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.

Comments

Re:The theater is dead.

[redmid17]

$8 for a ticket. Where are you going? I might need to move there. Cheapest I've found for a non-matinee is $11.50 or $12. Hell even my hometown, a mid-size Midwestern city, clocks in with $10 per theater.

Re:I go to a fair amount of movies

[swillden]

I've only seen it once, and I only had to give the girl one warning. She called me a fucking asshole and told me to get the fuck out of her face, but she put the phone away and did not use it again. I almost complained to the management just for her language (this was a family movie), but decided just to let it go unless she pulled the phone out again.

However, I have also noticed that while the theater's pre-movie warnings used to be friendly, gentle reminders, they've changed to pretty stern warnings making clear that phone usage will not be tolerated and that offenders will be kicked out, not receive a refund, and potentially be asked never to return. So there has obviously been enough trouble to warrant the sterner warnings.

Come to think of it, I think that single incident was during the "friendly reminder" era.