Fight in the cinema 🥺

[Usernamqwerty]

I just left a cinema film a few minutes early because a fight broke out between two women. One of them kept getting her phone out and a woman behind her got very upset, got up and said she was complaining to the manager to get her removed if she didn't put it away. Another woman stood up and said she was going to punch the 'complaining' woman in the face and then went for her! I grabbed my coat and ran out... I had a traumatic upbringing and can't be around violence. I am still shaking...

Anyone else had this happen? Cinema is in a rough area about 30 minutes drive from home. Been there with DH loads of times but during the day 😣.

I’m sorry you’ve experienced this. Last time I went to the cinema, a bunch of teenagers in the back started launching silly string into the air, a bloke slipped on it when he was going out to find someone to complain to, banged his head and he was knocked out. Haven’t been back since.

As I get older I am increasingly fed up of boorish, classless, entitled behaviour. You see it everywhere. Bad drivers cutting you off, people throwing rubbish, talking in the cinema. So selfish.

I would have left too OP. Any sign of conflict and I'm off. Hope you're ok. I didn't go to the cinema for years because of things like this, now my son is ten it's his absolute favourite treat so me and DH take turns to take him.

One of the last times I went to cinema with my friend, we watched a person unpack a whole picnic from their bag to eat.

The maddest part about it was that they had a big, family-sized pack of crumpets - you know the type that are rubbery and a bit grim unless you toast them? They munched their way through the full pack of cold, rubbery untoasted crumpets - plain - while we just watched, fascinated 😂😂

As a student I used to work in a cinema in the cinema. The late show on Saturday nights was the worst. Get a lot of homeless in to keep warm and drunks (it was cheap back then). More often than not someone would defecate in the back seats. And also back then, there were no hazmat suits, there was a bag, a pair of rubber gloves, a bucket and a sponge. Fun times.

If you feel able and saw enough to be a witness, let the cinema know. I hope the police were involved.

Not had this myself, however my choice of films is often not what would be termed mainstream.

There is at least one person who used to go to Curzon Bloomsbury with a whole picnic in Tupperware, and spread it out on a cloth! Weird but actually not disruptive (it wasn’t noisy food), so no problem at all with them doing it. Just a bit strange…

Not been to the cinema for ten years

No intention of ever going back

It’s gotten worse because these types of people KNOW that there is no consequences for behaving as they please.

There’s no job that they are worried about being fired from. And IF there is one, it’s a minimum wage one they don’t care about and were forced into by the job centre .

There’s no family or friends around them to be appalled by their behaviour, they all share the same (complete lack of) values. They may even have been egging them on.

Theres no police around, and on the occasion there is they already know they are practically untouchable. They are more than happy to hit/spit at/assault the police too. Nothing is a punishment to them. Prison is a joke.

Not sure what the answer is but it’s so sad to see these children in schools.

It doesn’t matter what ‘pastoral’ care is being provided, teachers can’t mitigate for the environment these kids are being brought up in, it’s impossible. Parents at home that view the school as an antagonist, trying to get in the way of their ‘fun’. Very very few escape to a normal-ish life.

And by the time they are in secondary it’s too late, it’s built in. They are the children making every teacher/other students life a misery.

I have not been to a cinema since before Covid. Hubby and I used to like going to the pictures occasionally but we were often amazed and annoyed by the selfish behaviour of some of the audience. People scrolling on their smartphones, phones ringing and even being answered, and others sitting near you having conversations, or bickering, to cite a few. Cinema seats are not cheap so it amazed us that some people did not come to watch the film.

After hearing some of the stories my son told me when he worked in Vue and Odeon, I’m never going again.

Spot on Newtonsnipple

I used to be a bit woolly and go out of my way to try and understand why some people behave the way they do, look for reasons and mitigations as to why that person is kicking off in the super market, the playground, cinema, on the bus etc, why can't they abide to basic societal codes if conduct, why are they treating staff and other members of the public like shit despite polite attempts to resolve or calm a situation down. I was very much 'walk a mile in their shoes' school of thought. Eventually, despite over thinking and over analysing all the potential socio economic reasons for said behaviours I eventually ended up subscribing to Occam's razor theory insofar as the most simplest reason, they are cunts.

I think cinemas need to take more action on this.

They could have a clip before the film which states unacceptable behaviour. They do this at Picture House in quite a nice way (e.g. turn off your phone, pointing out that the light is also distracting, etc) but maybe it needs to be a bit more like 'X Y Z behaviour will not be tolerated in this cinema', especially in some of the rougher areas in Odeon/ Vue etc.

It's a shame to have to watch something like that if you're having a nice night out, but in areas where it's a problem I think cinemas need to do something.

A lot of people who are disruptive really sadly don't know how to behave in a space like a cinema. It's always been an issue but does seem to be getting worse, it's a symptom of modern life.

Some people are getting more selfish and entitled. Growing up if someone shushed you in the cinema, you were very embarrassed, said sorry and stopped whatever you were doing. These days you'd get told to eff off.

Pretty sure Odeon run a 'turn off your phone etc' clip prior to the film starting?? Anyway, as alluded to above, most cinema workers are pretty young and on minimum wage. It is unreasonable to expect them to police a bunch of loud disruptive arseholes who will see any challenge to their entitled behaviour as a reason to escalate things further.

I am lucky that I have a small independent cinema near me, it costs a few quid more but it is a nice small auditorium, big comfy armchair seats with tables and a bar etc. Generally speaking people are pretty well behaved but equally they don't really show Transformers 9 or Fast and the Furious 16 type of films which helps I guess. I stopped going to the chain cinemas due to much of the behaviour already mentioned here, you just end up disappointed.

Cinemas are.noy compatible with British "society" in 2023.

Completely agree. I won't be setting foot in one again. The nasty incident I mentioned above was in a posh cinema during a screening of Victoria and Abdul, of all things. Hardly the kind of screening you'd expect to find feral, drugged up teenagers abusing people in. I felt physically unsafe.

@DanseAvecLesLoups

It really doesn't take films like Fast and Furious or Transformers to attract the people who misbehave at cinemas. It happens in all sorts of films.

I went to see Downton Abbey in the cinema, two older ladies in their seventies sat directly behind us and were an absolute pain!! They were extremely loud, shouting over the dialogue about what they thought was going to happen, if anything funny happened they would shriek with over the top laughter.

It completely spoiled it.

At kiddies films, such as Moana, Sing, Toy Story etc, you get unruly toddlers that parents can't be bothered to do anything about. They are sat on their phones.

I went to see Lyle Lyle Crocodile recently, We had two teenage girls behind us who were a nightmare. Kicking out seats, being really loud and talking over the dialogue, just spoiling it. I normally do say something, so after about an hour I turned around and said "Can you be quiet please!" Really sternly and they said Ok and they actually shut up. But it spoiled the film really as I felt annoyed about it.

Just to reassure those of you who will never again enter a ‘rough area’ to go to a cinema, or won’t go unless accompanied by a 6’2” man, I live in an area of S London often condemned as not leafy enough by MNers and go the cinema roughly once a week.

And have never encountered a fight, or anything worse than slightly over-enthusiastic popcorn munching or fumbling attempted-discreet peek at phone.

Horrible experience OP, but I don’t think it is the norm in quiet time film showings, and I wouldn’t let it put you off if you usually enjoy going.

I only go to our local posh cinema now as I get so angry at the ignorant behaviour in mainstream cinemas.

The last time I went to one people in front were chatting through the adverts (fine) then through opening credits (irritating but not dealbreaker) then at the start of the film (totally unacceptable). I leaned forward and in my best terrifying voice said 'shut the fuck up, I didn't pay to hear you talking' They looked terrified 'one of them commented "fuck I would t want to meet her in dark alley!" I just don't think they expected it from a sensible looking middle aged woman.

Did the trick though, they shut up. My DH sitting next to me was enthralled, appalled and proud 😬😂

The worst I ever saw was about 6 years ago in a so called nice area of Dublin. After the trailers and adds when most people went quiet to watch the film there was continuous noise / a row at the back row - I was about two rows in front of them. I kept looking back trying to shame them into shutting up. Next thing this woman (30ish) gets up and stomps down the stairs and right behind her comes a man (60's) and he pushes her down the stairs so hard that he knocked her out. Police and ambulance had to be called and the film cancelled.

I was asked to be a witness and two years later the case was to come to court but it ended up being settled. It transpired that it was a row over seats but that one couple (not sure which) had turned up on the wrong night. The reason it was settled was because the woman who was pushed down the stairs had thrown a drink on this man's wife first (which was considered to be assault) and he then pushed her down the stairs. This way neither of them would have a record. The whole thing was insane.

Pretty sure Odeon run a 'turn off your phone etc' clip prior to the film starting??

They do but I mean I think they need to identify areas where there are particular issues with antisocial behaviours, and in those cinemas it needs to have a slightly different tone saying "Antisocial behaviour in the cinema will not be tolerated and you will be asked to leave". They need to be a bit more forceful and clear about what is and isn't OK. It's sad and lowers the tone of a nice evening, but I think that's what's needed.

This is all well and good when as you say you're at your local "posh" cinema. Lucky you who can afford that, though.

You'd be stupid to do this in the local Odeon in a rougher area of the country and likely to get punched.