As a critic, I’ve become accustomed to press screenings where anyone who even opens or turns on a phone during the movie is quickly escorted to the exit. This is done in press screenings for fear that people may be trying to record the movie. Unfortunately, this rule rarely gets enforced with regular paying crowds. I’ve always wished that theaters would put a ban on texting during a movie and enforce it. Sadly, many theater owners can’t even keep their projectors up to par with bright bulbs, let alone police every screen so that no one uses a phone. But now, one theater chain is taking a stand.
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Texting in a theater is the epitome of selfish behavior. Some people ridiculously think that just because they aren’t talking on their phone that they aren’t bothering anyone. In reality, those bright phone lights in theaters are just as annoying as someone answering a call during a movie.<\/p>\n
I wish I had a theater like the Alamo Drafthouse around me. I might go to movies on my own more often if theaters actually treated movie lovers with the respect they deserve. I found this video on YouTube where the Drafthouse took a customer to task after she texted\/used her phone during a movie. Below is the actual voicemail she left. (Warning: NSFW.<\/strong>) The ensuing one-sided conversation accurately depicts the kinds of people that selfishly use their phones during movies.<\/p>\n Some people need to get it through their thick heads that they’re sharing a theater with other people who also paid money, and who don’t want their experience ruined by some jackass lighting up the theater with a phone. We live in a community, and we must be willing to conform to some rules of our society and act acceptably. I wish more theaters were like the Alamo Drafthouse. I wish more theaters kicked patrons out for unruly behavior. I would frequent those kinds of establishments.<\/p>\n