POLL: Should Movie Theaters Allow Texting During Films?
Chain executives consider teen-friendly policy at some theaters – eventually.
Photos
“Watch the screen” seems like an unneeded instruction for moviegoers. But which screen?
The topic of texting in theaters sparked lively debate last week at CinemaCon, an industry gathering in Las Vegas. “Several prominent industry figures seemed to endorse the idea that ... it might be time to relax prohibitions against texting in theaters,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Teens are “accustomed to controlling their existence,” notes the head of IMAX Filmed Entertainment, Greg Foster. Cell bans make some “feel a little handcuffed,” he added.
Entertainment columnist Patrick Goldstein of the Times, calling himself “a purist” on this issue, worries that “Americans almost never resist technological change." He expects chains eventually will allow cell use in some theaters. “No matter how thoughtful the comments might possibly be," he wrote Tuesday, “I’m still being blinded by the light of their phones."
Angela Emmerling
7:57 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
How are theaters enforcing these "prohibitions" against texting? Is checking your cell screen to see if an emergency (silenced) call has come in also prohibited? That is every bit as annoying to others in the theater as a phone that is lit up for texting, but I know many parents of young children who couldn't have a night out at the movies if they weren't available for emergency calls. If someone is constantly lighting their phone up for any purpose they should be asked to leave, just as someone who is constantly talking through the movie should be asked to leave...though it would be ridiculous to "prohibit" all talking ("pass the popcorn, please..."). It should be up to the usher and management to determine if someone is causing a disturbance.
Angela Emmerling
7:59 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
Also, your poll seems a tad biased. Where is the option for "texting doesn't bother me, as long as it isn't excessive" or something similar?
Alan Stamm
12:38 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
Fair point, Angela. That choice deserves to be among the options.
Thanks for reading . . . and keeping us on our toes!