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Foolish Acts People Pull at Movie Theaters Across America
Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at 7:00AM 
Movie tickets are too expensive these days for anyone to have to put up with rudeness at the cineplex. Yet, it’s common to find men, women and teenagers acting a fool in theaters across North America.
Someone brought their screaming baby to a theater where the Sci-Fi action film Insurgent was playing. Miles away at another theater, one woman played video games with the volume turned up on her cell phone during a showing of Marvel’s The Avengers; as if other people in nearby seats didn’t get enough of her earlier antics including scene-by-scene commentary with another moviegoer about The Hulk’s size.
Then there are those folks who recorded the big screen using their smartphone (Um… Isn’t that illegal?) when the martial arts action adventure Falcon Rising was on the festival circuit. Just a few states away, someone pulled the fire alarm during an evening showing of the romantic comedy Couples Retreat. It was the type of foolishness that caused movie goers to be evacuated until firefighters could determine it was a false alarm. One guy at a theater where the comedy Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain was playing decided to catch up on his Zzzz and started snoring so loudly that you couldn’t tell if it was part of the jokes or not.
A is for AmericaThese real life occurrences of individuals who didn’t think to be considerate for others around them include instances of people deliberately disrupting everyone else’s movie going experience. Even in everyday activities, it’s the simple things that really matter in the difference between whether we hold being respectful toward others in high regard or not. The foolishness going on at movie theaters in America is a prime example of how our “civilized” nation still has a long way to go in being the model of what we collectively like to deem good behavior.
What's the most annoying incident YOU ever experienced or witnessed at a movie theater?
Reader Comments (25)
Cell phones... people keep looking at them, answering them... I hate to say, "hey you" if you are that important wait for the dvd release". :)
Welcome in the "A"... thank you!
Jeremy [Retro]
AtoZ Challenge Co-Host [2015]
There's no earthly way of knowing.
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HOLLYWOOD NUTS!
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I agree with you wholeheartedly that the theater situation in America is ridiculous. The two things that always drive me to the brink of sanity are 1) groups of noisy kids, all ages included, and 2) couples arguing. Really people? Movie ticket prices are outrageous...let em enjoy in peace because I probably had to use a tow truck to get hubby in the theater.
Great post!
It has been quite sometime since I have been to see a movie at the Cineplex, and then it was during the afternoon matinee. My fellow matinee movie goers are generally of my generation who if they have a cell phone...(1) don't know how to make it record. (2) play silent games like scrabble and need their 3X bifocals to see the letters, and (3) leave the dang thing in the glove compartment so they could enjoy the movie without interruptions. Senior citizen matinee prices afford us the option of 'Que Sera Sera' when it turns out that 'Falcon Rising' is not even close to a 'BackInThe Day' Western, and a reminder that John Wayne will never be back in the house.
Sue at CollectInTexas Gal
I kid you not, I haven't stepped foot in a movie theater since 1990. The expense of seeing a big screen movie while raising a family was too much for our budget. We settled for video rentals for years until purchasing movies became affordable and now it's streaming all the way. That being said, the only bad experiences I remember having with other movie goers back in the day usually was someone talking too loud behind my head or kids kicking the back of my seat. I had no problem requesting in a nice way for said offenders to stop doing whatever annoyed me and was meet with courteous attitude/behavior. That's more than I can say about people today where rudeness is second nature. I was raised by the golden rule, do unto others as you would have done to you. I'm sure people today were taught this, but choice to ignore the teachings because of liberal, selfish thinking. Geez, I didn't mean to rant and yet I did. lol Wouldn't it be nice, if people reverted to a classier and more civil era like the 50s? Have a good time with the #AprilA2Z challenge!
Someone brought a child far too young to see Iron Man 3 and the poor thing was terrified and kept talking because of being so nervous the whole time. I also have yet to understand how no one has come up with a quiet bag - people rooting around for sweets and stuff is so incredibly annoying.
Tasha
Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
Hi,
I really don't go to the movies unless it is something that knock me totally out. I read the book and because of reading the book first, I am usually not happy with the way the book was filmed. But I can understand that people are annoyed when other people at the movie theater don't respect those who have paid money to see it.
Nice post.
Visiting from A to Z Blog Challenge 2015.
Shalom,
Patricia at Everything Must Change
I tend to go to the movies during the matinee because the tickets are a few dollars cheaper. But when I do go during the General Admission time, I have a hard time not saying something to the kid that seems to always end up behind me kicking the back of my seat.
Great start to this challenge!
never go to the movies with me. movies are a participation event. kinda like sports. i'm ALL IN.
I'm lucky to live in a small town where people are still respectful, and we don't have these problems. We get some great films, and manage to see all the Oscar nominees and more. We also don't have to watch all those stupid commercials. Last year when I was visiting my parents in Illinois, we went to the movies and I couldn't believe how many advertisements we had to sit through.
My daughter lives in NYC and has almost stopped going to movies because she gets so disgusted with the conversations and texting that go on during the movie.
I guess I just don't get it. Why bother to go to a film is you're plugged into your devices.
I was in a large, nearly empty theatre when a woman sat down next to me and asked me to move my arm so she could have the armrest. WTF? I told her to find another seat. It takes all kinds, I guess.
I hardly ever go to the movies, so I don't have to deal with this nonsense very often, but it's super obnoxious! Fools.
Im thinking "civilized" is over-rated. selfish comes to mind.
Happy A to Zing
This is one of the reasons I do not go to the movies as often anymore. If I am going to pay $11 to see a movie I don't want to have to hear teens chatting and giggling or see cell phones all over. There is no way of knowing what type of audience you are going to get.
Where are those ushers and managers when you need them?! I was so irritated at some woman in the same row who was texting on her phone and the light was completely distracting me from the film; I kept glaring to get her attention and finally wadded up a napkin and threw it on her lap to snap her out of her text craze. She looked at me and I said "PUT IT AWAY!" That did the trick...but then again, you never know who you might be dealing with so that probably isn't advisable. :)
Great post.
michele at Angels Bark
I don't go to the theater often, but when I do...kicking the back of my seat is pretty high up there.
I live in Ecuador and movie going is a treat. The locals talk, text and carry on conversations. When I go to the US I go to the 20 screen theatres, go in at noon and out at midnight. Better bang for the buck but I usually forget the first movie. I like your blog set up
Jeremy,
I must admit that I've texted a few times during a movie screening and it was almost always about the movie (I was doing promotions for films)...but usually only did so for a few seconds with the brightness level on the screen either turned down low or covered with a jacked or something. Yeah I do agree with your sentiment though about waiting for the DVD release if cell phones are that important. Thanks for reading my "A" blog post and also thanks for your comment! :)
Cherdo
Wow couples arguing in the theater?! That surely doesn't sound like a pleasant movie going experience and yes, noisy people in the theater period is ridiculous. I'm saddened to learn your hubby isn't the movie going type but with all the foolishness going on in theaters, I can't say I blame him...especially when Netflix and TV are just a click away, lol. Thanks for commenting!
Sue,
Matinees rock! :) Your generation is the kind of movie crowd I like to be around because their attention is focused on what's before them and nothing else. Gotta love that. I seldom watch western movies but did see "Falcon Rising" and would classify it as more of an action/martial arts flick than anything else. When I think "western movie" I think of cowboys with funny looking pistols and horses Ha!Thank you for reading this blog post :)
Cathy Kennedy,
The golden rule of treating others well has seemed to escape man generations. I know many families with 2-4 children and understand how movie going gets costly really fast so it's great that rental, home video and streaming options are available. While reading your comment I wondered if you all would be interested in going to see a movie in the theater these days if someone gave you tickets as a holiday, birthday or anniversary gift. I totally get what you're saying about rudeness being second nature to a majority of our country's population today. While I have no doubt that there were some good fundamental things that came out of the 50s, I wouldn't exactly call that era "civil" or "classy," based on what my elders have gone through; like any other time, it just depends on who you are, what area you live in and what the society in that area teaches their youngsters and surrounding community. Thanks for commenting and reading this blog post for Letter A!
Tasha,
Hmm that Iron Man 3 audience member you speak of sounds like endangering the welfare of a minor...to me, at least! I like your thinking on the invention of a "quiet bag." The food thing is one of the lesser annoyances for me...only because I kinda expect it since popcorn bags, etc. make noise in general outside of the theater. I guess I'm used to it, lol. Thank you for your comment.
Pat Garcia,
I'm glad you enjoyed reading this blog post today :) It's understandable that a movie has to really be worth it to get you out to a theater. That's the least it should do for what you're paying in ticket prices. Film adaptations of books have been such a hard sell to the readers of said books for a long time that I pretty much do the opposite thing if I have yet to read the book first. The way I see it, 2 hours of watching the movie version takes much less time to read the book it's based on...which works out for me if it's something that I'm not head over heals about from the door, lol. It does, however, make sense that fans of books would have higher expectations for the movie version, since they know all the details about how the story really plays out. Thanks a lot for your comment!
Angela,
Ugh it's sooo annoying when people are kicking the back seat and sometimes I just wonder if they aren't aware of what's actually happening, like if it's a force of habit for them to be moving their feet all of the time. Bravo to you for saying something so that you can watch a movie without feeling like you're riding in bumper cars or an old rollercoaster at an amusement park! On the matinee tip... I've been aiming to see Fifty Shades of Grey and the Divergent sequel, Insurgent but have been checking for matinee showings because of that reason you mentioned of it being cheaper. Gotta save where we can! Thanks for reading this post and commenting :)
Sylvia,
Thank you.
Pam,
Some movies are ripe for participation depending on the genre and plot so it looks like you'd be good company during a movie where a lot of people in the audience have shared concerns and/or opinions about what's happening on the screen :) Thanks for your comment!
Nadine,
OMG your town's population is blessed indeed to not have to sit through commercials at the movie theater :) I once endured a block of commercials that was at least 45 minutes long...and that's not even counting the pre-show with the trailers for other movies. Boy oh boy was I disgusted by such an experience. Unfortunately I've been one of those people texting in NYC. Thank you for reading and joining in on this conversation about foolishness at the movie theater!
C. Lee McKenzie,
You've posed a good question! I just may have to quote you for this A-Z post. Having just watched a driver sitting at the stoplight on the road...busy into her cell phone without a care in the world. If drivers aren't looking at the road, I guess people don't mind checking out at the movies either but like you said...why even bother going at all?! Thank you for participating in this discussion. :)
Denise,
Good for you in redirecting that woman elsewhere. It's unbelievable how some folks have the gall to interrupt your movie going experience for something so petty as an armrest when there are so many other places to sit. Your WTF is totally on point! Thank you for reading this post and joining the discussion!
Sabina,
Nonsense it is indeed. There's nothing like watching a movie in a large theater no matter how much technology has evolved so far and because of this I try not to let the likelihood of annoyances from obnoxious people to play a factor in determining whether I want to support a movie or not...especially if it's something huge such as The Hunger Games or, say, Lord of the Rings....movies like those are just not the same on a small tablet or television screen, lol. Thanks for your comment!
L. Moon,
Selfish yes they are you got that right. Happy A-Zing to you as well!
KrisM84,
Yeah it's pretty much a crapshoot when going to the movies and not wanting to hear chatty people or see cell phones lighting up the place. I've found, however, that there are some best practices that can be implemented to reduce the chances for a less than stellar movie going experience. I'll be posting about that in a few days ;) Thanks for reading and participating in this discussion.
Michele,
Right! That's exactly what I'm thinking when I hear of stories about people showing off at the movies and when I go to a theater where people are talkative, on their phones throughout the whole movie, throwing food and being utterly assholes. I think a lot of theater chains are going to have to do a better job at keeping their audiences in line or else box office sales are going to continue to drop and they won't be able to blame iTunes, Netflix or Piracy. It will be their own lack of providing great customer service of this nature to their patrons. Kudos to you for telling the rude movie goer to knock it off.
Reading your comment about throwing the napkin, had me laughing, it's a shame that this is what it took to get an ADULT woman to be considerate to those in the theater who are there to, you know, watch the movie! Thanks for your comment and I'm glad you enjoyed reading this blog post :)
Susan,
Oooh yeah that kicking of seats gets annoying really fast. Thanks for reading!
Mike W.,
Sounds like movie goers in Ecuador are pretty interactive, lol. I guess that's not too bad if it's so common that just about everyone is doing it. Goes to show how much the movie going experience varies even if someone watches the same movie in several different countries. Hmmm I wonder if anyone has tried that. Ha! Thanks for your comment and compliment on my blog!
Crying toddlers is what I've witnessed the most. We don't really go out to movies anymore partly because of this. We prefer cozying up on the couch and watching free movies from the library or on Netflix.
What those theaters need is a manager like the one in our home town for most all of my life. He'd come tap you on the shoulder and tell you to leave!
that surely is very annoying. I hate it when people keep checking their phones or talk on phones while the movie is going on.
Ugh, light pollution is the worst. People are constantly pulling out their phones as if no one is going to notice. So disrespectful.
2015 A to Z Challenge Co-Host
Matthew MacNish from The QQQE
I actually haven't run across rude instances at the theater. Maybe I don't go enough. Or it's because I live in a small city, so the theater isn't huge. Either way, knock on wood, eh?
~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee's Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
All of these are reasons why my husband and I almost never go to the movies- we'd sooner wait for it to come out on dvd and then watch it from the comfort of our own home with no screaming babies, drunken jokes and fights breaking out (that last one is at the top of my list for most disruptive- an actual fist fight in the theater)