Salt Lake Tribune article: " Movie theater etiquette is dead, and I’m tired of it"

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

It shows going to theaters in Utah is as bad as anywhere else these days. People seem to have lost respect for each other.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

I like this guy's ideas... But talking to a manager at any AMC is a total waste of time.


I’ve devised a personal strategy to avoid the bad crowds. It’s not foolproof, but it’s a start:

• Don’t go on Tuesdays. The Tuesday crowd is typically the most casual of movie fans. They want to go to the movies, but don’t really care enough to pay full price for a ticket. Beware these crowds. I get that forking over $12+ a ticket can get expensive. Just know that you’re taking more of a risk of obnoxious crowds by going on a Tuesday.
• Go opening night. Typically the ones going opening night are the ones who also got their tickets early and care the most about it. It’s safe to assume that these people are like you and want to enjoy the movie while being quiet and attentive. For the most part, I’ve had success in seeing movies opening night, especially the later showings.
• Don’t be afraid to shush. Odds are, if you’re annoyed, the people around you are also annoyed. If you are the one to shush, you’ll be a hero.
• Talk to the manager. This is a drastic measure, I know. But it does work. Managers usually have no problem with going into auditoriums and cracking the whip on those who are being loud.

To all movie theater managers and employees: Don’t be afraid to kick people out. Enforce the no phone and talking policies.

To all movie theater goers: Please shut up and put away your phone.

And to other (quieter) movie theater goers: Don’t be afraid to shush people.

A movie theater experience can be a beautiful thing. It’s a chance to garner a sense of community and experience camaraderie with strangers who share a love of film. Let’s make movie theaters great again.

[Lyle Romer]

I would add to Mark's advice that seeing movies on true premium screens (Dolby Cinema, 15/70 IMAX when available, etc.) also helps. People paying extra for a bigger screen/better sound are more likely to actually watch the movie.

[Rick Raskin]

The manager at a theater I worked would have me lower the sound if the crowd was noisy. That would usually solve the problem.

[Frank Cox]

I had a sellout crowd for one of the Twilight movies. All teens, of course.

I started the movie and walked into the auditorium as I always do, to insure that everything was as it should be, and I was met with a loud roaring sound. My first thought was that there was something wrong with the sound system because what else would be creating this all-consuming roar, white noise. I'm thinking, "Oh dear, something quit and there's this big crowd. How can I fix this?"

Then I realized that it was the crowd that was making the roar and drowning everything else out completely. EVERYBODY'S TALKING, and since everyone was talking the conversations had become louder and louder until there was nothing but this huge roar.

I stopped the movie and went to the front and waved my arms until things quieted down. "If you want to see the movie, be quiet. If you'd rather talk then go somewhere else so the people who do want to watch the movie can actually do that."

That was absolutely the loudest crowd I've ever had here, until I told them to shut up. I wouldn't have believe it could be that loud, until it was.

I try to operate on the principle of STHD-STHU.

Sit The Hell Down, Shut The Hell Up.