Why are people so gross in the cinema?

[Raffaelli]

Went to cinema yesterday, was great (though very expensive!). Was quite shocking seeing the mess after. Drink cups all over the floor. Popcorn EVERYWHERE. The majority of rubbish just left strewn all over the seats and the floor. I get it's dark and you might drop a bit of popcorn here or there, but it wasn't even a kids film so no children involved. What is it about the cinema that leaves people thinking it's OK to treat it so badly? There were plenty of bins and someone with a bag collecting rubbish from people at the end...

They ask you to leave rubbish behind and people take that as their cue to behave like pigs.

It's not a surprise though when you look at the state of the streets and some people's surroundings. People are filthy and lack pride.

I drive for 30 mins to an Everyman cinema to avoid this. They’re a different experience.

The same could be said for the oversized bucket drinks, and huge hog dogs. The last time I was at the cinema, I could just about hear the film, over the scrunching, and munching going on, around me.

I’m so lucky to have an Everyman local to me. It’s worth the extra money IMO

This! Why do people feel they can't just watch a film without stuffing their faces. Have you seen the size of those popcorn containers?

I guess the cinemas all encourage this because that is where they make their profits.

When the last Bond film came out DH and I went to the small local cinema to see it one afternoon. Just before it was due to start a whole class of teenagers were brought in by their teachers, class treat? Anyway they seemed to find their seats quite quickly and sat down. But then every last one of them decided they needed to get sweets and a drink. The refreshments in this cinema are sold near the screen door as you go in (one screen). Of course each of the kids was paying individually so they ended up delaying the start of the film until everyone had their popcorn and coke or whatever. 🙄

OP I was thinking of starting a similar thread. We went to the cinema on Friday evening. I haven’t been to the cinema for about three years. It was like the seventh circle of hell. Absolutely rammed with feral adults and their equally feral children. The floors littered with popcorn, nachos and ice cubes from the drinks machines and that was just the foyer.I thought OK it seems that most are heading into see Wicked? Is it a film for small children? I don’t know. Never mind.
So not a problem we are going in to see Conclave so it should be pretty sedate in there. Get in to the screen for our film. A gang of teenage girls sneak in as the film is starting, vaping and squawking at their phones. They are escorted out by ‘security’ (two young lads on minimum wage presumably). The poor staff in these places, the shit they must put up with.
We start to watch the film next to a couple. They decide that an audio description by them is required for the film. ‘Oh the Pope’s dead’, Oh that nun is coming along now’, Oh he’s going to speak to him now’. I put up with this for about 10 minutes until I finally say ‘can you please just be quiet’. In fairness they did shut up.
These were not kids who might be forgiven for not knowing how to behave but a couple in their sixties like myself and DH.
I just think people have lost their minds whether through Covid or what I don’t know. It’s as if no one knows how to behave in a reasonable manner in public anymore. My DH on the way home said ‘shall we just get a really big telly?’ That did make me laugh.

I've stopped going to the cinema as I just can't stand the talking, phones ringing, munching, smells, and slurping that goes on.

I just wait for the film to become available on Sky Cinema, Netflix, etc.... and watch it at home. The 'big cinema' experience has gone as far as I'm concerned. It's waaaay more enjoyable watching the film from my own sofa.

It’s the same at the theatre now as well. We go fairly regularly and it’s getting worse. It does depend on what the show is. I was disgusted after one show we went to the place looked like a bombsite.

The theatre is the same

Panto season is just starting. We have incredibly tight turnovers between shows. It means we have to clean up mountains of popcorn, ice cream, drinks cups, collect Booster Seats etc all very quickly

And it always looks like some kids had a popcorn fight

Do they tell you to put your feet all over the seats in front of you. I mean I've never worked in a cinema so I treat it like i do anywhere else I go. With respect. Oh I don't smear shit on toilet walls either but that is so common everywhere.

These were not kids who might be forgiven for not knowing how to behave but a couple in their sixties like myself and DH.
I just think people have lost their minds whether through Covid or what I don’t know. It’s as if no one knows how to behave in a reasonable manner in public anymore. My DH on the way home said ‘shall we just get a really big telly?’ That did make me laugh.

@CombatLingerie You are not alone.

I remember years ago when, in general, people were quiet when the main film came on. If they wanted to say something they whispered. People talking too loudly were asked to be quiet by the usherettes. The only times things got a bit unruly was a film where there were lots of kids, especially unaccompanied. I remember going to see Ghostbusters and that was pretty anarchic.

But these days they have the sound so loud that people feel they can just talk in a normal voice and rabbit away regardless. Can't decide whether it's cause and effect - do they have the sound so loud to drown out the bad behaviour or does it just encourage it?

I think this started before Covid.

We went to see Wicked yesterday, it was our first time at our local cinema and there was an announcement at the end of the film to leave our litter so staff could sort it for recycling. They did have a liquid station though where you could empty cups and bottles.

One of the many many reasons I do not go to the cinema, people talking, people eating like they are sticking their faces in a trough, phones on, up and down like yo-yos and to top it off its costs flipping fortune. Not sure what film is so good you’d pay for that experience, I did take my son to one of the apes movies recently ish and two teens in front of us were on their phones the entire time. Can’t be bothered with it I just pay to watch it at home then I can add subtitles (am deaf) and pause it etc the mess sounds horrible shame having to clean that up after people

Yes @Lemonade2011 I agree and I won’t be going back to the cinema anytime soon, I watched The Holdovers on Sky last night in blissful peace in my own lounge. Very good film by the way.

My nerves are always on edge at the cinema what with greedy, noisy eaters, slurping, rustling, the works! It’s so off putting. And then they leave the place like a bomb site, completely ill mannered. Just gross.

I went yesterday and also thought the same thing. It was a mess.

Yes, Evils, they're a lovely experience. I've been a member for a long time.

I live rurally so that 30 mins drive with parking is my nearest town (nearest anything really). You also get two for the price of one with a Times membership on a Wednesday evening. Which means I get two days to choose a free + one on instead of just Mondays.

Don’t they make most of their money on food.
The theatre is worse. I long for the time when you have to wait for the intermission for toilet breaks. Now it’s constant up down up down.

I work in a cinema and yes it amazes me too. Why buy food if you are going to throw it on the floor. Plus most rows are inaccessible with a hoover so you are down on the floor with a dustpan and brush. The things I've found would turn your stomach. I've taught my children to pick up their rubbish and take it to the bin and they do. Sometimes we only have a few minutes between films to clean up, it's impossible really but we do our best for the next lot of customers.

People’s scruffiness and lack of care happens everywhere.

Driving in a car, finish your bottle of water. People wind down windows and chuck bottle out. Why can’t they wait until they get to their destination or stopping en route (petrol station, supermarket) and put bottle in a bin there?

I always worry about mice. Running over my feet while I'm watching the film. I mean, the crap left behind would feed an army of mice, and they must be in cinemas.

People ARE gross. I always wonder what their homes are like. I was on a flight last week and walking through the plane afterwards to disembark, the mess in some seat areas was unbelievable. I'd be so ashamed to leave somewhere like that. Food crushed into carpets, rubbish, dirty tissues, I saw a pair of well used socks left wedged in an arm rest. The reason I left the gym after 18 years and invested in my own home equipment is because people are so disgusting. Watching someone pick their nose and wipe the contents on a machine was the last straw.

Nah. The rats ate all the mice

YANBU, but I find there’s a big difference based on the type of film, sadly.

The Everyman sounds a great concept. Yet my nearest one is Brum.