Phone-Friendly Movie Theaters For Millennials Could Be Reality Soon (variety.com)

An anonymous reader writes: AMC Entertainment realizes Millennials' increasingly growing love for and reliance on smartphones for things, which is why it says it is open to the idea of phone-friendly movie theaters. "When you tell a 22-year-old to turn off the phone, don't ruin the movie, they hear 'please cut off your left arm above the elbow,'" Adam Aron, AMC Entertainment CEO tells Variety. "You can't tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone. That's not how they live their life." Aron believes that AMC needs "to reshape our product in some concrete ways so that millennials go to movie theaters with the same degree of intensity as baby boomers went to movie theaters throughout their lives." AMC also realizes that if it allows people to use cellphones in theater, and text and talk to their friends, this might disturb the fellow citizen who just want to watch the god-damn movie in peace. He says the company is "going to have to figure out a way to do it that doesn't disturb today's audiences. [...] That's one possibility. What may be more likely is we take specific auditoriums and make them more texting-friendly."

Comments

Good

[Anonymous Coward]

With any luck that will keep them out of the regular theaters.

Re:Good

[Anonymous Coward]

To be clear: this is the Dracula strategy where we invite everyone to a party, then burn down the building, right?

Re:Good

[Anonymous Coward]

It's called home theater system.

Re:Good

[Anonymous Coward]

With any luck that will keep them out of the regular theaters.

I'm pushing 70 years old and we go often to the theater.
I told my wife about AMC's plan, and she said "What? They want to build a theater just for assholes?"

Re:Good

[Joce640k]

With any luck that will keep them out of the regular theaters.

Nah, it'll just reinforce the behavior.

Dear Adam.

[Anonymous Coward]

Grow a pair.

Seriously, you can tell a 22 year old to not be a dickhead unless you're willing to lose the older generation of cinema-goers. (Remember those - the people who paid off their crippling student debts and have disposable income?)

Re:Dear Adam.

[__aaclcg7560]

Some those dickheads are the same "people who paid off their crippling student debts and have disposable income". I was waiting to watch a movie when I heard a grandmother behind me shared her grandkid's pictures on Facebook via her cellphone. A moment later her five girlfriends were cooing over the pics on their own cellphones. Annoying as a hell.

Re:Dear Adam.

[Anonymous Coward]

"waiting to watch a movie"

Speaking of dickheads, how about those people who expect peace and quiet in a movie theatre BEFORE THE FEATURE STARTS?

Re:Dear Adam.

[DarkOx]

Remember those - the people who paid off their crippling student debts and have disposable income?

Here is a little demographic note for you:

Nielsen takes a look at annual moviegoer trends as awards season continues. According to Nielsen NRGâ(TM)s (National Research Groupâ(TM)s) 2012 American Moviegoing report, 70 percent of Americans ages 12 and older reported seeing one or more movies at a theater in the last 12 months, which is in line with moviegoing in the year prior. The demographic makeup of the moviegoing audience has remained relatively consistent over the last couple of years, but the proportion of younger moviegoers (12-24) and oldest moviegoers (65-74) has grown gradually at the expense of middle-aged moviegoers (25-54).

So the long store short is that, you are not growth portion of the market. middle aged people also don't have more disposable income than college kids. Probably because most them that have kids are using their disposable income to send them to either college or the movies :-P.

So even though you and I might not like it, business savvy theater owners will cater to their audience which happens to be 22 years who won't turn off their phones.

Re:Dear Adam.

[__aaclcg7560]

The grandmothers were cooing over baby pics during the TRAILERS.

Re:Dear Adam.

[Austerity Empowers]

willing to lose the older generation of cinema-goers

We can afford nice home theaters, comfortable furniture and houses. We also can't go to the movies weeknights, often we can't go at all because we can't find a babysitter and leaving our spouse at home is not a good way to stay in her good graces, etc. Millenials are still young and unchained, and don't value their dwellings so much as a good time.

Re:Dear Adam.

[spire3661]

Lights on, talk all you want. Lights off, shut the fuck up.

Re:Dear Adam.

[Joe_Dragon]

What about when that 22 year old becomes some ones bitch after getting busted for live streamlining the new hot movie?

Re:Dear Adam.

[U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M]

Why do you say that? Is there something after those commercials?

Re:Dear Adam.

[un1nsp1red]

Luckily, the kids next to him/her would be busy texting and wouldn't even notice when the MPAA gestapo charge in and extraordinary rendition that kid. AMC may be on to something here, though: People who sit and text through the whole movie can't be put off by the lousy film they're watching and won't be too discouraged to see the next trash [insert comic book film title here] movie.

Re: Dear Adam.

[nehumanuscrede]

No, we actually we have much more disposable income than the college crowd, we just refuse to sit through Phone-Fest when the movie starts because smartphones are the digital equivilent of a security blanket for some people. Take it away for even a little while and they lose their fucking minds.

As such, we'll buy the giganto screen TV, and a house shaking sound system to match, then watch the show in the comfort of our home when it releases to Pay Per view, Netflix, Blu-Ray, whatever floats your boat.

My food, snacks, alcohol, rules and I can pause it if need be.

Greater amounts of disposable income seems to be the work around for clueless idiots and their smartphone obsessions.

Re:Dear Adam.

[BronsCon]

And not the movie you paid to see? You mean they turned off and put away their phones before the actual movie started? Why, how devastatingly rude of them.

Re:Dear Adam.

[BronsCon]

So even though you and I might not like it, business savvy theater owners will cater to their audience which happens to be 22 years who won't turn off their phones.

And retirees; don't forget, they're the other group that's growing in attendance numbers year by year.

Re:Dear Adam.

[BronsCon]

Plus, they'll pay to go see it again so they can text through the parts they missed the first time. Lather, rinse, repeat, until the film is no longer showing and they have to buy the Blu-ray to see the rest.

Re:Dear Adam.

[BasilBrush]

They were right, you were wrong.

Re:Dear Adam.

[BasilBrush]

And that's why capitalism is so shit.

Re:Dear Adam.

[phantomfive]

I don't disagree lol, but short of having a dictatorship in your favor, there's not really a lot you can do.....

Re: Dear Adam.

[Rakarra]

As such, we'll buy the giganto screen TV, and a house shaking sound system to match, then watch the show in the comfort of our home when it releases to Pay Per view, Netflix, Blu-Ray, whatever floats your boat.

Aaaah, but many people do not have houses. Thus they can't crank up the sound system.

Re:Dear Adam.

[Rakarra]

It's not about growing a pair, it's about maximizing income.
  Do you:

A) Keep the kids out, because they want to use their phone more than they want to see a movie, or
B) Keep the old people out, because they can't handle modern technology and society.

The answer is: do which ever one makes you the most income.

I think it's focusing on the short term at the expense of the long term. They're not building good relationships by alienating all their existing customers, just to bring in customers whose loyalty is suspect anyway. The millennials will move on to the next toy experience, and everyone will treat the theater as a place to be avoided.. the place to see the movie because thanks to deals between theaters and studios, it's the ONLY way to legally see a movie at release. Going there because you don't have much choice if you want to see the movie is undercutting their long-term sustainability.

Re: Dear Adam.

[Anonymous Coward]

I work for AMC, not a decision maker, just a rank-and-file IT guy, and while I can't speak for our decision makers, IMHO you've exactly nailed it.

If we catered to people who would rather get a nearly-as-good home theatre experience, we'd already be sucking wind as a company.

Instead, we're doing great, on track to become the biggest movie exhibitor in the world later this year, by trying to make the guest experience as good as we can for the largely-young, cellphone-addicted demographic that want a social experience at the theatre and who actually do want to come OUT to see movies.

So, instead of lowering prices or trying to cram ever-more-asses in ever-smaller-seats, we're taking OUT huge numbers of seats in order to put in more-comfortable recliners, adding bars to meet your friends, adding dine-in options to auditoriums, trying to push the envelope with A/V / 3D as much as we can to make the viewing experience better than you can get at home, putting butt-thumping transducers in those aforementioned recliners, and, yes, thinking of offering separate auditoriums for those who can't turn their phones off so as to segregate them from those who'd rather not be distracted.

Let's be honest, for us cranky old folks who just want to watch and have the kids get off our yard, the movie theatre was NEVER a great place to watch a movie distraction-free.

Though I'm an old guy who's happy to turn the damn cell phone off for a couple hours, I'm proud of my company for trying to adapt to the times, rather than lobbying Congress to outlaw phones in theatres and convince people to keep buying our buggy whips.

Re:Dear Adam.

[Anonymous Coward]

Some people might be trying to pay attention to the coming attractions. The cinema is a place to shut up and watch. If you want to be loud and obnoxious, go to a pub or do it in your home.

Re:Dear Adam.

[Darinbob]

If the existing market refuses to go to AMC anymore, then AMC will be out a lot of money while they wait for the growth market to grow.

I've not been in a theater where the typical audience was 22 years old, for anything adult the average is 30 or 40, anything family oriented is 10-15 on average.

Re:Dear Adam.

[Darinbob]

Doesn't matter if the theater allows texting or not, the kids will get the soda poured over their heads if they keep texting during the movie. You can't control the audience from exacting their own revenge.

Re:Dear Adam.

[FlyHelicopters]

Doesn't matter if the theater allows texting or not, the kids will get the soda poured over their heads if they keep texting during the movie.

That is assault, do you really want to go to jail, or worse?

Re:Dear Adam.

[Darinbob]

Just an accident officer. The other patrons will back me up.

Re:Dear Adam.

[FlyHelicopters]

Just an accident officer. The other patrons will back me up.

Maybe... maybe not... depends on how many friends are with the kid you dumped the soda on...

Another option is that you get your ass kicked because he came with 10 friends...

Or worse, you get shot...

You think it is funny, it won't be funny then...

Re:Dear Adam.

[FlyHelicopters]

Just an accident officer. The other patrons will back me up.

Just a follow up... in either case, you won't be seeing the movie either way...

By the time the cops show up, either for the fight, you getting shot, or simply the management throwing the whole group out, your evening will be ruined regardless...

Re: Dear Adam.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, getting shot... That's why I don't go to the movies in third-world shitholes like Somalia or the US.

Re: Dear Adam.

[TapeCutter]

I'm a smoker and I think banning smoking in theatres was a good idea, I don't have a smart phone so banning them in theatres would also be fine by me.

Re: Dear Adam.

[SethJohnson]

Instead, we're doing great, on track to become the biggest movie exhibitor in the world later this year...

Just wanted to remind people that AMC only projects movies that have been approved by North Korea. Same with Carmike chain, which they're trying to merge-with.

Re: Dear Adam.

[hughbar]

I'm proud of my company for trying to adapt to the times

That's not 'adapting', it's giving in to discourtesy. I'm 65. live in London, love the cinema but have nearly given up going because of trite US films (explosion, car chase, explosion), ticket prices, price of snacks and inconsiderate morons with mobiles. When this 'adaptation' comes here, I'll stop entirely.

Re:Dear Adam.

[Tom]

B) Keep the old people out, because they can't handle modern technology and society.

You mean the same "old" people who invented and built this "modern technology"? Who will run circles around the kids who grew up with a smartphone but don't have a clue how it works, so the second something goes wrong, they call daddy/support/god ?

Right, we can't handle modern technology. You're just running an OS that has some code in it that I wrote, but go ahead and tell me I can't handle it.

Now for the society part, that is where it gets interesting. You see, society is a construct. It is part made and part evolved. We are having these discussions because of the "made" part. Some people think that giving people a space where they can behave as they want is how society should be made. Other people think that "society" contains a part from "social" meaning people should be taught how to live with other people in the same space, and that being considerate of those around you is not akin to the death penalty.

Re:Dear Adam.

[dinfinity]

What is baffling to me is that people seem to think that millennials don't care if somebody other than themselves or their friends is on their phone during a movie.

Sure, some people are not interested in any movie at any time whatsoever, but otherwise I imagine that plenty of 'millennials' think it's really annoying when other people are on their phone during a movie (of a genre) they themselves really like.

It's a pretty human thing to hold yourself to a different standard than 'other people'.

Re:Dear Adam.

[DarkOx]

What time of do are you going to the theater that matters a lot? Matinee showings probably skew older. That isn't where they make their money though.

The real money for most theaters is actually in concessions which sell better at night. Certainly anytime I have gone to an evening show recently the audience has been mostly high school and college age people.

Re: Dear Adam.

[Whatanut]

I actually go outside to the edge of my property to gauge the impact of my sound system on the surrounding neighborhood. And I live out in the country. There are plenty of us that have the means and capability to not go to the theaters.

This is just another reason for me to not go. Yes, they may draw one crowd. They'll exclude another. As long as they make money in the long run, who gives a shit? That's what business is all about.

Re: Dear Adam.

[ausekilis]

Personally, I think if its impossible for a person to turn their cell phone ringer off for a couple hours, that is a fundamental problem with that person. What happened to self-reliance? to having enough self-esteem that you don't need reassurance from your thousands of "friends" that going to a movie theater was a good choice?

I'm also failing to see how sitting in a dark, noisy room with a massive screen right in front of you is in any way "social". There's no sense in staring at your phone for the whole thing, and any real 'social' interaction would be sharing looks and laughs with friends sitting next to you. You know, how we used to spend time with friends, instead of digitally poking them.

Re:Dear Adam.

[naughtynaughty]

Movie theaters have more than one level of lights. Lights all the way up after the movie and before the previews but they are often showing ads on the screen, they dim them during the previews as people are still entering the theater, then the lights are turned all the way down for the movie.

There should be no expectation that people won't be walking in front of you, commenting on the upcoming features being shown or generally doing what people do before other similar group experiences (opera, plays, ...) which is chit chat, greet people, shuffle around, etc until the main event starts.

Re:Dear Adam.

[naughtynaughty]

http://www.fool.com/investing/...

Under 25 $6,137
35-44 $32,000

Re:Dear Adam.

[phantomfive]

Don't take it personally, Tom.

Re: Dear Adam.

[Rakarra]

Aaaah, but many people do not have houses. Thus they can't crank up the sound system.

then it must suck to be you....

Well it used to suck to be me, though the person in the apartment next door was my hearing-impaired grandmother, so I got away with playing sound louder than I currently play in my house.

But anyway, that's a full 1/3 of the US population, and that doesn't count people in houses which share a wall with the next house over, which might as well be an apartment (Although maybe that's balanced out by the people who rent houses as opposed to apartments). So... it sucks to be 110 million people in the US. In more highly-dense developed European and Asian communities, I expect that percentage is far higher than the US, where private home ownership is more commonly prized.

Re:Dear Adam.

[spire3661]

Look im just telling you human nature. Lights go off, its quiet time, its how we are programmed. I agree with you, but you are fighting Nature.

Re:Dear Adam.

[BasilBrush]

The difference of opinion here is whether the previews are part of the show or not. People seem to accept that the straight adverts are not, and the movie is.

It tends to depend on how seriously you take your movie going. For the casual person who's going to a one off movie, and is't really up on the etiquette, the previews tend to not be a part of the show. They don't care about choosing the next week's film because they probably won't be there to see it.

For regular cinema goers, they take the previews far more seriously, and want to know what's coming up. They will get pissed off with the casuals who don't know to at last minimise their talking and whisper during the previews.

Similarly regular opera and playgoers will be hushed/whisper at most if it's one of those productions where there are actors already onstage as the audience come in.

Re:Dear Adam.

[__aaclcg7560]

And your point being?

Great idea!

[PvtVoid]

Separate auditoriums for people who text in the theater! Just lock the doors and leave them in there permanently.

Re:Great idea!

[sbrown7792]

Basically, the idea that The Oatmeal drew out awhile ago.
Can't say I disagree.

Re:Great idea!

[St.Creed]

I'd pay a good amount of money if this was a kickstarter for a new theater.

Re:Great idea!

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

I swear I went to a theater laid out like that when I was last overseas. At first I wondered why my nice cushy reserved seat was up high and in back of the unwashed masses, but then the movie started and I understood.

Re:Great idea!

[Triklyn]

i want to poop up there.

Re:Great idea!

[Rakarra]

Problem then is you look down onto the texters, and you'd be able to see all their distracting, flashy cell phone lights.
There would have to be a line-of-sight blocker as well.

Re:Great idea!

[Darinbob]

I like the announcement that Alamo Drafthouse theaters give before the start of the show, which was the voice mail from a drunk and self entitled patron who used the phone during the movie and got kicked out for it, which inevitably has the audience cheering.

Re:Great idea!

[Hognoxious]

They could rent out bb guns.

Re:Great idea!

[AbRASiON]

Then have the AC unit gas them.

Re:Great idea!

[DNAgent]

Some call it a theater, some call it an abattoir, I call it a win-win.

Re:Great idea!

[Rakarra]

The theater I go to has a projectionist who is fast with the laser pointer. If he sees a cell phone light, he'll shine the pointer in a pattern (squiggles) on the back of seat in front to shame the person into putting the phone away. It works pretty well.

Marshmallow eaters

[avandesande]

I suppose these are all the kids that ate their marshmallow right away .

Can't you just stream it to their mobile phones?

[TechnoCore]

...and have them stay in the lobby during the movie? It will be great!

Create a "Cry Room"

[Subgenius]

Just like at church, create a "Cry Room" for these folks. Make the windows one-way and the walls soundproof. Heck, why not even let them smoke, too.

This just seems like a very, very bad idea. If you can't be without your phone for two hours, I bet you are already pirating films. Leave the rest of us alone and go watch your downloaded copy.... and you can text all you want.... from your house (or your office, dorm, basement, etc....).

If the MPAA ever wanted to INCREASE piracy, AMC just gave them the perfect justification.

Re:Create a "Cry Room"

[RedEars]

This idea is perfect. Cry room for the cry babies.

Re:Create a "Cry Room"

[cogeek]

Would you believe, we've perfected the Cone of Silence, it just happens to look very similar to a plastic bag....

Re:Create a "Cry Room"

[ZipK]

We've invented that already. It's call "the Cone of Silence." We're just working out the details of implementing it.

What?
What?
What what?
What?

Re:Create a "Cry Room"

[pecosdave]

The movie theater in my home town has a cry room. I didn't realize it was a rarity until I grew up and moved away - I thought it was an awesome idea. The balcony built for the black folks however - well I prefer modern stadium seating over segregated seating.

It's a little on the old side.

Re:Create a "Cry Room"

[bug_hunter]

The old silence in a cone trick.

Re:Create a "Cry Room"

[mchall]

This is a perfect analogy. Put it at the rear of the auditorium under the projection room. Leave the seats up front for the adults.

Of course the reverse could also work. Make them available for reservation like the box seats at a stadium complete with buffet and bar service and a higher grade sound system. A group of grownups might be happy to pay not to sit out in the pit with the unwashed masses. It works for sporting events and concerts. Why not at the theater as well?

People Still Go To The Movies?

[vee_voojagig]

I didn't realize people still when to movies. This is just another reason to let the movies come to me!

Silly

[Anonymous Coward]

If we go into a hospital, we have to turn off our phones. If we are pumping gas, we are asked to not be on our phone. There are times in life when we won't have access to the outside world. If they want to use their phone, let them leave the theatre. This is really silly and showing the seriously bad state of affairs we are in as a people.

Re:Silly

[rickb928]

"If we are pumping gas, we are asked to not be on our phone."

Irrationally, and without evidence of danger, but they put the signs up anyways.

Re:Silly

[BasilBrush]

There may be no danger. But you don't want some dickhead chatting on the phone at the pump whilst you are waiting for your turn to fill up.

Re: Silly

[rickb928]

But that's not where the warning originated and if not why the signs are up. These Warnings originated decades ago in response to a false report.

Re:Silly

[aXis100]

Usually it's a good idea to pay attention when filling your car with explosively volatile hydrocarbons.

I know we get desensitized because it's an everyday thing, but I'm not convinced that letting people chat on their phones at the pump is prudent.

Re: Silly

[rickb928]

So long as gas is pumping, I don't mind.

Formalizing what they already do, basically.

[thevirtualcat]

Basically a no-op. If AMC has a policy against texting, they sure don't enforce it. This just means they won't have to give free passes to people who complain about it.

That's why I'm willing to drive 45 minutes to the nearest Alamo or ArcLight or other cinema that actually enforce rules against being disruptive.

Bullshit

[Anonymous Coward]

"When you tell a 22-year-old to turn off the phone, don't ruin the movie, they hear 'please cut off your left arm above the elbow,'"

Speaking as a millennial, this is total bullshit. Only a tiny subset of us actually have a pathological need to be in constant communication with others.

Re:Bullshit

[Anonymous Coward]

Speaking as a millennial, this is total bullshit.

A 22 year-old is not a millennial. I hate to be pedantic (not really), but I must point out that the definition of a millennial is someone who reached "young adulthood" around the year 2000.

That is not the definition of "millennial".

Re:Bullshit

[Stephenmg]

I completely agree. I do not think this is a millennial problem. I go to the theater a lot, and I'm in this age group as well, the one's I see using there phones are either younger 12-15 year old or older such as in the 40s or 50s. I only see it maybe one movie in every 20 or 30 that I go to. It also depends on the movie that is showing, tend to see it more in comedies aimed at teens or those romance dramas. If they really want to attract millennials, this is not the way to do it. My suggestion is offer a place social engagement before or after the movie. Look at some of the things Alamo drafthouse is doing with a bar attached to the theater plus good dine in theaters with good food that you'd find in a decent restaurant. There is even one not very far from there new expensive Leawood Headquarters in downtown Kansas City, I'm sure they they can find it, it use to be an AMC.

Re:Bullshit

[Stephenmg]

The most common definition I see is those born from about 1980 to 2000. Personally, I think this is way too large to lump everyone into. Very different life excrescences and different social norms.

Re:Bullshit

[bug_hunter]

You've sorta boxed him into an unfair corner there don't you think?

Accusation : Millennial's would rather cut off their arm than stop texting
Millennial : That's not true
Accusation : Millennial's can't help but make angry protests online

Re:Bullshit

[dwillden]

Until the next "generation" is given a catchy name they get the blame. The Millenials are the current targets, a decade ago it was Gen Y, the decade before that it was Gen X. The complaints don't change (Lazy, thoughtless, self absorbed, going to destroy civilization as we know it, etc...) just the name applied to the current 20 something group of adults exiting college and entering the workforce.

Re:Bullshit

[Talderas]

There are multiple definitions of millennial. The first people to coin the term used a birth year of 1982-2004. There are also ranges of 1982-2000, 1980-1995, 1982-1995, 1980-2000, 1981-1996 (of special note is that these were defined as adult Millennials), 1980-1996, and 1983-2000. All of these ranges cover 1983-1995 which would cover people between the ages of 21-33.

Re:Bullshit

[PopeRatzo]

It kind of sounds like "millennial" is one of those all-purpose terms that just means, "anyone younger than me whose behavior I don't understand".

Re:Bullshit

[Talderas]

No term for the current generation being born has gained widespread traction yet but a generation is around 20 years give or take. Baby Boomer is the last well defined generation while Gen X would have a well defined start it has an ill defined end date that is muddled by GenY/Millennials which also have an ill-defined end date that runs into the yet unnamed generation that is in the midst of being born. I think the best definition for GenY/Millennial is anyone who was born before the turn of the millennium as well as unable to legally drink alcohol in the United States (under 21). That would be born between January 1st, 1980 and December 31st, 1999.

There is certainly a difference between millennials, I'm a millennial but I don't feel like I have much in common with the things usually defined as millennials but I am also from the early sideof the generation and have almost always self identified as Generation Y. I think there is a split within Generation Y that occurs right around 1986-1989 and I think a lot of that has to do with the job prospects of millennials. That date range covers a lot of the individuals that would have come out of high school or college during the recession.

Re:Bullshit

[mchall]

The Depression Era, World War II, Post-War Cohort, Baby Boomers, Generation Jones, Gen X, Gen Y (a.k.a. Millenials), and Gen Z. Do a little reading an broaden your mind. "anyone younger than me whose behavior I don't understand" is a gross generalization.

Sleeping with the enemy

[daveywest]

Unfortunately, I'm married to an otherwise wonderful woman who feels entitled to text in theaters. Every time we go out, I'm forced to choose between standing on the right side of history and getting sexytimes later.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[OverlordQ]

Or you could explain how she's being an inconsiderate bitch.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[Moof123]

Don't procreate with her. Such bad judgement and inconsiderate behavior will make child rearing a nightmare.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[enjar]

You should tell her you need to take a piss, complain to the manager that someone is using their phone during the movie and then let them deal with it. Even though movie tickets are pricey, they are cheaper than divorce or hookers. If you feel bad, slip the manager a twenty and tell them not to recognize you.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[goose-incarnated]

Unfortunately, I'm married to an otherwise wonderful woman who feels entitled to text in theaters. Every time we go out, I'm forced to choose between standing on the right side of history and getting sexytimes later.

She is both inconsiderate *AND* weaponising sex - even pizza delivery guys do better than that.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[Anonymous Coward]

She is both inconsiderate *AND* weaponizing sex

So, yes, we've established that she is, in fact, female.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[Triklyn]

guilt, guilt the hell out of her.

you're taking from other people, your own enjoyment and even the makers of the film. A lot of people spent a lot of time to get everything just so in a work to get you feeling things. It's a disservice to their work to not give it your full attention.

unless it's bay or sandler... in which case, fuck you both for keeping them going :)

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

Take her to this theater. When it bugs her a lot she'll see why it hurts the experience and the problem will solve itself.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[NoImNotNineVolt]

You know, when I hear people talking about "intersectionalism" or "triggers" or some other crazy shit, I usually question their sanity. I mean, are things really still that bad? In my life, it seems that the causes which so many people fight for have already been won. It's fucking 2016, right?

But then I see comments like this, and it becomes evident that while the years go sailing by, some people have dropped anchor in a time before my birth. And I've seen Pete Seeger perform live.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[rickb928]

The first time he does this, she will see the pattern and that's the end of that.

Do not take on the professional.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[IMightB]

I can tell you're not married. What part of sexytime vs being right do you not understand?

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[enjar]

You can't have a pattern of one ... it would take at least twice. But probably end up in the same place.

Honestly, though, if OP can't tell his wife to shut off her phone because it's damned rude and inconsiderate to other theater goers, it speaks volumes about how they communicate and what she thinks about him, since by extension, he's "that rude woman's husband". That's not an "otherwise wonderful woman", that's selfish behavior that takes her husband down with her. Then she withholds sex.

OP, seriously, in a relationship you need to stand up for what you need / believe in and be able to have frank conversations with your spouse, and not be held hostage by sexy time. That's unhealthy in so many different ways.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[drpimp]

I am pretty sure they have been castrated already so he wouldn't do the right thing and just go get sexytime somewhere else.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[ArsenneLupin]

You can't have a pattern of one ...

Woosh! A woman can...

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[ravenscar]

Yeah - when you're not married the two aren't mutually exclusive.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[taustin]

A man with a wife at home stays at home. A man with a maid likes to go out and have some fun on the weekends.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[Anonymous Coward]

Such bad judgement and inconsiderate behavior will make child rearing a nightmare.

Not to mention passing on asshole genes. Your unwillingness to put improving the race ahead of pleasuring your penis means you're no better.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[Ash-Fox]

I can tell you're not married.

Getting married is typically a bad idea in this day and age for men in heterosexual relationships.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[ausekilis]

“My father passed on one important piece of relationship advice before he died. He said son, in a relationship you can either be right or you can be happy. You’ll soon find out that you don’t care that much about being right.”

Comedian Ralphie May

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[Christian Henry]

Such bad judgement and inconsiderate behavior will make child rearing a nightmare.

Not to mention passing on asshole genes. Your unwillingness to put improving the race ahead of pleasuring your penis means you're no better.

Damn, I sort of want my kids to have the asshole gene. Kinda sucks to be born without one.

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[Christian Henry]

Unfortunately, I'm married to an otherwise wonderful woman who feels entitled to text in theaters. Every time we go out, I'm forced to choose between standing on the right side of history and getting sexytimes later.

She is both inconsiderate *AND* weaponising sex - even pizza delivery guys do better than that.

Wait, pizza delivery guys do better than weaponising sex?

Ummm... I... don't... want... to... know...

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[NoImNotNineVolt]

troll, v., to make a deliberately offensive or provocative online posting with the aim of upsetting someone or eliciting an angry response from them.

Was I upset? Did I respond angrily?

Re:Sleeping with the enemy

[nazrhyn]

Or you could just not get married to inconsiderate bitches.

Two Things I Want

[sehlat]

1. Broadcast the soundtrack to the phone so you can wear earphones and not be bothered by idiots who aren't watching the movie.

2. Broadcast subtitles to VR glasses on the same phone with the focus distance == screen distance. One of the main reasons I don't go to movies is hearing problems. With current technology, subtitle focus distance and screen distance are literally yards apart.

Re:Two Things I Want

[duke_cheetah2003]

1. Broadcast the soundtrack to the phone so you can wear earphones and not be bothered by idiots who aren't watching the movie.

Enh. Silent does little good for me. That bright screen alone is very distracting. If you can't live without your phone for 2 hours, there's something wrong with you.

Re:Two Things I Want

[monkeyhybrid]

Broadcast the soundtrack to the phone so you can wear earphones and not be bothered by idiots who aren't watching the movie.

You'd still have to put up with dozens of glowing screens littering your view of the main screen though.

Re:Two Things I Want

[pr0fessor]

My son had a gf that would basically sit on the couch with him doing what the heck ever on her cell phone and called it spending time together. If he tried to leave the room or go do something other than sit next to her being ignored she would get mad.

I told him if it bothered him he should break up with her by text with a smiley. "i want to break up :)" "we in the same room u ain't said nothen for 2 hours"

Re:Two Things I Want

[nicholasjay]

The kids might actually be talking to each other on their phones. If they talk out loud, they know you'd hear what they are saying. They can be talking about *anything* on their phones and you'd be none the wiser.

Re:Two Things I Want

[pr0fessor]

Not in this case he was actually annoyed by it and she was mostly on facebook and playing candy crush. The argument would go something like
"I'm going to hit the gym and maybe shoot some hoops"
"I thought we were spending time together"
"I've been sitting here watching you on that stupid phone for an hour put it down and lets do something or I'm going to the gym"

or

"Put that stupid phone away my Mom invited us over for the holiday, my dad cooked, the entire family is here, and all you've done is sit there playing candy crush and suck oxygen"

Re:Two Things I Want

[reboot246]

Oh, to have a wife who would go two hours without saying anything! That would be one rare woman!

Not Long For This World

[JBMcB]

Alamo Drafthouse is going to eat their lunch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

In the Detroit area we have E-Magine theaters, which have whole-theater reserved seating and electric recliners, and a similar no-phone policy.
They make the AMC theaters look like dinosaurs.

Re:Not Long For This World

[mattack2]

Yeah, but aren't those WAY WAY WAY WAY more expensive than "regular" theaters?

I personally just want to see it on a big screen, but not pay _even more_ than the regular theater prices.

Faraday Cage.

[Anonymous Coward]

I want the theater in a Faraday cage.

Re:Can't you just stream it to their mobile phones

[sehlat]

MPAA: But ... but... somebody will pirate the movie that way!!!!! Noooooooooooooo!

Goodbye AMC

[psergiu]

Goodbye AMC, Hello Alamo Drafthouse

Quoting from: https://drafthouse.com/about :

We have zero tolerance for talking or cell phone use of any kind during movies, and we aren't afraid to kick anyone rude enough to start texting their friends during a show right out of the theater.

Re:Goodbye AMC

[OverlordQ]

I thought this was the Magnited States of America

Re:Goodbye AMC

[SeaFox]

Funny enough, my local Alamo (Kansas City area) used to be an AMC theater.
They had to remove every other row of seats for the aisles for the servers to walk through. I wonder how they do in business compared to the old owners.

I go there 1-2 times a month, but it's almost always to see the older films that AMC wouldn't have even considered running. So if it was still an AMC I'd never go there, and that's even before the texting/talking policy. The last few new movies I've seen, I've also driven the hour+ from home to go there, rather than visited the local (Regal owned) cineplex.

Get the hacksaw !

[fahrbot-bot]

When you tell a 22-year-old to turn off the phone, don't ruin the movie, they hear 'please cut off your left arm above the elbow, ...

Sure you can. I'm fine with the arm thing - it's your choice. However, if you *need* it leave it on, put it on vibrate and leave the theater if you get or need to make a call. Seriously, how hard is that? Your need to feel connected shouldn't interfere with others' enjoyment of the movie.

this is /. so, where are the blockers?

[turkeydance]

cell jammers are cheap enough. they'll try and might give up.

Re:this is /. so, where are the blockers?

[Anonymous Coward]

cell jammers are cheap enough. they'll try and might give up.

Enjoy your arrest and massive fine from the FCC.

https://tech.slashdot.org/story/16/03/11/1343222/chicagoan-arrested-for-using-cell-phone-jammer-to-make-subway-commute-tolerable
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/14/06/24/1318236/florida-man-faces-48k-fine-for-jamming-drivers-cellphones#comments

This is /. so we're not stupid enough to try anything like that.

Re:this is /. so, where are the blockers?

[Anonymous Coward]

The one person was caught for openly using it. The other because indiscriminately. That is, he turned it on regardless of whether he saw anyone trying to use a cellphone, and just left it on his entire drive.

If I only activate my jammer when I am in a theater, and only for, like, 5 seconds at a time, how will they catch me? Please note that I am not saying it is a smart idea to use a jammer, I'm only saying that it seems to me that I could get away with it.

Re:this is /. so, where are the blockers?

[BasilBrush]

So long as you're not stupid about it, the chance of being called jamming in a cinema is approximately zero.

Re:this is /. so, where are the blockers?

[Christian Henry]

cell jammers are cheap enough. they'll try and might give up.

Sure. Ruin it for those of us who responsibly use our cellphones. I leave my phone on vibrate mode, and leave the theatre if someone (babysitter, work, etc.) calls and/or sends a text.

So fucking stupid

[Actually, I do RTFA]

to reshape our product in some concrete ways so that millennials go to movie theaters with the same degree of intensity as baby boomers went to movie theaters throughout their lives

Thanks to high screen TVs, good home sound systems, quick-to-home releases (to cut into piracy) that's never going to happen. (Hell, and homes having AC) Oh, and the unmitigated dreck being produced that's all nostalgia. But the solution is clearly to take something away from the theater experience, and make it less able to compete.

Oh, and Box Office records are still getting broken constantly, so, this seems like it's in search of a problem.

Unrelated to my point: I recently saw a fist-fight at a theater over someone using a phone. The guy using the phone deserved getting hit. He was an ass.

Re:So fucking stupid

[ADRA]

I'm not so sure about the theatre seat profits (outside of inflation), but there's more money in the system because international sales are starting to dwarf domestic US sales. Theatre owners in the US aren't receiving those profits.

Re:So fucking stupid

[Anonymous Coward]

Ah, but was the fist-fight better entertainment than the movie?

No, NO, and HELL, NO!

[kheldan]

Where's the petition to sign to send to this corporate asshat to tell him this is one of the stupidest ideas anyone has ever had? You want to drive people away from the movies? This sure as shit is one of the most effective ways to do that.

Re:No, NO, and HELL, NO!

[Anonymous Coward]

Exactly. You want me to come back to the theatres more often? Start by banning children after certain times and actually throwing out disruptive patrons who are annoying everyone else.

Missing the Point (if there even is one)

[Quantus347]

"That's not how they live their life." Aron believes that AMC needs "to reshape our product in some concrete ways so that millennials go to movie theaters with the same degree of intensity as baby boomers went to movie theaters throughout their lives."" "That's not how they live their life" is precisely why they won't ever go to the movie theater "with the same degree of intensity as Baby Boomers", regardless of whether you give them a dedicated room or any other accommodation. And the same reason their families will never all sit around the dinner table and talk about their days the same way, or gather for a favorite TV show at the same prime time hour each week. Anybody who cannot unplug themselves from their constant flow of input will never lock in to the movie with the intensity of those that actually focus on it.

Re:Missing the Point (if there even is one)

[raftpeople]

If I'm a theater trying to get millenials in, I would setup this separate room and then take this a step further: show a text comments section above or below the screen and display (censored/moderated) comments from the audience during the movie - could be pretty funny/entertaining as an optional experience (go to normal room if you just want to watch the movie).

Re:Missing the Point (if there even is one)

[T.E.D.]

If I'm a theater trying to get millenials in, I would setup this separate room and then take this a step further: show a text comments section above or below the screen and display (censored/moderated) comments from the audience during the movie - could be pretty funny/entertaining as an optional experience (go to normal room if you just want to watch the movie).

OK. I'd personally pay $5 more for this, if the moderators can limit themselves to just censoring trolls and spam. Actually, an algorithm that only accepted X-RTed and liked tweets geolocated to an actual theater showing that move at that exact point in the move would be pretty sweet. Or alternatively one that only showed high-rated tweets from within that theater right then, and gave each patron upvoting/downvoting and theater commenting karma, a-la Slashcode or Stackoverflow might be pretty cool too.

I wonder if I just gave someone their next stupid Silly Valley IPO idea? Nah. Probably already in the works anyway.

Re:Missing the Point (if there even is one)

[Obfuscant]

OK. I'd personally pay $5 more for this,

Why? I really do not understand what this desire to see random comments from people I don't know popping up on screen during a program or movie is all about. The producer and director have spent a lot of time trying to create a mood that enhances the movie, and you'd pay extra to see snotty or snide comments pasted on the screen?

BBC America did this with the last season of Dr. Who. They ran the series normally, and the second time through they put up tweets from the viewers. Really? We're in the middle of a critical scene and I need to be distracted by a comment that FrodPerfect thinks this is the best scene in the show? Or SeuEllen points out the nice scarf that one of the extras is wearing?

I watched exactly one episode like this and gave up.

Now, if you're talking about campy schlock that has been around for two decades or more, like Svengoolie or MST3K shows, then yeah, the comments are the show. But first-release or first rerun?

This makes about as much sense as a director paying people to stand just off-camera shining bright lights into the lens to create lens flare. And I'm talking to you, Abrams. Every flash doesn't enhance the video, it simply reminds the viewer that they're looking through a camera at a set of actors and not really looking into a real event. Same with tagged tweets.

Re:Missing the Point (if there even is one)

[mchall]

Spot on. Boomers did not have cable, dish, streaming, or pocket electronics in their youth. Even VHS came relatively late. The options were network television or movie theaters. Of course the myriad options available today are going to dilute theater attendance. I'd venture to say that the movie industry doesn't care how their product is delivered as long as they are raking in the cash. Its the theater owners that suffer.

The best thing that theaters still have going for them is the immersive big screen experience. It's the reason the number of IMAX screens is on the rise. All the rest is just window dressing. The amenities might influence the theatergoer's choice of one cinema over another, but IMHO it's not the driving factor behind the decision to go to the theater versus waiting for it to come to N*****x. Big movies are best enjoyed on massive screens.

Re:Fuck A Millenial.

[Anonymous Coward]

Why see them? I stopped going to movies when Chaplin jumped the shark around 1925.

Good example

[St.Creed]

When you tell a 22-year-old to turn off the phone, don't ruin the movie, they hear 'please cut off your left arm above the elbow, ...

I really don't see the problem here. When they talk to me all I hear is "whaa whaa whaa whaa".

Now get off my lawn!

Re:Can't you just stream it to their mobile phones

[camperdave]

Oh, please! There isn't a movie in existence that isn't downloadable before they get to the theatres.

Catering to the lowest common denominator

[enjar]

I recall a story recently about paying $50 to stream a movie a the day it comes out in the theater. This is why I'd gladly pay $50 to see a movie at home under my own control, with no morons ruining the movie with their damned phones. I can tell my kids to shut up, and I can pause the thing to use the bathroom. I can pop my own popcorn in the microwave and mix up my own adult beverage. $50 would save me a pile of money versus actually going to the theater, and I'd get to talk about the movie with friends -- or we could just have the friends over and all watch the movie together rather than having it ruined by some jerk not even paying attention to the movie because they are texting with their friends.

Re:Fuck A Millenial.

[mattack2]

(BTW, I'm actually who still goes to the theaters several times a year...)

No other way to see a movie?

Except at home, via DVD/BluRay (bought or rented through netflix, redbox, etc.), iTunes, Netflix, On Demand, HBO Go (and other cable channel analogs), Amazon Prime, Vudu, etc............

It's only theory

[Hognoxious]

"When you tell a 22-year-old to turn off the phone, don't ruin the movie, they hear 'please cut off your left arm above the elbow,'"

Could we try demonstrating the difference to them with a practical experiment?

They are addressing the wrong problem

[Justt Some Guy]

Rather then bring them into a theater, why not just put up a screen in their snack bar/cafe/restaurant and let them have the option of using headphones on their cell-phone to hear the the soundtrack delivered by a local Wi-Fi stream? Maybe Lay-z-Boy type seating with a snack table in front of you, too.

That way they can talk to whoever on the phone during the movie without disturbing anyone else.

Hell, they could offer them a golden multi showing super-ticket so the restaurant does not need to be cleared out. They can watch a marathon if they want, as long as they keep eating snacks and ordering more $20 sodas. Can you say Lord of the Rings/Hobbit/Star Wars/Star Trek marathons, anyone?

They can sell more top shelf items, such as real pizza to order, burgers and fries, salads, etc, not just the crap they sell now. They make their actual profit from the food they sell anyway, might was well cater to folks who like to splurge while enjoying the latest first run movies,

Re:They are addressing the wrong problem

[heson]

Yes, please.
And Beer.
And cheesy nineties action movies.
And cheering when the bad guy falls onto pointy object is mandatory.
I need this, I also do not need it for atmospheric movies.

Get Off My Lawn!!

[neo-mkrey]

that is all

Should be doable

[T.E.D.]

Likely unpopular opinion here, but I think it would be wonderful if they could find a way to pull this off, without the user contributing any noise or light pollution to the theater at large. There honestly shouldn't be a problem with this, as long as the following can be accomplished.

1. No talking on the phone. Its used for textual purposes only.
2. Phone must be in silent mode. No rings, music, or notification beeps. Preferably no vibration noises either.
3. Tricky one: no excessive light pollution to other patrons. It seems like there ought to be some kind of device (polarized lenses perhaps) that could help with this.

If you could do all that, then others should be able to watch their movie in peace without you audibly or visually disrupting their experience, and yet you could still use your social media apps.

I'm one who follows twitter live-tweeting of mass events, and I could see where this might be something I'd like to see (perhaps even participate in) for something like a big movie release. Twitter greatly enhances my experience of viewing live sporting events (it like being in a big virtual sports bar), and similarly for other live events like political debates, and I do kind of miss that for movie viewing. You can participate in discussions about it afterwards, but you really miss out on those instant reactions.

...and yes, I livetweet my Church services (phone on silent of course). Often I get likes or retweets from the Church's own social media account before the service is even over. This is the world we live in now. Its only natural that theaters and movie studios want to participate too.

Re:Should be doable

[Not-a-Neg]

I read elsewhere that what AMC is discussing is having selected screens or showings at their multiplexes be designated for smartphone use during the movie, similar to the way you select between the 2D or 3D showing of some movies.

Re:Should be doable

[T.E.D.]

If anyone wants to experience church services they are available nearly everywhere

I take it you aren't a churchgoer then. This is much like saying "If anyone wants to experience a football game, they are available nearly everywhere". Different churches, sometimes even within the same denomination and town, are very different. For instance, mine is very supportive of social justice issues (eg: The Beatitudes), is proud of our many same-sex couple members (and from what I can tell the feeling is mutual), and openly discusses and incorporates the scholarly research on historical sources and inconsistencies in The Bible. There are other Churches of our denomination in our same city that dislike us so much, they started their own church camps so their kids won't interact with ours. So I think its quite fair to say that a Ted Cruz Christian would be very irate if you tried to tell him this particular church is interchangeable with his.

But you are also missing the entire point of live-tweeting. Its about sharing your perception of a shared experience more than it is about bringing those not in attendance up to speed. For example, my #JesusJazz tweets really would make no sense to people who weren't there when it happened. Same with #WiggsMadLibs. Its unapologetically an inside joke.

Re:Fuck A Millenial.

[mattack2]

No, I'm someone who respects copyright law (and the hard work of the people who made the thing you're attempting to enjoy), apparently unlike you.

So basically....

[tekrat]

So basically, AMC is allowing shootings in movie theaters?

But seriously -- they will allow you to text, but not use your built-in video camera? How will they tell the difference?

And of course, slipperly slope time is that complete loud phone conversations will start happening during the movie.

And beatings. Lots and lots of beatings.

Re:So basically....

[T.E.D.]

But seriously -- they will allow you to text, but not use your built-in video camera? How will they tell the difference?

Well, if you go from my idea from my previous comment, the same device that prevents light pollution from your phone to your neighbors would quite likely impede incoming light (eg: from the screen) as a side-effect.

Re:Fuck A Millenial.

[ZipK]

I stopped going to movies when Chaplin jumped the shark around 1925.

Chaplin jumped the shark in 1918 when he started his own production company.

Re:Fuck A Millenial.

[toonces33]

My wife and I haven't been to a movie in several years. There are several reasons for this - the main one is that the movies just suck these days, and the tickets and food are over-priced. Every once in a while, we will get something on-Demand at home, and usually about 20 minutes in we both decide that the movie sucks and we stop watching.

But the other thing I find exceptionally annoying is how they crank up the sub-woofer to rumble the entire room for every stupid noise - even for the "commercials" at the start of the movie.

Having some dimwit refuse to stop using his phone while the movie is playing just reinforces my determination to not bother with theaters.

Why I no longer go to movie theatres

[jenningsthecat]

...same degree of intensity as baby boomers went to movie theaters throughout their lives.

I'm a boomer who used to go out to see movies quite often. I don't even mind how pricey it is today. What I DO mind is all the advertising for crap not related to movies. That, and the ad-filled trivia games and crap that show before the ads that roll before the movie, have so totally put me off that I stay away for all but the biggest must-see-in-a theatre shows.

I really hate paying to see advertising in a theatre - fucked if I'll also pay to sit in a movie house with a bunch of non-house-broken smartphone addicts. Now get off my lawn...

Re:Why I no longer go to movie theatres

[Not-a-Neg]

I grew up going to double-features and movies with actual intermissions that were long enough to go to the bathroom. I still go to the movies though and don't care about the ads since I just use my smartphone to keep me entertained until the movie starts. Unlike these millennials, though, I was taught to be respectful. So, when the movie starts I turn on airplane mode and pocket the phone so that even if the screen were to accidentally activate the back-light won't bother other patrons. I would be embarrassed if that were to happen which is what all these damn whiny millennials should be for their entire generation.

Quiet cars worked for trains

[Registered Coward v2]

One screen is the no cellphone room and another for those that want tobise theoir cell or are not bothered by those that do.

Re:Fuck A Millenial.

[zenlessyank]

And don't forget it.

Ah yes

[wonkey_monkey]

You can't tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone. That's not how they live their life.

Ah yes, treat everyone in the same vague demographic as if they were an amorphous mob of clones who act and think the same way.

What could possibly go wrong?

Re:Ah yes

[BronsCon]

Ah yes, treat everyone in the same vague demographic as if they were an amorphous mob of clones who act and think the same way.

That's not what's happening at all. You see, there are 22 year olds who don't need to be told and 22 year old who can't be told. That's a total of two groups, not one.

Upgrade 3-d glasses to 3-d helmet

[istartedi]

We just need a full face helmet with 3-d glasses built in, and a port to accept the most popular phones. The phone interfaces to the helmet and projects your texts, memes, etc. translucently onto what you see. It's a full-face helmet with advanced acoustic technology so that you can talk or even shout without disturbing other patrons. This might be dangerous though, because if you had an emergency nobody would hear you. Don't worry. The helmet will also incorporate a heart, BP, and body temperature monitor to make sure that you are, at the very least alive and not under too much stress. If you've got a fever it won't show you the movie. It will tell you that you've forfeited your deposit because the helmet needs extra sterilization now. Of course you'll have to sign some disclosure docs because of HIPAA. The helmet is, after all, technically a medical device which is covered by insurance. That's why you'll need to carefully document your movie-going expenditures and report them to the IRS, which will now be administrating the cinema experience.

Or you could just wait for it to come out on Netflix.

Re:Fuck A Millenial.

[rickb928]

If they don't deserve to be paid for their work, why do they deserve your eyeball time? Or, more to the point, are you claiming that you wouldn't pay anyways, so they lost nothing?

If it's worth zero to buy,is ti worth zero to watch?

Sorry, I meant to ask why you waste your time watching what is worthless? Oh, because it isn't worthless, just not as much as you want to pay.

The argument of many a shoplifter.

Do parents even understand their responsibility?

[Anonymous Coward]

This is just another sign of the complete failure of parents today. It is their responsibility to teach their children to be good citizens. Instead we are degrading into a society of whiny self-entitles twats that are not even sure of their gender. FOR SHAME!!!

Get Off My Lawn

[DaveMikulec]

Last movie we went to see was Interstellar, because we wanted the IMAX experience (saw it while on vacation at PCB last year). Otherwise, we prefer to watch them in the comfort of our own home. Plus, the food's better and the beer is colder.

Etiquette is still a thing

[fieldstone]

I'm technically a millennial (born in 1982, which counts according to some definitions) and I think this is complete crap. I use my smartphone all the time, but I have no problem putting it into airplane mode or turning it off when I'm in a movie. Even if I'm only texting or browsing on it, the light pollution bothers other people. This is no different from avoiding loud talking in a movie. Follow the basic etiquette, or watch the movie later in your home where your own rules apply.

fixing the wrong problem

[j2.718ff]

Aron believes that AMC needs "to reshape our product in some concrete ways so that millennials go to movie theaters with the same degree of intensity as baby boomers went to movie theaters throughout their lives."

The problem is he believes this is a reasonable goal. It isn't. Baby boomers went to the theaters because that was the only place you could watch the movie. Eventually, VCRs changed that, allowing you to watch at home, but at a lower resolution. Today, many living rooms can produce a better experience than the movie theaters - similar resolution, and without sticky floors and overpriced popcorn.

The only thing that theaters provide that my living room does not is a place for teenagers to make out.

Phone-Friendly Movie Theaters For Retards Could...

[Anonymous Coward]

"You can't tell a 22-year-old not to be a retard. That's not how they live their life."

No problem

[Laser_iCE]

I don't see this being a problem once I get my hands on a virtual reality headset, I'll just go to a virtual cinema.

Hopefully they don't try to replicate the experience by putting in a bunch of virtual teens who are on their phones.

Another reason to not go to the movie theater

[jjn1056]

...

Let AMC do this

[BronsCon]

If AMC does this and the other theaters don't, I'll just not got to AMC theaters anymore and enjoy my movies elsewhere without the annoying millennial crowd.

gees

[Eyezen]

What is so fucking special about this generation that it is constantly being pandered to? It seems not a single person/entity can say know to it.

And we wonder why they feel entitled, we make 'em so.

Funny, Cinemark doesn't have this problem..

[TigerPlish]

That the AMC CEO said it is worrisome -- it shows he doesn't care one bit about presentation. And if he doesn't, then his underlings won't, either.

Good for AMC, it'll only accelerate their demise. I've not been happy with their presentation for a long time now.. I stopped going to AMC completely.

Maybe they can do what some theaters did back in the smoking era - a lot of the cinemas back home (Puerto Rico) that were built in the late 70's early 80's had a glassed-in standing-room-only section at the very back where you could smoke, then return to your seat in the auditorium.

Funny thing is, Cinemark doesn't have this problem.. I go to one from time to time, I don't see a sea of glowing phones during the feature. Maybe the snipe featuring self-absorbed teens lost in the screen and calling them out as mindless has something to do with it? I can't find it anywhere, but it starts "It's movie night and the big screen beckons, but the small screen won't go away"

It's anvilicious, with bits like "Watch the movie on this giant screen made for movies." And, "Go away, pocket screen"

Excellent, revenge is close at hand

[SuperKendall]

A theater full of people who like to text watching movies...

Wonderful! When a theater full of these ogres has gathered, you can go in, take a seat... then during the movie, take a few calls, or better yet watch a whole OTHER movie on your phone at full volume! No need to worry about how the others in the theater feel about it all since it's merely karma coming back to them for what they have done to countless others during the years.

Oh, and I shall also bring in candy bars with the crinkliest possible wrappers and ten cups of sodas with only a half inch of liquid left to slip up through the straw.

May as well bring my laptop in and get some work done also.

Re:Fuck A Millenial.

[BronsCon]

How do you know it's worthless until you see it? And that is an argument a shoplifter can't use in most cases; you can return most items to most stores for a full refund or, at worst, the cost of a small restocking fee. When I can do that with a movie I don't like (which used to be the case with VHS and in the early DVD days), I'll consider it.

Millenials..

[zawarski]

.. is there nothing they can't fuck up?

Re:Millenials..

[bug_hunter]

Well there's nothing they won't be accused of fucking up regardless of if they're actually guilty on average or not.
Millennials are just young people with phones, they have all the good and bad quality of every generation before them when they were young... but with phones.

Sex Weapon

[Anonymous Coward]

I am curious to know more about this sex weapon.

Re:Can't you just stream it to their mobile phones

[mattventura]

Wouldn't people just cam the movie with their phones that they're allowed to have out in the theater? Can't wait to see the MPAA try to sue a 15 year old for $50,000,000.

Re:Fuck A Millenial. [Get OFF My Lawn!!!!]

[Rakarra]

Having some dimwit complain about the audio mixing because he/she doesn't feel it is appropriate for THEIR tastes is just as annoying. You are the perfect customer for Monster cables and a home theater!

The sound had better be worth pumping up.
I've been in theaters where the sound was too loud. Not "I'm an old person, turn it down!" loud, but "the machine gun fire in Die Another Day is physically painful to listen to" loud. If the loudness causes pain, it can easily cause hearing damage, and it is -objectively- too loud. So yeah, sometimes I've gone to movies where the sound was cranked up too high. That hasn't happened in awhile, though.

Arclight Cinemas

[davesays]

https://www.arclightcinemas.co... Reserved seating, no cell phones - period.

Say what?

[Trogre]

You can't tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone.

Like hell you can't.

Save your money

[penguin74]

They should just tell them, if they want to use their cell phones in the theater, just save your money and watch something on Netflix.

However...

[meerling]

How awful.
However, we can still legally kill them if they take flash photos after the lights go down, right? :)

Re:Or

[clovis]

Total grammar nazi fail.

Or people can learn to live without there god damn phone for 90 minutes.

You propose:

Or people can learn to live without they are god damn phone for 90 minutes.

I wont even give you the correct word. GO figure it out and then apologize to the rest of us.

I'll try:

Or people can learn to live without that there god damn phone for 90 minutes.

Did I win?

Re:Fuck A Millenial.

[BronsCon]

That doesn't do anything for DVD and Blu-ray, both of which are much more akin to a pirate download. I just pirate before I pay; if it sucks, I "get my money back" by not having spent it in the first place; if it doesn't suck, I want to experience it in theaters, so I pay. If It really doesn't suck, I also buy it on Blu-ray when it's available. If I couldn't pirate, I simply wouldn't buy; by the time I can see it elsewhere "legally" without buying it, I no longer have a reason to.

Lower the prices

[bl968]

Wanna get Millennials to the theater? Try lowering the the prices...

Will they now ENFORCE rules in normal theatres?

[AbRASiON]

I get the impression it's an epidemic of talking and phone use in the US cinemas, I've got several US friends and anecdotally online there appears to be a LOT of talking or phoning over there, especially from one particular demographic (hey, I keep hearing it consistently)

I had a US friend come over here for a month and she checked out the cinema 4 times with me in that time, she was utterly shocked that (for the most part) people are generally quiet here, no phones out, etc. It does happen but I get the impression FAR more over there.

Will the cinemas which now offer a movie going experience for inconsiderate assholes who want to talk and use their phone, surely the regular experience will be policed better, right?
I'll yell at people if I have to over here (not often) but I get the impression doing it over there might end up in a fight.

Re:Will they now ENFORCE rules in normal theatres?

[AbRASiON]

Reply to my own post:

I've encountered the Reddit thread on this very topic and while MOST people are anti phone use of any kind, the quantity of people endorsing silent texting is incredibly high, I'm effectively being called "old man" for saying it's distracting to have a light on in the cinema.

Considering the average /. age, I'd say we're all fucking doomed, the generation below us needs gassing.

It's just part of growing up.

[shess]

When a four-year old is hitting his brother over the head with a baseball bat, the solution isn't "Oh, he's a four-year old, that's just how they live life when they're four". You tell him to stop hitting his brother, and if he doesn't stop you progress to more and more serious consequences.

It's not any different than any number of other things someone might want to combine with watching a movie, such as sex, or lighting up a joint, or playing melodica. Figure out if your primary interest is watching a movie or texting, and if it's texting, go do it in the lobby or in the parking lot or some such shit.

Quick?

[antdude]

Not quick enough! How about the same time as the theat(er/re)s have them?

What about the real problem?

[Ilgaz]

Popcorn!

idiots

[Tom]

Are you kidding me? Which 22 year olds they asked? Antisocial autistics from death row? "Don't bother other people" is something anyone 5 and older should understand and that talking on your phone while one metre away from someone who paid money to understand some dialog falls into that category should be another basic life skill.

No, we need to stop this bullshit of adapting the world to idiots. Two, three generations ago, children were treated completely differently. They were "adults in the making", expected to conform to more and more adult-like depending on age.

A good mix of the authoritarian and the libertarian view of childhood would give us some reasonable approach. But, being human, we will for another five thousand years figure out that one extreme doesn't work and promptly try the other extreme instead.

Yucky

[EmperorOfCanada]

Yuck

Yes you can tell them to turn it off

[DirkDaring]

Every teenager in the US is already well used to being told that in school and often at work. Stop making this seem like it's a brand new concept.

The Most Interesting Man In The World @ AMC

[cmholm]

I don't always subject myself to AMC's crappy theaters. But, when I do, I use phone screens as spit wad targets.

The beauty is, the users night vision will be totally shot by their spit wad-smeared screens, and they'll never know where the goop is coming from.

Term is too broad

[wkwilley2]

1988 "Millennial" here.

This time distinction is far too broad, but you can definitely see the depending on cell phones in the past years.

Seems like all these children have become narcissistic. "Everything I do is important and I must share it with the world." No one gives a shit about what you had for breakfast or in this case, what you're doing at a movie theater, besides what should be the obvious.

chaussure nike air jordan pas cher

[zhenxinbao]

air jordan pas cher run onto the balcony, I browsing around the balcony, all type of shoes are on but without my puma shoes, what happened The puma shoes should be flatted on to dry by my mother, how ever did my mother forget it? Is it A series of short, sharp sounds, I saw my wet puma shoes always place on the ground; I adjourned to the drawing room my mother sat astride the chair and crossed his knees speak highly on the phone, I couldn control myself, and I shouted to my mother, that's outrageous! You forget to flat dry my puma shoes, sob, what shall I do next? The second lesson today is P.E. when my mother hear my voice and say goodbye on the phone, and then she was rapt in wonder, she faltered out that I am so sorry, my baby, I clean forgot about it ,forgot it. What? I shouted at my mother neatly fainted Good-bye then! Mind how you go! My mother salted me with a wave of hand. That is a perfect day, during the just a moment they really put me through it, I was out of sorts, do you know what shoes did wear? Tell you truth I wearing a rather funny that me wear a strange pair of shoes, A bad smell emanated from the shoes, neither shoe fits comfortably, Oh, how unlucky I am.

"You can't tell a 22-year-old to turn off their.."

[gx5000]

"You can't tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone. That's not how they live their life."

JUST WATCH ME

I yell at them

[p0larity]

I loudly announce "FRONT ROW PHONE OFF!"

Usually they fold up their phone and don't bring it out for the rest of the film.

In Canada I only usually see 1 person max using their phone.

(No, I don't care if you think that makes things worse. I'll keep doing it each time I see someone with their glaring phone on in the corner of my eye, distracting me from the film.)