Audience Behaviour at the Cinema

[Moonbat]

It seems bad cinema experiences are not uncommon. On my most recent trip to the cinema I was waiting by the food tills, waiting for my friend to park his car, and there were a group of kids (must have been teenagers) just hanging around. Several of the boys were flinging money about. One of the cinema staff told them 'if any of you throw any money then you're gonna have to leave' immediately one of them threw some money across the floor. So the staff told them to leave, of course they didn't. So he called the manager, but they still didn't leave. They kept trying to argue their case, they even started walking down the up escalators and just ignored the manager. Part of me wanted to get violent with them and throw them all out on their arses. But of course I didn't. I just held my popcorn and went to the film. I think if the cinema had a security guard (someone of some physical stature) they could have ejected the kids.

Then in the film (2012) someone had brought along a toddler, and he kept asking stupid questions really loudly throughout the film like 'why is that moose dead?' 'Who is that man?'
My friend was getting very annoyed but we restrained ourselves and suffered 2012 in silence.
Once during a Harry Potter film I had to turn round in my seat and threaten the kids behind me, I focused on one of them, and although this mates were giggling, they all behaved much better after I wagged my finger in his face!

 

[Dr.Jackson]

As well as being a minor film buff, I used to work in a cinema for several years, and I can unfortunately say that I recognize all of this. I lost track of the number of idiots I ejected from the cinema because of constant talking, throwing stuff about or other examples of inconsiderate behaviour.

A lot of the time I was called in to deal with unruly teens and young adults - possibly because I was pretty good at 'The Voice & The Look'. If you have your tone just right and a look in your eyes that hints that you may very well fling them out using their ears, most of the time they will calm down. On one occasion there were a group of 14/15 year olds chucking popcorn at the screen and chatting during a half full screening of something, but after I'd had a quiet word with them, they barely moved for the rest of the film.

There were a number of times I did feel like physically throwing people out, although that tends to get you into trouble. I did threaten it on occasions though!

One of the problems I have found, from both being staff and a patron, is that cinemas have been cutting back on staff to save money, long before the recession started, and a a result, there are fewer people available to check screens and make sure that any disturbances are dealt with. If you have to leave the film to find a member of staff to complain to, it is a major inconvenience. When I worked at my local cinema we checked all 8 screens once every 15-20 minutes, spending about a minute hiding and a minute in sight. On a recent trip, there was one member of staff available who only came in when the credits started to roll as they had several other jobs to do at the same time.

Like most of you, I myself tend to prefer either late night or afternoon showings so that those with the IQ of a watermelon and an attention span that a goldfish would be embarrassed by won't spoil my enjoyment of the film. Oh and also because I worked in the cinema for years, I know where the sweet spot is in each screen, and the quieter showings allow me to nab that spot!