I walk into a theater, not worried about my movie theater etiquette and with somewhat of a snicker on my face. The theater has “Luxury+” next to its name in neon lights outside. How can a theater be luxurious, or even more than luxurious? To be sure, I had been to a couple Rave theaters in my life that had love seats, but that was about as luxurious as I’ve seen a movie theater get. This theater I’m in does serve beer and wine. That is a bit more luxurious than normal.
I get my ticket and head to my seat. I see recliners. Full on recliners. When I picked my seat, I was skeptical because there were so few seats in the selection. I sit in my seat and recline it fully. Am I going to be able to stay away for this movie? I thought to myself.
Right as the movie is about to play, everything goes silent. An usher appears near the front right of the screen.
Attention ladies and gentlemen! I’d like to welcome to the Galaxy Theaters.
At this point, I am a bit weirded out. I’ve never experienced this before! He goes on.
At Galaxy Theaters, we believe a great movie-going experience is a distraction free experience, so we please ask that you refrain from using your cell phones during the movie. If you need to use it, please step outside the theater, otherwise, we will remove you.
My mind goes into hyperdrive. I can’t believe what I just heard! Am I in heaven?
Of course I’m not, but it’s dang near close!
Cell phones are definitely a huge no-no in movies, but movie theater etiquette is a collection of easy-to-follow steps that almost anyone responsible person can do!
Will Movie Theater Etiquette Return from the Pandemic?
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One of the most difficult things about 2020 was not having access to movie theaters. I was going to the movies multiple times per week, thanks to Regal Cinemas’ Unlimited program. $21 a month and I could see almost every movie that came out? That’s a no brainer!
After the world came to a halt, I thought people would act a little better. Unfortunately, I was completely wrong, which is why I feel compelled to complete this list of ways to demonstrate proper movie theater etiquette!
I was so excited to get back into the movie theater, I completely forgot how a good portion of movie-goers have no movie theater etiquette. After the pandemic and the riots, I don’t know if I was just extremely hopeful or blind to humanity that people would act properly in a theater.
It should be no surprise to you I was let down.
Talking – The First Movie Theater Etiquette Offense
It’s so dumb I have to put “talking” on a list of proper movie theater etiquette. It’s astounding to me how many people actually think their commentary is desired for a movie no one has seen.
This offense is something I no longer tolerate in theaters…especially not after losing access to them for months.
When I confront Talkers, they act so dumb. A lot of them do apologize, but then the vast majority of them go ahead and talk again anyways. I have never contacted management about people who talk in theaters, but I think I’m over it.
What do you think? Should I not even bother approaching a talker? The Faith In Humanity side of me wants to believe they have no clue how loud their voice is when they’re talking. The common sense side of me believes people should automatically know that talking during a movie ruins the experience for anyone within ear shot!
Listen, Talker, nobody cares what you have to say. If you’re someone who is actually listening to the intrusive talker, you’re just as much to blame.
Some of the worst offenders are those who have to verbally express when they are confused. If they actually are making the effort to get out and go see a movie, shouldn’t they have not seen enough movies already to know that there are fancy directors and writers out there who try to make a movie confusing sometimes for dramatic effect? I know Movies Are Dumb Sometimes, but let the movie play out rather than ruining the experience for everyone!
Kids
Disclaimer: I am not a parent, so I’m speaking from the outside looking in.
Parents – Why do you bring your misbehaving miscreants to the movies? And when they’re acting very snot-nosey, why don’t you eject them out of the theater?
There have been plenty of good kids to be sure, but there also have been plenty of bad ones.
I know a guy who told me that his kid acts crazy in theaters. He said that when people would tell his kid to calm down, he would just stand up and they wouldn’t say anything anymore (he was a big guy). The deal was that his kid had some sort of mental issue.
So, that raises the question – Do you think parents should take their kids to the movie theater KNOWING they’re going to cause a disturbance? It sure seems like they all do that since very few actually eject their kids out of the theater when the kids act unruly. In this instance, the parent found a theater that allows kids with mental disorders to go see a movie together. Problem solved!
Kicking the Seats
Of everything on this list, the one etiquette that I might let slide just a little bit is when people kick the seats.
A lot of people can’t roll above a 14 on their spot checks in the theater and therefore, they can’t see that a row of seats are sometimes all touching. There’s a secret to knowing if the seats are touching or not.
You know when you kick the seat, sometimes the person in front of you, even though she or he might be a few seats over, may bounce a bit? Do you think she or he is just bouncing for the fun of it?
This also goes for the snot-nosed kids. For whatever reason, they think when they’re getting up and down multiple times that their bumping of the seats does nothing. Parents, take responsibility for your decisions!
Of course, you generally don’t have to worry about this if you have the reclining seats!
Cell Phones – The Most Ridiculous Movie Theater Etiquette Offense
The story opening this post is mostly true – what is in quotes may not been the exact words. I, to this day, am still amazed at that part of Galaxy Theaters and deeply wish other theater chains would adopt it. Seeing that many theater employees don’t really care about their jobs (shockingly, some seem to not even watch movies), it’ll be hard pressed to find another chain providing the announcement.
Alas, the most ridiculous thing I have to point out about movie theater etiquette is
DON’T USE YOUR CELL PHONE DURING THE MOVIE!
It’s somewhat alarming as to how important people think they are. Some actually will answer the phone in the theater just to tell the caller they’re in a movie theater! It turns out, for those of you who don’t know, you can actually not answer the phone. It’s pretty simple.
You can also do what the video announcement on the screen says. You can put your phone on silent. However, if you do this, you should also put your phone face down or in your pocket. If you get a message or call, the phone lights up, and that is distracting as well.
You can also, very simply, turn off your phone. It’s not hard, I promise! What I end up doing most of the time, though is silencing my phone AND turning on airplane mode. I also check for any alarms. Perhaps if I’ve left some snot-nosed kids at home, I’d leave the phone so I could see it light up if they need me, but only where I could see it.
Also be aware that if you are in reclining seats, there’s nothing blocking your cellphone screen from digging into the eyes of every movie-goer behind you!
Don’t Leave Your Trash at Your Seat You Animal!
Not too long ago, I was carrying my empty popcorn bag and drink with me while exiting the theater. The theater manager wished me a good night. After I passed him, he said, “Thanks for taking out your trash!”
Of course I was kind of upset about it. Does it happen so often that people DON’T take out their trash? What are they, cavemen?
Get over your ridiculous “They pay people to clean this up!” train of thought! They pay people to clean the theater, not to be your personal maid! Perhaps movie theater employees would care more if they didn’t have to clean up after you.
Please correct me if I’m wrong here. I don’t know of anywhere in movie history where patrons were encouraged to leave their trash in their seats for the ushers to pick up. It’s already bad enough they have to clean up popcorn.
Then they have to clean up after the entitled people?
There are usually numerous trash bins in theaters. It turns out it’s pretty easy to carry your trash to one of them and place it in the trash bin.
Remember – if it’s not proper house etiquette, it probably isn’t proper movie theater etiquette!
Don’t Complain about Concession Prices
We get it. Popcorn and fountain drinks prices are high. The profit margins are huge on them.
Instead of complaining about the prices, why don’t most people investigate as to why? This isn’t just in the theater. People in their everyday lives tend to be whiny about things instead of figuring out why things are they way they are.
Some movie-goers actually think movie theater managers are cowered over their piles of gold, sniveling and hissing at anyone who dares question why popcorn is $7 a bag!
It turns out there are reasons why prices are usually set the way they are. From my understanding, the movie theaters may retain very little of the ticket sales – most money from most ticket sales go back to whoever made or distributed the movie. The theater has to make its money somehow to pay the bills, and one of the limited options they have is through concessions. Unfortunately, for theaters, I’m sure just their rent is way more than they like it!
If I’m incorrect about why concessions are so high, please let me know at MADS@bloafx.com!
And if you are that upset about concession prices being so high, please, manage a theater and bring them down! Or, go to those theaters that don’t get movies until a couple months after their release. Popcorn usually is about $2-$3 or so at them. Some theaters, like Regal Cinemas, also have a discount on certain days for concessions.
Also, standing at concessions having a debate with the concessions employee (I’ve seen it happen twice now) about the price of concessions does absolutely nothing positive. All you are doing is holding up those of us who would like to get into our seats and stuff our fat faces with popcorn!
Is Movie Theater Etiquette Really that Hard?
If you answer “Yes!” then perhaps you should avoid movie theaters! Please allow us who go to enjoy movies enjoy them. If you want to cause a ruckus, you can do that on your own property and your own terms.
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