To wish people could sit through a film without stuffing their faces

[user1485342611]

No problem with people having a bar of chocolate, or quietly eating some popcorn. But people who spend half the film guzzling and slurping and chewing and munching and rustling through paper bags and stinking the place out with greasy hot dogs and stinking nachos drive me mad.

AIBU and trying to deprive people of the full 'cinema experience'?

I am sure I replied to a thread like this a few months ago!

I have NEVER heard anyone eat anything in a cinema other than myself because the teeth are in my own head!

Totally agree OP. But then my worst is people coughing in films or at the theatre. Obviously I know IABVU but it enrages me. If someone has a persistent cough in the cinema, in my head I'm screaming: FGS get a bloody STREPSIL!

Good job that since I had DC I can seldom get to the cinema, what with the cost of babysitters.

I dream of a food-free cinema without the rustles, crunching, slurping etc. Also, which antisocial bastard thought noisy stinking nachos were an appropriately considerate snack to sell in a cinema?

I ALWAYS seem to sit in front of noisy people at the cinema. Happens every time! My heart just sinks when I hear people sit behind me and they start chatting loudly and rustling bags of food

It doesn't bother me at all. People behind you banging their feet on your chair, drives me bonkers.

This drives me round the fucking bend.

People just don't seem to understand that you don't behave in the same way in a cinema as you would in your own home. Feet up on the seats, chomping and slurping through food, talking at full volume...

This is now happening in theatres too, and at theatre prices it's just infuriating.

I run an independent/community cinema and we are the kind of place where people don't tend to eat during the films, the exceptions being when we show younger-skewing films (popcorn) or operas (packed lunches and even a roast dinner once).

Our main income is from ticket sales but we do appreciate when people buy an ice cream or coffee while they are visiting.

Distributors charge a lot more than they used to for films so with big films they could be taking 60% of the ticket price. It used to be 30-40%. Plus there are film transport costs, performing rights charges etc.

The big chains like Everyman/Picturehouse do centre their appeal on food and drink more, with the film secondary to the "experience". They do it well though and lots of people like it.

Personally I like the quiet of my Cinema but I'm not averse to munching popcorn if I'm at a Vue and it doesn't bother me if others are.

The best part of going to movies is the popcorn!!! I'll literally see anything as long as I can chill & eat popcorn for 2 hours :)

The OP says she has no problem with people quietly eating popcorn.

I couldn’t care less if everyone around me at the cinema wants to stuff themselves to death with popcorn. But when they constantly burrow their hands into the tub and rustle loudly it’s infuriating

I hate the cinema. Not for the reasons outlined above (people generally suck. This is not news), but because I don't see the point. It's not a night out. It is watching a giant TV in a great big public living room. I can (and do) quite literally do exactly that at home. I don't understand the appeal at all.

My DH loves the cinema and despairs at my stance.

May be depends where you go? I go to an art house cinema and mostly people are quietly sipping coffee / wine - not a nacho in sight!

I totally agree OP but sadly the obsession with food and urge to constantly fill one’s face is one of the causes of this country’s obesity crisis. Food has become so socially ingrained in our culture I swear 99% of people nowadays are orally fixated

I think it’s got ridiculous what people eat at the cinema. Massive buckets of popcorn and cheesy chips and hot dogs and massive drinks. Highway to obesity. Convinced sound is loud so you can hear over the munching. I hate it even more at theatre when people start eating sweets etc they have brought in. I didn’t pay ££££ to hear them. That’s why there is something called an interval in the theatre. It’s an eve out not a night in at home. Stay home if you want to munch!!!

It is one of my biggest hates in the world. Noisy and smelly food should be banned from the cinema. As should talking during the film. It makes me want to punch people.

YABU the nearest cinema to me actually serves full meals to people whilst they are watching the film. You get sofas with a little table on the side and they deliver your food to you with torches.

I think its quite fun tbh... now days people want a full activity because they can just watch films at home any time.... the cinema needs to be something extra special and people want to make a night of it.
I think cinemas that make the most money now days cater to this.

I love horror films but hate seeing them at the cinema as there are often groups of loud teenagers in the audience being obnoxious and screaming loudly

Someone got out of their seat to tell us off for eating popcorn at the start of a film. We were munching reasonably discretely during the noisier sections (in fact this happened during the jungle warfare section). If I'd have had the presence of mind, I would've suggested waiting till it came out on DVD...

Not too keen on cooked food smells though....

I remember one time about 5 years ago someone got a group of teens kicked out during a film as they kept setting off a farting app on their phone and screaming with laughter

I'm with Teal People can't seem to go five minutes without eating or drinking. I haven't been to the cinema since Braveheart cos I just cannot bloody stand it!

Purplerain

We went to the cinema recently (I only went because I couldn’t wait to see the film) and chose a 3pm viewing. I was amazed at how many people were eating ‘000s of calories of nachos, hot dogs etc at that time of day!

If you wan’t to male a night of it, then effing well go for a meal before or after going to see the film, rather than doing both at once!

Purplerain- I would be joining in with them or laughing my head off (I’m a very immature 40 year old). I love the whole eating through a movie thing. It’s part of the experience and whilst I hate listening to people crunch their food loudly at home I actually don’t mind it one bit at the flicks.

Hot dogs & nachos were definitely an unnecessary addition to available snacks at the cinema. Really smelly food is anti social.

I don’t mind people eating other things, I don’t expect them to be silent, but I do expect them to be considerate. An expectation too far though, apparently! It’s no so much the noise, as the lack of consideration, that drives me batshit.

I’m a ‘bucket of popcorn’ kind of girl, but I eat it quietly & considerately.

I only go to the movies once or twice a year because of all the annoyances listed throughout this thread. Usually I sneak in a water bottle filled with Cabernet and settle in to enjoy the film. The last time I went was to see "Hidden Figures," paid nearly $20 USD for premium/reserved seats, and was next to a couple who spent the entire time surfing on their smartphones. I kept shooting them looks, so they sat lower in their seats and partially covered the glow of their phones with their outerwear, but who spends $40 to spend the entire time on their mobile? Insane!