# Would you patronize a movie theater that has a mobile device ban? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 15, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835 "2014-01-15T00:26:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/41 "2014-01-15T13:55:55Z")
A year ago I would’ve supported a full ban / no signal at theaters. Now, I cannot. I have to have my phone on me, as I am waiting for an organ donation call. When we go to the movies, I put my phone on vibrate and keep it in my pocket. If someone should call, I leave the theater. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/42 "2014-01-15T14:02:53Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > Where I live one of the cinemas has a number you can text if there is someone being somehow inappropriate. The staff will come in and remove the person. So if someone is using their cell phone… you _use your cell phone_ to report them for using their cell phone? That just seems like it’d set of a cascade of tattle-tales to me. Personally, I can’t recall the last time I ever saw anyone using a cell phone during a movie, and this sort of thing really just seems like a solution in search of a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/43 "2014-01-15T14:25:56Z")
Yes, but if someone is texting or talking loudly during a movie and I have to leave the theater to report them to a manager, I miss part of the movie. And some of these multiplexes are large enough that it’s going to take me five or ten minutes just to locate a theater manager. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/44 "2014-01-15T14:31:27Z")
I’d patronize it. If there was a multi-plex with no cellphone showings vs regular showings, I’d try very hard to attend the cellphone jammed showings. I don’t see it as likely to ever be offered though. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/45 "2014-01-15T14:37:27Z")
I would like it if people using the phone for any purpose during the movie were booted, but I don’t feel the need for the devices to be banned or anything like that. Really, anything that’s distracting during the movie should get people ejected, whether it’s some kind of device or just them talking to their friend. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/46 "2014-01-15T14:39:31Z")
Absolutely not. I have children and elderly parents and in laws. If I need to use my phone, I need to use my phone. If it goes off, it needs to be checked. I don’t have a zillion friends texting me every minute of the day, so the chances I will look at it is small, but when it goes off, I do need to look - which means you’ll see the glowing screen while I decide if I need to take this call/text at this moment. (ETA, being a polite person, if I need to take this call, I leave the theatre). ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/47 "2014-01-15T15:18:47Z")
Depending on how stringent the ban was, I probably wouldn’t. It’d be OK if it was a suburban theater and you could just leave it in your car but if you went to a theater in a city and you walked/metro/cabbed your way to the theater it would be a pain in the ass. > [@Chronos](#): > > Am I the only one who thinks there really isn’t a problem as-is? I don’t think I’ve ever heard a phone go off in a theater more than once or twice in the entire cell phone era, and in both cases the owner immediately silenced it rather than answering. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a phone go off mid-movie ever. Then again, I don’t really go to the movies THAT often. 3-4 times a year, and never on opening weekends/peak hours. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/48 "2014-01-15T15:42:19Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > Does the glow of a cell phone from someone texting really bother you that much? Yes, it’s very distracting, and only a clueless clod would do this. ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/49 "2014-01-15T16:02:56Z")
In the 80s and 90s, when I did some babysitting, the parents would always leave the phone number of the theater so that I would have some way to get in touch with them if there was an emergency. Of course, that would have involved calling the theater and having an employee go in there, find the parents, and extricate them. Now that I’m a parent, I just leave the babysitter with my cell phone number so that they can reach me directly. I will quickly glimpse at my phone to see if the babysitter is trying to reach me during the movie. No, I’m not going to stop that, and no, other people’s phones don’t bother me. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/50 "2014-01-15T16:34:29Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Absolutely not. I have children and elderly parents and in laws. If I need to use my phone, I need to use my phone. If it goes off, it needs to be checked. I don’t have a zillion friends texting me every minute of the day, so the chances I will look at it is small, but when it goes off, I do need to look - which means you’ll see the glowing screen while I decide if I need to take this call/text at this moment. > > (ETA, being a polite person, if I need to take this call, I leave the theatre). So I guess before there were cell phones, there were no children or elderly people? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/51 "2014-01-15T16:36:04Z")
I wouldn’t mind a place that blocked signals (from the seating areas, not the lobby), but I don’t want an outright ban – I usually get to the movie at least 15-20 minutes early and I like to play games or whatever on my phone until the lights go down. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/52 "2014-01-15T16:50:11Z")
I need my phone. I had to leave American Hustle 15 minutes into it because I got a call that I had to pick my daughter up from her mom’s. It was a semi-emergency and there would have been no one else to call. I go outside if I get a call but will take texts during a movie. I silence my phone and I have an app to darken the screen below the normal settings and I darken it to where I can just barely see it. Unless I hold the phone up in the air, I can text without anyone knowing it. I wouldn’t go to a theater that would throw you out or ban them. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/53 "2014-01-15T18:06:45Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > So I guess before there were cell phones, there were no children or elderly people? Before there were cell phones people with care responsibilities had a lot less personal freedom, precisely because they couldn’t risk not being able to be reached in an emergency. Who wants to go back to that? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/54 "2014-01-15T18:43:20Z")
Yes ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/55 "2014-01-15T18:44:48Z")
Hell yes, I would patronize a theater that had a mobile device ban. It would be my favorite theater of all time. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/56 "2014-01-15T18:55:01Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > In [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=713001&page=2) we’re discussing the shooting in a Florida movie theater, apparently precipitated by a fight regarding a movie goer who was texting. > > So, would you see movies at a theater than had a no tolerance, enforced ban on mobile devices? Why or why not? > > I personally would go there exclusively but I’m interested in hearing what you all think and why. I would prefer going to venues where the social graces are practiced. But the whole situation that started this doesn’t make much sense and I’m not sure the solution fits the situation. Replace “texting” with “talking” and nothing changes. You can’t fix crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/57 "2014-01-15T19:00:38Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Phones don’t bother me enough to really make that a draw. Yeah, there have been times I’ve seen or heard people text or talk on their phones, but not often. And I go to the movies pretty regularly. I’ve been more often bothered by people talking. It would be nice for more theaters to have the policy like the Alamo Drafthouse, but the policy by itself wouldn’t make me choose one theater over another. More important to me is the location of the theater, the ticket price, the movie time, the quality of the screenings (how often is the picture or sound messed up at the theater), the seat comfort, how crowded the theater likely is, and how good the concession stands are. If all those factors are roughly equal, then I would choose the theater that had a zero tolerance cell phone ban over the theater that didn’t have that policy. Also, thinking about it more, just the policy by itself wouldn’t mean much. What makes Alamo Drafthouse different is that they can enforce it with less trouble to the movie viewer. I don’t know how many people have been to an Alamo Drafthouse, but they serve food and drinks. You can order before the movie starts, or after the movie starts, you can write your order on a piece of paper and stick it up on the edge of your table and a waiter will sneak by and grab it. So waiters are in the theaters to get orders, deliver food, bring your check and take care of all that. Since they’re in there, they could notice someone was talking and deal with it, or if you notice someone is talking, you can write it on your piece of paper, stick it up, a waiter will come by and grab it, and then they’ll deal with the problem. At most movie theaters I believe a worker starts the movie up and then doesn’t monitor what’s going on at all. So if there is an issue, whether with the film picture or sound quality, or someone talking or texting or otherwise causing trouble, it’s up to an audience member to leave, go find a worker, explain the issue, and hope they do something about it. Sometimes you can find someone immediately to explain the issue to, sometimes it can take longer to track someone down. Like \*\*Dewey Finn \*\*said upthread, with big multiplexes, it can sometimes take a while to find someone. I speak from experience, not from having to complain about someone texting, but having to complain about the sound being messed up on a movie, and having to leave the theater, go downstairs to the main part of the multiplex, go to the concession stand, get the attention of a worker, and explain that the sound was messed up. So if I was at a movie theater with a zero tolerance policy regarding cell phones and I noticed someone was texting, I’d have to debate whether it was bothering me enough to spend a few minutes and miss part of the movie in order to go track someone down. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I’ve heard the argument made that this would be wrong because a doctor might need to be paged about a medical emergency. But I say that’s bullshit. If it’s made known to everyone that their devices aren’t going to work once inside, then it’s the doctor’s own fault for not going to another theater instead. From what I understand, there’s no way to limit the cell phone blocker to just the four walls of the movie theater. It could also block reception to restaurants nearby the theater, or the streets surrounding it. Which would be a problem for the doctor on call eating at the restaurant, or the police driving by the theater. If it’s possible to limit the cell phone blocker to just inside each theater, and not a foot outside of it, then I agree that it should be allowed. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > It _should_ be from the moment you enter until the moment you leave. You think someone is going to stop mid-conversation just because the feature started? And maybe I want to enjoy the previews in peace. Using the phone once you’re inside the hall is a sign of poor manners. People still chat during the previews at most movies I go to. Maybe not as loud as before the previews start, but it’s still not complete silence. I don’t have an issue with that, since you’re not there to see the previews. Just because you are there to see a movie, doesn’t mean that the previews will be of any interest to you. Or maybe they are of interest to you, but you’ve seen this same preview 7 times before and don’t feel the need to stay perfectly quiet and off their phones for the 8th viewing. People should be getting to their seats and settling down in the previews, but I don’t expect complete silence, and I’m not bothered if they’re playing with their phones then. The vast majority of the time when I’ve been to the movies when people are talking or texting during previews, they stop once the movie starts. > [@gracer](#): > > Where I live one of the cinemas has a number you can text if there is someone being somehow inappropriate. The staff will come in and remove the person. I’d rather have that option and the two are obviously not compatible. So no, I wouldn’t go to a cinema that bans mobile phones. I would love to have this as an option at more theaters. I would definitely take advantage of it when necessary, though of course I would do it as quickly as possible, and with the screen angled down and towards me as much as possible so it’s not shining too much and distracting anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/58 "2014-01-15T19:18:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Federal law prohibits the marketing, sale, or use of a transmitter (e.g., a jammer) designed to block, jam, or interfere with wireless communications. > > – snip – > > Jammers cannot be marketed or operated in the United States except in the very limited context of authorized, official use by the federal government. [http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/jammerenforcement/jamfaq.pdf](http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/jammerenforcement/jamfaq.pdf) I am aware that jammers exist in the USA (e.g., the [bus passenger in Philly back in 2012](http://consumerist.com/2012/03/01/is-the-philly-cellphone-jammer-a-hero-or-a-jerk/)). ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/59 "2014-01-15T19:56:08Z")
I go to the Alamo Drafthouse almost exclusively. They’ve had this policy from the beginning. Here’s one of their older ads: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PUqLWTQCeHM/hqdefault.jpg "Ann Richards Alamo Drafthouse - No Talking No Texting") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUqLWTQCeHM) And they had one done by Matt Groenig. As for how it works, there are servers in the theater at all times. You flag one down and point out the person talking or texting. Or you can write it down on the ordering pad. Next on my list would be popcorn because the average movie goer doesn’t seem to be able to eat it with their mouth shut. It’s illegal to manufacture, own, or use cell blocking devices per the Communications Act of 1934. The Alamo does have special baby day screenings when people can bring kids to movies. Then the talking rule is relaxed. Otherwise no kids under six and no unaccompanied children under 18. It’s not for everyone, but it’s heaven for those of us who like to hear the movie and nothing else. I once sat through a two hour movie that was being translated into Farsi to someone hard of hearing three aisles over. That was a little bit of hell right there. ---
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835/60 "2014-01-15T21:16:29Z")
I would pay three times the price to go to a theater that wouldn’t let you bring a phone into the building, no question. Same goes for talking, although I’m not sure how they’d stop you from bringing talking into the building. So that’s a dumb idea I had. I used to go to the movies a couple times per month. These days I go maybe a couple times per year because it’s soooooo not worth the frustration. Why even go? If I show up twenty minutes early, that means I have to sit through twenty more minutes of advertisements, then commercials, then previews. Then, an hour later when the movie finally starts, at two minutes in there’s a flurry of people turning off their phones, then five to ten minutes in there are groups of people showing up late and making everyone else get up so they can move to some seats in the middle, and then throughout, apparently it’s perfectly fine to have a conversation or text your pharmacist or whatever. If I wait a while, I can pay a fraction of the price to watch the same movie at home on a nice big screen, far more comfortable seating, and better snacks, all without being bombarded by advertisements and complete strangers doing things that bother me. (Ugh! Why do I ever leave the house? :P) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-patronize-a-movie-theater-that-has-a-mobile-device-ban/678835.md?page=4)