This is the incorrect way to be on your phone during a movie.
The proliferation of phones and the lack of respect for fellow moviegoers have contributed to possibly the worst movie theater etiquette there has ever been, and it needs to be fixed.
It is very rare in current times to go to the movie theater and watch a movie without any distractions, whether it’s the crinkling of candy wrappers, the loud munching of entire handfuls of popcorn at once, or the long, awkward and loud squealing of the leather of a reclining chair rubbing against the arm rest.
These distractions are fairly difficult to avoid, which is ok. It doesn’t seem that people intentionally crinkle their wrappers as loud as they can, and not once has it looked like someone enjoyed being the one whose recliner was squealing. However, there are two distractions that can and should be avoided: talking and being on the phone.
Phones are almost as essential to daily life now as food, water and shelter are; people’s phones are always on them. It is not reasonable to ask someone to not bring their phone into the movie theater, and it’s also not necessary. It is perfectly fine to have a phone at the movie theater, and even inside the actual theater in which the film is playing.
But, please, do not be on it.
This is almost always the first thing that is announced during a film screening. AMC Theatres’ pre-film reel says, “At the movies, the feature is on the big screen, so please remember, don’t text, don’t post, don’t talk, don’t ruin the movie.”
Even with the brightness down, someone texting and posting is still very obvious to those in the theater. In an almost entirely dark auditorium where the only thing lit up is the 30-90 feet by 10-30 feet tall screen that viewers paid money to watch, it is very noticeable when something else that is not the movie is lit up.
Checking a text is acceptable as long as the phone is pulled out just long enough to see what the text is, while keeping the phone very low to the seat, reading the text quickly and putting the phone away immediately. Go back to enjoying the movie, a response can be sent later.
There is no need to be on the phone longer than this. Everything on the phone can be done before and after the movie. It doesn’t make sense to pay to watch a movie and be messing with a phone the whole time.
If spending 90-140 minutes playing on the phone sounds more appealing than watching a movie, then do just that elsewhere, not at the theater. That’s not only a waste of money, but it’s also inconsiderate to distract the audience from what everyone else is there for.
Not only is being on the phone in the movie disrespectful to the people in the audience, it’s disrespectful to the artists who made the movie. People don’t usually go to plays or musicals and spend the entire time on their phone because it’s disrespectful to the people performing.
A screen doesn’t change that.
People go to the movies to watch art that was made by a large group of people who spent a lot of time and effort working on it; do not disrespect them by being preoccupied by the phone.
Although phones are vital to society, they are not the greatest movie theater distraction; talking is.
Talking during the movie makes even less sense than being distracted by the phone. Talking is one of the easiest things to do anywhere; people do not need to go to the movie theater to talk. When talking to friends, do it before or after the movie.
Discussing the movie with friends should be done afterward, as to not distract the other people in the theater. Bringing a pocket notebook and pen into the theater to make a physical note about all the important points to talk about later is a way to remember the must-discuss topics for after the movie.
There is no reason to talk during the movie.
Also, no matter how quiet the talking is, someone is still able to hear the conversation. Movie theaters are designed for sound to travel; so it is easy to hear people talking no matter how far away they are.
It is tiring to go to the movies and see the etiquette get worse every time, so please, next time a visit to the theater is due, remember: don’t text, don’t post, don’t talk, don’t ruin the movie.
