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]

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?"

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.

[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.

[spire3661]

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

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.

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

[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.

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,