But the problem is that the metal wall paint theater is never going to exist (at least, not on any meaningful scale), because - this self-selecting thread notwithstanding - there just isn’t enough demand for it. The number of people whose night is ruined by a single flash of light is much, much, much lower than the number of people who want to be accessible, or who just flat out don’t care.
I’m in the latter group, by the way - I tend to use my phone to browse the Internet while waiting for the lights to go down, then turn it completely off when the movie starts. But I really don’t care about what others are doing, short of having a full-on conversation. People who text or browse during the movie don’t even register to me.
So if you make two theaters, one with your metal wall paint and one without, I’m going to the one without, because I don’t care about the phones and I want to be able to, let’s say, meet friends there and call them from the popcorn line to see if they’ve arrive yet.
I suspect there are a lot of people like me, who as part of their jobs are on call for weeks at a time. They (and I) need to be reached in the case of a situation that’s not really an emergency but needs to be addressed immediately. No one’s dying or even sick, but some server needs to be restarted or something.
I’m not a big movie fan myself but I have co-workers who like me are expected to respond within 10 minutes to a call, and I’m sure they’d like to go to movies during their on-call shifts. As long as no one else is impacted (i.e. no sound, no screen glow; user goes to the lobby to respond to the call) it’s fine with me.
Reading this thread, I think that most of the debate is caused by misunderstanding. One side is saying “You shouldn’t be allowed to talk and text in the theater” and the other is saying “I have to be in contact with my children/babysitter/patients.” Wouldn’t a strictly enforced rule that states phones have to be on vibrate and the called should go into the lobby satisfy everyone? I would think that virtually banning multiple segments of the population from movie theaters is a bit much to avoid a person quietly getting out of their seat and walking out of the theater - and I can’t imagine a situation so serious that the five seconds it takes you to walk to the lobby could make a difference.
Interesting situation our hypothetical moviegoer has there . . .
But they won’t. Sure, they’ll have it on vibrate- usually- but then if it’s a text, they just hold it up in front of them, lighting up the area, and reply. I mean don’t you know- if it’s a text “IT HAS TO BE ANSWERED RIGHT NOW!!!”. :rolleyes: They can;t be bothered to go to the lobby- and even that would be annoying as fucking hell with some users getting up every five minutes to respond to a text.
What could be tried is a policy that says calls must be taken in the lobby, and smartphones (which covers a fair percent of texters) have to be on ‘night-mode’, with the screen black and text white. I’m not sure how many brands of smartphones have this feature, but it apparently works very well and would solve the flashing screens problem.
In terms of enforcing this rule, I think most people are happy to follow a few guidelines - for example, most people are cooperative enough to at least set their phones to vibrate. The problem comes when the “it’ll only be for a second . . .” mentality comes in.
I’d gladly patronize a theater that banned the use of mobile devices instead the theater. If the babysitter urgently needs to reach me, she can call or text, the phone will vibrate inside my pocket, and I will leave the theater before checking or answering it. No problem.
I would actually prefer a theater where we could talk and stuff, as long as people weren’t insane about it. Because I get bored and probably confused if I can’t talk during movies. I just think it’s silly to think that almost everyone can’t go for an hour or two without being reached, without it being any more of a risk than the risk you took to drive to the theater. What if you got into a car accident and died? Then where would your kids be??
Thanks for joining our conversation. You seem to be under the mistaken impression that the topic is “talking in movie theaters.” Actually it is “use of mobile devices in movie theaters,” so I am happy to clear that up for you.
To address your other question: My kids would be unable to reach me in the event that I was in a car crash and died. This would presumably be a permanent situation, and quite the inconvenience. It would be better if they were able to reach me, preferably in a way that least inconvenienced other moviegoers. Perhaps some sort of ban on use of mobile devices inside the actual theater so that people who wished to be reachable could take calls out in the lobby. Has anyone proposed this? Someone should propose this.
The funny thing about this thread is that I don’t see anyone defending texting (at least with black letters on a white screen) or speaking on a cellphone during a movie. Pretty much everyone has agreed it’s rude. And most people who’ve replied seem fine with the sort of rules the Alamo Drafthouse has imposed. So what’s the big deal? Enforce that sort of policy, and most everyone will be happy. It’s not that hard!
Hey, I’ve been in the conversation. I know it’s primarily about mobile devices. I’ve said that I don’t think those would bother me, within reason. Other interruptions have also been mentioned. They’re not completely separate. No one is going to say they’re totally cool with someone talking on the phone but if they want to say something to their companion, GTFO.
That would be fine with me too. I’m just commenting on the idea that it’s risky to go at most two hours being unreachable. Seems silly to me. The interruptions don’t bother me; being unreachable for a short time doesn’t bother…guess I’m just super easygoing (not really! just about this particular issue).
Except the question is how to enforce it. Every time you see a screen flashing, is some poor employee going to shuffle through all the rows, inconveniencing the already annoyed customers, to chat with them about it? I’d be interested to see how the Alamo Drafthouse deals with texters and phone talkers. Compromises like the ‘night screen’, I think, will be more effective than just a blanket ban, simply because people are stubborn.
Anyway, I never quite got the point of movie theaters. It can be a fun event once in a while, but the vast majority of movies I watch are on DVD. If going to the theater is really such an irritating experience, why not not go?
“I never quite got the point of movie theaters.” That makes me feel so old. You do realize that it’s been only a relatively short time that movies have been available for home viewing on demand (i.e., first VHS, then DVD, Blu-Ray and streaming. And VHS quality sucked, as did the quality of TV sets at home, compared to movies. Even today, there’s a gap of several months before you can see movies at home.
Seattle; none. But I’ll go to any theater if the situation arises. I used to go to movies regularly and I’ve been to enough where people talk at the screen, etc. Doesn’t bother me at all. I can see where it would bother people, I’m just answering the question to say not everyone has a strong opinion one way or the other.
ETA: Oh, and I would never talk at the screen myself. I’m a quiet person. I don’t make scenes and I usually can’t stand loud people. Movies are a social thing to me though.
Fair enough. Problem is, most movie theaters operate on a very thin margin. I remember reading, actually, that the bulk of their income is made on concessions. Any change that could result in more dissatisfied customers than happy ones (say, painting lead paint on their roofs, or even adopting a policy similar to the Alamo’s) is not going to be made.
Just a kinda random aside - going to the movies is, at least to an extent, a social, public thing. Ever been in a cinema screening on your own? I was, earlier this week (Catching Fire on Monday morning), and it’s a weird and not overly pleasant experience. I watched Wolf Of Wall Street later in the day, in a half full or so screening, and there was plenty of laughing, whispering and -yes - people looking at their phones. It’s about 2 days long, so that’s hardly surprising… and I’d take the latter experience by choice any time.
That’s despite the fact that I’m not the most social person in the world, and I usually go watch films alone.
I am a bit put off by people promoting movie-going as a social experience. I go to movies, rarely I admit, to see the movie, not to listen to the reactions of strangers.
I do enjoy discussing movies later, when they are over, but I think it is phenomenally self-centered to assume one’s every thought is more entertaining than the collaborative work of hundreds of professionals, work that, not incidentally, I went to the theater to see.
This is particularly annoying since the considerate alternative - watching the movie at home with people who will enjoy one’s comments - is so easy.
There’s a massive excluded middle between sitting in absolute silence, and sharing every thought, and it’s somewhere in that middle I’m talking about. Hearing reactions to a film, whether laughter at a comedy or the disgust provoked by 12 Years A Slave, for example, improves the experience for me. The occasional whispered comment about what other film an actor’s been in is fine, too. Talking constantly through the film is fucking annoying, though.
I still don’t get the comments about someone checking a text being so disruptive. There’s a massive, brightly lit screen in front of you, a tiny brightly lit screen is simply not that disruptive to me. Much more disruptive is people getting up to go to the toilet or whatever - not that I have a problem with that either, although by choice I sit on the edge so people don’t normally have to pass me.
Obviously people’s views differ, but I find I get far more distracted watching films at home that I ever do in the cinema, despite being alone.
Obviously I don’t go chatting through movies. But if there was a venue where that was acceptable, I would be totally in to it. I was a film major in undergrad, and I probably got used to pretty open discussions during our screenings. I like it better. Different strokes and all that.
