Is Cell Phone Use In Theaters The Future? Some Think So
Image via Time.com
Every few years the executives in Hollywood begin to grouse about their bottom-lines. You’ll hear it occasionally: “box office ticket sales are lagging,” or “piracy is killing our movie business,” and the ever popular “we’re not making money like we used to.” You know, it’s tough out there for today’s Hollywood elite to be making billions and billions instead of trillions. Whenever these discussions begin, we always have to listen to the reasoning behind these “low” ticket sales (which, is almost always following a record setting year, so it’s sort of a false generalization on the executives parts): piracy, increased competition from television and the internet, and home video rentals are almost always blamed. But the one thing almost no one mentions is the reason I absolutely hate going to the theater these days: the terrible patrons.
Every time I go to the movies I’m astounded at the lack of civility presented by the audience. I don’t want to sound like old man grumpus here, but every time I see a movie I have to put up with people talking through the movie (or people who narrate the film we’re watching by announcing what is happening on the screen), showing up late and looking for prime seating, or my favorite: dicking around with their cell phones at eye level (you know, so everyone can see your awesome iPhone).
If I had to point to anything as reason for waning audiences the lack of… manners… presented by large swaths of the filmgoing audience would be it. Hell, I even quit going to new movies in the theater (instead opting for Netflix rentals) until I started writing for GFBR, and even now I try to go to the movies on less trafficked days.
Well, according to Deadline, reporting from a panel at CinemaCon, there are some in the industry who think that relaxing the already mostly unenforced cell phone restrictions might make younger audiences flock back to the theater. So that they… can… ignore the movie while sitting in the theater.
Representatives from Sony Pictures Entertainment, Regal Entertainment, and IMAX voiced their concerns with losing the teen crowd because they aren’t allowed to talk or text during a film. IMAX’s Greg Foster cited his teenage son’s cell phone use as being a reason he thinks this. “We want [teens] to pay $12 to $14 to come into an auditorium and watch a movie. But they’ve become accustomed to controlling their own existence.” Hey, Greg, I also pay to see those movies and I’ve become accustomed to, ya know, seeing the movie without interruptions.
Not all the folks on the panel were pro-phone use. Tim League, CEO of Alamo Drafthouse, was adamant that his chain will never allow talking or texting during a film. The predominantly Texas-based Alamo Drafthouse theater chain recently announced plans to open a new theater in New York City.
It’s good to see that not all industry folks have lost their minds regarding this issue. I don’t necessarily need a theater as well-kept as the Drafthouses supposedly are, but I’d like to see theaters start with something easy like ushers in-theater all the time. When’s the last time you saw an usher except at the credits cleaning up the theater?
So, where do you fall on this issue? Would you rather be able to text during movies?
Absolutely not. I’m totally with you. Unless there is a big midnight premier (where part of the experience is the big crowd) I avoid movies until they come to the $2 theater by my house or show up on Netflix. And it’s all because of the setting.
Rude people and ringing phones. Plus, if I buy the bluray, that’s just about the price of two tickets AND I can rewatch it, AND pause (or rewind) it if something comes up, AND get special features, AND have whatever snacks I want, AND not have to schedule my day around a specific showtime. The list of advantages goes on and on. The only thing the theater has is a good sound system. But if you have surround sound at home, there is almost no reason to go to a theater to see a movie.
Definitely not! If they start letting cell phone use in, people will stop coming even more, even the people who are for it. It’s one thing when it’s your phone, it’s a whole different issue when 20 people all around you are texting. I honestly don’t go very much to theaters because it’s absurdly expensive, especially where I live. I can buy a brand new dvd for LESS than the price of two evening movie tickets. My cost benefit analysis says that going to the theaters isn’t really worth it, unless I really have to see the movie on the big screen (like for the Avengers, or the Hobbit).
Doesn’t bother me one little bit. I can enjoy a movie if the guy in front of me is texting or facebooking. Doesn’t bother me at all.
Who am I to judge if the guy in front of me is texting his girlfriend or checking up on his sick mum in hospital.
Yeah. I’m not fussed over it.
I’ve never had this issue while in a movie. Sure I’ve been to movies where people have talked but usually the rest of the people tell them to shut up. I guess Canadian movie goers might be a little more respectful of the people around them.
Though like someone else mentioned – I don’t tend to go to opening nights. I’ll wait a couple of weeks and see a weekend matinee. Less people in general make the movie a lot more enjoyable.
It’s not, like, a law, right? When you go to a movie, you just get a “hey, be nice, turn off your phones” disclaimer, and that works for most. I don’t notice a lot of talking or texting going on at movies, other than opening nights (as Drew said). I love going to the theater; part if it is the big screen, the sound, and the beer (thank god for the abundance of second-run theaters around here), but part of it is just being out and around people, and enjoying something together. So yeah, it doesn’t bug me.
Dude, I don’t know what theaters you all go to, but I haven’t been to a movie in ages (and we see a lot of movies since I’m Billy’s wife) where there isn’t chatter, conversation, and the brightest screens ever all around me. I’m a little light sensitive, but in a dark movie theater when a person nearby turns their phone on, it absolutely pulls my eyes and attention off the screen, and it hurts my experience. They really can’t wait two hours for that text or status update? Really?
And the talking. Kids are the worst, they don’t even seem to care that I was watching and I do know that “so and so just etc etc” as they blurt it out at normal volume to their buddy. Sometimes we get older folks who I think don’t realize, but the ones who practically have a conversation about the movie as it’s happening, no, shouldn’t be allowed.
We don’t live in that big a town, though it’s a college area. All I ask is that I can enjoy a two hour movie without being distracted at a minimum 2-3 times, and we can’t even get that. This is with it “not allowed” I couldn’t imagine if people were given free reign …
So, maybe you all live in the nicest places ever (got a job opening for a biology professor??), but I got to agree that a few more restrictions and people who actually enforce them would make movies way more enjoyable for me.
Okay, how’s this?
Does it bug you when someone is SO into the flick that when someone gets killed or smashed in an incredible or unpredictable way, they say “OH MY GO-HAW-HAWD!” or when they’ve had the crap scared out of them exclaim “#### ME!”
That’s me if the movie is really good.
Here’s the thing; I love movies, but I hate the cinema. Talking chattering, murmuring, whatever you call it, is simply rude and disrespectful. It’s rude to me and the rest of the audience and it’s disrespectful to the people who made the movie.
If I can manage to stay quiet for two hours, why can’t everyone else? Here in the UK things are probably much the same as they are anywhere else, and going to the cinema is a hit and miss affair regarding the audience’s ability to shut up. In my experience, it’s more of the latter than the former.
Yes, allowing phone use in the theatre without repercussions may generate larger audiences from a younger section of the public, but I can guarantee that it won’t offset the loss of the (generally) older cinemagoers like myself who enjoy actually watching the movie.
Tim, for me, personally, if someone is totally into the movie–that’s fine. Especially in a big action or horror movie. But, talking about random shit, or messing on a cellphone (especially with the backlight turned up) just kills the atmosphere. It’d be a different story if the people were just *really* into the movie.
Also, I tend to see movies with the first week of release, if I’m planning on reviewing it (or avoiding spoilers) then that’s something I’ve got to do. I just don’t understand why people would pay to ignore a movie. But, I LOVE it when the audience is into the movie, sometimes it totally makes the experience awesome.
Does anyone listen to their Ipod at a concert they’ve paid $30+ to attend?
Does anyone bring their own BigMac when they’re paying for dinner at a fine steakhouse?
Would you sit on a bench reading Gravity’s Rainbow wheny you’ve paid half your yearly salary to enter Disneyland?
God help you if I’ve paid to take my family to a movie at $9 a ticket and you do anything to disrupt my suspension of disbelief or pull me out of my complete immersion in an escapist activity. If I snap back to reality because you just HAAAAD to update your status to “Still at the theater”, I’m going to unleash a toung lashing that will leave you needing heavy medication and years of psychotherapy to recover from. Actually you’ll be fine because that will all be internal dialog in my head, but what kind of jerk would put me through that?!?! I’m a nice guy! What did I ever do to you? Phones off! BEFORE the previews!
I think the people who did this survey need to rethink it. I live in New York and I’ll tell you that the demographic who they are trying to bring back to the theatre doesn’t give a &^%$ about the cell phone use rule. They use them anyway. So the only thing this would change is make sure that I never go to afternoon film ever again. Of course being a parent of a newborn baby has already assured this, so do whatever the hell you want hollywood just get more content to netflix faster.