AMC Theaters backtracks on ‘texting’ plan during movies
The entertainment chain’s chief sparked an angry discussion online after he said the company was working on allowing cellphone use in some of its theaters.
The obvious answer would have been, “No, that’s stupid. That’s the exact reason why many people are starting to hate our product.” Instead, here’s what he said:
Yes. When you tell a 22-year-old to turn off the phone, don’t ruin the movie, they hear please cut off your left arm above the elbow. You can’t tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone. That’s not how they live their life.
At the same time, though, we’re going to have to figure out a way to do it that doesn’t disturb today’s audiences. There’s a reason there are ads up there saying turn off your phone, because today’s moviegoer doesn’t want somebody sitting next to them texting or having their phone on.
At the risk of sounding like a person who enjoys telling others to get off his lawn, texting in movie theaters is the equivalent of farting on an airplane. I hate the offenders for it—and I’m not alone.
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