The rules of sitting in a movie theater are not subtle. They are not some sort of secret pact between avid film-lovers. The people who call out others for rude behavior are not a part of some secret society. They are clearly told to everyone through a PSA screening right before the movie begins. The rules were created to ensure that everyone is able to enjoy their time in the theater but for some reason, manners are being seen as optional. People are now frequently ignoring the rules put into place and it is ruining everyone’s expectations of theaters.
Local audiences are behaving badly
Over the summer, I went to see “Sinners” with my friend. We had gotten popcorn, soda and I had also bought a pack of Sour Patch Kids. We got in the theater early and were joking around and eating when I started to feel kicking in the back of my seat. There were two teenagers directly behind us. For some reason, they really wanted my candy. They kept pestering us until I caved and gave them some food in an effort to keep them away, but that didn’t work in my favor. The one who sat directly behind me continued to kick my seat as “Sinners” started. About 20 minutes into the movie, they both got up and left. They stayed out of the theater for about an hour before coming back and kicking my seat again. “Sinners” was a very good movie, but my experience of it ended up getting ruined because of other people’s behavior.
My sister went to see “Demon Slayer The Movie: Infinity Castle” by herself when it came out in theaters. She’s been a fan of the “Demon Slayer ” series since middle school and owns the manga and other pieces of merchandise. She frequently talked about how excited she was to see the movie on her own. But after she arrived back home she was agitated about the behavior of other people.
“Basically, I went to the movie theaters at around 11 AM and I sat in between a mother and her kid. The kid was watching the movie with one of his friends, and throughout the entire movie they would not stop talking at full volume and recording the movie [with their phones] while the mom was on her phone the entire time with the brightness all the way up. So it was bad because I couldn’t focus on the movie and I couldn’t actually enjoy it.”
Bad behavior is a national trend
And these were not isolated incidents. The “chicken jockey” trend during the release of “A Minecraft Movie” in theaters ended up getting audiences in trouble with theaters. NBC reported that in multiple theaters people were reported screaming, jumping and throwing food when Jack Black said the well known line. Many of those episodes were filmed and posted to various social media platforms. During the release of the “Sonic 3” movie, many longtime fans of the franchise clapped during a major character’s death as part of a widespread joke which got to the point that people were warned not to participate when watching. Both movies were part of franchises that already had established fan-bases, and participating in the trends could have been seen as a way for fans to participate in their communities. However, their actions could deter newer or younger fans from interacting with the movies. Familiarity with a franchise should not be a justification for bad behavior. There should be no excuses at all for rude behavior in the mist of others while watching.
You’re not in your living room
Movies have evolved from being grey scale with no audio to becoming immersive experiences that take an incredible amount of money and time to make. Going to the theaters now is not a quick pastime but an experience that is planned and catered to. Movie fans go to theaters to experience the exact same exhilaration that audiences did when movies were first being shown in theaters, and people who make films put a lot of effort into their creation. That effort should not be taken for granted. Audiences should have the opportunity to enjoy movies without the burden of people’s actions. People should hold each other accountable for bad behavior in theaters so that everyone can have an enjoyable experience.
