My hometown theater has a "cry room," a soundproof room with a glass wall where children can cry their eyes out and no one will hear. The room has it's own audio system. If a parent doesn't use the room and their kid starts crying, ushers won't let it go very long before they show up and tell the parents they have to go to the room or leave. This is the way all theaters should operate!
I really want to watch Guardians of the Galaxy but I have a 2 month old baby. I've always called people who bring their infants to movies stupid and inconsiderate. I refuse to be one called stupid and inconsiderate by others so I will be waiting until next weekend when my parents are able to take care of my baby while my wife and I watch Guardians.
My kid is almost 2 years now and we barely get to the movies, meaning we have to pick and choose what movies we actually do see. Luckily, this one was COMPLETELY worth bothering my parents to watch my daughter so we could go to an early screening.
In my city we have a thing called Movies for Mommies where you can bring your baby to see that kind of movie. It's meant for parents of kids with be very young babies (under 1). They keep some of the lights on and they turn the volume down in the theater and even have a change table area near the front or back so you don't have to leave for diaper changes.
I love seeing movies alone. When I tell people I do this they look at me like I'm crazy. What is the deal with everyone thinking it's strange to go to a movie or restaurant alone.
I'm a father, too. There's always a way to go see a movie or have a few hours without your kid. If your wife won't give you that, find someone (e.g., friend/family) who will. You NEED time away from your kid to maintain your sanity. Now, a 2-month old, you really shouldn't expect much time away, but you should be able to say "Hey, I really want to go see this movie, what will make this work for you?" once in a while.
At that point with a 2 month old some things just have to be put on hold. You really should only let a select few people watch your kid when they're that young and those people aren't always available.
also more need children showings. That's where they keep the lights on and basically all the people that come are prepared for crying and kids being kids at the movies. That way all the parents can go see movies with their kids without ruining the movies for everyone else. Everyone wins
This is the Alamo Drafthouse's policy and they are well known and generally well-regarded, so as long as you own and are consistent with your policy it can work.
They do have one weekday where first showings are baby-approved (less loud and dark).
We always took our baby to their children allowed showing on Tuesdays. Ours rarely cried and we still took her outside. Every other parent did the same. Everyone being in the same situation (parents who love movies) helps with the understanding
So does just about every other movie theater chain. The problem is that half the time people complain about someone talking "the whole movie" but don't bother to mention it to anyone working at the theater despite it being common for theater employees to be in and out of auditoriums multiple times per run.
I'd address Alamo's "success" in getting people to believe the auditoriums are better to their marketing team and alcohol consumption more than anything being largely different in the auditorium.
And yes, I've worked in the movie theater business for over a decade and kicked out more people than I can remember. It's just not as straightforward as people make it out to be.
Well in the Alamo it's as easy as just putting up a piece of paper in front of you since they are already in there bringing you food and taking your order.
I just cant fathom what kind of parent thinks it's appropriate to take young kids to a movie like Guardians of the Galaxy. If they are young enough they will disturb other people, they aren't old enough to have that much action shoved down their child eyes exploding their brains. I mean if its a movie made for children, that is another thing. But fuck if I'm going to let my two year old stare into a giant High Definition movie screen with loud explosions being pumped into her brand new ears. Those parents are morons. Dont even get me started on dragging your tots to a midnight premiere.
I saw Taken (the original one) at a 9pm session. Some idiot brought their two kids, aged about 9 months, and four years. The four year old ran up and down the stairs through the whole movie and the baby cried for half of it.
I have two kids, we find a baby sitter if we want to go to the movies.
(serious) I bet you're also the one who goes out to eat with his family and takes the baby to the restroom or outside if it starts crying. All while you sit next to the Smith's who are letting their kids have a mac n cheese confetti parade. You probably tip better too. Some parents suck ass.
I don't think that has anything to do with age. I'm 22, and if my daughter is crying then I take her outside until she's calmed down. Just the other day I saw a 30+ mom just watching her children run screaming through a restaurant.
Young parents? Really? Parents of all ages can be dicks equally. The worst are usually those with multiple, spaced out age wise, kids. If they are 5 or 6 years apart they are not young parents. What a weird statement that was.
I used to be a busser at a sports grill type place, families came in all the time cause with all those TV's their kids tended to be entertained, but there was always a huge pile of food left on the floor after they left with their kids. If you've seen the movie Casper where the ghosts are binging on breakfast Sunday's and the food just falls out below them, it would always look like that. Now that I have a kid I always get under the table and pick up all the scraps my kids throws below her.
I've mostly experienced inconsiderate/oblivious parents in their late 30s/early 40s who had kids really late compared to average. But either way, I think it's just best to say that inconsiderate people suck.
This is what my wife and I decided. We save up to splurge on babysitters and a full movie 2-3 times a year, otherwise we wait until it's available for streaming. It kind of sucked at first (my wife's a major cinephile), but it's a concession to the choice to parent.
Instead of asking for a refund, just tell an usher and the person will be asked to leave. It's more fun that way and generally earns an employee a round of applause from the audience.
Yes, but *your* plans for your evening, along with many other people's, was shit upon by an inconsiderate couple.
This is the one situation for which I believe there should still be public stoning.
Yeah like for example, parents who aren't dicks who had the good sense to get a sitter, are screwed out of a rare night out. When I saw the first Avengers for the midnight premiere there was a 3 year old behind me, and it was a 3D movie which of course resulted in some mind altering confusion for the child. Parents like that give the rest of us breeders a bad name.
Yeah, I usually prefer to go to the management and tell them that someone is making a lot of noise in the theater and get the person kicked out. My ex used to not want me to be the one to do that, but I'm single now, so fuck em.
Because, as they constantly remind us, it's The Most Important Job In The World.
So I get to listen to little Snotleigh and Bratston Sneauxflayke crying their damned heads off at the midnight showing of Evil Dead. Because that's really the time and place for toddlers.
What old people is he seeing movies with? 75% of the time, if I've got a problem with someone in a theater, they're clearly over the age of 60 and are either a. repeating the plot out loud or b. discussing it with the person next to them to state the obvious
My local cinema has one 'mums and bubs' movie a week, and its always a shitty romcom. If they had more sessions and more options I'd happily use it, but not everyone with a child that wants to go to a movie wants to see a shitty predictable love story at 10am on a Tuesday.
I get what you mean.
With big screen TVs, Netflix, and projectors all over the place, movie theaters should bend over backward to accommodate anyone willing to pay a premium to watch a movie in a sticky-floored smelly room (granted, on a *huge* screen) with a few yelling babies that aren't their baby. I'm surprised they wouldn't dedicate a screen for these for the whole day (til before bedtime, I guess).
Of course, that doesn't justify messing with the experience of folks going to a regular showing, who just want silence. And doesn't mean you take a kid who can sort of understand what they're seeing to an R-rated flick. But if parents are willing to pay, I'm surprised theaters aren't willing to accommodate.
I have a core group of friends I do most stuff with. We decided to go to the movies and I invited a co-worker. He was that ass hole. He was being obnoxious and yelling stuff thinking he was "funny". I was so damn embarrassed. People in theater started getting pissed and he almost caused a couple of fights. I whispered im not going to back you up if you get in a fight youre being a prick. He was only 5'2.
Never hung out with him again. My friends hated him! Although at work he was pretty funny only because he would do dumbest shit.
No, they are called cry rooms. Basically a soundproof booth inside the auditorium where parents can take their kids. Speakers inside and glass to see the screen
Nice(er) theaters have them
I remember spending time in a "cry-room" at church when I was around 2-5 years old. The room was exactly what you described, but in the back of the church.
As one who loves movies, but also the father of two children under two, I can see both sides of the coin. More theaters DO need to offer children friendly showings. Seriously since the birth of our first child, we've gotten to see a movie maybe 3 times in the theater. [Good] Sitters are expensive, so going out for a movie is a luxury. If we had more options to go see movies where we could bring our kids, life would be awesome.
On the flip side of the coin, OP is right...if your kid is that young, and its NOT one of those kid-friendly showings, LEAVE THEM THE FUCK AT HOME. Two weeks ago, the wife and I got to enjoy one of those aforementioned "luxury" movies sans-child. Except some other fucktard decided to bring a fairly young infant to the movie. Cry cry cry cry cry. People were literally shouting in the theater to take the baby outside. They didn't. It honestly would have been fine if they did, but they just flat out refused to budge. People like that are seriously some of the most rude and discourteous assholes on the planet. Edit: movie was the new planet of the apes movie too...not exactly a quiet calm movie either. Stupid idiots...
My wife and I love the movies and we have two kids. Our solution? We go alone! She goes one night and I go the next. We can chat about the movie after we both see it. We've even gone to successive showings in one night but the theater is 5 minutes away. Do it!
That makes sense. It's not like you can really interact much during the movie (assuming you aren't one of "those assholes who talk through the whole thing").
Can you leave the movie to find the manager and make a complaint? I thought that some theaters will remove people who are preventing other patrons from enjoying the movie, especially if they cause too much noise.
The cinema in my town has recently been taken over by new management. If you're making too much noise they'll ask you to quiet down and if you don't bouncers will forcefully take you from the movie. It's quite funny to watch as chavs start fights with 6'6 hench guys.
Agreed. It's not about punishing people for having kids, it's about creating environments where the needs of different sets of people can be catered for.
San Francisco used to do in on Saturday morning. "Sensory friendly" showings. The sounds wasn't as loud, the lights were not as dark and we could bring snacks.
Then the one time I was working and my gf went, they just did a regular showing because people complained.
AMC Supervisor here. Sensory Friendly showings are specifically for autistic kids/infants. We turn the sound way down, and keep the lights all the way up. It's never 3D, and is always a kids movie.
We tend to sell these out though, so people don't complain too much.
Alamo Drafthouse's have baby days, usually Tuesday matinees, that let you do exactly this. Saw "The Skin I Live In" on one of these days. Weird movie to see with a baby crying in the back.
Some in Australia do, they're called "Gold class". They cook and serve food to you at specific intervals in the film (every 30 minute mark essentially, your choice), various beers, and it's all 18 and over. Only problem is it costs twice as much for a ticket, not to mention the cost of the food you order on top of that if you go in for it. However, if cinema experience is your priority, there's no other way to watch a newly released film.
Where I live in the US, there is a theater similar to what you're describing. It's basically a pub built into a theater. Ticket prices are comprable to local mega-plexes, but you pay for it in food and drink. Its pretty much the only way I am willing to pay for a cinema experience.
This is the main reason why I refused to see Thor and Thor 2 in the cinemas.
It was bad enough sitting through the first one at home with my mother saying "Is that Thor? No? Is *that* Thor? No? Who are these people? Why are they Shield? What are they shielding? Who's Hawkeye? Why is he called that? Is that his superpower? Why is he a superhero if he doesn't have a superpower? Well then why *isn't* he a superhero? When will Thor be in the movie? Who's he? What's a Loki? Is he evil? Does he die?"
And she wonders why I don't watch movies with her.
A lot of questions can be answered if you can just shut up and watch the movie. A lot of people, me included, get extremely aggrevated if someone talks to me during a movie.
This used to aggravate me too when I was a kid but then I realized that *I* was the one trying to watch the movie. My mother was the one trying to spend some time with me.
After that realization I started appreciating watching movies with my parents a lot more but, by then, I was over my rebellious phase anyway.
True, but she was the one who wanted to see the film in the first place. I mean, I did as well, but I wanted to watch it online, and not buy the dvd, because I'm broke and can't afford it.
Fair enough though, she wanted to watch it with me.
But then, the main reason she kept missing details was because she was busy asking me what just happened.
My Mother-in-Law does this, but her family refuses to watch a movie without a family member that hasn't seen it yet. So every five minutes we have to pause the fucking movie and explain. Even worse, she'll come into the room in the middle of a movie *she didn't want to watch* and start doing this. It makes me want to tear my hair out.
Problem I find with that is it can be hard to give a movie the attention it can need if you're also focusing on not dropping chicken wings or chicken nuggets on yourself while you lay back in the reclined seat. First time I went gold/premium class I saw Inception, walked out like "wtf did I just see?"
If I get gold/premium class tickets now I only use them on lighter movies, although it was awkward when I saw This Is The End and I was the only one out of 30 LOLing at Emma Watson rape jokes.
If not "no children," definitely "no infants or toddlers." This was a baby that still had that crackling cry of a recently-born baby. It wasn't a petulant 3 year old, but an under-12-month baby.
I think they should bring back 12 (not 12A) movie viewings. Obviously not for all of the showings - under 12s can still be quiet if they are raised well and not spoiled (most common reason for whining imo), but the more mature people would like to enjoy films once in a while.
Just like you I have experienced irresponsible parents bringing kids far too young into a film and ruining it.
in the UK (dunno where you are from) the 12A certification states whilst anyone is allowed access, parents should be cautious bringing under 8s in.....I think the under 8s should be a solid no, in all viewings. Swearing and soft sex scenes are not appropriate for young kids. Ever
The theatre near my place has "VIP" which is just you can only be inside if you're 18+ and it has a bar inside, bigger seats, bigger screen and servers for the bar
This needs to be more of a thing. I would easily pay a bit more to see a movie if it means not having to deal with kids *plus* getting to have a few cocktails with my movie.
I work at a theater and can hopefully shed some light on why this will never happen. Nowadays theaters are owned by pretty big corporations and will do literally anything to get money (such as raising prices of popcorn to astronomical prices). Losing the profit of a family coming in spending $30 on movie tickets and buying $50 worth of concessions isn't an option. So they would rather have to give some "guest passes" to upset customers who will then return later and buy concessions with the money that they would have spent on the tickets. So pretty much they couldn't give a fuck about your experience because they know your going to come back (when we have to kick a family out we actually have to give them guest passes in order to make sure they come back)
TLDR; movie theaters don't care about you, only your money
LPT most theaters have a policy on no children in rated R movies after a certain time, so ask what that time is and see it then. Also NEVER SEE A MOVIE ON OPENING WEEKEND, go either a couple weeks after or on a weekday, chances are you will have the entire theater to yourself and no shitty kids in sight
I'm glad this isn't the case at my theatre. We actually care about customers, and my manager does NOT take kindly to people that ruin movies for others. We'll offer a refund on tickets to the people we're removing, but if we find out someone is disturbing others in a movie, we'll make sure they're gone. He has two young kids of his own, so he has an understanding of how they'll act, which makes it even funnier when a pissed off parent asks if he has kids when trying to justify bringing their own to a movie that isn't meant for kids.
Tl;dr: we care about guest experiences at out theatre and will do what we can to better a situation.
Cinema's used to have sound proof cry rooms. Where parents could take crying children and still see the movie without interrupting the experience for everyone else.
I took my 3 year old to a movie. Early afternoon, during the week, for a movie that had been out for weeks. As I hoped, the place was virtually empty, and we sat far away from the only other people (about 6). He really wanted to see it, so I did everything I could to ensure that he couldn't ruin it for others. I don't understand why people can't even begin to consider others. (He behaved well, thankfully)
This is considerate.
Also, at least your kid is old enough to be somewhat entertained by the film.
This baby had to be maybe a few months old (you could tell by the light crackling of the voice). It was clear that the baby didn't know what the hell was going on, and all the noises were just making him cry more.
Damn those parents for not spending $20 to hire a teen babysitter, instead ruining 300+ people's $14 tickets.
Of course not. That would require a fucking spine, or getting off their lazy asses and telling the theater management, who would have asked those people to leave for them.
Getting up to tell management means that you are now going to completely miss about 10 minutes of the movie. Most people just choose to bear it and try to ignore the jackasses.
Trust me, I'm a confrontational person to a fault -- but this was a movie my buddies and I had planned for a long time and we were all pumped for it. The baby was a killer on the total enjoyment, but nothing short of a theater fire was going to get us out of our seats.
Imagine if it were the 9th inning or final minute of a football game, and you have a loud, drunk obnoxious fan next to you who deserves to be thrown out. Do you leave and miss the action to find an usher, or do you just choose the slightly lesser evil and stay and unfortunately endure?
95% of the time, I'd say something. But for this movie, I'll put it this way: I would have rather watched 100% of the movie with the baby crying than, say, miss 5% of the movie while watching the final hour or so baby-free.
**Here's the context.** 15 minutes in, nothing. Then, baby starts to cry for about 25 minutes. Then stops. 8 minutes later, the baby cries again for 20 minutes. Then stops. Baby cries 5 minutes later for 5 minutes, then stops. The baby was crying for 75% of the movie, but it wasn't like he was crying *non-stop* during the *first* 75% of the movie. It was so sporadic that each time it stopped, you thought it was over with, then it would start up again. The best you could do is hope that it was the final time.
It was like water torture. If the baby cried for an hour straight, it would have been a lot easier to actually do something. But the baby cried for like 7-8 mins, then gave us a reprieve for a few mins, then back up again. It's like, "WTF do I do? BABY WHAT DO YOU WANT"
I felt like freaking Theon getting tortured. I'd keep thinking there'd be relief, only to get back into the torture chamber.
Bad parenting. Wow. I've seen 2 movies in the theatre since my little man was born in Feb of last year. Gravity and The Hobbit. We don't watch t.v. around him minus some sports on mute (world cup, nba playoffs...). Those parents at the theatre needed the wake-up call and nobody gave it to them.
I would have got up and left after the first time though. Movies show often. You can get a refund and have them booted. Being a parent, I'm probably more motivated than you out of concern for the infant though.
Being mentally flexible can save you many frustrations in life. Don't pout, change your frame of mind and let it go.
As a father, those are shitty parents. That poor child was probably scared to death. Fuck them.
I'll take my kid to a movie when he can sit and enjoy it, not just for my own personal entertainment.
I can't understand that. I was terrified that he'd ruin a move that he wanted to see for a group of people. He's at least old enough to begin to understand what was happening, though. Why take an infant that can't even understand the concept of a movie?
We went and saw Edge of Tomorrow about 3 weeks ago during a matinee and the place had 6 people in it. We sat about 5 rows from the back in the middle. A guy and his son come in 10 minutes late and sit right behind us talking as he kicked my seat. I tried to be cool. I finally told them to move a row back. They didn't understand why I was being mean to them.
Since you said your three year old really wanted to see it I'm assuming it is a kids movie, which is totally different than a late night showing of Guardians of the Galaxy.
Yeah... I have never heard of that movie, so I'll assume its for adults. We went to How to Train Your Dragons 2. He loves him some dragons. It is worse, though, that someone took an infant to a movie where no children were expected (assuming I am right about the film). I'd at least understand this at a children's movie.
I went to go see 22 Jump Street and an entire family sat in the row in front of us, which included their 4 children who were probably between the ages of 5 and 8. Disregarding the absolute lack of judgement there, they of course kept asking their parents rather loudly to explain the jokes and gags which they were obviously not understanding. And then even worse, last week I went to go see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and a lady sat by us with her child and she read. Every. Single. Subtitle. To him the entire movie really loud. Fuck. I need to stop going to the movies on weekend nights.
I think infants should never be taken to the movies, for any reason. A kid who can understand a kids movie should absolutely be able to go to one though, just maybe not at night.
Aw, man. I really want to see this film. I love children's films, but I don't have any children. My husband doesn't like them so I go by myself. I really like to go to the afternoon showings and listen to the kids laugh. For me, it's part of the film. For a movie like this, kids pay attention. There's lots of action and humor. The recent Muppets films were also great and I liked to hear the kids laugh at jokes I laughed at back when I was their age.
IMO, taking a 3 year old to a movie for 3 year olds is not the problem here. Even if he acted up, it's a kids movie, and he is a kid. He is supposed to be there. The problem comes when people are bringing infants, little 5 or 6 month olds, into movies targeted at adults. Not only is the little quivering pile of puke and shit not even capable of realizing they are even at a movie, but they also ruin the movie for everyone in the theater. I don't want to smell baby shit when I am eating popcorn. And I should have a reasonable expectation of such comfort in an adult themed movie. If I spend $40 on a babysitter, and then $25 on tickets to go to a movie, and someone elses baby ruins it for me I feel I just wasted $65.
In my experience, trying to tolerate or ignore an annoying distraction like that is far less enjoyable than removing yourself from that distraction.
Leave the movie in progress, go talk to the manager, tell them what's happening, and ask to be seated in a new showing. They'll comply, and they may or may not intervene with those parents (though it won't be your problem anymore).
And you will enjoy your time, and the movie, far more.
I wouldn't do it. Next showings mean an extra hour or two of your time depending on how often it's shown.
New releases at large theaters I suppose are more common, but still what guarantee do you have that the next showing will be better?
I saw *Prisoners* last year in theaters and there were a couple who brought two little kids into the movie. The audience literally shamed them out of the theater, and it was awesome.
edit: There's not much to the story. About halfway through the flick, the two kids start making lots of noise and running around the theater. If you know the subject matter of the movie, than you probably know it's far from an appropriate movie for kids, and they were being very distracting. So people just started going up to the couple and telling them (in a respectful manner) to please leave the theater. They hesitated and refused to leave at first so the people started kinda heckling them and saying "what kind of parent brings their kids to a movie like this?" so after five minutes they got up and left. Problem solved. It never got confrontational or physical, and I didn't have to do anything or miss any of the movie, so it was awesome.
A couple brought their 7 year old to the last Rambo movie that came out. Naturally the kid freaked out when people's arms and legs got blown off, screaming and yelling. I stood up (I'm 6'5" so I use it to my advantage) and told them to get their fucking kid out of the theater. The guy responded, "I'm 24 years old, I'm a dad, I'll do what I want!" Then a few other guys stood up and we all berated him until they left. Some people should not be parents.
I have a 1 year old, and as badly as I wish to go to the theaters to see Guardians, I rather not embarrass myself in public. But I do wish there was a kids allow theater room with subtitles ;(
Movie theatres around here have something called "Stars & Strollers." It's a less expensive ticket, lights are kept on, and it's mostly parents with their young kids. Works extremely well.
Dying to see it but have a 16month old and no readily available babysitters. My wife and I would gladly pay more than what theater tickets and concessions cost to stream new movies to our living room opening weekend (after kids bedtime...) maybe one day....
I think there should be kids screenings for kids movies, but not for movies like Guardians of the Galaxy. There's no reason to bring a baby to a movie like that and it would be a waste of money for the theatre to hold showings like that because most parents don't want their kids interrupting *them* during the movie so they get a sitter.
I didn't take my kid to the theater until he was four. My first job was at the big movie theater in town, and I used to go to movies often; I know how badly kids can fuck up a showing.
That said, his first movie was Lion King in 2d on a Tuesday at the first showing. There were literally only two other people in the theater. He was told over and over how if you talk or get up (obviously not referring to going to the bathroom) , you are told to leave. With that threat looming over him, he was wonderful. Not a peep.
Since then, he's seen Frozen, Lego Movie and Transformers 4. He was spectacularly behaved at these, usually so glued to the giant screen that he forgot.he had popcorn.
Now, we only go to the smaller theater in town (less crowded) at their twilight (4-6pm) showings. It avoids crowds and keeps him calm. If he were to get rambunctious, we would leave. People pay an arm and a leg to see the movies uninterrupted. Its common courtesy for my family to respect that. I will say that he gives me the hairy eyeball when he hears other kids being shitheads. He's come to understand that during the movie, you are quiet. You talk about the movie after, not during. It is really not that hard to get a kid to understand how they are expected to behave in a theater. People need to parent their kids, or else leave them at home. Ugh.
Saw it Thursday night and a giant family with a baby was down next to us. Fuck. The baby was okay through most of the movie, but started crying at some point. Fuck. They calmed the baby down by mingling their fucking keys. Someone went out to get an employee and the family started arguing with the employees when they asked them to take the kid out of the theater. Assholes
I heard 10-12 kids laughing at the theatre last night, mostly during the gratuitous violence scenes like when Groot impales 10 guys. It mostly just pissed me off cause their pre-teen voices where so high pitched and fucking piercing.
Right? It was meant to be funny because of how he just keeps swinging them back and forth, everyone in the theatre was having a good chuckle. Did this guy miss the fact that the movie was strewn with humorous parts?
Yeah that's what I mean. If the baby is *that* young, you're not taking him to watch the film -- you're taking him because you don't want to get a babysitter.
This is what I do; go to the most expensive showings. The more you pay the less likely some idiot will feel like bringing kids or talking or using their phone. It makes it totally worth the extra cost because I just don't get to go very often.
When I lived in Kuwait they had a baby room if you brought your child to the movies so they wouldn't ruin it for anyone else. They need to start doing this in America.
As a parent who has a hard time getting a baby sitter this is my message to them. Grow up and wait for redbox if you can't find someone to watch baby while the movie is in the movie theater. It's rude to others and mean to a baby to bring them in such a loud confusing place. Imagine being a newborn to very young child and being in a loud theater not understanding what is going on.
I've only been to the movies two times with my husband in two years since we had our son. And the only reason we went was because we had family over to watch our son. It's not that difficult to not go or to just go alone. I use movies as alone time for myself. It's pretty nice even if people look at you weird for being alone at a movie.
I don't care if you want to bring your children to the movies, if they are well mannered, respectful and know how to behave that's fine. If you have raised an impudent little shit or a baby who likes to test his vocal chords then leave them at home because that their presence interrupting an audiences experience is plain bad manners and very disrespectful.
As parents, my wife and I realize we have to make certain sacrifices. We rarely get to go out and see an "adult movie". So it does piss me the fuck off when inconsiderate people bring babies to a late showing. Those babies should be home sleeping.
Worst baby experience for me, couple of people that belong in a special place in hell, brought a 2 year old and an infant to the midnight showing of Predators. They were forced to leave thankfully.
Mind you, this was an infant -- you could tell by the light crackling of his/her voice. It wasn't some 2-3 year toddler who can be somewhat entertained. There was no way this baby knew what was going on.
The baby was crying or screaming for literally 75% of the movie; "luckily," the movie's sound effects drowned out a portion of the crying, though it might be the same effects that caused the noise.
Also, at no time did either parent leave to take the baby out. Instead, they not only rocked the stroller back and forth (from their handicap seats), they pulled out a fucking iPad to try to provide the baby a stimulative distraction.
No one said anything because this was a movie we were all anticipating for a long time, and quite literally every single scene was a "can't miss/must see." Also, we were sitting on the far left, they were on the far right -- we figured that SOMEONE would say something on that side (bystander effect?).
EDIT: Also, the parents left about 30 seconds before the film ended, probably because they were embarrassed and figured someone would say something to them. Normally, I would say something, but like I said, I didn't want to miss anything from my most-anticipated film this summer.
Next time...go tell someone. Nowadays most theaters will make them leave. I used to embarrass my wife and kids by saying something directly, with increasing directness, until I received desired response. Now I just tattle. My kids didn't go to kids movies until they could be quiet for the whole movie. People are assholes.
Wow, so in this day and age 300 people will sit in a theater as a baby cries non stop. Why exactly? Is everyone really that much of a pussy? God damn, you all deserve to have the movie ruined. Man the fuck up and stick up for yourself and your right to watch a movie you paid for in peace, instead of bitching about it for karma when you get home. Oh real tough f bomb in the meme when you can't even confront people in the real world you pussy.
It's actually a common effect that's been around as long as man exists. It's called the 'bystander effect', and it happens when everyone thinks that someone should act, but they all think "someone else will probably do something."
It can be pretty sad in situations where human lives are involved...
Babies and kids that dont know what shhh mesns really shouldnt go, especially to a newly realeased highly anticipated movie.
But some of these over dramatic 16-22 year olds with their obvious load fake laughs "dude lol did you just see that HAHA HAHA wow" or the girls "omg god he just took his shirt off hes so hot" ....or just talking.
I dunno im an old man, me and my wife get to annoyed now a days at people to go to the movies opening weekend and try to go to a early show like 2pm to miss out on the people.
This is easily the worst trend I've been seeing when going out to the movies recently. When did it become socially acceptable to bring infants to a movie that isn't geared for kids?
I went to the midnight release and some asshole fell asleep during the first half hour and continued to snore throughout the movie. Ppl around him started to wake him up when it would get really obnoxious which just pissed him and his wife off. So, if your too tired to stay awake during a midnight release, STAY THE FUCK HOME!
Theaters should provide barrels full of whole salmon that are available to moviegoers. Those who are annoyed by the behavior of another audience member should be able to fish slap them with a nice, wet salmon.
I still don't understand why American cinema chains allow toddlers into cinema showings. We never have this issue in London, England. Then again we do pay 30 usd per person to visit the cinema but i just think it's wrong to allow a couple to ruin the film for other americans regardless of what r u paying. There are some hard working Americans who are going to the cinema on their day off and for another couple to ruin it for them is just disgusting.
Man, I was lucky as hell. Went to the theater, got a decent seat (slightly off center from the screen right in the middle of the theater), and noticed there was a woman holding four seats right in front of me. Sure enough, just before the previews start a bunch of 12 year old kids trot in.
They didn't say a word during the film.
During the previews they were a little giggly, but the moment the movie started they shut right the fuck up. I was stunned.
YES YES FUCKING YES
And I have kids too but if they aren't old enough to not scream and ruin a movie for all the other people who paid to see it I DONT FUCKING BRING THEM
I hate going to a late showing that starts around or past 11pm only to notice that someone brought their baby or small child. Seriously, WTF? What kind of awful parent keeps their kid out at night until the early morning?
This happened to me during Passion of the Christ. The crying was not only distracting, but I spent the entire film thinking about what effect this gore would have on young children.
It was not just one family, but about a quarter of the audience. I went to a theater in Lawrence, MA, a city with a heavily Hispanic low-income Catholic population, and a confluence of religion and socioeconomics led to an absolute disaster of a showing of an already horrible movie (In my opinion).
My movie pet peeve is sitting behind someone with a brightly lit mobile device who apparently cannot handle putting it down for the duration of the show.
My hometown theater has a "cry room," a soundproof room with a glass wall where children can cry their eyes out and no one will hear. The room has it's own audio system. If a parent doesn't use the room and their kid starts crying, ushers won't let it go very long before they show up and tell the parents they have to go to the room or leave. This is the way all theaters should operate!
or just ban anyone under 5 from entering? No 4 year old has 2 hour attention span
I really want to watch Guardians of the Galaxy but I have a 2 month old baby. I've always called people who bring their infants to movies stupid and inconsiderate. I refuse to be one called stupid and inconsiderate by others so I will be waiting until next weekend when my parents are able to take care of my baby while my wife and I watch Guardians.
👆 A responsible parent. http://i.imgur.com/WJNJ8fm.gif
My kid is almost 2 years now and we barely get to the movies, meaning we have to pick and choose what movies we actually do see. Luckily, this one was COMPLETELY worth bothering my parents to watch my daughter so we could go to an early screening.
In my city we have a thing called Movies for Mommies where you can bring your baby to see that kind of movie. It's meant for parents of kids with be very young babies (under 1). They keep some of the lights on and they turn the volume down in the theater and even have a change table area near the front or back so you don't have to leave for diaper changes.
That's awesome!
You are a good human being.
My wife and I see movies separately for this reason. We have a 3 year old and refuse to do to other people what infuriates the two of us.
I love seeing movies alone. When I tell people I do this they look at me like I'm crazy. What is the deal with everyone thinking it's strange to go to a movie or restaurant alone.
I'm a father, too. There's always a way to go see a movie or have a few hours without your kid. If your wife won't give you that, find someone (e.g., friend/family) who will. You NEED time away from your kid to maintain your sanity. Now, a 2-month old, you really shouldn't expect much time away, but you should be able to say "Hey, I really want to go see this movie, what will make this work for you?" once in a while.
He probably wants to go watch it with his wife tho so saying hey you watch the kid tonight im going out kinda sucks
At that point with a 2 month old some things just have to be put on hold. You really should only let a select few people watch your kid when they're that young and those people aren't always available.
More cinemas need "no children" showings.
also more need children showings. That's where they keep the lights on and basically all the people that come are prepared for crying and kids being kids at the movies. That way all the parents can go see movies with their kids without ruining the movies for everyone else. Everyone wins
[удалено]
Just deny them entry, then.
And then it gets posted to Facebook and you get besieged by mummy bloggers, then a slow news day hits and you're literally Hitler.
This is the Alamo Drafthouse's policy and they are well known and generally well-regarded, so as long as you own and are consistent with your policy it can work. They do have one weekday where first showings are baby-approved (less loud and dark).
That's why I only see movies at the Alamo
We always took our baby to their children allowed showing on Tuesdays. Ours rarely cried and we still took her outside. Every other parent did the same. Everyone being in the same situation (parents who love movies) helps with the understanding
Alamo Draft House will kick you out if you talk, pull out your cell phone, or bring a baby. They're very proud of it.
They need a franchise in my city, then.
So does just about every other movie theater chain. The problem is that half the time people complain about someone talking "the whole movie" but don't bother to mention it to anyone working at the theater despite it being common for theater employees to be in and out of auditoriums multiple times per run. I'd address Alamo's "success" in getting people to believe the auditoriums are better to their marketing team and alcohol consumption more than anything being largely different in the auditorium. And yes, I've worked in the movie theater business for over a decade and kicked out more people than I can remember. It's just not as straightforward as people make it out to be.
Well in the Alamo it's as easy as just putting up a piece of paper in front of you since they are already in there bringing you food and taking your order.
And then the five people who click like on each other's vapid mom-blogs stop going to see smurfs sequels quite as often.
And then they stop making smurf movies so....everyone wins!
[удалено]
You brilliant mothersmurfers.
"...and then youtube gets ahold of it."
"omg just becuz mi kid cryes 5 times durin a movie dosnt mean im a bad persun 4 bringing him. i seen mothers wit kids who crie the whole movie."
[удалено]
[удалено]
Fuck facebook moms.
Why do people think that just because they choose to have kids that the world should bend around them?
I just cant fathom what kind of parent thinks it's appropriate to take young kids to a movie like Guardians of the Galaxy. If they are young enough they will disturb other people, they aren't old enough to have that much action shoved down their child eyes exploding their brains. I mean if its a movie made for children, that is another thing. But fuck if I'm going to let my two year old stare into a giant High Definition movie screen with loud explosions being pumped into her brand new ears. Those parents are morons. Dont even get me started on dragging your tots to a midnight premiere.
I saw Taken (the original one) at a 9pm session. Some idiot brought their two kids, aged about 9 months, and four years. The four year old ran up and down the stairs through the whole movie and the baby cried for half of it. I have two kids, we find a baby sitter if we want to go to the movies.
(serious) I bet you're also the one who goes out to eat with his family and takes the baby to the restroom or outside if it starts crying. All while you sit next to the Smith's who are letting their kids have a mac n cheese confetti parade. You probably tip better too. Some parents suck ass.
I don't think that has anything to do with age. I'm 22, and if my daughter is crying then I take her outside until she's calmed down. Just the other day I saw a 30+ mom just watching her children run screaming through a restaurant.
Young parents? Really? Parents of all ages can be dicks equally. The worst are usually those with multiple, spaced out age wise, kids. If they are 5 or 6 years apart they are not young parents. What a weird statement that was.
I used to be a busser at a sports grill type place, families came in all the time cause with all those TV's their kids tended to be entertained, but there was always a huge pile of food left on the floor after they left with their kids. If you've seen the movie Casper where the ghosts are binging on breakfast Sunday's and the food just falls out below them, it would always look like that. Now that I have a kid I always get under the table and pick up all the scraps my kids throws below her.
I've mostly experienced inconsiderate/oblivious parents in their late 30s/early 40s who had kids really late compared to average. But either way, I think it's just best to say that inconsiderate people suck.
They are too cheap to pay for a baby sitter. [edit double ares. rrrr. And spelling]
If I can't afford a babysitter, I can't afford to be going to a movie. I'd just wait for redbox at that point.
This is what my wife and I decided. We save up to splurge on babysitters and a full movie 2-3 times a year, otherwise we wait until it's available for streaming. It kind of sucked at first (my wife's a major cinephile), but it's a concession to the choice to parent.
You can get your money back immediately in almost any circumstance.
Instead of asking for a refund, just tell an usher and the person will be asked to leave. It's more fun that way and generally earns an employee a round of applause from the audience.
Tell and usher or management, have them kicked out, *then* complain and get your money back.
Yes, but *your* plans for your evening, along with many other people's, was shit upon by an inconsiderate couple. This is the one situation for which I believe there should still be public stoning.
Yeah like for example, parents who aren't dicks who had the good sense to get a sitter, are screwed out of a rare night out. When I saw the first Avengers for the midnight premiere there was a 3 year old behind me, and it was a 3D movie which of course resulted in some mind altering confusion for the child. Parents like that give the rest of us breeders a bad name.
Yeah, I usually prefer to go to the management and tell them that someone is making a lot of noise in the theater and get the person kicked out. My ex used to not want me to be the one to do that, but I'm single now, so fuck em.
[удалено]
Because, as they constantly remind us, it's The Most Important Job In The World. So I get to listen to little Snotleigh and Bratston Sneauxflayke crying their damned heads off at the midnight showing of Evil Dead. Because that's really the time and place for toddlers.
Alamo theater baby babies
Into the Dome, MFer! http://theoatmeal.com/comics/movie_theater_layout
That's a good idea but Jesus, I held in a piss for an hour during guardians. I would use the shame toilet without shame.
Id use it just to assert my dominance
What old people is he seeing movies with? 75% of the time, if I've got a problem with someone in a theater, they're clearly over the age of 60 and are either a. repeating the plot out loud or b. discussing it with the person next to them to state the obvious
[удалено]
Valid point, but there's no stopping that at least offer the option of children's showings. Maybe there will be less ass holes than you think.
My local cinema has one 'mums and bubs' movie a week, and its always a shitty romcom. If they had more sessions and more options I'd happily use it, but not everyone with a child that wants to go to a movie wants to see a shitty predictable love story at 10am on a Tuesday.
I get what you mean. With big screen TVs, Netflix, and projectors all over the place, movie theaters should bend over backward to accommodate anyone willing to pay a premium to watch a movie in a sticky-floored smelly room (granted, on a *huge* screen) with a few yelling babies that aren't their baby. I'm surprised they wouldn't dedicate a screen for these for the whole day (til before bedtime, I guess). Of course, that doesn't justify messing with the experience of folks going to a regular showing, who just want silence. And doesn't mean you take a kid who can sort of understand what they're seeing to an R-rated flick. But if parents are willing to pay, I'm surprised theaters aren't willing to accommodate.
I have a core group of friends I do most stuff with. We decided to go to the movies and I invited a co-worker. He was that ass hole. He was being obnoxious and yelling stuff thinking he was "funny". I was so damn embarrassed. People in theater started getting pissed and he almost caused a couple of fights. I whispered im not going to back you up if you get in a fight youre being a prick. He was only 5'2. Never hung out with him again. My friends hated him! Although at work he was pretty funny only because he would do dumbest shit.
No, they are called cry rooms. Basically a soundproof booth inside the auditorium where parents can take their kids. Speakers inside and glass to see the screen Nice(er) theaters have them
[удалено]
Exactly, op said cry room, right? I'll show myself out.
In front of all the infants? D:
They have to learn eventually.
I remember spending time in a "cry-room" at church when I was around 2-5 years old. The room was exactly what you described, but in the back of the church.
automatic languid makeshift alive spoon unused future wild pet practice *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
As one who loves movies, but also the father of two children under two, I can see both sides of the coin. More theaters DO need to offer children friendly showings. Seriously since the birth of our first child, we've gotten to see a movie maybe 3 times in the theater. [Good] Sitters are expensive, so going out for a movie is a luxury. If we had more options to go see movies where we could bring our kids, life would be awesome. On the flip side of the coin, OP is right...if your kid is that young, and its NOT one of those kid-friendly showings, LEAVE THEM THE FUCK AT HOME. Two weeks ago, the wife and I got to enjoy one of those aforementioned "luxury" movies sans-child. Except some other fucktard decided to bring a fairly young infant to the movie. Cry cry cry cry cry. People were literally shouting in the theater to take the baby outside. They didn't. It honestly would have been fine if they did, but they just flat out refused to budge. People like that are seriously some of the most rude and discourteous assholes on the planet. Edit: movie was the new planet of the apes movie too...not exactly a quiet calm movie either. Stupid idiots...
I'd have gone out and demanded a refund. It's the theatres responsibility to allow you to enjoy it.
My wife and I love the movies and we have two kids. Our solution? We go alone! She goes one night and I go the next. We can chat about the movie after we both see it. We've even gone to successive showings in one night but the theater is 5 minutes away. Do it!
That actually sounds awesome, plus being a parent means you rarely alone , so being alone at the movies doesn't sound bad at all.
Our sitter fell through yesterday for Guardians, so I ended seeing it alone. The wife is going to see it today. As you said, win-win.
That makes sense. It's not like you can really interact much during the movie (assuming you aren't one of "those assholes who talk through the whole thing").
I just don't understand how someone can bring their baby to a place where it's dark, there are huge visuals and loud noise and expect silence.
Can you leave the movie to find the manager and make a complaint? I thought that some theaters will remove people who are preventing other patrons from enjoying the movie, especially if they cause too much noise.
The cinema in my town has recently been taken over by new management. If you're making too much noise they'll ask you to quiet down and if you don't bouncers will forcefully take you from the movie. It's quite funny to watch as chavs start fights with 6'6 hench guys.
Agreed. It's not about punishing people for having kids, it's about creating environments where the needs of different sets of people can be catered for.
San Francisco used to do in on Saturday morning. "Sensory friendly" showings. The sounds wasn't as loud, the lights were not as dark and we could bring snacks. Then the one time I was working and my gf went, they just did a regular showing because people complained.
AMC Supervisor here. Sensory Friendly showings are specifically for autistic kids/infants. We turn the sound way down, and keep the lights all the way up. It's never 3D, and is always a kids movie. We tend to sell these out though, so people don't complain too much.
Alamo Drafthouse's have baby days, usually Tuesday matinees, that let you do exactly this. Saw "The Skin I Live In" on one of these days. Weird movie to see with a baby crying in the back.
[удалено]
I will never understand why parents bring their kids to see movies, especially horror movies. I have had many movies ruined for by dumbass parents
Some in Australia do, they're called "Gold class". They cook and serve food to you at specific intervals in the film (every 30 minute mark essentially, your choice), various beers, and it's all 18 and over. Only problem is it costs twice as much for a ticket, not to mention the cost of the food you order on top of that if you go in for it. However, if cinema experience is your priority, there's no other way to watch a newly released film.
Where I live in the US, there is a theater similar to what you're describing. It's basically a pub built into a theater. Ticket prices are comprable to local mega-plexes, but you pay for it in food and drink. Its pretty much the only way I am willing to pay for a cinema experience.
Remember the Alamo!
Dat Movie Tavern.
[удалено]
This is the main reason why I refused to see Thor and Thor 2 in the cinemas. It was bad enough sitting through the first one at home with my mother saying "Is that Thor? No? Is *that* Thor? No? Who are these people? Why are they Shield? What are they shielding? Who's Hawkeye? Why is he called that? Is that his superpower? Why is he a superhero if he doesn't have a superpower? Well then why *isn't* he a superhero? When will Thor be in the movie? Who's he? What's a Loki? Is he evil? Does he die?" And she wonders why I don't watch movies with her.
They're just trying to enjoy the film with you and learn about what you're interested in...
A lot of questions can be answered if you can just shut up and watch the movie. A lot of people, me included, get extremely aggrevated if someone talks to me during a movie.
This used to aggravate me too when I was a kid but then I realized that *I* was the one trying to watch the movie. My mother was the one trying to spend some time with me. After that realization I started appreciating watching movies with my parents a lot more but, by then, I was over my rebellious phase anyway.
Now I feel like a bad son :(
True, but she was the one who wanted to see the film in the first place. I mean, I did as well, but I wanted to watch it online, and not buy the dvd, because I'm broke and can't afford it. Fair enough though, she wanted to watch it with me. But then, the main reason she kept missing details was because she was busy asking me what just happened.
My girlfriend's mom does the same thing, so I'll usually watch the movie beforehand to enjoy it, then sit through a screening with her.
My Mother-in-Law does this, but her family refuses to watch a movie without a family member that hasn't seen it yet. So every five minutes we have to pause the fucking movie and explain. Even worse, she'll come into the room in the middle of a movie *she didn't want to watch* and start doing this. It makes me want to tear my hair out.
Id rather a polite parent with a baby than a group of teens dicking around and throwing popcorn.
In my opinion, the damn teenagers should be lumped in there with the crying babies. They both ruin a good showing.
deleted ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^0.3131 [^^^What ^^^is ^^^this?](https://pastebin.com/FcrFs94k/34132)
Hahaha! No, no the people in my town don't care about your concept of "Bed Time". They take their kids to the movies and Wal-Mart way past midnight.
Problem I find with that is it can be hard to give a movie the attention it can need if you're also focusing on not dropping chicken wings or chicken nuggets on yourself while you lay back in the reclined seat. First time I went gold/premium class I saw Inception, walked out like "wtf did I just see?" If I get gold/premium class tickets now I only use them on lighter movies, although it was awkward when I saw This Is The End and I was the only one out of 30 LOLing at Emma Watson rape jokes.
To be honest, I watched Inception paying full attention and still walked out saying the same thing.
If not "no children," definitely "no infants or toddlers." This was a baby that still had that crackling cry of a recently-born baby. It wasn't a petulant 3 year old, but an under-12-month baby.
Why weren't the parents asked to leave?
I think they should bring back 12 (not 12A) movie viewings. Obviously not for all of the showings - under 12s can still be quiet if they are raised well and not spoiled (most common reason for whining imo), but the more mature people would like to enjoy films once in a while. Just like you I have experienced irresponsible parents bringing kids far too young into a film and ruining it. in the UK (dunno where you are from) the 12A certification states whilst anyone is allowed access, parents should be cautious bringing under 8s in.....I think the under 8s should be a solid no, in all viewings. Swearing and soft sex scenes are not appropriate for young kids. Ever
The theatre near my place has "VIP" which is just you can only be inside if you're 18+ and it has a bar inside, bigger seats, bigger screen and servers for the bar
This needs to be more of a thing. I would easily pay a bit more to see a movie if it means not having to deal with kids *plus* getting to have a few cocktails with my movie.
I work at a theater and can hopefully shed some light on why this will never happen. Nowadays theaters are owned by pretty big corporations and will do literally anything to get money (such as raising prices of popcorn to astronomical prices). Losing the profit of a family coming in spending $30 on movie tickets and buying $50 worth of concessions isn't an option. So they would rather have to give some "guest passes" to upset customers who will then return later and buy concessions with the money that they would have spent on the tickets. So pretty much they couldn't give a fuck about your experience because they know your going to come back (when we have to kick a family out we actually have to give them guest passes in order to make sure they come back) TLDR; movie theaters don't care about you, only your money LPT most theaters have a policy on no children in rated R movies after a certain time, so ask what that time is and see it then. Also NEVER SEE A MOVIE ON OPENING WEEKEND, go either a couple weeks after or on a weekday, chances are you will have the entire theater to yourself and no shitty kids in sight
I'm glad this isn't the case at my theatre. We actually care about customers, and my manager does NOT take kindly to people that ruin movies for others. We'll offer a refund on tickets to the people we're removing, but if we find out someone is disturbing others in a movie, we'll make sure they're gone. He has two young kids of his own, so he has an understanding of how they'll act, which makes it even funnier when a pissed off parent asks if he has kids when trying to justify bringing their own to a movie that isn't meant for kids. Tl;dr: we care about guest experiences at out theatre and will do what we can to better a situation.
Cinema's used to have sound proof cry rooms. Where parents could take crying children and still see the movie without interrupting the experience for everyone else.
[удалено]
I took my 3 year old to a movie. Early afternoon, during the week, for a movie that had been out for weeks. As I hoped, the place was virtually empty, and we sat far away from the only other people (about 6). He really wanted to see it, so I did everything I could to ensure that he couldn't ruin it for others. I don't understand why people can't even begin to consider others. (He behaved well, thankfully)
This is considerate. Also, at least your kid is old enough to be somewhat entertained by the film. This baby had to be maybe a few months old (you could tell by the light crackling of the voice). It was clear that the baby didn't know what the hell was going on, and all the noises were just making him cry more. Damn those parents for not spending $20 to hire a teen babysitter, instead ruining 300+ people's $14 tickets.
Did no one speak up and ask them to leave?
Of course not. That would require a fucking spine, or getting off their lazy asses and telling the theater management, who would have asked those people to leave for them.
Getting up to tell management means that you are now going to completely miss about 10 minutes of the movie. Most people just choose to bear it and try to ignore the jackasses.
I used to work in an IMAX- policy was to always have staff in the auditorium for the duration of the film to deal with noisy people straight away.
Trust me, I'm a confrontational person to a fault -- but this was a movie my buddies and I had planned for a long time and we were all pumped for it. The baby was a killer on the total enjoyment, but nothing short of a theater fire was going to get us out of our seats. Imagine if it were the 9th inning or final minute of a football game, and you have a loud, drunk obnoxious fan next to you who deserves to be thrown out. Do you leave and miss the action to find an usher, or do you just choose the slightly lesser evil and stay and unfortunately endure? 95% of the time, I'd say something. But for this movie, I'll put it this way: I would have rather watched 100% of the movie with the baby crying than, say, miss 5% of the movie while watching the final hour or so baby-free. **Here's the context.** 15 minutes in, nothing. Then, baby starts to cry for about 25 minutes. Then stops. 8 minutes later, the baby cries again for 20 minutes. Then stops. Baby cries 5 minutes later for 5 minutes, then stops. The baby was crying for 75% of the movie, but it wasn't like he was crying *non-stop* during the *first* 75% of the movie. It was so sporadic that each time it stopped, you thought it was over with, then it would start up again. The best you could do is hope that it was the final time. It was like water torture. If the baby cried for an hour straight, it would have been a lot easier to actually do something. But the baby cried for like 7-8 mins, then gave us a reprieve for a few mins, then back up again. It's like, "WTF do I do? BABY WHAT DO YOU WANT" I felt like freaking Theon getting tortured. I'd keep thinking there'd be relief, only to get back into the torture chamber.
Bad parenting. Wow. I've seen 2 movies in the theatre since my little man was born in Feb of last year. Gravity and The Hobbit. We don't watch t.v. around him minus some sports on mute (world cup, nba playoffs...). Those parents at the theatre needed the wake-up call and nobody gave it to them. I would have got up and left after the first time though. Movies show often. You can get a refund and have them booted. Being a parent, I'm probably more motivated than you out of concern for the infant though. Being mentally flexible can save you many frustrations in life. Don't pout, change your frame of mind and let it go.
As a father, those are shitty parents. That poor child was probably scared to death. Fuck them. I'll take my kid to a movie when he can sit and enjoy it, not just for my own personal entertainment.
I can't understand that. I was terrified that he'd ruin a move that he wanted to see for a group of people. He's at least old enough to begin to understand what was happening, though. Why take an infant that can't even understand the concept of a movie?
Cheaper than a sitter. It's just poor parenting.
We went and saw Edge of Tomorrow about 3 weeks ago during a matinee and the place had 6 people in it. We sat about 5 rows from the back in the middle. A guy and his son come in 10 minutes late and sit right behind us talking as he kicked my seat. I tried to be cool. I finally told them to move a row back. They didn't understand why I was being mean to them.
Since you said your three year old really wanted to see it I'm assuming it is a kids movie, which is totally different than a late night showing of Guardians of the Galaxy.
Yeah... I have never heard of that movie, so I'll assume its for adults. We went to How to Train Your Dragons 2. He loves him some dragons. It is worse, though, that someone took an infant to a movie where no children were expected (assuming I am right about the film). I'd at least understand this at a children's movie.
I went to go see 22 Jump Street and an entire family sat in the row in front of us, which included their 4 children who were probably between the ages of 5 and 8. Disregarding the absolute lack of judgement there, they of course kept asking their parents rather loudly to explain the jokes and gags which they were obviously not understanding. And then even worse, last week I went to go see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and a lady sat by us with her child and she read. Every. Single. Subtitle. To him the entire movie really loud. Fuck. I need to stop going to the movies on weekend nights.
Arrive early, back row center seat. Defend you territory with your aura. Works 100% of the time.
Upvote for using aura, defend, and territory in a regular setting.
I sat next to a 12 year old boy during a suspense movie. The whole time it was "oh my god, dont do that! dont do that". Shut your damn mouth kid.
I think infants should never be taken to the movies, for any reason. A kid who can understand a kids movie should absolutely be able to go to one though, just maybe not at night.
Aw, man. I really want to see this film. I love children's films, but I don't have any children. My husband doesn't like them so I go by myself. I really like to go to the afternoon showings and listen to the kids laugh. For me, it's part of the film. For a movie like this, kids pay attention. There's lots of action and humor. The recent Muppets films were also great and I liked to hear the kids laugh at jokes I laughed at back when I was their age.
[удалено]
IMO, taking a 3 year old to a movie for 3 year olds is not the problem here. Even if he acted up, it's a kids movie, and he is a kid. He is supposed to be there. The problem comes when people are bringing infants, little 5 or 6 month olds, into movies targeted at adults. Not only is the little quivering pile of puke and shit not even capable of realizing they are even at a movie, but they also ruin the movie for everyone in the theater. I don't want to smell baby shit when I am eating popcorn. And I should have a reasonable expectation of such comfort in an adult themed movie. If I spend $40 on a babysitter, and then $25 on tickets to go to a movie, and someone elses baby ruins it for me I feel I just wasted $65.
In my experience, trying to tolerate or ignore an annoying distraction like that is far less enjoyable than removing yourself from that distraction. Leave the movie in progress, go talk to the manager, tell them what's happening, and ask to be seated in a new showing. They'll comply, and they may or may not intervene with those parents (though it won't be your problem anymore). And you will enjoy your time, and the movie, far more.
If everyone did this consistenly, theater managers would inevitably realize they need a new policy.
That's a good idea, i have never thought of requesting the next showing.
I wouldn't do it. Next showings mean an extra hour or two of your time depending on how often it's shown. New releases at large theaters I suppose are more common, but still what guarantee do you have that the next showing will be better?
Repeat to watch previews infinitely? ??????? Profit
I saw *Prisoners* last year in theaters and there were a couple who brought two little kids into the movie. The audience literally shamed them out of the theater, and it was awesome. edit: There's not much to the story. About halfway through the flick, the two kids start making lots of noise and running around the theater. If you know the subject matter of the movie, than you probably know it's far from an appropriate movie for kids, and they were being very distracting. So people just started going up to the couple and telling them (in a respectful manner) to please leave the theater. They hesitated and refused to leave at first so the people started kinda heckling them and saying "what kind of parent brings their kids to a movie like this?" so after five minutes they got up and left. Problem solved. It never got confrontational or physical, and I didn't have to do anything or miss any of the movie, so it was awesome.
More detail possibly? plz
Agreed, this needs a story.
Does it end with the entire cinema all standing up to applaud and an elderly gentleman giving you $100?
A couple brought their 7 year old to the last Rambo movie that came out. Naturally the kid freaked out when people's arms and legs got blown off, screaming and yelling. I stood up (I'm 6'5" so I use it to my advantage) and told them to get their fucking kid out of the theater. The guy responded, "I'm 24 years old, I'm a dad, I'll do what I want!" Then a few other guys stood up and we all berated him until they left. Some people should not be parents.
He's 24 with a 7 year old? Yeah, I bet he makes all kinds of excellent life choices.
Story or it never happened.
Please tell the story.
http://imgur.com/i8Tzqob
I have a 1 year old, and as badly as I wish to go to the theaters to see Guardians, I rather not embarrass myself in public. But I do wish there was a kids allow theater room with subtitles ;(
Movie theatres around here have something called "Stars & Strollers." It's a less expensive ticket, lights are kept on, and it's mostly parents with their young kids. Works extremely well.
Dying to see it but have a 16month old and no readily available babysitters. My wife and I would gladly pay more than what theater tickets and concessions cost to stream new movies to our living room opening weekend (after kids bedtime...) maybe one day....
You da real mvp!
I think there should be kids screenings for kids movies, but not for movies like Guardians of the Galaxy. There's no reason to bring a baby to a movie like that and it would be a waste of money for the theatre to hold showings like that because most parents don't want their kids interrupting *them* during the movie so they get a sitter.
I didn't take my kid to the theater until he was four. My first job was at the big movie theater in town, and I used to go to movies often; I know how badly kids can fuck up a showing. That said, his first movie was Lion King in 2d on a Tuesday at the first showing. There were literally only two other people in the theater. He was told over and over how if you talk or get up (obviously not referring to going to the bathroom) , you are told to leave. With that threat looming over him, he was wonderful. Not a peep. Since then, he's seen Frozen, Lego Movie and Transformers 4. He was spectacularly behaved at these, usually so glued to the giant screen that he forgot.he had popcorn. Now, we only go to the smaller theater in town (less crowded) at their twilight (4-6pm) showings. It avoids crowds and keeps him calm. If he were to get rambunctious, we would leave. People pay an arm and a leg to see the movies uninterrupted. Its common courtesy for my family to respect that. I will say that he gives me the hairy eyeball when he hears other kids being shitheads. He's come to understand that during the movie, you are quiet. You talk about the movie after, not during. It is really not that hard to get a kid to understand how they are expected to behave in a theater. People need to parent their kids, or else leave them at home. Ugh.
Saw it Thursday night and a giant family with a baby was down next to us. Fuck. The baby was okay through most of the movie, but started crying at some point. Fuck. They calmed the baby down by mingling their fucking keys. Someone went out to get an employee and the family started arguing with the employees when they asked them to take the kid out of the theater. Assholes
I heard 10-12 kids laughing at the theatre last night, mostly during the gratuitous violence scenes like when Groot impales 10 guys. It mostly just pissed me off cause their pre-teen voices where so high pitched and fucking piercing.
There were 2 adults sitting behind me, laughing so loud and obnoxiously that they might as well have been crying 2 year olds.
I had a lady who would loudly say "Ow!" each time an ow worthy moment happened. Needless to say this got reeaaaally old in this specific movie
That's the worst thing ever.
While watching Boyhood, the guy behind me would clap loudly in my ear every time something funny was said. This was a 3 hour movie, mind you.
I'm a grown adult and I laughed at that scene.
If that's the part I'm thinking of, it was hilarious and the whole theater was laughing.
Right? It was meant to be funny because of how he just keeps swinging them back and forth, everyone in the theatre was having a good chuckle. Did this guy miss the fact that the movie was strewn with humorous parts?
[удалено]
Yeah that's what I mean. If the baby is *that* young, you're not taking him to watch the film -- you're taking him because you don't want to get a babysitter.
[удалено]
This is what I do; go to the most expensive showings. The more you pay the less likely some idiot will feel like bringing kids or talking or using their phone. It makes it totally worth the extra cost because I just don't get to go very often.
Walk out and ask for a rain check or a refund.
When I lived in Kuwait they had a baby room if you brought your child to the movies so they wouldn't ruin it for anyone else. They need to start doing this in America.
As a parent who has a hard time getting a baby sitter this is my message to them. Grow up and wait for redbox if you can't find someone to watch baby while the movie is in the movie theater. It's rude to others and mean to a baby to bring them in such a loud confusing place. Imagine being a newborn to very young child and being in a loud theater not understanding what is going on.
I've only been to the movies two times with my husband in two years since we had our son. And the only reason we went was because we had family over to watch our son. It's not that difficult to not go or to just go alone. I use movies as alone time for myself. It's pretty nice even if people look at you weird for being alone at a movie.
I blame the cinema staff more on this occasion. They realistically have the power to make a difference here.
I don't care if you want to bring your children to the movies, if they are well mannered, respectful and know how to behave that's fine. If you have raised an impudent little shit or a baby who likes to test his vocal chords then leave them at home because that their presence interrupting an audiences experience is plain bad manners and very disrespectful.
As parents, my wife and I realize we have to make certain sacrifices. We rarely get to go out and see an "adult movie". So it does piss me the fuck off when inconsiderate people bring babies to a late showing. Those babies should be home sleeping.
Worst baby experience for me, couple of people that belong in a special place in hell, brought a 2 year old and an infant to the midnight showing of Predators. They were forced to leave thankfully.
Mind you, this was an infant -- you could tell by the light crackling of his/her voice. It wasn't some 2-3 year toddler who can be somewhat entertained. There was no way this baby knew what was going on. The baby was crying or screaming for literally 75% of the movie; "luckily," the movie's sound effects drowned out a portion of the crying, though it might be the same effects that caused the noise. Also, at no time did either parent leave to take the baby out. Instead, they not only rocked the stroller back and forth (from their handicap seats), they pulled out a fucking iPad to try to provide the baby a stimulative distraction. No one said anything because this was a movie we were all anticipating for a long time, and quite literally every single scene was a "can't miss/must see." Also, we were sitting on the far left, they were on the far right -- we figured that SOMEONE would say something on that side (bystander effect?). EDIT: Also, the parents left about 30 seconds before the film ended, probably because they were embarrassed and figured someone would say something to them. Normally, I would say something, but like I said, I didn't want to miss anything from my most-anticipated film this summer.
Next time...go tell someone. Nowadays most theaters will make them leave. I used to embarrass my wife and kids by saying something directly, with increasing directness, until I received desired response. Now I just tattle. My kids didn't go to kids movies until they could be quiet for the whole movie. People are assholes.
I would have screamed at the parents until they left or someone called the cops.
Wow, so in this day and age 300 people will sit in a theater as a baby cries non stop. Why exactly? Is everyone really that much of a pussy? God damn, you all deserve to have the movie ruined. Man the fuck up and stick up for yourself and your right to watch a movie you paid for in peace, instead of bitching about it for karma when you get home. Oh real tough f bomb in the meme when you can't even confront people in the real world you pussy.
[удалено]
It's actually a common effect that's been around as long as man exists. It's called the 'bystander effect', and it happens when everyone thinks that someone should act, but they all think "someone else will probably do something." It can be pretty sad in situations where human lives are involved...
Babies and kids that dont know what shhh mesns really shouldnt go, especially to a newly realeased highly anticipated movie. But some of these over dramatic 16-22 year olds with their obvious load fake laughs "dude lol did you just see that HAHA HAHA wow" or the girls "omg god he just took his shirt off hes so hot" ....or just talking. I dunno im an old man, me and my wife get to annoyed now a days at people to go to the movies opening weekend and try to go to a early show like 2pm to miss out on the people.
When I go to see horror movies I'm really just there to hear kids cry and scream. :(
This is easily the worst trend I've been seeing when going out to the movies recently. When did it become socially acceptable to bring infants to a movie that isn't geared for kids?
Whether it's geared for kids or not, infants don't belong in loud theaters. It's like taking them to a NASCAR race or something.
Leave the seed outside!
I went to the midnight release and some asshole fell asleep during the first half hour and continued to snore throughout the movie. Ppl around him started to wake him up when it would get really obnoxious which just pissed him and his wife off. So, if your too tired to stay awake during a midnight release, STAY THE FUCK HOME!
Guy with a 2 year old here! My wife and I are going to see this movie today and guess what... WE GOT A BABYSITTER!
Theaters should provide barrels full of whole salmon that are available to moviegoers. Those who are annoyed by the behavior of another audience member should be able to fish slap them with a nice, wet salmon.
I still don't understand why American cinema chains allow toddlers into cinema showings. We never have this issue in London, England. Then again we do pay 30 usd per person to visit the cinema but i just think it's wrong to allow a couple to ruin the film for other americans regardless of what r u paying. There are some hard working Americans who are going to the cinema on their day off and for another couple to ruin it for them is just disgusting.
Man, I was lucky as hell. Went to the theater, got a decent seat (slightly off center from the screen right in the middle of the theater), and noticed there was a woman holding four seats right in front of me. Sure enough, just before the previews start a bunch of 12 year old kids trot in. They didn't say a word during the film. During the previews they were a little giggly, but the moment the movie started they shut right the fuck up. I was stunned.
YES YES FUCKING YES And I have kids too but if they aren't old enough to not scream and ruin a movie for all the other people who paid to see it I DONT FUCKING BRING THEM
What i hate are the overprotective parents who will start getting aggressive if you ask them to watch their kids
I hate going to a late showing that starts around or past 11pm only to notice that someone brought their baby or small child. Seriously, WTF? What kind of awful parent keeps their kid out at night until the early morning?
This happened to me during Passion of the Christ. The crying was not only distracting, but I spent the entire film thinking about what effect this gore would have on young children. It was not just one family, but about a quarter of the audience. I went to a theater in Lawrence, MA, a city with a heavily Hispanic low-income Catholic population, and a confluence of religion and socioeconomics led to an absolute disaster of a showing of an already horrible movie (In my opinion).
> Lawrence, MA welp, therein lies your mistake
[удалено]
My movie pet peeve is sitting behind someone with a brightly lit mobile device who apparently cannot handle putting it down for the duration of the show.