To want to never go to the cinema again?

[rmrf]

Every. Single. Time. I go to the cinema, there's at least one person who talks/texts/crunches through the film and generally does their best to ruin it for everyone. I usually feel too hesitant to say anything as they've already proven themselves lunatics who care not for others.

Last night it was LA LA Land. Absolutely brilliant, gorgeous film, ruined by some tosser who decided to loudly tap his foot throughout every musical number. He wasn't even in time.

I love watching films but AIBU to not spend any more money on going out to see them, because no one knows how to behave politely? We have Netflix, Google and Amazon video I suppose...

The constantly crunching and rustling, tapping on the phone and talking yes is annoying

But someone who has learning difficulties and shouting out excitedly? Unless we think some people should be excluded from society we should accept that on the odd occasion it might be slightly disruptive hardly a big deal when you look at the bigger picture

If it's a film I really want to see I am going to a cinema where there is no eating so I can enjoy the film without the background noise

My experience of the cinema in the states is that audiences react more so they will shout out clap whoop etc all very unBritish and very annoying

I don't mind paying more for a ticket so I can watch the film without the background noise

If it's a children's film I'm not so bothered but watching I Daniel Blake was somewhat spoilt by the noise of popcorn being eaten

We last went on Xmas eve. The place was dead. Just the three of us in the cinema. Until just before the film started, some weirdo came and sat right next to me.

Over 200 seats in the place and he sat RIGHT next to me! Who does that?!

Last film I want to see was Star Wars. It's loud! but even the bloody Death Star explosions were drowned out by the sound of crunching.
And the smell!

I give up.

There are some very sensitive snowflakes on here - seriously guys go when it's quieter!

It's not your fault if you don't like what someone is doing but if it's bothering you that much tell one of the managers.

I don't go to the cinema because I find people irritating in general

And I struggling to work out how you could hear food being eaten above the volume of a loud film!

YANBU. Twice I've tried to post a long rant about my recent experiences and twice mumsnet has frozen and lost it (why has it been SO SLOW the last 12hrs?), so I'll leave it at that!

I know.
I was surprised someone can outcrunch the Death Star but there we go.

Our cinema is usually pretty good, but I went to see a National Theatre broadcast of View From a Bridge which I had been really looking forward to. I'm an English teacher but was just going by myself to see a play I really wanted to see.

Yep: in the end, I had to get up, go over to the big group of school kids sniggering and chatting and using their phones, and tell them to shut up while the teacher supervising them was sitting behind them doing nothing

I was so furious. If I take my students to the cinema/theatre, I am on red alert for the whole production to make sure that they don't spoil it for the other people who have gone to see it by chatting or rustling sweet wrappers or getting their phones out.

We go to the autism screenings, some of you would probably implode. But you know what you're getting and my Des can wander to his hearts content.

But theatre behaviour is worse. My dd was in a school production. They were, as to be expected, quiet and you had to really concentrate in order to hear. People talked, rustled sweet papers and opened cans of pop all the way through. It was dreadful.

I hear you OP.

No it isn't 'jolly'. It's fucking annoying. In a children's film you expect a certain amount of noise but not in an adult film. Shut up for 2 hours.

Last film I want to see was Star Wars. It's loud! but even the bloody Death Star explosions were drowned out by the sound of crunching.

This was my experience last night, small cinema, quieter than the multiplex places. The rustling, my god! And the blokes sitting next to us were drinking beers (it's that sort of cinema) and must have got up to the loo at least 6 times, seriously poor bladder control. My 8 year old was better behaved than the adults. We take our own treats in Tupperware tubs, no rustling required. I however managed to embarrass myself by asking a question out loud at a quiet moment in the film. I thought it was in my head but no, just blurted it out .

OP, did you ask the foot tapper to stop?

I love going to the cinema. We tend to go once a film has been out for at least a week and sit in the side seats as there's little chance of strangers next to you. Often there's no one behind either (always book the front seats in row C or E so there's no one in front).

I don't see the need for constant eating at the cinema. Maybe this is why there's an obesity problem, because people are constantly grazing?

Agree with you OP. Went to see the Lion King yesterday in London. Amazed by the noise level of talking, crunching and rustling. Also had a running dialogue of child and grandparent behind us - child had no clue what was going on (and too young to understand really). Even my DD (aged 8) said that she found that annoying.

We stopped going because of people eating and talking. We did the same to pubs years ago because of the smoking and it was wonderful when they banned it and we could resume going out again. It would be nice if they banned eating and had staff in to stop talking/bad behaviour but I don't think it would be cost effective. We wait for them to come out now. Saves us £50 a pop I suppose but I do miss going to a big screen.

This is why I always go during the week and during the day. Far less people so less chance of being annoyed.

You know that some people just tap their feet as a habit?

Oh god.
I hate people's habits.

I must be lucky - my nearest cinema/plex thing has decent sized seats (plus bigger plushy seats for a bit extra). Leg room ok. Good sound if slightly loud at times.

Yes for a blockbuster it will be packed but communal sharing of the new big blockbuster is part of the experience with the odd cheer for the 'goodies' when they win out. Whilst all the phones/noise are busy through the ads they disappear when the film starts. I've rarely been disturbed at mainstream films. At smaller films its pretty quiet.

At the NT/Opera evening cinema broadcasts OTOH I've been driven nuts by people talking/commenting/rustling. These are always packed, older average audience than blockbusters. The last one I went to had some am dram pillock commenting on the casting all the way through.

I'd agree with PP who thinks behaviour at RoH/Theatres/Concert Halls seems to be worsening. Adults with mobile phones are my bug bear. Again though its mostly adults I've found annoying rather than children.

I know what you mean. When DH and I went to see Dr. Strange , there was about a dozen, if that, people in the cinema. All clustered in the one area. You could hear a pin drop. Anyway, this woman sat behind us, when not continually coughing throughout the film, she would also hysterically laugh ( loudly) whenever there was the slightest bit of humour in the movie. It was a very irrating laugh at that. Nobody else in the cinema laughed once. After all, we weren't watching a comedy. Bendydick would so much as sneeze and she would be in fits. But yeah usually it's people talking, giggling or chewing and slurping loudly like pigs.

I gave up going to gigs because I couldn't see the stage over the constant waving of phones filming.

I miss going to the first cinema screening on a Tuesday morning before work.

Why can people no longer sit still and shut up for a couple of hours?

I missed a good ten minutes of a film yesterday as my mind wandered to designing fabric snack bags for the cinema, business and marketing plan, going on Dragons Den...

About people using their phones in the cinema. I'm overseas now and we have an announcement before the film telling people to turn their phones off. Do you have those in the U.K.?

I have a son with physical (not verbal) tourettes. I have ulcerative colitis. Have you fucking idea what it's like for us to read this shit. I'm sitting here crying. You nasty, selfish fuckers that can't cope with people needing the lavatory or twitching for two hours of your little lives, whilst the rest of us have to cope with it, day in, day out only to discover that actually you'd rather we pissed off and didn't ruin your little outing.

Going to the pictures used to be a lovely experience.
I used to go to one of two independent single screen cinemas, where you could sit in the stalls or the balcony.
You could buy little tubs of ice cream from someone with one of those tray thingies, and then the curtain would swish open, the lights would go OFF so it was proper dark, and the film was played at a good volume.
Now, where I live, its multi plexes or nothing. You get your own ticket out of a self service machine (grrr) walk past the kiosks selling industrial sized buckets of popcorn and pop, then sit thru an hour of trailers.
The lights never go down completely, probably in case someone sues the cinema if they have a fall on the way to the loo, everybody rustles packets and they fill their faces with crap, and they wriggle and check their phones continually.
And the volume. Jesus. It's so loud it vibrates my fillings and makes me feel sick.
And the reason it's so so loud is because people don't know to be quiet anymore.
Or, as someone upthread pointed out, they DO know, but they are so inconsiderate that they don't give a shit about anyone else's enjoyment.
OP YANBU.
Also, its not fair to say to people "just get Netflix" and stay home.
I used to LOVE the cinema, and something I loved has been ruined forever.

I don't have much sympathy with this whinge at all.

Traditionally cinemas have always sold drinks, popcorn, ice-cream, so some rustling and slurping is to be expected (not like in theatres which don't sell popcorn, for example), especially with mega size as it really takes up the whole film to eat it! We always get popcorn and a drink, that's part of the fun of going altogether to the movies, especially to see a noisy action film or a children's film.

People have always chatted a bit during the trailers, they tell you specifically in the ads now to stop talking and stop texting when the main film comes on, and the films are exceptionally loud as well, so the whole experience is full on, if you want quiet and silence, cinemas are not for you.

Finally, people shouting out, for goodness sake, sometimes when you go out in public and sit with the public, they'll be people who make involuntary noises or a tiny bit inappropriate, suck it up! Why shouldn't they go and see Rogue One or whatever and really enjoy it. I go with someone who laughs too loud due to their brain cancer, I'm not giving up going out with them when if it matters so terribly much to you that someone doesn't laugh loudly you can stay home/get the DVD/wait til it's on Netflix/Amazon, which is extremely quickly these days.

The cinema is a social event and it's more popular than ever, so if you don't like it, stay home or host a 'fun' silent event round your own house where you can scowl at each other if anyone goes to the loo half way through or eats a crisp.