SMALL CHILDREN AND CINEMA ETIQUETTE

[willow2]

I would just like to point out, in a rant sort of way, that if you were one of the parents who took their young children to see Ice Age 2 at Richmond, yesterday afternoon, and, when they got bored as young children are want to do, you decided that, rather than taking them out of the cinema, you would let them run up and down the aisles...

YOU RUINED THE FILM FOR EVERYONE ELSE.

It cost me £22 to take my son and his friend to this film, for their special half term treat. We expected to be able to watch it for that money. But oh no. For some reason, you seemed to think that, because this was a family film, it gave your family the right to run riot.

Talk about stupid hippys.

I've taken ds to the movies a lot, but only to parent and preschooler showings. He has sat still and watched the movie. He got a bit irritated by Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy so I just gave him more food.

I live in Kazakhstan, and here people DON"T switch their mobiles off in the cinema.. So every few seconds someone's mobile goes and they have the whole phone conversation!

It's really annoying!

On the other hand, the kids sit completely still and are quite well behaved

A couple of months ago I went to the cinema with my boys.We were sat happily waiting for the film to start,when a family with about 3 kids,holding helium filled balloons sat in front of us.That was annoying enough but once the film had started one kid,let go of it's balloon,it floated to the ceiling casting a large shadow over the screen.
One of the staff came in with a ladder and had to climb up to get the balloon.All while everyone was trying to watch the film.

How stupid are some parents!!!

That's classic.

I haven't taken dd1 yet as I think she is too young at 3.6yrs. Also is a bit of a softy and I think it would be too loud!

Ages ago, me and dh went to see a film with Mila Somebodyorother in, forget the name, and there was a proper fight in the aisle! Fists and everything. God knows what was going on.

I hate people that eat smelly food behind you with their mouths open.

When I took DS to see Chicken Little the other day I was asked by the manager if we minded watching it with the full house lights on because there was a family with young twins who were scared of the dark!!!

they should have stayed outside then and watched it through the chink in the doors

We went to see Chicken Little, dd got bored, we left - common courtesy for other viewers.
I get so annoyed when dh and I go to cinema to watch a 12A film - this was probably the most annoying thing they could have brought upon us - always full of adults who want to watch the film more than their kids and appear to take the limitations too far i.e. bringing BABIES to the film that can barely see the screen let alone follow the story. The kids are so bored, I've seen some fall asleep on the floor! And on some occassions, they just run riot up and down the stairs. We'd never dream of taking our dd (2.9) to a film she would have no interest in just so we can see it, nor would we stay if our dd got fidgety and running around. What are those people thinking!?
Rant over...

Just a slight point to add to this debate.
We went to Ice Age 2 today, the film time was listed as 12.40,we realised that wasn't the 'real' time, so asked at the box office.. was told the film started at 12.55.
It actually started at 1.15!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is it any wonder kids play up?

just wanted to add to this topic- I am glad someone else has brought it up in the past.
Took dd to the cinema last week over half term and had a thouroughly dreadful experience.
feel like a monday morning rant BTW
several things really bothered me:
1 the woman behind me with a 9 month old baby who described the plot of the film throughout at normal speaking level( not a wisper)to the baby
2 the dad who trooped past us with 5 children under 5 then back again to get seat boosters for all of them and then when the film started he left them on their own for the film while asking me to 'keep an eye on them love'.He vanished before i could say anything.
3 kids running up and down the aisle throughout
4 fistling of giant crisp packets( why do they sell crisps at the bloody cinema?)
5 the usher people( students of 15-19) laughing at me when i complained in a nice way- 'its a matinee mrs- your always going to get noisy kids'
i could go on , but you will be delighted to hear that this afternoon cost over £20 not including the bucket that was passed round for 'children in need' before the film was over.