Several vinyl Popcorn Snobs are running this blog for the next 23 days, in 'The Taking of April A-Z,' for your reading pleasure.
Happy Humpday! It’s Nate M. Stevens, your barefoot pal from the cinema and I’m back with a case for why people who flock to see Marvel Comics’ superhero flick Deadpool are some biggest douchebags in the world. As I’ve previously mentioned, going to see this movie was my very first time visiting a theater.
Although I do plan on returning -- maybe even wearing a pair of shoes next time -- the experience I had while in the presence of other men, women and *gasp* children watching Deadpool helps me further understand why many dudes and dudettes would rather “Netflix and chill” than watch movies with a bunch of strangers. I also went to see the dystopian adventure movie The Divergent Series: Allegiant on the same day that I got my Deadpool fix and, well, the differences in the level of disrespectful behavior shown among moviegoers at these two films stood out like a sore thumb.
There were only a few dozen (or less) people in attendance for the early afternoon show time of Deadpool. Several children under the age of 10, accompanied by parents or guardians, were among the attendees to see this R-rated movie. There was a talkative lady seated near the back rows who chose not to use her inside voices when addressing matters involving the children in her company. Not surprisingly, they didn’t respond to her with their inside voices. A guy sitting in the row behind me also kept kicking the back of the chair while a woman seated in the row in front of mine kept texting, scrolling through apps and doing lord-knows-what with her cell phone.
She was not discreet at all during the times when she tapped away on her bright screen. At one point during the movie, she even had the audacity to get on a phone call and engage in a conversation, albeit brief, with someone on the other end of the line.
The theater showing The Divergent Series: Allegiant became so crowded by the end of the first act that some people either walked back and forth or stood on the side just to try to find an available seat. One older man seated at the end of my row kept shouting random nonsense at the big screen. My guess is that, based on chosen words in his outburts, he is a veteran of some kind because he shared his thoughts out loud during previews and commercials that displayed content related to (or involving) the government or the military.
He became quiet as the movie progressed and would shout reactions to what was happening in a few of the scenes in the second and third act, some of which were understandable and caused many people in the audience to laugh and/or respond with similar sentiments. Needless to say, there was a moment or two during the movie when a lot of the audience members agreed with his outbursts. This evening showtime for The Divergent Series: Allegiant was comprised of mostly middle-aged and college-aged adults with the exception of a few older children and teens who came as a group with adult chaperones. Based on their conversations and interactions with each other, the group appeared to be from a school or organization that helps children with developmental disabilities.
A few times during the movie, some of the children and their chaperones left the theater but returned shortly thereafter.
They didn't seem bothered by the fact that they were missing out on portions of the movie.
To sum things up, Deadpool had less people (but way more children) and an earlier showtime but caused more distractions than The Divergent Series: Allegiant, which showed later in the evening and was a packed house. The Divergent Series: Allegiant had almost no distractions aside from the outburst from that guy and people walking in and out for (what appeared to be) bathroom breaks throughout the movie.
Bottom line: The Divergent Series: Allegiant audience is pure* while the Deadpool movie attracts damaged* people who don’t know how to behave and practice common decency when in the company of others.
*Extra brownie points for those of you who get the reference ;)
How much does the quality of the audience impact YOUR overall moviegoing experience?
Am I asking too much by demanding that moviegoers practice common decency at the cinema?