To think you shouldn't take a small child to the cinema if the child is going to talk all the way through the film?

[Bluebell99]

So yesterday took my kids to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader which was excellent. But our enjoyment was marred by the woman next to us who had brought her 2 or 3 yr dd to the film, who talked through the entire film and her mum didn't ssshhh her but said things like "What's that darling? You want to see the talking lion? Yes he will be on soon. Yes he is a lovely big dragon" Blah blah. The film was completely beyond the comprehension of the child, who was crying to go home, and saying things like "mummy I want to see the dragon" After an hour and ten minutes, they decide to leave. But wtf, do people have no consideration for the rest of the audience? It was a kids am showing, so I guess you can expect a bit of extra noise, but thought talking non stop through the film was over the top. And also it is a scarey film for small children.

YANBU. When we sat Toy Story 3 there was a woman there with a baby that screamed all the way through. She didn't seem to care that people were tutting at her. Luckily for us, we were the other side so it wasn't too disturbing.

"it was a KIDS AM showing" - I think in that case YABU (I was prepared to say YANBU, but you do have to lower your expectations for these showing IMO)

YADNBU - I hate this. If it is a kiddie film on a Saturday morning for £1 a ticket thats fine and to be expected.

If its a film that I've potentially paid £10 + per ticket to watch with my well behaved child, I don't want someone elses kid clearly not ready for the cinema running around and talking the whole way through it! Obviously the odd word or stand up is fine, but not through the whole thing!!

(Rant over phew)

ah so it was dripfed
OP didn't saw it was a kiddies show

OP didn't say it was the kiddies show, just that it was cheap ticket day. My local cinema does cheap tickets on Tuesdays and I'd be very annoyed if my visit was spoiled by someone else's noise whether the tickets were £3 each or £5.

not1not2 yes I did say it was a kids showing. Read the last line of the OP!

I do agree that I was less likely to say something to her because it was a kids showing. When i went to see a theatre production of Beauty and the Beast I did turn round and say something to the family behind because I had spend over £100 on the tickets!

We were thinking about taking our three DC, 5, 3 nearly four and 22 months to a children's screening - though we decided that particular film would not be suitable.

We have no childcare so thought it would be o.k to do a family outing. We know people who have taken 18 months up to cinemas and they all said it was fine.

Our DCs all sat beautify during the pantomime at Christmas which was couple of hours long- though youngest did bf at some points - one reason for thinking going while I still had this option ( thinking of stopping bf at 2 or just after). We did get some off comments from some people prior to pantomime performance - like I do at school assemblies and had at MW appointments - and as usual we got complimented on their behaviour afterwards. The older two were grudgingly allowed into a planetarium at a science museum we were visiting - the attendant though they would be scared or run about - they were very well behaved and as with pantomime it was the 7-9 year old age bracket who were the problems.

Are we really unreasonable for thinking about taking them to a children screening - (obviously we'd sit near exits and one of us would take them out if they got loud or miss behaved)?

Definitely YABU. It's a weekend am children's showing. They are always noisy - part of the experience. I take my kids every Saturday to the £1 showing at Cineworld. Excellent value but full of riotous kids, and why not?

I don't know if anyone else listens to the Kermode and Mayo film review show? They have the wittertainment Code of Conduct which is quite fun.

Code of Conduct

Mind you, even they say it doesn't apply to kids' showings

If only parents of appallingly behaved children could be corralled into family showings only, I'd be happy.
So YABU, she took her child to a children's showing and talked all the way through it.
Which is what many parents do, along with continuous feeding and shrill questions about toileting.

I guess it stems from different expectations of what is reasonable as opposed to merely annoying

I would find a child constantly asking questions about the film annoying, but given that it was a children's film, not unreasonable. Similarly, I think three is a bit young to take a film to VOTDT, but given the rating is for parental guidance, it's not unreasonable. Likewise I find food in a cinema annoying, but given that it is sold in the foyer, it is not unreasonable.

I think a screaming baby, or children shouting or running around would be unreasonable as would I suspect most people but at a children's film, at a children's showing, a child asking questions of the film, and the parent answering them is probably to be expected and perfectly reasonable I'd have thought.

GiddyPickle
No problem at all having children of any age at the cinema as long as they are vaguely quiet and still.

That re-assuring I was starting think reading some of the posts were were being a bit mad, totally unrealistic and very selfish to even consider it.

I had a similar situation on Saturday when I took my DD (6.5) to see Gnomeo & Juliet. The child behind us was about 3 and spent the whole film chattering, muching & rustling.

I mananged to grit my teeth and bear it but DD turned round and glared at him several times !

Hi GiddyPickle,

The OP didn't mention 'rampaging hoards' 'running wild'. She mentioned one child, talking, who left halfway through when it became clear she wasn't enjoying it. I don't think that is unreasonable at all.

I'm with you Giddy! I knew I would come on here and find people saying 'it was a kids' showing - you've got to expect kids to misbehave?' Why??!! It doesn't matter what time of day it was, how much it cost, it is still a cinema and kids should be taught that in a cinema you sit in silence and watch a film. If you want to talk about the film to a child while you both watch it then wait til it comes out on DVD and do that in your own home! If there's any chance that your child won't be able to watch a film quietly and sit still for 2 hours plus then don't take them! It really annoys me when people push their kids into things they're not ready for - wait a couple of years until they're older! I hate it when people take toddlers to 12A films just because it's the adults that want to see them - you have a child's needs to put first now, either get a babysitter or wait for the DVD!

Count yourself lucky - where I live (not UK) there will be at least three people conducting very loud phone conversations at any given time during the film.

If they are being particularly considerate they will move away from their group and nearer to you - presumably so their friends aren't disturbed but then shout random snippets of info across the auditorium.

Made all the more frustrating becasue I can't even understand what they are saying

Let parents practise getting their children to sit and behave and listen at a screening with other children.
I hate paying a fortune to see a film and having it ruined by other people's parenting choices. I feel like asking them to refund my ticket money.

When DS was small we took him to the cheap Saturday morning showings so that he could learn "cinema manners" and I wouldn't begrudge the money if he didn't behave and we did have to leave. I did NOT take the view that everyone else's ticket was cheap so they could just put up with whatever unmoderated behaviour he chose to display!

Having said that, when I was his age the local cinema ran what was called "The Saturday Minors" all morning. No films, just cartoons and serials like Flash Gordon and Casey Jones. And it was expected that you'd move around (much running in the aisles). Although there were no parents there, just elder siblings. God, I really am ancient, aren't I?

Go and see an evening screening of the King's Speech if you want to be undisturbed by other people's children.

Why should anyone begrudge little ones enjoying themselves and being exuberant and noisy in a screening for children? And as for scoffing popcorn, how awful!

Sometimes audience participation even improves an (other dire) children's film e.g. lots of laughing or cheering.

"Why should anyone begrudge little ones enjoying themselves and being exuberant and noisy in a screening for children?"

Because they and their children want to see/hear the film they came to see/hear?

Because my children like to be able to hear the film.
They didn't find the joyful sound of other children joyful, or the talking or the snacking.

Cinemas are not the place for exuberance. I can see the view of going to family showings to get young children used to cinemas - which is great. If your child wants to run around take them to the park/soft play. The other people at the cinema have gone out to see a film and should have the chance to do so no matter how little the tickets cost. It's called having some respect and consideration for others.