To Find this Woman in the Cinema Rude

[LessMissAbs]

Me and my friend were watching a film in the cinema tonight. She doesn't wear a watch and must have been checking her phone for the time - its a habit of hers to do this, or to ask people the time. I was sitting next to her and I didn't notice it.

There was an empty seat to her other side between her and a woman. The woman suddenly boomed out in the middle of the film, "If you want to play your phone, you can go outside and do it instead of in here".

It was mortifying, and she interrupted the film for me. I was really embarrassed for my friend, but we didn't say anything.

At the end of the film, as we were standing up to leave, I said to the woman "I don't really care if you were disturbed by a light during the film or not, I don't want to have to the film interrupted by your booming voice". She then started arguing back (she said something like "Oh you'd like to be a cheeky one, wouldn't you, and some other stuff) but we turned our backs towards her and her husband so that she was talking to ourselves, put on our coats and left.

Kind of ruined the film for both of us. Normally I find going to the cinema relaxing!

Unbelievable.
We went to see catching fire last week but it was full so ended up seeing Frozen in extortionate 3d.
That was nearly twenty quid.
I love how the staff almost apologise when telling you the price of your popcorn.

I went to the cinema last night and the couple behind me kept chatting the whole way through the movie, kicking the back of my seat and rustling popcorn bag really loudly.

I have to admit that I keep my phone on silent and where I can see it but is hope people would understand being my son is on call for a kidney transplant and I would go out of the cinema to answer it if it was to go off

Both sides were rude. She is not 5 and should wear a watch if she wants to tell the time rather than flash her phone around. Other woman was probably fed up of kidults and lost the plot for a minute. But we all have to get along.

What was your friend so desperately needing the time for. She knew what time she went in and the length of the movie, so could she not gauge from that. She sounds highly irritating.
You both were very rude and that woman was right in telling you off!

That's what we saw, frozen in 3D, it was £36 for the tickets and glasses And then popcorn and drinks.

It is a rare treat!

YWBU your friend shouldn"t have been checking her phone during the film, You were also very rude to the woman. She didn't ruin the film for you, you did that, She could have reported your friend for using her phone. Yes I know that your friend was only checking the time but she didn't know that. To those of you who say they have to check on their children, Why they are perfectly safe with a babysitter for a few hours,

It drives me mad when people mess with their phones at the cinema, it's very distracting. I have asked some young girls before if they wouldn't mind stopping it but just got abuse back so my husband fetched a cinema attendee and they were removed from the cinema, we got free tickets for our next film because of the interruption.

what films do you see that need your attention? the hobbit?

Cinema tickets are so expensive these days. I get irritated with people playing with their phones throughout. I once sat next to a charming pair who, amongst other things, played with their phones through most of the film.

If you really really need to check the time (but you know when the film ends anyway, so why unless you are waiting for a transplant?) Then why not put the phone on bedside mode and shove it in your bag? You can peek inside your bag at the dull glow and not bother anyone.

I remember when the pictures was a cheap night out! And as for the price of popcorn!! Why can't people sit for 2 hours without food?

But I'm considerate that way. As I say, I go to the cinema to relax. I realise its a public place, and I'm reasonably tolerant that other people also exist and may not behave exactly as I would like them to do

And you don't understand the irony of writing that given your OP and your friend's behaviour?

Oh dear oh dear oh dear. I feel really sorry for people like you.

What Nutcracker said. I don't have a watch so check t he time on my phone. Sure the OP said she only took it out once to check the time (I did the same with mine on Christmas Eve as the film ran late and we had to make the last bus home in time). OP it sounds like you bumped into the same charming fruitbat woman I had an argument with (non phone light related). Your Friend WBU but tell her to get a watch next time as DM keeps telling me! . I also think the other woman was BU too though. I certainly wouldn't let anyone talk to me that way at the end. You can ask/tell someone t hey are being unreasonable without coming across as an arse.

Inexcusable of you. I see this pretty much at every screening I go to. It's sad that people are addicted to their phones to this extent. I guess some people don't know how to behave properly in public.

12 pages on this? How the hell can there be so much debate, presumably? Can't be arsed to go through the pages.

Yet another AIBU where 95% of people tell the OP she is wrong ...... and OP just jumps up and down squeaking 'no, I AM right' (and at least three people, out of the 300, agree with me!)

Really, why bother asking? Put a moan in Chat instead.

Why are you 5 if you don't own a watch?

Why is not owing a watch childish?

That's a new one on me.

It isn't simply that looking at a phone only twice during a film isn't much of a distraction. If everyone thought like the OP, then if I'm in the cinema and see, say, 10 people in my direct and peripheral vision, I'm going to be distracted by phone checking about every 5 minutes during a 90 minute film.

Although it doesn't bother the OP and many others on this thread, now that you know that a sizeable number of people find this to be anti-social, are you now going to stop doing this in a society-work-best-when-people-are-considerate-to-other-people kind of way?

just get her a bloody watch FGS.

at Harold

I hate people fiddling with phones in cinemas/ theatres/ concerts as well, especially if they are nextto me or in front of me. The light is distracting. Quickly glancing at a watch is OK, although if someone did that more than 2 or 3 times an hour I'd wonder why they'd bothered to come if they were that bored. If you want to play with gadgets whilst watching a screen stay at home with your TV and get a DVD or download.

Sorry, inexcusable of your friend, I meant.

I used to take my dc to the cinema so I could have a kip!
I was a lp working nights it was often the only sleep I could get! They watched all the trailers and ads

I am stunned by the responses on this thread. But it only shows that a sizeable number of people on mumsnet find it incredibly annoying. I have honestly never heard anyone commenting on it in rl.
As mentioned earlier, some people find rustling sweet papers annoying, or people accidentally kicking the back of the seat, or a hundred other things that can happen when a couple of hundred people are in a room together. But nobody us being boomed at for that, or told to stay at home with a dvd if they cant manage to sit still for the duration if the film. I have never been distracted by the light from a phone for more than a second (and I can't even recall noticing it at all). I honestly think this is very precious.

I hate being disturbed in the cinema by:

People talking loudly
People checking their phone - in a very dark cinema, that sudden bright light is massively distracting
People kicking my seat repeatedly
Uncontrolled children in an adultish film (obviously not in a kid's film!!)

I have shouted at a man who was letting his children (probably about 5 and 7) run around at an 12a showing (think it was one of the new star wars films).

I shouted at a group of kids pissing about. "shut up and watch the film, you're annoying people". Other people were tutting before I said anything, and kept turning to look at them.

I shouted at a woman who kept checking her phone every 5 minutes.
"Turn it off or leave!"

I am always on my phone in RL but it gets turned off and put in my bag when I go to the cinema and I expect basic courtesy from everyone else in the cinema too. I don't care if you think IABU. The cinema is an expensive treat for me and I don't want to be disturbed more than necessary.

I think your friend needs to chill out!!
I think the woman was entirely justified. When I have said something, I have been short and not rude, but firm.
Some of you will think IABU, but I think basic manners apply everywhere and basic manners are disappearing fast!

Did you snore ledkr?

You two are EXACTLY the sort of people I wouldn't want to sit next to at the cinema. Your friend was annoying and thoughtless at best, you were rude (and are continuing to come across as rude and gobby) and should have just accepted that your friend was in the wrong. Your friend should have apologised and that been the end of it.

I get really distracted by phones being switched on. One wanker kept doing it during Ergo. I asked him not to, he didn't stop but I think someone else had reported it because he was told he'd have to leave if he did it again. Evidence you were wrong.

As well as it being distracting, the fact that people are so stupid and/or thoughtless as to do it in the first place is irritating in itself.

What I do know is that she was quite upset and embarrassed at being told not to play with her phone in the middle of a cinema.

Good. Maybe she'll think twice next time.