As we all know, there are certain public places where, ideally, people should follow a set of rules to make the experience enjoyable for everyone. Sadly, it seems that isn’t the case in some establishments, more specifically, movie theatres around Los Angeles, California. Several moviegoers have reported that other people have stopped following etiquette, pulling out their phones in the middle of a screening or even talking loudly, preventing others from enjoying the movie.
Reddit user Amusingten created a thread on the Los Angeles subreddit titled, “Not to be a curmudgeon…but whatever happened to movie theatre etiquette?” In the post, they mention the experience they had at the AMC at the Americana in Glendale, saying how, mostly on Friday night, teenagers and kids just go to these screenings and talk loudly, preventing others from enjoying the film.
To no one’s surprise, this seems to be a statewide thing, as many other locals from all over California flooded the comments with similar complaints. Some of them include people using their phones for long periods during a screening, parents not telling their kids to stay quiet, and some children even standing up, covering parts of the screen in some cases.
The above are just a few complaints; however, it seems people are fed up about this, and many think situations like these are what have forced people to avoid going to movie theatres.
California Locals Believe Moviegoers’ Lack of Manners Is Affecting Movie Theatres
The majority of Redditors agree that people’s rude behavior in movie theatres is one of the main reasons the industry isn’t as big as before, with some even saying they prefer to avoid these establishments.
“I stopped going there because of that.“
“There’s always been some of this, especially since quicker releases of new films on streaming services, but the manners are far worse since the start of Covid.“
Fortunately, some Redditors shared a few tips to avoid these annoying moviegoers.
“Yeah. Bad time to go. If you can pull it off, go mid-week, mid-day. You literally have the theater for you and maybe 15 others.“
“I recommend seeing mainstream movies at indie theaters and indie movies at mainstream theaters to potentially help avoid this problem.“
Others believe that leaving a bad review will eventually force the managers to do something. Yet, many believe that certain movie theatres have allowed these rude people to do as they please, and some now prefer to go during quiet hours or wait for a movie to land on a streaming service.
