Turn Off Cellphones in Theaters

[Dreadnaught]

Apparently this is now shown before movies at Alamo Drafthouse in Austin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVz-fO7kxcQ

[Ominous Gamer]

This started circulating yesterday, and no, its not shown in the theater yet

As many of you know, I really can't abide people who talk during a movie. A couple of years ago I was accosted in the Village parking lot by a patron who was warned for talking in a movie. I've nearly come to blows more than a few times over the years with rude customers over the same issue. When we adopted our strict no talking policy back in 1997 we knew we were going to alienate some of our patrons. That was the plan. If you can't change your behavior and be quiet (or unilluminated) during a movie, then we don't want you at our venue. Follow our rules, or get the hell out and don't come back until you can.

Recently, we had a situation where a customer persisted in texting in the theater despite two warnings to stop. Our policy at that point is to eject the customer without a refund, which is exactly what went down that night. Luckily, this former patron was so incensed at being kicked out, she quickly called the office and left us the raw ingredients for our latest "Don't Talk or Text" PSA. You can check it out below, or come to the Alamo this weekend where the video will be playing before all of our R-rated movies.

*For a censored version, click here.

Ma'am, you may be free to text in all the other theaters in the Magnited States of America, but here at our "little crappy ass theater," you are not. Why you may ask? Well, we actually do give a f*$k.

Sincerely,

Tim League

founder/CEO

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

[Aimless]

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[Ziggy Stardust]

BLACK GURLS GET MORE TEXT

[Veldan Rath]

Most excellent.

So...she was using her phone as a flashlight, but still demands that she did not know she could not text (after being told twice).

Yeah.

[Timbuk2]

Wish all the-A-tres would adopt the harder line like this.

[Wraith]

Wish all the-A-tres would adopt the harder line like this.

If a theater near me took this kind of hard-line policy, they'd be the only one I frequent.

[RandBlade]

[Khendraja'aro]

Strangely enough, we don't seem to have this problem over here. At least I can't recall any incident where someone was talking on his phone during a movie.

The only thing I can remember was two girls laughing during the first 5 minutes of the Lord of the Rings. After they were told to be quiet and they still kept on laughing, they were thrown out (then came the tears, but, alas, too late!)

[Wraith]

Most of the time I've been to the theater it doesn't seem to come up - most people are respectful enough of everyone else to not do this. But every once in a while...for instance, the last time I went four teenagers came into the movie 15 minutes after it started, sat down near me, and proceeded to spend the rest of the movie chatting and texting.

[littlelolligagged]

I've never seen it come up at a movie.

Of course, if I have to go see Mr. Popper's Penguins and Judy Moody's Not Bummer Summer my desire for actual entertainment will be somewhere near overpowering. Not that I'd do anything about it.

But how does someone texting in a movie bother you, anyway? As long as they have sounds off, it's not like it is going to affect you at all.

[Wraith]

Clicky clacky clicky clacky with a bright blue glow in my field of vision, followed moments later by buzzing, then laughter and more clicky clicky clacky clacky.

[Hazir]

Have you any idea about how some of those screens on the average 3G smartphone are? If somebody in a seat right in front of you starts texting you get a lot of light from a source that isn't why you forked out your money.

[littlelolligagged]

I'm just not sure it would bug me if someone were doing it if it weren't audible. Maybe if I went to more movies it'd be different.

Vibrate isn't silent, either, Wraithy.

[Hazir]

I'm just not sure it would bug me if someone were doing it if it weren't audible. Maybe if I went to more movies it'd be different.

Vibrate isn't silent, either, Wraithy.

I can assure you it's very annoying, especially with films that aren't all about CGI.

[Knux897]

Texting dosen't bother me in a theater... maybe it just the way the seats are designed in the theater I usually go to or something but the light dosen't bother me at all

[GGT]

"In the old days" (and I mean just a few years ago) you couldn't purchase a ticket after the trailers ended, the lights went down, and the movie had begun. But if you were a latecomer and the movie hadn't started yet, an usher would use a pencil-sized flash light to help you find a seat. Soon after, newer theatres (without enough ushers) installed those cute tiny lights on the steps and at each aisle.

Using a cell phone as a flash light to find a seat means the theater may have let her in after they should have. Maybe they didn't have an usher or self-guided walking lights. But once seated, there's no reason to keep the damn phone on, especially not for silent texting that emits light to everyone around you. That's like visual whispering and very irritating.

[Lewkowski]

I've stopped going to the movie theaters except during my day off in the middle of the week. Ah the bliss of having only 20 people in a theater. Rarely any talking Rarely any interruptions. Perfection.