What Happened to Theater Etiquette?

For as long as I can remember, going to the movies has been a great escape from my daily routine. I get to sit in a cool, quiet theater for a couple of hours and enjoy a film. My only complaint should be sitting through the occasional dud. Usually, though, I only see a film in the theater if I know it’s going to be good.

Recent trips to my cinematic oasis, however, have been accompanied by the unwelcome distraction of rude theatergoers. Sure, people talk before the projector starts, and sometimes even after the previews have started. Some even play on their phones throughout the previews. I can live with all of that. It used to be that, when the lights went down and the movie started, you could feel the anticipation in the room. Everyone went silent. But now…people don’t seem to care. It’s as if they think they’re still alone in their living rooms, and they don’t worry about offending or annoying anyone else.

I applaud theaters for making the little commercials between previews on the fact that cell phone usage, illegal recording, talking, and littering are not acceptable in a theater. It’s a good reminder, but it obviously doesn’t click with everyone.

My wife and I went to a movie once, and two ladies were sitting behind us who were unbelievably obnoxious. They were constantly talking to each other as if they were by themselves. About halfway through the movie, I was officially sick of them. I’m normally a patient person, but this was testing me. I was working up the nerve to quietly say something to them, but my (exceedingly tolerant and introverted) wife beat me to it. You know it’s bad if Cheree speaks up. They stopped talking after that.

Another time, two older guys (who weren’t sitting together) kept approaching one another as though they had some unresolved issues. When one would approach the other, the conversation would get a little heated, and then stop. About ten minutes later, the heated exchange would happen again. I mean, come on! If you have a problem with someone, either put it aside for a couple of hours or take it outside! Do you have to get half of the theater involved who are in earshot of your argument?

The last movie theater experience I had was truly uncomfortable. About halfway through the movie, two kids in the front row started running around the front of the theater playing tag. On the one hand, their parents clearly failed to teach them how to act in a theater. On the other hand, maybe don’t take kindergarten-aged kids to a movie that will run until nearly midnight.

I propose two solutions to remedy these issues. One, hire a person to sit in the theater to look for these behaviors. Ushers who pop into the theaters every half hour are not going to catch everything. Instead, this hypothetical person would approach the rude people and tell them to either be respectful or leave. That would be fine with me. I would take great pleasure in listening in on that command and not feel like I was missing anything out of the movie. This person would be like an “air marshal” for theaters.

Another solution would be to install call buttons underneath the theater seats (perhaps with a delay to avoid accidental calls). Whenever there is rude behavior going on in the theater, someone, or hopefully the whole theater would join in to call someone into the theater to handle the situation. This may be wishful thinking, but I think it’s worth a try. Perhaps a pilot program in a few select theaters. If it works, then it should be implemented in every movie theater.

I read that theater attendance last year was at an all-time low. The article I read said that the rising ticket prices were the main reason for the low turnouts. It also mentioned that, regardless of what the attendees are doing, the theaters just need people in their seats. I think that’s the part of the problem. I certainly don’t want to spend $11 or more to be annoyed for 2+ hours! When a movie lover like me hesitates to go to the theater, something is seriously wrong.

I want to enjoy movies as I used to and I want to share those experiences with my future kids. I also love movie date nights with my wife but don’t want the night to be ruined by rude people who just don’t care.

If you have any thoughts on this subject, I would love to hear them. Feel free to share your comments.

Happy watching!