With movie ticket prices continuing to increase — and the home theater experience getting less expensive and more immersive — you can understand why consumers would get upset if their night out at the cinema is spoiled by some mouthy jerk, or by that person three seats over who can’t seem to stop texting. But how best to handle these people — Shaming? Violence? Ninjas?
That last one isn’t a joke — though it’s certainly a misnomer on the theater’s part — as a theater in the UK recently began using volunteer “ninjas” who sport black body suits and quietly guard moviegoers’ experience in exchange for free admission.
One ninja target shares their story on Slashfilm:
I normally hate noisy people in cinemas, but I got a call from my friend just as the movie started and thought I could get away with taking it. The last thing I expected was two completely blacked-out people suddenly appearing by our seats and give me and my mates a warning to shut up. It was actually pretty terrifying at first, but then I realised it was a bit of a laugh and a great way to make it clear what I was doing was having an impact on those around me. It certainly made me hang up and shut up for the rest of the film.
This is probably a better route than slapping some kid who keeps running his yap during a movie.
And it certainly would be an improvement on theater chains’ campaigns pleading with people to pay more attention to the big screen than the one on their phone, though we still love Alamo Drafthouse’s very public shaming of a customer who not only got kicked out for being obnoxious, but then left a rambling, vitriolic voicemail about how she’d been the victim of an injustice.
We do worry that someone will eventually sue a theater operator over the ninja thing. After all, there was that woman who sued a theater after she banged her head on am armrest while hunched over trying to take a call during a movie.
So what’s the answer? We want to hear from you — not just about texters and loud-talkers, but about how theaters should deal with out-of-control children and kids who shouldn’t be in the theater in the first place.
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How about causing some financial hardship on the person being annoying?
If someone is being disruptive in the movie – kick them out right away and give them a fine, say $100?
Frankly, we just don’t go to the movies very often or we go to the drive in. The last time we were at a traditional movie theater, late at night for a R rated movie, there were babies and little kids in attendance who were crying and fussy the entire time (which makes sense since the movie was ultra violent). If the theater wants the money from the parents with kids in tow then they don’t want it from me, they can’t have it both ways.
Get vocal with the rude person. Trust me, the entire theater will have your back.
^ This.
It also works in class when know-it-all ingrates are sitting next to you talking to each other. Telling them to STFU has never resulted in an incident between me and the offenders.
My wife and I went to see the Moody Blues once and we were seated in the next to last row. There was a drunk lady about ten seats down that kept getting up and asking them to sing “She’s a Lady”. When I had had enough I told her in as loud a voice as I could control that they didn’t sing “She’s a Lady” and please sit down. She sat down. The guy sitting next to her boyfriend started to negotiate buying their tickets to get them out. next thing two ushers were on them escorting them out. Apparently she was interfering with the sound crew to boot.
His comment? “I didn’t know we were bothering you”. Some people.
I still love going to the movies, although I don’t go often. There’s just some stuff that has to be seen on a big screen.
One thing I’ve noticed is that if you go to film festivals, you don’t have these problems. People are typically genuinely interested in being there.
Simple, I quit going to movies. That was after the very large fellow sprayed something sticky on my leg during The Fountain. After the manager gave me a fistful of free passes and assured me that “it happens all the time” I decided, after scrubbing off with bleach repeatedly, that my movie going days were over.
I am a large man; I am 6’8″, 360lbs and my voice booms when I so desire. Generally, making my presence known and dropping a growled f-bomb will get most people in the theater in line. I have also been known to get applause and cheers from an audience for using this talent.
csb: My wife and I went to see The Dark Knight Rises. We have an 18 month old son, so we don’t get to see many movies, as I won’t burden others with a screaming toddler, if I can help it. So, we really want to enjoy our movie and we did, right up until the end. That was when the douchenozzle behind us started texting and apparently didn’t realize that “Silence your cell phones” meant him, too. As Alfred is giving the eulogy at the end, the phone does its stupid, little twitter and rage mode goes off. I spin in my chair and growled, through clinched teeth, “Turn it the f*** off.” Not another sound from him, no phone, no smart-ass comment, nothing. His group was the first out of the theater, too.
While I don’t normally enjoy the fact that most people are scared of me, it does have its uses.