Cinema etiquette

Show of hands, here. How many people prefer to be in an audience that sits absolutely still and makes no sounds during the movie?

No. I expect to be in an audience that responds appropriately to what's happening on the screen. If something is funny , they should laugh. If something is scary, I expect to hear gasps, or maybe even the occasional squeak of fear and surprise.

What I don't want to hear is a conversation about something unrelated to the movie, or a running commentary on it. I hate being in a theatre with people who think that I want to listen to their attempt at MSTing the movie.

edited 10th Oct '11 11:25:24 AM by Madrugada

I make an exception for laughter at comedies and screams at horror movies. You laugh more when others laugh with you and half of what I jump out of my seat for is the shock of the screecher behind me.

^ Ah! ninjaing me with more eloquent form. Oh and you even managed to edit in that time. What a way to make a man feel deficient.

QUICK: novel point- mass emotional response exists. Always has done: boos, cheers, applause- all through theatre's history. Increased emotional response when with large group sitting in the dark. Warning: may lead to Holocaust (cf. Nazis).

edited 10th Oct '11 11:30:22 AM by SomeSortOfTroper

I certainly don't mind if the audience is laughing (just not obnoxiously or every five seconds) and maybe some clapping and cheering is acceptable like that time I went to see The Lovely Bones in theaters and when the guy dies everyone started clapping. The things I can't stand are people talking loudly, looking at their cell phones and babies crying with the parents refusing to take them out.

I don't mind laughing/crying/screaming in general, as long as they're appropriate for what's on the screen. Laughing at a supposedly sad moment would be bad, but I admit I've been guilty to that sort of thing once in a while.

Also, for some reason large reactions make me laugh. If I hear someone in the back row screaming their head off it becomes instantly funny to me, even if it was a reaction to something genuinely scary.

Well if I'm actually in a theatre,I expect behavior appropriate for the mood. (Ex:Laughing at the funny parts,crying at the really sad parts,etc.)

No texting,no spoilers from the nosy guys who reveal everything,no romping around,and no chatting about crap completely unrelated to the movie

Yeah, silent audiences are boring. I like it when they react to the film.

Of course, I think the best kind of movie-going experience is when you wind up having the auditorium all to yourself, but that's beside the point.

Every once in a while, you get someone who reacts the wrong way—for instance, cheering on the Villain Protagonist when he kills someone who didn't really deserve it.

edited 10th Oct '11 7:00:54 PM by feotakahari

I don't like it when people bring babies and preschoolers to R-rated movies. Recently, I went to an evening showing of Killer Elite and there were a whole bunch of little kids there (including a baby that cried throughout the whole movie). Yes, I know that it's half-off night but The Lion King and Dolphin Tale are also playing. They are way more appropriate for kids than a violent Jason Statham movie.

The next week, I saw Straw Dogs at the same theatre on half-off night and thankfully, there were no kids there. The only little kid I saw at the theatre was seeing The Lion King.

i like an active audience
but i dont like people talking loudly over the dialog
i guess thats common sense
but the occasional person forgets

I love an appropriate reacting audience. Nothing is more awesome than having massive applause as Optimus Prime heads into battle and etc.

Like has been said above, reacting appropriately to the movie is fine.

There are times, though, that some audience members seem to be going out of their way to prove that the only reason some people are still alive is because it's illegal to kill them.

Not if you hate Optimus Prime like I do, then they just sound obnoxious

Reacting to the film? Fine, even if it's not necessarily an appropriate reaction. I do, however, expect people to try and restrain themselves when they know they're reacting in a way that most people won't. Like, for example, laughing their head off at what they see as Narm - others may take it seriously, so you should try and muffle it if you're doing that or you'll ruin the moment for the others.

Mobile phone users in cinemas need to die in a fire, nothing is better at killing the mood in the pitch dark cinema than little white square. No, you are not as "discreet" as you think you are with that thing hanging out of your almost transparent hoodie pocket, leave your texting until you're out of the cinema. /rant.

I talk in the theater unashamedly, and I don't plan on stopping ever.

agreed about mobiles
was watching the thing when someone's phone went off
and started speaking
good god people should be ashamed of themselves

You could get beaten up for that around here, depending on the predominant age group in the audience. You'd probably be okay at something like Cars 2.

Applause or cheering or booing would just be weird, really. It isn't a pantomime, after all

edited 15th Oct '11 1:40:06 PM by InverurieJones

Talking or outbursts during a movie: Typically only tolerated by most people at midnight movies like Rocky Horror.

Honestly, phones don't bother me a huge amount so long as nobody leaves their ringer on.

I went to see The Lion King in 3D and I was about to punch the guy behind me whose phone kept ringing at dramatic moments.

I once did. People applauded.

Must've been a pretty bad movie then,any good movie with decent scenes and I'd find that to be quite unrealistic.

I mean phones are real moment killers (Not Like That)

It was only a few minutes in, so there wasn't really anything to miss.

He was nattering away on his phone before the movie started and I asked him to turn his phone off when the movie started. About ten minutes in (credits and opening scene), his phone goes off, I lean over and clock him.

I got kicked out, but it was to polite applause.

Did you "clock that ass from across the room" (as Jackie Moon would say)?

edited 16th Oct '11 7:45:37 PM by Buscemi

Hey, it was still worth it.

Inconsiderate little shit...

I once got spit wadded by some punk after I told him to be quiet. Said fucker ended leaving halfway on his skateboard (which he somehow got through undetected).