Cellphones at Movie Theaters

[dontpanicbobby]

So I went to see the first showing in IMAX of Godzilla King of the Monsters at the Boston Common 19 this morning and a guy 4 rows down from me is whipping out his cellphone like every 5 to 10 minutes. I got so pissed off I left and demanded a refund 45 minutes in. The movie was going really good but this a-hole completly ruined the mood for me.

Has any theater found a solution to this problem?

 

[ocnbrze]

Yep when to see John wick 3 and a guy had his phone on silent but it kept flashing a white screen on and of like for someone who can't heat very well. It kept going like that on and off through out the movie...... very annoying.

 

[Hadron]

The utopian solution would be to hope that people will learn some consideration. But in reality there will always be those who do not.

Phone jammers have the problem that their effects aren't limited to the theatre (I won't consider the case of someone who is on-call for something essential: they can manage that the way we used to before phones, i.e. not go to the cinema while on call).

Retrofitting the theatre as a Faraday cage costs money, but would be a clean solution.

 

[Unforgiven]

Casually walk down to the offender and gently place their $800 phone in their $900 soda. Problem solved.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

@Unforgiven That's why I left. I was actually considering that but I knew that would ruin everyone else in front of us experience. It's a really good movie. A reaction like that would get loud and the lights would probably come up once management eventually realized what was going on.
I don't know if this is a nationwide trend but the Boston Common 19 is mostly automated. No cashiers, projectionists or ushers. Just managers, snackbar people and clean up crews between showings.

 

[tube517]

This is why I try and go to low attendance showings (daytime, morning,or after a few weeks have passed).

I got lucky w/Avengers Endgame. One of the early morning showings had nobody in the lower section of the movie theater. Only the "upper" section had people and it wasn't sold out.

 

[Deleted User]

So I went to see the first showing in IMAX of Godzilla King of the Monsters at the Boston Common 19 this morning and a guy 4 rows down from me is whipping out his cellphone like every 5 to 10 minutes. I got so pissed off I left and demanded a refund 45 minutes in. The movie was going really good but this a-hole completly ruined the mood for me.

Has any theater found a solution to this problem?

You can report the guy because before the movie starts it tells him to put his phone on silent but hes not restricted from using it but they suggest it! Hope you got your refund back!

 

[Deleted User]

This is why I try and go to low attendance showings (daytime, morning,or after a few weeks have passed).

I got lucky w/Avengers Endgame. One of the early morning showings had nobody in the lower section of the movie theater. Only the "upper" section had people and it wasn't sold out.

Same but it was for Captain Marvel i saw ebdgame a few days ago and i loved it but never gad that issue

 

[dontpanicbobby]

I reported him and got my refund but the atmosphere was ruined. I kept looking in his direction instead of enjoying the movie. My showing was at 9:45 AM on a schoolday.

 

[Deleted User]

I reported him and got my refund but the atmosphere was ruined. I kept looking in his direction instead of enjoying the movie. My showing was at 9:45 AM on a schoolday.

Wow but glad u got you refund

 

[dontpanicbobby]

The thing that truly, really pissed me off was I left before any part of Boston was destroyed.
I'm from Boston!

 

[mikedt]

The thing that truly, really pissed me off was I left before any part of Boston was destroyed.
I'm from Boston!

This is one reason why I don't bother with "new" Godzilla movies. He should be destroying Tokyo.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Oh No. There goes Tokyo. Here comes Godzilla!

Godzilla's gone Global.

 

[mikedt]

Oh No. There goes Tokyo. Here comes Godzilla!

Godzilla's gone Global.

"Oh no, there goes Boston. Go go Godzilla, yeah"

Is not good.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

I don't know. I left before any Kaiju battles.
I've seen Godzilla destroy Tokyo, New York and San Francisco. I was looking forward to seeing my hometown destroyed.

I honestly believe an usher could have solved my cellphone user problem were one or two in the theater standing or sitting in the back.

I like the Faraday Cage solution but it could only work if it was in the plans when the theater was built.

How do we not have directional phone jammers by now?

 

[psionandy]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/5live/films/code_of_conduct.pdf

 

[dontpanicbobby]

I can and have lived with all that except cellphone usage. No problem.
Lighting up your phone ruins the atmosphere.

 

[mikedt]

Well, Saturday night at eight o'clock
I know where I'm gonna go
I'm a-gonna pick my baby up
And take her to the picture show
Everybody in the neighborhood
Is dressing up to be there, too
And we're gonna have a ball
Just like we always do

Saturday night at the movies
Who cares what picture you see
When you're hugging with your baby

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Me.
Godzilla stomping Boston would make our day.

How about checking phones at the door?

That might work but it would require more staff.

 

[Milo Willamson]

Oh it was Aladdin, with my sister, heard this guy talk for throughout the movie behind me, on his cellphone, heard his conversation crystal clear too. Luckily the music was so perfect buffer , even though had to take out my hearing aid to mute his sound a few times. Mind you these are extra sensative too. So yeah I do pick up on everyones noisey conversations no matter what the frequency is, but hey I did not walk up to the customer desk either.

End Game I was extremely lucky there was no one talking on the phone, both times I saw it.

Next up for me is Secret life of pets two movie, lets see how many idiots are there in the theater.

 

[lvt]

Believe me, lot of people don't even know how to change theirs phones's screen brightness, so they usually set it to max.

 

[Milo Willamson]

Believe me, lot of people don't even know how to change theirs phones's screen brightness, so they usually set it to max.

With the brilliance of the world... They are too bright and dumbing down to shun the light.

 

[mikedt]

Oh it was Aladdin, with my sister, heard this guy talk for throughout the movie behind me, on his cellphone, heard his conversation crystal clear too. Luckily the music was so perfect buffer , even though had to take out my hearing aid to mute his sound a few times. Mind you these are extra sensative too. So yeah I do pick up on everyones noisey conversations no matter what the frequency is, but hey I did not walk up to the customer desk either.

End Game I was extremely lucky there was no one talking on the phone, both times I saw it.

Next up for me is Secret life of pets two movie, lets see how many idiots are there in the theater.

Doesn't that theatre have an inductive loop system? Where you put your hearing-aid in the T position, so you hear the movie sound directly.

I fell asleep during Avengers Endgame and missed half of it. It was that good.

 

[lvt]

With the brilliance of the world... They are too bright and dumbing down to shun the light.

I think phones with OLED or AMOLED screens don't hurt other's eyes that bad

 

[Milo Willamson]

Doesn't that theatre have an inductive loop system? Where you put your hearing-aid in the T position, so you hear the movie sound directly.

I fell asleep during Avengers Endgame and missed half of it. It was that good.

It does though, but we are behind on the times hahahaa