Have people lost the ability to behave in the cinema?

[NoEffingWay]

I’ve been twice in the last few weeks and have been immensely irritated by people seemingly unable to leave their mobiles alone. Tonight the family behind us were chatting throughout the film and ignored all of the shushing from others. I also have thoughts on bringing toddlers to a 12a film-not designed for 3 year olds, no wonder they were fidgety!

I went to an independent cinema on Friday and it was lovely. Hardly anyone in, the staff were very very helpful and the film was fantastic. No one on their phone, or chatting constantly.

Yes. I'm not going anymore as selfish people just spoil it. Joining mid way through a film, feet up on seats, talking, scrolling....

It is the constant munching, and crunching, that I find annoying, The people who do this, also tend to wait for the film to begin to start their rustling. At least start eating while the adverts are on, they last long enough!

My son can act appropriately in the cinema or socially and knows we would go home if he even thought about texting mid-film. He’s 14, so if a grotty teenager can manage it, why can’t adults?! I do despair about it, as the cinema was always immersive and the best way to see a film, and now it feels like the worst.

It's a shame, as cinemas are obviously struggling now (if you were born in the 80s, you might remember going a lot as it wasn't easy to see new films otherwise) and I do want them to keep existing. Not so much for myself, but they're a relatively safe place for youngsters to go.
But as others say, it's like that everywhere. I'd never let my kids leave a mess/talk to much/keep going in and out (I get that some people have medical issues, but there's no way that all the people constantly going in and out making a racket do).
Independent cinemas tend to be better, OP, round here at least, so maybe try them?

There’s an independent cinema about 45 minutes drive from my house, which shows films about 2 years after they came out but might be worth a try! The multiplex is 5 mins away but is, as discussed, a painful experience. Better to watch something a long time after it came out in peace and quiet, than seeing the latest films through a haze of irritation 😂

A relatively new annoyance seems to be smart watches. I don’t have one, so don’t know if it is possible to turn off notifications, but half the auditorium seemed to have theirs constantly flashing last time I went.

I haven’t gone to the cinema in years because I can’t cope with people’s rude behaviour anymore.

Yep. Went to a music/comedy show recently and the person sat next to my sister was not only filming the songs and sharing on Snapchat, but was also checking the responses and watching them back in the quieter talking sections! What’s more, the couple sat next to him got picked by the act to get involved and he was filming them too, each time they spoke he’d swing the camera round practically right in their faces. He didn’t put his phone away once in an hour and a half. He was in his forties and gave off weird vibes, so we didn’t want to say anything but I felt sorry for the people sat behind because he held his phone up high.

I have taken my grandchildren to a couple of films over the holidays. Both times, everyone in the audience was well behaved - in fact when the film had finished I was surprised to see it was as full as it was!

I don't think this is a new thing.
Years ago, I went with an ex to see 'Dinosaur'. He was an avid cinema fan, so he would watch literally anything and everything that was out.
It was packed, and we ended up sitting at the front. There was about 10 kids just running about and playing in the bit in front the screen... no interest in the film at all. It was like their parents did not care... just left them to it.

Nowadays, it is bloody phones. You might think you are having a discrete look at a notification, but it stands out like a lighthouse to everyone else.