To think you don't let your children ruin film showings

[miaowmiaowhiss]

Arghhh still so annoyed. Just been to see Jurassic World, in a little 50/60 seater screen. Lots of people clearly had thought dinosaur=children's film, so there were lots children, even as young as 4/5. Now this isn't particularly a problem - if your DC are mature enough to deal with fairly scary scenes and a lot of blood, fine - but there was a family on the other side of the cinema with a DS and DD, aged about 5 and 6.

They. Did. Not. Stop. Talking.

The entire way through the film, the DC were chatting to each other at full volume - eg 'Why is there blood there? Look at all the BLOOD', 'What is it doing?', 'Why is it there?' and laughing/joking doing serious or climatic bits.

They were incredibly loud - the entire cinema kept shushing them and there was definitely resentful British sighs. I was on the other side of the cinema and I could hear every word and it was really, really distracting. Absolutely no sign that the parents were slightly bothered by it, and they certainly didn't try and keep them quiet.

So: AIBU to think that you don't take young children to the cinema when they can't be trusted to remain reasonably quiet and not distract people around them, and that you especially don't take them to films they clearly can't understand? Argh!

Children under 12 can get in as long as they are accompanied by an adult.

We went to see the Minion movie this weekend.

Actually it's not that good spudcunt, I don't think you'd be missing much.

It cost us £23.50 just for three of us to watch the film. DS is six and enjoyed it but the plot was threadbare and it came to a weirdly boring and unexplained ending.

Nobody was talking through it though. I hate it when people do that. And everyone managed to turn off their phones as well, which is another thing that annoys me, little flashing screens all over the place.

I will tell adults and groups of teenagers off but not kids.

My ds is one who will ask questions as he doesn't always understand what is happening, we shh him and he goes quiet till next time. He does, however cheer when the goodies win which has only ever made people smile and comment on how lovely it is.

If anyone told me that I couldn't take him to the cinema because of this I'd be fucking fuming, his behaviour is managed, we support him not to talk as much as he would tend to without our support and to keep calm. I wonder whether anyone who suggests that he should have less opportunities than anyone else because of his disabilities would say the same to someone with a physical disability.

FWIW though Jurassic world is definitely not for little ones, I looked like this for most of it

My son has Autism and he would HATE people doing this - as they would not be following the rules - hence why he doesn't go to the Autism friendly screenings

OP I hate it too I just find it so bloody rude, I would definitely contact the cinema

Maxy, surely the cinema would only ask why I hadn't complained at the time - I would have to say 'Because I was scared someone might hit me' which probably wouldn't wash!

And YES to checking phones. I have on occasion checked my phone - in my bag, with the brightness down, and in the back row! It's also on my inconsiderate list

Having said that, people might get judgey at me as, if we're not sitting near other people who might be disturbed/see me, I have been known to put my legs in DP's lap

(That sounds weirder than I intended...)

The local asd friendly screening is full of toddlers running riot. Children who have asd don't want to go to it.

We had this but it was fully grown adults! Late 40 ish. Talked loudly all the way through the film despite being asked politely to stop. Ruined it. And it was the arts cinema!

YANBU. We had a very expensive ballet trip ruined by a couple of bored kids in a box whispering all the way through it. I was seriously tempted to throw a paper ball at them but I chickened out

I'm taking 5yo DS and 2yo DD to see the Minion movie after school this week. The rule is that they sit still and be quiet or we leave.

We had this - with fully grown adults - 40 ish. Talked loudly throughout entire film despite polite (and increasingly less polite) requests to stfu. And it was the arts cinema!

I hate the 12a rating its a licence for selfish parents to go to inappropriate films without thought.

I've told adults to stop talking several times and its worked. Now we try to sit in the back row as noise always seems worse when its behind you so we get there as early as possible. I would have no qualms telling staff it it was really bad and get a refund.

I hate this. I don't take DS (2) as he is not a sit still and watch kind of child and he'd be a nightmare for all concerned!

Some friends and I went and watched the Disney Christmas carol film when it came out a few years ago.

It was really close to Christmas and 9pm at night. The entire cinema was empty apart from a family with 2 DDs aged about 4 and 5 in their jamas.

They came and sat in the seats directly behind us and were terrified from the bit with the door knocker 10 minutes in.

One cried from that moment on and the other stood with her back against my chair repeatedly hurting it with her bum while shouting "I want to go home" at the top of her voice.

The parents did not give a shit. They weren't rough just really ineffectual.

So even when I asked them to do something they shrugged apologetically and said "what can we do? Kids eh?"

The usher had a word but didn't make them leave. About £20 that cinema trip cost me!

I think it's time for the BBFC to reconsider the idea they rejected to have a minimum age of 8 for 12A films.

In particular
NO YOU CAN'T TAKE YOUR 4 YEAR OLD INTO THE NEW JAMES BOND MOVIE JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN'T BE ARSED TO GET A BABYSITTER! WAIT FOR THE FUCKING DVD!

Fortunately I don't particularly fancy Jurassic World and neither do my tween DC which is just as well because this genuinely winds me up.

You should come to my cinema. So loud it drowns out any chatter. Ds2 aged 4 spent half the minions film with his hands over his ears, and still followed the plot and dialogue (I know because i have had to watch it re-enacted this afternoon.....)

I don't fancy Jurassic World either. Mainly because I thought the original was crap, but partly because of the whole silly woman running in 3 inch heels throughout the film.

I wholeheartedly agree with a minimum age of 8 for 12a films. That would be great.

There will be people saying 'oh but little Timmy is 5 and he loves the Hulk' but I don't care. Little Timmy can bloody well wait for the dvd.

No they shouldn't have been allowed to disturb people to this extent. And yes there are parents who just don't care how much their children disturb others. But thankfully not everyone is like that.

I took my 6 year old to see it with her sisters 10 and 12 - I wouldn't tolerate that behaviour from her and she sat quietly through out (occasionally on my knee!)

Noeuf - obviously I meant I wouldn't take a child on the asd spectrum to the cinema if i thought they wouldn't enjoy it or wouldn't behave. I wouldn't take any child to the cinema if I thought they wouldn't enjoy it or behave!

But then I think the cinema is not a life-changing thing. We just don't go. I've taken 11yo dd once. And 8yo DS has been once at a party. They just don't like films. So we do other things as a family...

0x530x610x750x630x79 should Autistic children not go to the cinema then???

No, not if they are going to talk all the way through a film we have paid £30 to watch. OP, YANBU.

I've never told kids off directly, but that's because I can generally see their parents and really they are the ones who I would speak to if very young kids running riot.

Tbf, I think I've asked people to control their children once at a film (12A) where the poor kid was probably totally bored (and I have a cinema membership, so am there more than most). Like others, I accept that if I choose to see a family movie before 8pm, then I can't complain about kids being kids.

Having said that, the most noisy, inconsiderate arseholes I've come across in the cinema have been either adults or late teens. Usually adults, in that a hard start and a tut will shut up teens, but adults will boldly continue with their arsey ways.

Also weirdly, I did comment to an adult who had a bunch of kids who were occasionally quietly asking questions (wouldn't really have registered as very quiet), to which said adult was loudly performing the kids question and response to all the kids. Was totally weird.

I don't get cross if a child speaks and is then shushed by a parent...
I do get cross if a child (or an adult!) speaks and is then answered loudly by someone who then holds a conversation with them... Or ignores them so you then get 'dad? Dad? Daddy? DADDY?' For the next ten minutes

Just remembered a few years ago sitting in front of a mum and daughter, aged about 3. She kicked my seat the entire time and, the worst bit, tried twice to lean over the back of my seat and steal my maltesers from the packet!

There is no indication that the children mentioned in the op have asd.
Asd friendly screenings are meant to be for the comfort of people with asd eg not so dark, music not so loud. They are not meant to be havens for bad behaviour.