Movie theaters have been complaining for years that they are suffering due to the lack of people coming to the theater to see movies. Is it the prices or the ability to watch movies at home? I think it is the fact that people have to interact with some of the worst people you can imagine, while trying to enjoy a film.
My husband and I like going to the movies. We don't go out too often, but when there is a movie we want to see, we go see it. We like going at the earliest showing on a Saturday or Sunday, mainly in order to avoid the worst of the moviegoers who seem to think they can do whatever they want. We went to see Guardians of the Galaxy this past weekend, and while we loved the film (seriously, you should see it), we encountered the worst of people. The funniest part is that there were a few small children in the theater and they weren't a bother at all.
Some tips on how to stop being a jerk in the theater:
1 - Please just stop playing on your phone when the lights are down. There is nothing more distracting that watching a movie and there is a sudden bright light right next to you that makes you wince. If you have time to go to the movies, you can spare the need to check Facebook, texts, or e-mail for 2 hours. If you can't go that long, watch a movie at home.
2 - Outside food. I don't care if you sneak food into the theater in that gigantic suitcase sized purse of yours, but be considerate of what you bring in. If your food has wrappers or bags that make an ungodly amount of noise, put your shit in a Ziploc bag and bring it in that way. If you are bringing in cans or glass bottles, mind them and don't let them roll and fall down several rows of steps. That sound is almost as distracting as a phone light. We had the pleasure of a woman and two teenage kids sucking down cans of sodas, kicking the cans down the tiers and then rifling through a huge bag while taking 20 minutes to open or eat something in a wrapper made out of the noisiest material possible.
3 - Feet! A guy a few rows in front of us sat down, proceeded to take off his shoes and socks, and then place his feet up on the seat in front of him. Ummmm....ewwww. Why? I just don't get it. We don't want to see or smell your feet throughout a movie. Putting feet up on the row in front is something that has happened forever at the movie theater, but have some decorum with it. Don't put feet up on a seat right next to someone's head. I love turning my head and seeing the bottom of sneakers right next to my face. Along with feet on seats, stop kicking the seats in front of you. Accidentally doing it on occasion, ok, it happens, but when you keep doing it, you aren't making friends.
4 - Wearing massive amounts of perfumes, cologne, deodorant, after shave, or whatever is not cool. There wasn't just one person, but two! I felt like I was choking for a good half hour until the scent finally died down. If you are on a date, I am sure your date is being polite, but you are probably slowly killing him/her with your overly scented body being so close. There is a limit on how much is just right and then over the limit to the too much level.
5 - Kids. It's funny, kids in the theater are actually the least annoying thing, most of the time. I worry when I see small children at a Rated R film or at a film where you know something they shouldn't see is going to be going on. Something like a cartoon or G rated movie, they are meant for kids, so they should be there. When the movie is not a kid type of movie, and then they scream or get bored, maybe you should have gotten a sitter or waited to see the movie. I am definitely not qualified to make your parenting decisions for you, but think of the other people in the theater. Bored kids are going to run around, scared children are going to cry, and some children are just going to scream for no reason at all. I love kids, but they don't belong at all movies.
6 - Talking or yelling at the screen. I shouldn't even have to mention this, but it still happens. I don't even need to talk about why this shouldn't be done.
Can you think of any other things that constitute a jerk at the theater?
My husband and I like going to the movies. We don't go out too often, but when there is a movie we want to see, we go see it. We like going at the earliest showing on a Saturday or Sunday, mainly in order to avoid the worst of the moviegoers who seem to think they can do whatever they want. We went to see Guardians of the Galaxy this past weekend, and while we loved the film (seriously, you should see it), we encountered the worst of people. The funniest part is that there were a few small children in the theater and they weren't a bother at all.
Some tips on how to stop being a jerk in the theater:
1 - Please just stop playing on your phone when the lights are down. There is nothing more distracting that watching a movie and there is a sudden bright light right next to you that makes you wince. If you have time to go to the movies, you can spare the need to check Facebook, texts, or e-mail for 2 hours. If you can't go that long, watch a movie at home.
2 - Outside food. I don't care if you sneak food into the theater in that gigantic suitcase sized purse of yours, but be considerate of what you bring in. If your food has wrappers or bags that make an ungodly amount of noise, put your shit in a Ziploc bag and bring it in that way. If you are bringing in cans or glass bottles, mind them and don't let them roll and fall down several rows of steps. That sound is almost as distracting as a phone light. We had the pleasure of a woman and two teenage kids sucking down cans of sodas, kicking the cans down the tiers and then rifling through a huge bag while taking 20 minutes to open or eat something in a wrapper made out of the noisiest material possible.
3 - Feet! A guy a few rows in front of us sat down, proceeded to take off his shoes and socks, and then place his feet up on the seat in front of him. Ummmm....ewwww. Why? I just don't get it. We don't want to see or smell your feet throughout a movie. Putting feet up on the row in front is something that has happened forever at the movie theater, but have some decorum with it. Don't put feet up on a seat right next to someone's head. I love turning my head and seeing the bottom of sneakers right next to my face. Along with feet on seats, stop kicking the seats in front of you. Accidentally doing it on occasion, ok, it happens, but when you keep doing it, you aren't making friends.
4 - Wearing massive amounts of perfumes, cologne, deodorant, after shave, or whatever is not cool. There wasn't just one person, but two! I felt like I was choking for a good half hour until the scent finally died down. If you are on a date, I am sure your date is being polite, but you are probably slowly killing him/her with your overly scented body being so close. There is a limit on how much is just right and then over the limit to the too much level.
5 - Kids. It's funny, kids in the theater are actually the least annoying thing, most of the time. I worry when I see small children at a Rated R film or at a film where you know something they shouldn't see is going to be going on. Something like a cartoon or G rated movie, they are meant for kids, so they should be there. When the movie is not a kid type of movie, and then they scream or get bored, maybe you should have gotten a sitter or waited to see the movie. I am definitely not qualified to make your parenting decisions for you, but think of the other people in the theater. Bored kids are going to run around, scared children are going to cry, and some children are just going to scream for no reason at all. I love kids, but they don't belong at all movies.
6 - Talking or yelling at the screen. I shouldn't even have to mention this, but it still happens. I don't even need to talk about why this shouldn't be done.
Can you think of any other things that constitute a jerk at the theater?
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