I last saw the Revenant at the movies. Going to the movies and dinner with a date was a staple of my teenage years. Do not see myself ever going again.

Theaters were once a no-phone zone. Now people are using devices without remorse.
Ann-Marie Alcántara
By
Ann-Marie Alcántara
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Updated Aug. 2, 2023 11:57 am ET



“Barbenheimer” might be good for theaters, but it’s bringing out some bad behavior in theatergoers.

Many attendees are forgetting the cardinal rule: Never take out a phone during the film. Instead, people are picking out selfies to post, scrolling during dull moments, even taking pictures of the screen—with the flash on. TikTok is inspiring a new generation of theatergoers to act out and even post their antics on social media.

The cinephiles sitting next to them have to decide whether to keep quiet or make an even bigger scene.

Vikash Patel goes to the movies most weeks in Savannah, Ga. The 27-year-old convenience-store owner watched “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” during opening weekend. During his “Barbie” evening showing, someone took photos and videos during a Ken monologue. Patel didn’t complain, but he says he heard several people in his row groan.

“There’s a concert-ification of movies,” Patel says. “You want to experience the movie and share the experience at the same time.”


Vikash Patel, sporting a Barbenheimer shirt, noticed someone taking smartphone photos and videos during the ‘Barbie’ movie. PHOTO: VIKASH PATEL
Etiquette at public events has become harder to control and manage after the pandemic. At concerts, fans are rowdier than ever, shrieking at artists, blocking people’s views with signs, even throwing items at artists. At Broadway shows, Playbill inserts now remind people to turn off their phones and let the actors do the singing. And now, some movie venues are posting videos to teach people how to behave.

“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” continue to do well at the box office, together grossing more than $1 billion in ticket sales globally. This creates a double-edged sword for theater operators: Hot movies put people back in the seats. But if a few attendees ruin the shared experience, more movie lovers might wait for the streaming version to come to their living rooms.

Screens at screenings
If you want to see clips from the hottest movies, just go to TikTok.

Sierra Moon, a 29-year-old book-publishing marketer in Philadelphia, pulled a Barbenheimer during opening weekend—and even saw “Barbie” a second time. Between showings, she came across scenes from both movies on TikTok. And during her “Barbie” screenings, she saw people taking photos and continuing to use their phones.


Sierra Moon saw people use their phones during two different ‘Barbie’ screenings. PHOTO: RENEE MILLER
“It’s the first time I noticed that many people taking pictures of the screen during a movie,” Moon says. She imagines it will only get worse with coming flicks like the Timothée Chalamet-led “Wonka,” whose trailer already drove TikTokers into a small frenzy.

“There has been a big shift in how we act when we’re in a movie theater and what the rules are these days,” Moon says.

Lexi Weigl, a 25-year-old operations coordinator at a marketing agency, watched “Barbie” without issue until about halfway through the movie. A few rows down, someone pulled out her phone. The woman scrolled through her notifications, then turned to her camera roll to decide which Barbie-outfit selfie to post on Instagram, says Weigl, who lives near Savannah, Ga.

Though Weigl was frustrated and angry, she tried to ignore it.

“I tried to just tune it out and focus on the movie because I’m watching ‘Barbie’ and I paid to be here,” she says. “But at the same time, it was like, ‘Come on, this is so disrespectful.’”

Projecting politeness
Alamo Drafthouse, a theater chain where patrons can order alcohol and food at their seats, has been calling out this kind of behavior on TikTok over the past year. Last week, it tweeted a photo someone had taken with the flash on during “Oppenheimer,” asking guests to not “even touch your phone during the movie.”


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Alamo trains its staff to issue a one-time verbal warning to any guest who’s disruptive at the movies, says Michael Kustermann, president and incoming chief executive of the company.

“We understand the level of enthusiasm,” Kustermann says. “Get there early and take a picture of the crowd while the lights are still on.”

Theater chains across the country are offering social-media photo ops in the lobbies, including giant Barbie boxes and other sets.

“The time to share the enthusiasm and excitement about that journey is after it ends,” says Michael O’Leary, CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, a trade organization. “We always want to maintain the cinema as that special place where you shut out the distractions of everyday life and devote a couple of hours to a compelling story.”



Movie manners
People got used to sitting at home during the pandemic, quickly posting photos of whatever they were watching on-screen.

“I feel like ‘Barbie’ was ripe for it—being a movie that fans would feel comfortable or encouraged to do something like that,” says Chris Lambert, a 36-year-old who runs a movie explanation website and lives in the Austin, Texas, area. He watched “Barbie” twice during opening weekend and saw someone take out his phone to take photos of Margot Robbie, the movie’s star, not once but twice.


Some theaters offer social-media photo ops in their lobbies, including giant Barbie boxes. PHOTO: JENNA SCHOENEFELD/GETTY IMAGES
But the behavior isn’t welcome when others in the audience are trying to escape smartphones and enjoy a show.

“We’re at a point where it’s very easy for people to prioritize sharing something online at the expense of those around them,” he says.

At least now there’s enough “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” footage online, nobody needs to film any more.



Movie fans flocked to theaters for the release of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” with some seeing the films back-to-back. Hollywood is hoping the summer blockbuster odd couple can give a boost to the box office. Photo: Siemond Chan/The Wall Street Journal
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Write to Ann-Marie Alcántara at ann-marie.alcantara@wsj.com

LINK: https://www.wsj.com/articles/m...a0b?mod=series_ptama

There are a sufficient number of inconsiderate assholes in the population to discourage me from going to concerts, theaters, malls and the airport. In fact, I even go to the grocery store early to avoid jagoffs.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
go to the grocery store early to avoid jagoffs.

Heck, yeah! Early (8:30) church service, then groceries at 10:15 or so. Can't beat it.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:

There are a sufficient number of inconsiderate assholes in the population to discourage me from going to concerts, theaters, malls and the airport.

You sound like a really grouchy old SOB. Sort of like me.

Half that article was about phones out during the Barbie movie. I don't ever see that being a problem for me...

That's one plus to only going to see films in IMAX or Dolby Cinema: Everyone there paid extra to be there and their priority is to watch the movie instead of being an InstaFace twat.

I get the point of the article but it doesn't apply to me. I haven't gone to a move theater since long before covid so I can't speak to that behavior. I can agree with armfel that I do go to grocery stores really early... 6:00AM on weekdays and 7:00AM on weekends. I start my work at 6:30 - 7:00 on weekdays. I am really turning into a hermit. I hate being around people.

Yet another nail in the coffin of the movie theater industry.

Apparently, movie theaters continue to close across the country. Bad behavior by patrons yet another reason to wait until movies appear on streaming services. Enjoy the movie on your widescreen at home with all the amenities: food and drink of your choice and clean restrooms--and no cellphones! All of this at much lower cost than a night at the movie theater. I do not know of any people in my neighborhood who go to the few movie theaters remaining in the area.

People don’t know “Audience Etiquette” in general.
I used to like going to the school band concerts of my local ISD, even after all my kids had graduated. I got to walk those halls again and spark some fond memories. I got a free concert of several bands at varying skill levels (all of which I can appreciate). And I got to catch up on the local news and gossip with old friends I’d see there.

But the crowds got steadily more and more uncouth.
The phones, the talking, the unruly kids running up and down the aisles of the theatre. The incessant NEED of some parents to be the first to clap (you wait til the director drops his arms, dammit!)

Some may say “it’s only a school concert, it’s not like you paid to get in.”
Well, in a way I did. Three kids, 6 years of band for each. Getting them to practices, buying instruments, being involved n Band Boosters. I feel I spent enough to watch the fruits of their labors in peace even if I’m not directly involved anymore.

What has happened to people’s sense of decorum?
I’m no Tuxedo wearing socialite, but I’m not a nose pickin’ redneck either.

I haven't been to a movie theater since the Liam Neeson A-Team in 2010. What I have noticed is that their parking lots don't seem to have very many cars in them. Covid didn't help this, I'm sure.

When I was a kid the ushers in the theater had flashlights with a light muting cone on it. They used those to guide people in the dark. I think it’s time to replace those with a cattle prod.

I could have written that article. Spring 2019 was it for me. I left and have never returned due to this. No thanks. I have a Dolby Cinema at home and no commercial cinema, not even IMAX, can compete with the audio and LFE I have at home. I sent emails to corporate in 2019, talked to multiple managers, about this poor behavior and even from the corporate standpoint they were too afraid to cut this shit out. From 2017-2019, and I cannot recall how many films during this time, I had these interruptions and this narcissistic behavior in every single film. Regular, XD, Dolby Cinema, and IMAX. Smartphone bs in every one and then a string of films where I was sitting next to problematic ADHD people wringing their hands, twirling their hair, constant fidgeting. Alamo Draft House’s rules need to be enforced across the board at every commercial cinema or they are all going down and will only be a niche thing in society.

$30 for a ticket, a water, and a small popcorn is enough for me to say no.

People 'go' to the movies anymore?

The closest thing I'll ever get to going back to the theater comes from Orville Redenbacher and stays in the microwave for 90 seconds

Last time I saw a movie at the theater was August. I went to the earliest show on a weekday I had off, I didn't have to deal with any idiocy. I think there was one other person in the theater.

a team of draft horses couldn't drag me to the barbie movie

If every smart phone in the world miraculously disappeared tomorrow, I would be one happy camper.

It’s not just movies. Go to a concert and you’re looking at a multitude of screens because people have to record the entire event. It’s crazy to me that people will pay big money to watch a bunch of phones record an artist who is lip syncing.