet and voice traffic not destined to 911 is then black-holed. Only outgoing calls to 911 work in the theatre. Everything else simply doesn't work. The theatre can then route all 911 calls via it's existing land-line. Which emergency services prefer anyway because they get an immediate address when the call comes in.
The Information Revolution will be fought on the command line.
For the hefty percentage we already pay the MAFIAA, why can't they send some enforcers to keep order in theaters, so we will continue to happily pay them $12 a ticket? People would get a lot less upset if they started cracking down on people texting in movies instead of old ladies with unsecured wifi.
Doesn't make them wrong, right?
Where are the auto-dimmers on the phones? Talkers, bad, but texters really only bother me because of the light coming from the phone. Why don't they sense the ambient light level and adjust accordingly? Or, since so many are location-aware with fairly high resolution, dim and go silent when in a theatre automatically?
Look, personally, I understand because I am also an old-fart, like you. However, I can see also see how this is a technology problem easily solved with technology. So, I see you a gripe and raise you four:
-Why are you watching movies in the dark with total strangers, WHEN YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO? Home theaters are cheap these days, thanks to technology. Take advantage of it.
-Why are you still paying a cashier? You should be paying ONLINE. You are old. You have less time remaining than everyone else, and your bones are brittle. When you go outside, make sure it is for a reason that is important and not a result of being "stuck in your ways."
-There are plenty of idiots on the road. How do you know that the texting is making them any stupider? It could be making them drive better, for all you know. They are idiots, nonetheless, irregardless of their texting habits. Get a dashboard mount for your cellphone, install Daily Roads, record evidence that they are too mentally slow to drive, and forward said evidence to the local authorities. Make the world a safer place.
-Use your smart phone to record people being "rude" on their's. Upload to Youtube. Tweet it. Make it go viral. Hurt them where it counts. Just beware of old-farts mistaking you for "part of the problem."
Sdelat' Ameriku velikoy Snova!
I about walked out of World War Z because of two people sitting behind me talking the entire time of the movie. Obviously, its a noisy and loud movie so much of the movie drowned out their talking. It was really frustrating during the not so loud parts.
Soem yuppie-type MUST read their message immediately a nd distract their neighbors. I saw this in the NY Metropolitan Opera house last month.
I've seen a scientist take a message while delivering a paper a conference.
People watching outdoors concerts and movies occasionaly talk and use phones. And to a certain degree at "dollar" theaters. I keep my expectations low then and try o live with it.
If the movie is turning boring, I see screens light up like fireflies. If te action is really good or requires a fair amount of attention, I see minimal usage. Someone should start a data mining company around this behavior.
I haven't been to a movie theatre in over 8 years. Just not worth it anymore. Most titles are out on on-demand within a few months of hitting theatres. Not only do you not have to deal with talkers and phone ringing, but you pay 1/3 of the price and can sit comfortably on your couch or in a nice chair.
Just not worth it to go to the movies anymore.
Every time I have encountered this type of annoyance, I told a manager and they told the person to stop or leave. Someone in a suit telling you to be mindful of your surroundings is a lot more powerful than me in my CTRL+ALT+DELETE YOU t-shirt whining at someone to be quiet.
I don't go to movies anymore, I wait for the DVD.
I prefer to buy groceries at the store so I can see what I'm actually getting. This is particularly true of produce.
There is plenty of research and common sense to back up the idea that if you're looking at your phone and pressing buttons on it, you are not securely holding the steering wheel and watching the road.
As for the youtube thing, if I record them in the movie theater, I *am* part of the problem.
Nice theory, but DUI laws continue to get more harsh. My theory is it's a puritan thing. Texting is like working. Drinking is like having fun. You only punish having fun.
I miss going and seeing new release movies on the big screen, but between the outrageous ticket prices (let alone concessions) that we have all loved to hate for a decade or more now, at least, the almost unbelievable rudeness and total lack of consideration from fellow patrons has made it a losing proposition. I watch movies a year after they come out, on Netflix, with my 5.1 surround and my little 40" LED TV and you know what? It ain't so bad. I can pause and go take a piss. If I darken the living room and turn up the subwoofer, it's pretty darn theatrical. And nobody sitting two rows behind me is arguing loudly with their girlfriend on the phone in the middle of a quiet dialog-heavy scene.
Why go to the movies anymore?
so what jason is really saying is to do nothing, if the theaters really cared, they would get strict and kick out the offenders, without a refund. or heres another idea, how about installing cell phone disruption devises, they are available through british channels, I used to have one on the roof of my house, the faa hates them as do the cell phone providers
I encountered this problem more in cheaper theaters when I lived in a more impoverished area in a smaller sized town. It was mostly teenagers that had nothing better to do than sit in the back of a sparsely populated theater and troll its occupants by talking and laughing obnoxiously. It had nothing to do with the technology. I won't comment that these teenagers are normally of a specific minority or on the details of they the said area was impoverished for the sake of political correctness or that this so called "problem" is really a by-product of something much larger and really shouldn't be treated as a separate issue. But in summary, I live on a white side of town with expensive theaters with nice bars (the kind that serve drinks) and dine in areas and this problem doesn't exist. If someone's on their phone, I certainly don't notice and no one would pay the prices my theater charges to sit and chat in the middle of the movies.
I go to the Megaplex theaters in Utah. You can reserve your seat. They have commercials reminding you to turn off your phone and then remind the audience again right before the movie starts.
I've not seen a problem in a theater in years. I assumed this issue was mostly solved.
Just stop going entirely. It is expensive and isn't even as nice as watching at home or with friends.
There's certainly no chance that social conventions will make it palatable again within our lifetimes.
Just wait till it hits Vudu and you can buy it for slightly more than the cost of one ticket or rent it for 1/3 the cost of a ticket. Although a theater does have better sound and screen then what most people have, the "magic is lost" when you have numerous screens and flashing indicator lights, vibrator buzzings, etc.
Set one up that allows for E911 SMS/calls and blocks any incoming or outgoing SMS/calls. Course, you'd need a provider concession as well as a site for each carrier/band in use.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
SIGNAL JAMMERS.
They already use infrared LEDS in the auditorium to blind the cammers, let's complete the experience of going out to watch New Jack City on a forty foot screen without having to take your own gun, 'cos I swear if I see another fucking mobile screen in a theatre while the movie's on I'll be using the hand that's holding it for fucking TARGET PRACTISE!
Operation Guillotine is in effect.
The previous generation has exploited my generation since before we were born. The increasing of educational costs nearly threefold since the 70s, the increase of healthcare 5-25x what it was in the 70s, and the killing of the economy by simply being too greedy. Not to mention the costs of 2 wars, a bank bailout, and an automotive bailout. Meanwhile that same generation who always goes back to "whaaaa this new generation is rude and selfish" is trying to kill social security (but still make sure THEY get what THEY put into it and yet not seeing how that's not screwing the rest of us over).
You're so right, we're just SO selfish.
I no longer go to the MegaPlex. Why?
Smaller, independent theaters (at least in my town) have big screens, comfy seats, better food, *and* they give their employees the power to remove stupid people.
There isn't anybody on the phone at my local theater. I still don't go that often, but I go more frequently than when I went to chain theaters. Also, avoid theaters in the mall.
"I prefer to buy groceries at the store so I can see what I'm actually getting."
Use self checkout, then.
"you are not securely holding the steering wheel and watching the road."
Fine, still the same solution applies. You may need a smart-phone with a very good camera to see that the person is texting, but it still is possible with today's technology (personally, I would focus on capturing the poor driving, irregardless of what the stupid person is doing).
"if I record them in the movie theater, I *am* part of the problem."
Since you wait for the DVDs, I guess the solution is that movie theaters will eventually cease to exist. Problem solved.
Technology. . . the cause and solution to all of life's problems.
Sdelat' Ameriku velikoy Snova!
How does self checkout help? Same jackass talking on his phone halfway through checking out.
You advocate that I take my eyes off the road and hands off the wheel to video tape someone supporting my complaint that he had his eyes off the road and hands off the wheel? That seems wrong somehow.
Put them in the dome:
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/movie_theater_layout
\u262D = \u5350
I really don't care what they do in the theatre, since the cost is so high and the experience so terrible (smelly rooms filled with smelling screaming idiots, forced to watch brainwashing commercials for movies and products I don't want) what's the point? There's nothing I need to see so badly I just don't wait to get it on disk or via stream and watch it at home. Why bother to go?
The fact that every generation has said it does not make them wrong.
I was at a Shakespeare in the Park performance over the weekend, when someone's cell phone went off. The entire cast charged into the audience to try to find it. Don't know what they would have done with it had it not been quickly silenced and hidden.
At our local yearly sing-along Messiah, the MC always makes a point of saying that if he hears a cell phone, he'll use it to order pizza for the entire audience. He's never had to make good on that threat.
You do realise that the older generation has been saying versions of this complaint about the younger generation for all of human history, right?
I am 68 years old and you, sir, are full of shite. If you think there is any comparison between now and 60 years ago you obviously weren't there. The social destruction of America has worked quite well.
You're ascribing malice to the government, in that they deliberately avoid or even kill efforts to outlaw texting while driving and enforce those laws.
As usual, the real causes are more complex, but one of them is lobbying by the phone companies... no texting while driving reduces their income streams. Is greed a more evil motive than lust for power? I'm not sure.
A device that produces a powerful electro-magnetic pulse. Fry everything electronic - less the shielded theater equipment.
Let them figure it out.
:)
It could be that every generation makes this claim and that every generation is right.
Of course, every generation bears some responsibility for the subsequent generations decline.
It doesn't make them wrong, but it is self-evidently very unlikely that every generation is a decline from the preceding generation. Occam's Razor suggests there are more credible hypotheses to test, such as "human beings are attached to the social mores of their youth". But if you feel you have some actual rigorous data to back up a hypothesis that human beings have inexorably declined since time immemorial, I'd be interested in your posting it.
I think you'll find it's just a fact-free meme though, along with the companion meme about the march of progress.
And maybe they've usually been right. You see people change as they get older. Usually they get wiser. (Though not always.)
But that's not to say that each young generation has the same faults.
For sure the complaints the older generation made of my generation were true. I didn't realise it at the time, but I appreciate it now. For example our generation were still quite bigoted. The younger generation now, so much less so.
But the idea that you could ignore the rules, and then argue back in the face of the adult or authority figure that took you to task about it. That's something that the current youth does that we didn't.
Here in Australia all of the movie theaters I have been to have a list of conditions of entry (which is perfectly OK since its private property and they get to set the rules for entering that property). The rules vary from theater to theater but they all have a rule about not using your phone in the theater. The theater usually also has a reminder/message about it at the start of the film saying "please turn off your phone". And people are generally very good about turning off their phone when the actual movie starts and not distracting people with it.
And since its in the conditions of entry, the theater staff are within their rights to go up to someone using their phone in a way that is distracting and tell that person to switch it off or to eject that person from the theater.
In one case I remember (not sure which film but it was something really big and it was opening day) the staff were actually checking bags and stuff before going in and making people switch their devices off before they went inside (although I have a sneaking suspicion that the checks may have had more to do with looking for people who planned to use unauthorized recording equipment to make illegal copies of the film than about people being distracting with their phones)
Meanwhile that same generation who always goes back to "whaaaa this new generation is rude and selfish" is trying to kill social security (but still make sure THEY get what THEY put into it and yet not seeing how that's not screwing the rest of us over).
Your complaints seem to be about conservatives. Conservatives are both old and young, as are liberals.
Another difference between the 1970s and more recent times is that back then, the youth used to be politically motivated and fight against the things you mention. In recent decades, not so much. Though there's some hopeful signs of a return to political action with the "occupy" movement for example.
I *love* this comment.
I think of myself as having a decent comic imagination, but the idea that someone would try to convince me and everyone else that the younger generation is ruder than the old generation by calling me names....well, let's just say you've conclusively proved that there's at least one American who does irony. Even if they're too stupid to recognise they're doing it.
Now, on to the substance:
1. You are on the internet. The internet consists of more than just America. Talking about the social destruction of America in response to a clearly universalist post is absurd.
2. Just to make my point: Pliny the Younger bemoaned the younger generation 1900 years ago. In Rome. "But in former times (so my elders tell me)
no youth, even of the best families, was allowed in unless introduced by some person of consular dignity. As things are now, since every fence of modesty and decorum is broken down, and all distinctions are levelled and confounded, the present young generation, so far from waiting to be introduced, break in of their
own free will."
3. I agree that there is no comparison between the America of 60 years ago and the America of today. The America of 60 years ago was a place in which it was unremarkable to beat wives, hate and exclude African Americans (and every other minority you can name), persecute gay people, ridicule divorcees, ostracise atheists. And the people of the day didn't call you "sir" while beating the living shit out of you for being a woman, black, Jewish, gay, etc. They called you vile names instead. In other words, they were rude beyond imagining compared to today -- just about different things.
If you want to remain unchallenged while you romanticise your youth, or refer to the end of any of the disgusting prejudices I outlined above as "the social destruction of America" you're SOL doing it here. You need to go somewhere more bubble-like.
I have never, ever noticed this, not in a single movie. Talking on the phone would definitely be a problem, but I've never seen this either.
My own freaking mother did this once in a theater and talked for 2-3 minutes. My father and I were appalled. IT was embarrassing, and she didn't really understand that what she did was wrong at first.
Frankly I don't really give a shit if people are texting or surfing on their phone during the movie. I'm looking ahead at the screen. I find it hard to believe that it should really bother someone that much.
Not all of us have tunnel vision, and cell phone screens are bright. Someone texting out of the corner of your eye can be very distracting even if you can't see the screen and only see the glow, especially in stadium-style theaters where multiple rows are easily visible. Plus, even phones on vibrate make distracting noise when text after text comes in.
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
Wi-Fi and Cell signal blocking paint. There would be no use to have your mobile out if you had no connection....
Suppose they all were right? ...
On the other hand, maybe this is more of a cultural problem. I live in the Netherlands and I have encountered this problem exactly once, about five years ago. I now go to the pictures fairly regularly because of this newfangled three-dee thing and the audience tends to be well behaved.
I go to the movies probably at least once a month and overall I think people are pretty good. Occasionally you'll see a phone light up but it normally isn't for very long and it's not too distracting. The only time I've gotten pretty annoyed is when I went to a shitty horror movie and a bunch of teenage girls were there and they just screamed the whole time and overreacted to every shock moment. However, the movie was pretty bad and they were just having fun being scared. They were experiencing the movie more as a ride than as serious film which is probably the right way to approach a movie like that.
It's nice having a cone of silence!
I see it about every other movie I go to, if not more. Maybe a button could be at every other seat that alerts the folks in the control room that someone is on their phone. That would likely be abused too though.
I am one of those people who pay to see the movie for the big screen movie experience.
Those patrons who feel the need to constantly talk to another person (in person or on the phone), play games or text, I have to ask you, why the heck did you spend the $12+ to go sit in a dark loud theater if you aren't watching the movie?
I paid hard earned $$ to go enjoy a movie on the big screen, not see all of your phone displays. If I wanted to watch all of you on your phones I'd just go sit in the food court for free at the mall.
When you go to the movies, put your phones away, if you must take a call, leave the seats and go around the wall, allow the rest of us to enjoy the movie we paid for.
Life takes interesting turns, but the most interest is when you're off the beaten path.
Go ahead and light up your phone in the theater I'm in. It make it easier for me to target you with the 20oz Coke grenade I'm going to throw at the back of your head.
It's the people who chat in movies that bother me more. They're a bit harder to lock on to if the theater is dark.
I've never heard such drivel in my life. Barge in on someone making love and push them apart so you can take over. Manners change a little from place to place, and you can pick out some things that are surprising when they change, but not that many. Interrupting people who are trying to watch something will always be considered rude. I can't imagine a complete moron like yourself would understand that, because you've probably never concentrated on anything for ten seconds in your life. I rather imagine you plagiarized your entire post.
I'm sure that didn't offend you, because you understand that what seems like rudeness is just a different set of manners.
Bit confused. Are you saying the older generation said your generation was more bigoted than they? Seems unlikely (and not true in developed countries).
On this second point, there are a ton of Robert Heinlein's juvenile novels that involve breaking the rules and sassing the teacher, and they date back to the 40s, 50s and 60s. I'm pretty sure that this is a universal.
Life of Pi is a recent example. Avatar also. I also think Les Mis was much better seen in a cinema than just at home. Yes they're rare, but they do exist...
both outstanding films in the past year. Sure most of it's rubbish - but it keeps the proles entertained, so let's not care too much. However just occasionally there's something special; don't give up looking out for it.
gosgog: .....Bring ' em back .....DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATERS!! EAT DRINK, TALK CALL 911, HAVE SEX OR WHATEVER...IN YOUR CAR!!
Hey, the solutions staring y'all in the face....a great investment opportunity
This also doesn't mean that each successive generation isn't more of an ass than the last...
Umm...this guy is right.
This will allow you to point the laser directly at the phone or the seat right in front of them, before you press the momentary-contact button to turn it on. As soon as the asshole starts to turn around you let your finger off the button and it will be impossible for them to tell where you are because they have night-blindness from looking at their phone. This is what they call giving someone a taste of their own medicine.
I would love to hear them complain. It would be like when my little sister once said of my other little sister: "Moooomm! She hit be baaaaackk!"
If they persist, you switch to an infrared laser just powerful enough to burn a few bad pixels into their screen.
Hmmm, I was going for +x Funny, but whatever...
Have two screens, 1 for those who will surrender their phones at the reception, and one for those who like to blabber on the phone and light it like a torch in a dark movie theatre. Solved.
Or you could say the younger generation are more tolerant. Having grown up with them, they don't even notice when someone else is texting on their phone.
Some people are pretty much perpetually on-call, but there are lots of other situations that can be fairly long-lasting.
For somebody with a seriously ill family member, a movie might give some sense of normalcy in life, but you're still going to want to be contacted in the event of a sudden change in medical condition. Put the phone on vibrate, sit near the aisle, and it's shouldn't be a major inconvenience to anyone (any more than a bathroom break).
Is that going to be a common thing? No, but it's still important.
The phones issue is similar to those that illegally park in handicap stalls, leave shopping carts strewn about a parking lot, take 25 things through the express 12-item checkout, or big trucks through the "cars only" gas pump. The problem is exacerbated by a lack of enforcement or caring on the part of the establishment. If jerks can get away with being jerks, then they will. If businesses were more willing to deal with jerks they'd be less inclined to take advantage.
You don't even have to be hostile in doing so. In regards to the express checkout, the best response I heard from a clerk was "and which 12 of these items are you checking out today, ma'am".
Maybe some things have been going slowly downhill throughout human history...
Make a big scene.
Demand the Theatre refund everyone's money.
Theatre is encouraged to recoup they losses from offending party.
2000-3000$ or talk on the phone, your call... :)
I won't be there.
A) 20mg methylphenidate administered at ticket booth
B) Tickets include the cost of, and come in the form of, an extra large bag of greasy popcorn
Look I pay $30+ to take 3 people to the damn movies and having people texting and talking during the movie ruins the experience for me if you want to text and talk during the movie then you OWE everyone in the theater the price of their admission.
I don't strictly limit this to texters and talkers. This also applies to bad parents who take their 3 or 4 year old kids to a 10PM movie. Many of us go to see movies that late strictly to avoid noisy whining kids at the movies. That being said I never took my son to a movie after 5pm out of respect to others until he could sit quietly for 2 hours.