• Film Forum, New York: No one under 6 admitted (though this policy is relaxed if a family-friendly title is shown).
• AMC Theatres: No one under 6 after 6 PM, except for G and some PG titles. (Snow Day, yes; Runaway Bride, no.)
• Destinta Theatres, New Windsor NY: No one under 10 after 6:30 PM, unless accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. The adult must sit with the child throughout the film. This policy is per a sign posted at the theater entrance on 7/5.
• Cinemark Country Club Plaza 14, Kansas City MO: Children 6-16 must be accompanied by a parent attending the same feature. Children under 6 not admitted. This policy went into effect 7/4; it drew a picket line yesterday and news of the picket line made the Associated Press wire. The Country Club Plaza 14 has also banned all G and PG titles per the AP story. (Terminator 3, yes; Finding Nemo, no.)

quote:

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Warning: turn off all cellphones and pagers or put them into silent mode. Do not take phone calls in the auditorium. Violators of these rules will be immediately ejected from the theater without refund. These rules are not negotiable and are enforced with a 100% no-tolerance policy.

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Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 07-06-2003, 06:22 PM:
 
I dislike other people's children. I wish they didn't bring them to the movies. But I also feel that negative signs promote negative feelings.

I wish I had Cry Rooms. But Cry Rooms can also promote bad behavior.

I like the policy of restricting "R" rated films with a no children under 6 policy. I also don't mind AMC's policy. But ultimately it comes down to parental responsibility and personal responsibility.

I am not your mother.

Right now with two "G" rated and Two PG-13 Rated films on hand; I don't feel like restricting children at all, they are a sizable percentage of our audience.
 

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Posted by Nicholas Roznovsky (Member # 861) on 07-06-2003, 08:25 PM:
 
Honestly, most of the 0-12 year-olds we get in the evenings are far better behaved than the 13-18 year-olds...

I think the ability to enforce such policies depend greatly on the market. If one's in a large urban area with a market for such an establishment, more power to them. I don't think such a policy would fly in a lot of smaller towns though. I know it certainly wouldn't in some of the markets we serve.
 

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Posted by William T. Parr (Member # 677) on 07-06-2003, 10:30 PM:
 

quote:

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And for some damned reason it seems like many of the parents think it is just joyous for their kid to act up.

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We had that very thing happen the 1st weekend the Hulk was in my theatre. We had a lady and her kid in there. The kid was crying and screaming and the lady would not remove the kid from the theatre. Finally, someone came out and complained. When Management went in to remove the lady, she popped of with "I paid my fucking $5.50 to see this movie and I am not leaving." After she was forced out of the auditorium with the threat of having the police come remove her, she turned it into we were being racist and discrimanation claim because she and her kid were both black. Give me a break I am so sick and tired of hearing minority people use discrimination as a grounds for them and thier kids to act like a bunch of Jackasses in public without anything being said or happening to them. Get a Life.
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 07-06-2003, 11:12 PM:
 
Hats off to the Senator! If I was to ever be in a position to make such a rule at a theater, I could copy that policy exactly.
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 07-06-2003, 11:31 PM:
 
I think people with their little sniveling, crapping, burping, crying, whining brats should be charged 5 times the adult ticket price. AND, if there are such individuals in the theatre, ALL other patrons should receive a 50% discount on their ticket price or given a free pass for a later showing. That would at least be fair to all the other patrons that have to endure the "pleasure" of the inconsiderate parent and their love child!

It is ANNOYING to ALL patrons when some F*CKING idiot parent thinks JR is meant for EVERYONE to enjoy his self-expression Horse Sh!t!

This rule should apply to airlines and restaurants as well!

Have a nice day,

>>> Phil
 

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Posted by R. Andrew Diercks (Member # 1725) on 07-06-2003, 11:48 PM:
 
I agree whole heartedly that children can ruin a movie for many, but some of your opinions of children are frightening. I hope you're not parents. I think PARENTS are the problem. They are the ones that should be punished. I have a 4 year old boy that loves movies and has a longer attention span than most adults. He has been to many movies and knows how to act. To suggest that all children under 6 can't is a sad display of american parenting. I know not to take my daughter to movies with an audience because she doesn't have the same attention span. I would much rather have young children than 13 year olds in my theatre.

I also think that with some movies you need to expect a certain audience. Like Finding Nemo for instance, there will be kids there, deal with it. If they are overly loud ask them to leave. Sinbad will be bad because it can't hold anyones attention. Besides all of this, kids raise my concession per cap by a ton, I can't live without them.
 

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Posted by Christopher Duvall (Member # 284) on 07-07-2003, 12:31 AM:
 
Funny this thread came up this week. As William had happen to him, I had a very simialar incident. I had a complaint from the Italian Job about noisy children. Upon investigation, I see 6 adults and 2 children in the same row. The kids were about 2 and 4 years old and they were running back and forth in the row screaming loudly. I went to one of the adults that picked up the younger child and asked him if he could take the children to the lobby until the calmed down. He turned to me and in a matter of fact tone said "Fuck you, I paid for my tickets." After about 4 seconds of trying to wipe the shock from my face I demanded the he and the children step in to the lobby right away. He again went on with the profanity. I eventually had all of them out when I signaled to my ushers and managers that followed me into the theatre. As they were exiting the 3 "men" were boasting that they are going to kick my ass and take on my entire crew. The profanities increased once I had them in the lobby and as the casino security blacklisted them from ever coming back. I swear there needs to be a breeding license for people. The "adults" had no right to have children by the way they were carrying on. However, when I do have these problems, I do love my relationship with the casino and their security force. These guys are almost like having a real police force on hand all the time.
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 07-07-2003, 12:40 AM:
 
We do not allow children under 13 into our auditoriums without an accompanying adult, who must attend the same show (conspicuously posted at ticket counter). We don't have a lot of trouble with this policy (the benefits have outweighed the challenges). It's been in place since we opened. However, when we do have a problem, the offending adult usually would rather give us a raft about the policies under which we've chosen to run our business, rather than accept that we really did mean what the sign said. We have the same issues with the "no outside food and drink" sign on our doors!

quote:

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After she was forced out of the auditorium with the threat of having the police come remove her, she turned it into we were being racist and discrimanation claim because she and her kid were both black. Give me a break I am so sick and tired of hearing minority people use discrimination as a grounds for them and thier kids to act like a bunch of Jackasses...

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Hmmmm.... thought I was the only one that had to deal with that crap. It's almost universally the first response we get when dealing with this problem. Not that it makes much difference, but I usually invite them to note the ethnic makeup of my staff as they leave the theatre (over 70% are minority, and are generally my best employees at that location).
 

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Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 07-07-2003, 02:18 AM:
 
"In America, there are two classes of travel -- first class, and with children."
-- Robert Benchley

[ 07-07-2003, 03:32 AM: Message edited by: William Hooper ]
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 07-07-2003, 02:30 AM:
 
i think problems like these would be largely solved if theaters would stop admitting toddlers for free. that's just asking for trouble. i don't believe in age discrimination and i think people of any age who can behave in the theater should be admitted. if everyone has to pay, then only those who intend to get something out of the film will attend. the theater is not a babysitter. sure, poor judgements will still be made, and should be dealt with case by case. i do believe in childrens' rates, and think they should apply up to age 25, after which the senior discount should apply. seeing a film is too damn expensive!

carl
 

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Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 07-07-2003, 09:05 AM:
 
I'll have to admit as a parent of a 3 year old... he has NO place in an indoor theatre for several more years. His attention span just isn't long enough.....yet.

I took him to the Regal/Imax at Oprymills earlier in the year to see Lion King and it was nuts!! There were only maybe 12 people including us in the whole theatre, but my rug rat wouldn't sit still. He tried out all of the seats in our row, and moved all of the armrest/cupholders up and down on every single seat in our row, and was a general terror for almost two hours. He was quiet though if that helps any?

He and his brother have their own 12' x 12' "room with a view" at our new drive-in, so hopefully that will keep them appeased till they're old enough to feed the corn in the popper.
 

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Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 07-07-2003, 03:08 PM:
 
I like the "no children under 6" rule for 8:00pm and beyond. Not because it keeps "those damn brats" out, but because I have seen far too many irresponsible parents dragging their 4 and 5 year olds to stuff like "The Core" or "Phone Booth" at 9:45 when the poor kids are barely awake!! Yeah, they'll be quiet, up until they start whining to go home because it's way past bedtime and Mom & Dad just HAD to see that movie...

For midnight shows, there should be an 18+ rule. Mainly because teens and pre-teens think, "Ooh! We can cause trouble here until at least 2am!"

=TMP=
 

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Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 07-07-2003, 04:06 PM:
 
Las Vegas security people are not to be screwed with! After woring late on a projector in a casino, I sat down at the bar for a refreshment and to enjoy the scenery - about 4AM. Three shots drew my attention to the nearby poker compound where the security guards had interrupted a man trying to rob a table. Some curtains were quickly erected around his corpse (really quickly - maybe 2 minutes), the police came in a hurry, then the coroner or whoever that removed the body, then maintenance came and cut out the bloody carpet and replaced it. All over without a trace in about 45 minutes.
I walked into another casino with a friend and his companion, and in about 1 minute a security guy came and spoke to the woman. She said we had to leave as she was banned. I was fairly amazed that with the thousands walking in daily from many entrances they picked her out.
 

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Posted by Christopher Duvall (Member # 284) on 07-08-2003, 03:13 AM:
 
I have worked with those guys here. They have brought great looking color printouts of culprits that have stolen posters out of my poster cases. Those printouts were from the security camers throughout the casino. Funny thing is that the ones that run the camera room are unknown by EVERYBODY. Only the head of security knows who they are. These guys are in street clothes when they enter. They have secret entrances to the casino that not even the GM of the casino knows about. He doesn't even know who they are. Whenevery the head of security needs to talk to me about our routine setup for dealing with the Friday night punk kids, he has the camera guy track me down when I enter the building. It can be a bit un-nerving at times.
 

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Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 07-08-2003, 02:54 PM:
 
Yep, the Senator has a good policy. When my project is up and going all seats will be the same price. If I can I will include a cry room.
 

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Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 07-08-2003, 03:02 PM:
 
I have a problem with Cinemark's policy. Restricting children up to 16 can't be good. I know that some kids that age can be a pain in the ass, but their parents are not going to want to watch 90% of the films that their kids want to see, so you are not only going to lose those admissions, those kids are going to be less likely, when the grow up, to go to the show as often as kids who were able to go to the show more often when they were younger.

Basically, I don't think that the policy is good for the long term growth, or even sustainment, of the industry.
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 07-08-2003, 03:53 PM:
 
Daryl, you are correct. Cinemark must have given plenty of warning to the local press but not the public. Also, putting that policy into effect on the 4th of July -- when kid flicks do substantial business -- was sure to cause major embarrassment. All this in the city where AMC has its headquarters!

Cinemark said it was going to add more arty product to the Country Club Plaza 14. As per the Cinemark website that theater has no arthouse titles this week and one starting Friday.
 

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Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 07-08-2003, 05:20 PM:
 
We frequently allow those with babes in arms to go to the balcony (which is usually closed) where they can rock, chatter and feed the baby without disturbing others, even a little light crying isn't audible to the audience below. They're happier and so is the rest of the audience.
 

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Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 07-09-2003, 04:27 AM:
 
I can think of two particularly annoying cinema experiences I had as a result of young kids in the auditorium, with parents that seemed oblivious to the disturbance their 'little angels' were causing.

First one - watching Fantasia (a matinee showing) - when I myself was not yet a teenager. The kid sitting directly behind me was not only far too young to have enough attention span for animation set to classical music, thus constantly asking his mother questions about 'the story', but also had a cold, and didn't attempt to cover his mouth / nose when coughing / sneezing.
Yeah, just what I wanted, little kid snot & boogers in my hair.

Second instance - watching 'The Contender'. At the start of the feature (a 9-something showing), all adults in the auditorium, though not too many in total. One couple was sitting at the back of the front half of the auditorium, the rest of us (less than a dozen if I recall it correctly) sat in the back half. Well, the couple up front had their two children in another auditorium, watching something more appropriate for their ages (somewhere from 5 to 10), which of course, ended much sooner than 'the Contender'. So, the kids' feature being over, the kids decided to frequently dash in and out to whine at their parents, loudly, with complaints ranging from boredom to hunger to a desire to play the arcade games but they were turned off...
And yes, I was enough of a wench to vent (to a manager, along with the friend who endured the annoyance with me) how frustrating I felt it had been to watch the last third of the feature with children running in and out to pester parents who obviously didn't think to check on running times before deciding when to bring the kids to the cinema - as this couple & their obnoxious spawn were walking towards the lobby & were well within earshot.
 

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Posted by Steve Anderson (Member # 364) on 07-09-2003, 01:42 PM:
 
I remember when cry rooms were common in most theaters.

I once attended a birthday party at a theater which had a party room ( complete with 4 small rows of theater seats ) It was located at the back of the theater( next to the booth ) It was so cool!
 

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Posted by Adam Fraser (Member # 1074) on 07-09-2003, 02:48 PM:
 
Cry rooms are good if you have someone to monitor them. We have one and it has to be watched fairly closely b/c people think that because it is private that they can do whatever they want iin it. For example, about a year ago a lady brought her little kid in there and when at the end of the show she left and we went to check it out it looks as if she dumped out the 130 oz popcorn and a bunch of candy on the floor and let the kid treat it as a playpen, popcorn and candy ground into the floor, smeared on the windows and all the seats needing to be cleaned. It is good to have the cry room so it can be viewed by the employees during the show or people will treat it badly. Overall it has been good though as we try to check in on the cry room a few times per show. Make sure to lock your cry room when not in use, otherwise customers treat it as a private make out room also.
 

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Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 07-10-2003, 11:03 PM:
 
Here in Las Vegas, this issue has come up more than any of the other 29 markets I have worked in. I think that as an industry, along with the MPAA, a plan should be developed in regards to this situation.
 

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Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 07-13-2003, 01:16 AM:
 
Here is how I see it...

G - All Ages at Any Time
PG - No one under 6
PG-13 - No one 6 - 11 without parent throughout viewing
R - No one 12 - 16 without parent throughout viewing
NC-17 - Forget about it....

No one under 6 after 8:00 pm
No one 6 - 11 after 9:00 pm
No one 12 - 17 after 10:00 pm without parent

In the case of the 10:00 pm if the show is going to start before 10:00 but end after 10:00, a parent must be there for the viewing.

This is a SLIGHT departure from my earlier wants and desires, but I think this fits pretty well.

Dave
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 07-14-2003, 11:12 PM:
 
Anyone watch the Dan Rather news tonight (7/14)? They had a story on a Leows theatre in NYC that has an 11:00 AM set of matinees on Tuesdays where they CATER to moms with babies. They showed the auditorium playing "Legally Blonde 2" and I don't know how anyone heard ANY of the movie sound, with all the baby-related mayhem in there.

People changing their kids' diapers on the lobby floor. Yecch.

They even offer "valet parking" for strollers.

I heard a report on the same thing on XM a few days ago (on the CNBC channel). All the baby racket from the soundbites got so annoying I had to change stations.

Supposedly Leows is doing this in several locations...anyone here work at one?

I guess it's a good thing if it keeps the little nippers out of the regular shows.
 

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Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 09-03-2003, 02:54 AM:
 
The Parkway (a cinema pub) in Oakland has Baby Brigade night for the prime show every Monday night and it has quite a following. They just turn the sound up. I accidently went to see a movie once on baby bridage night. It was quite an experience. Sort of like the neighborhood dogs. One starts barking, er crying, and then another one picks it up, as the first one quiets down another one starts. The crying moves around the room until everybody is cried out (for a few minutes) Like I said it was an experience.

That being said, I like the Senator's sign. We've had the "at what age do you charge" thing come up a bunch with Winged Migration and Whale Rider. Personally, I don't like children and I'm not about to jump on the gayby brigade. When they are in my theatre, I want them to be well behaved, quite, enjoying the movie, and snacking! I will admit having parents with kids in to Winged Migration makes up for the little ol ladies who don't buy anything.

One of our employees has brought his son to Winged Migration several times. He makes sure the child is very quiet and they usually only stay in the back for about 10-15 minutes. But now everytime they are near our street the child asks his father "birds?" Apparently movie now = birds.
 

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Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 09-04-2003, 11:58 AM:
 

quote:

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* Cinemark Country Club Plaza 14, Kansas City MO: Children 6-16 must be accompanied by a parent attending the same feature. Children under 6 not admitted. This policy went into effect 7/4; it drew a picket line yesterday and news of the picket line made the Associated Press wire. The Country Club Plaza 14 has also banned all G and PG titles per the AP story. (Terminator 3, yes; Finding Nemo, no.)

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I think some of this has to do with the fact that they have VIP rooms. Also if memory serves this theater is split in half with part of it on one side of a street and the other part on the other side with a walkway crossing the street. Of course not knowing the full reason why they implemented the policy for this theater. people do have to pay a lot of money to watch a film there. Especially the VIP rooms. This policy only pertains to this one theater not all Cinemarks.
 

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Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 09-05-2003, 09:15 AM:
 
No one under 3 should be allowed to the movies, ever. It's not like they pay attention, and the parents seem to get way too comfortable and disrupt everyone else.

I heard a mother trying to reason with her 2-year-old, OUT LOUD in the theater while he kicked and screamed because he wanted to run up and down the aisles like The Hulk. Jesus tapdancing christ! Take the brat OUTSIDE to discipline him!!! At that point, the parent was making more of a racket than the kid.

As Mike said, the diaper thing gets out of control, too. Who the hell wants to buy popcorn and drinks when they have to walk past an area that smells like baby shit?!?! And where do they put the dirty diaper? IN THE LOBBY TRASH!! So that has to be changed regardless of whether it's full or not. I saw a woman once begin to lay out all of her baby-changing supplies on our CONCESSION COUNTER right next to the condiments. Upon confronting her she got all pissy because we didn't have a baby changing station. I explained to her that movie theaters really don't cater to babies. She got so pissed she took her kid and left, but not before consulting with it. Just about as dumb as people who converse with their pets and answer their own questions. "We're leaving! Right sweetie? That's right. Yes. Yes. We're going..."

Yep, this is the kind of General Public we have to deal with. And until an establisment like the Senator steps up and does something about it instead of treat customers like their shit don't stink (pun intended) then it will just get worse. Are you running a theater or a day care?

Strollers are another problem. They wheel them in and park them anywhere they want. In the concession line, in front of the door stand, and once they get in the movie... yep, right smack in the middle of the aisle! Try to tell them to move it, and you get, "Well what am I SUPPOSED to do?!?" Hire a damn babysitter. What's worse is those morons who have to have the complete-state-of-the-art-superdelux-Xtreme strollers that take up the equivelant of three seats in the theater.

I wish I could put a sign up: "NO ONE under 3 admitted. NO exceptions. No.. Don't even ask because it's going to be NO. You don't like it? There's the damn door. Enjoy the show."

Whew! Think I'll go grab some coffee now.
=TMP=
 

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Posted by Vernon Cramer (Member # 1181) on 09-06-2003, 09:48 AM:
 
Small kids at evening shows really became an issue last night. I work with a large community college in southeast Virginia and last night we were running Matrix Reloaded in our large theater (a nicely restored former Loew's built in 1926). We book the films for our students, but since the theater is on one of the main streets, anyone can come in.

Okay. So we're running an R-rated film. What shows up? Moms and/or Dads dragging along all their kids, ages infant on up. I almost went back outside to check the marque to make sure someone hadn't switched the title to Finding Nemo. It was a zoo!

We spent almost the entire evening "dealing" with loud kids and oblivious, inconsiderate parents. Fortunately we have a security presence in the theater lobby and were able to rely on their support if we were unable to convince parents to take their screaming kids out to the lobby.

We've had a very relaxed policy regarding kids since we started running films less than two years ago. Many of our students are parents and/or single parents, limited incomes, working multiple jobs and trying to get an education, etc. The thinking was to give them an opportunity to see some films without cutting into their tight budgets. We also have a sizeable number of students who aren't as cash-strapped but who often bring non-student friends. We give them a first-rate show (35mm, bright image, Dolby Digital sound) and their friends leave thinking differently about a community college and more open to coming back to us for classes.

I was glad to read that we are not unique with the kid problems. After last night, I think it is time we adjusted our "relaxed" policy to keep the kiddie acts out except for shows we promote as "Family Films." Possibly some variation of the policies mentioned in this thread will be workable for our situation.
 

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Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 09-06-2003, 11:51 AM:
 
So first show at the Galaxy Theatre at the Telluride Film Festival this lady, who's a passholder, comes in with twin babies! They let her in but the first rule of the festival is; Nobody gets in without a pass. Me thinks the babies weren't pass holders.

What was she thinking?
 

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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 09-06-2003, 06:26 PM:
 
This is a very interesting topic. I was planning to start a thread exactly like this one until I noticed one was already started by Charles. I personally had a problem with a crying infant last weekend during a showing of "JEEPERS CREEPERS 2" at Consolidated's Kapolei 16. The child must have been less than a year old and it was the 3:00 PM showing. Despite my nasty stares at the parents, they only made a token gesture to keep the child quiet. I must admit watching movies in theatres is not what it used to be many years ago. It is unfortunate many people behave exactly the same way they do in their living rooms in a crowded movie theatre. They fail to realize their rude behavior is preventing other patrons who paid hard earned money from enjoying a film they richly deserve to see in peace and quiet. Do you feel I am entitled to a refund if I decide to leave in a middle of a showing if a crying child is preventing me from enjoying the movie? I am also thinking about doing this whenever a disrespectful patron (s) prevents me from enjoying a movie with excessive talking and when they smoke like one did two weeks ago.

I used to travel much more than I do now and one of the things I did when my trips took me to the east or midwest was to spend a couple of days on my way home in San Francisco to relax and go to the movies in many of the fine theatres in the city. Some of my favorite theatres were the Northpoint, Coronet, AMC Kabuki (Large auditorium), The Regency #1 and #2, Royal and the Alhambra. I do not know the status of the Coronet now but with the exception of the AMC Kabuki, all the theatres I had mentioned no longer exist. One of the nice things about the chain that had operated the Regency theatres, Royal and the Alhambra was their NO INFANT policy for ALL shows. I think this is a fantastic idea and it should be a standard policy for all theatres.

-Claude
 

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Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 09-08-2003, 01:37 AM:
 
"No Babes in Arms" has been a theater admittance restriction from *before* movies.
 

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Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 09-08-2003, 08:40 AM:
 
Our policy of strictly requiring everybody, regardless of age (if it is alive, it must have a ticket) seems to minimize the number of babies. We also suggust to those who bring them in that they go to the balcony which is closed except for Saturday. Noise in the balcony is almost inaudible downstairs. One evening though, one couple with a baby in the balcony complained about another, no complaints from downstairs. Make them pay for the infants and make no exceptions, Very few are willing to fork over the money, even our $2.00 price makes 'em balk.
 

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Posted by Ryan Henry (Member # 1704) on 09-09-2003, 01:11 AM:
 
While researching the theater I work at, I learned that kids had to sit in the balcony, and the management apparently found an employee who hated kids who's job was to watch over them. If a kid did anything disruptive or noisy, he would just point at them and they had to leave. I guess he was a little intimidating...
 

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Posted by Scott D. Neff (Member # 185) on 09-09-2003, 12:30 PM:
 
While we're restricting kids -- can we restrict idiots who actually answer their cell phones when they start ringing?
 

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Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 09-11-2003, 03:40 AM:
 
Darryl,

Your description of the Palace is correct. 5 auditoriums are in a seperate building as the other 9 and the VIP room (which serves alcohol and is 21+), and are connected with a skywalk. The theatre itself is very upscale (rumor has it that total construction costs of the facility exceeded $50 million).

Anyway, this is a very posh and very upscale facility, located in KC's most exclusive shopping area, but was totally overrun by kids and losing money. From what I have heard, since Cinemark implemented the policy, attendance is on the increase.

Back to lurking...
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 10-20-2003, 06:27 PM:
 
Destinta in New Windsor NY has modified its policy: No one under 10 after 6:30 PM unless accompanied by an adult chaperone. Photo ID required. (Per a sign in the box office window on 10/18).
 

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Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 10-20-2003, 07:57 PM:
 
Looks like Cinemark will be implementing it's new policy starting friday at some of it's theaters. It goes pretty much like this. No children under six admitted to R rated features after 6PM.
 

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Posted by Kyle Caudill (Member # 1252) on 10-20-2003, 11:41 PM:
 
Darryl,

Has the heat out here fried my brains or did I miss something?

Kyle
 

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Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 10-21-2003, 12:27 AM:
 
No you just may not be one of the theaters on the list. It's not going wide only to selected locations. All the theaters here will be going to the new policy.
 

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Posted by Daniel Wright (Member # 1983) on 11-02-2003, 12:37 PM:
 
Nothing makes more then parents who bring their little brats to the movies and then let them tear the place apart during the show. If Jr. cant sit and be quiet then DON'T BRING HIM. I baby sit two neighbor boys ages 8 and 10 quite a bit. When I took them to see Good Boy, they misbehaived so I marched them out of the theatre and we went home.
Theres no excuse for anyones kids not sitting still and keeping their mouths shut during a movie.
 

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Posted by Michael Gonzalez (Member # 593) on 03-19-2004, 06:03 PM:
 
I figured that this thread could use a bump up with the Dawn of the Dead opening and I already had a couple of "parents" bring in their little kids to see this one. I am just looking forward to hearing complaints from the other customers about these kids being allowed in the theater
 

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Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 03-19-2004, 06:13 PM:
 
I think the problem is not parents bringing their kids to an R movie. It is the fact that they don't consider whether their kids are capable of handling the movie and not getting weirded about it. I went to a lot of the 70s classics as a kid and a lot of them were 'R's. I can tell you that as 8 or 9 year old , if Passion of the Christ or Kill Bill was sent back in a time travel machine, I would have had no problem handling it. Then again, if it was Basic Instinct, I would have been squirming in my seat next to my parents not because sex is bad, but because lurid material is just not something you want to watch next to your parents. But then again, if my mom even knew that I would not be able to handle a certain movie, she would not take me to it.

I think we underestimate kids ability to process stuff, while at the same sometimes make the mistake of assuming your kids can handle somthing because you were able to handle it.

It's a pretty grey area. I was not pleased when kids came to Bad Santa because it was like kids invading your roast and one can't laugh freely at some of the vulgar punchlines with a 5 year old sitting next to you.
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 03-19-2004, 09:41 PM:
 

quote:

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Then again, if it was Basic Instinct, I would have been squirming in my seat next to my parents not because sex is bad, but because lurid material is just not something you want to watch next to your parents.

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Watching lurid material next to your parents is bad at any age. I was in my early 20's when "Basic Instinct" was released and I saw it with my parents. The opening sex scene and murder really had me feeling very uncomfortable.
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 03-19-2004, 11:53 PM:
 
Given my age, this is probably an area where I have no chance of winning points.

However... my ideal scenareo would be not to admit R pictures to children under a certain age, period... and I'm not exactly sure where that line would be.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've noticed quite a few people taking their kids into "Passion". I understand the feelings of the "Christian minded" to use this as a teaching tool. However, I have a very few memories of my childhood going back to when I was 2 years old... none of them pleasant ones. I can place the age and time because it was when my Dad and his father were builiding the house I grew up in. One day, I climbed up a stepladder, found a knife on the top and proceeded to learn all about how a sharp hunting knife can cut your finger. Something that simple left an impression on me that I remember to this day, nearly 50 years later.

My concern, given how this picture throws your around emotionally, is whether an impression this powerful, left upon a young person without the life experience to properly evaluate this kind of input, might not be remembered down the road in a way that wasn't intended.

But then... we've had older people do some pretty stupid stuff, and blame Jackass shows and movies for their actions.

Makes it tough to formulate good policy here...
 

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Posted by Adam Wilbert (Member # 1184) on 03-21-2004, 03:28 PM:
 
The Harkins chain in Arizona has the baby solution:

They didn't want to be viewed by the community as "anti-family", so they set up a daycare in their new theatres. The daycare is staffed by licensed professionals, and the cost of admittance is the same as the price of a childs ticket. Parents, when given the choice of taking the baby into the auditorium, or giving them to an on-site daycare for 2 hours for the same price, generally ditch the kid. Problem solved, and no picketers outside.

-Adam
 

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Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 03-24-2004, 01:27 PM:
 
Has anyone ever tried the concept of discounted ADULT admission?
It would make sense, if you think about it...

Evening Prices
CHILDREN: $8.50
STUDENT/SENIOR: $7.50
ADULTS: $6.00

Just because they're smaller doesn't mean they must be cheaper. In fact, they are more prone to cause a disturbance or leave sticky stuff everywhere or make a mess in the bathroom, why not charge more?

I bet NO ONE would show their Student ID or ask for the Senior price.

Just a thought I was kicking around...

=TMP=
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-24-2004, 01:46 PM:
 
I have always wished for a $10 "Baby Surcharge." But since most parents are convinced that the entire world revolves around their kids, it would never work.
 

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Posted by Paul Turner (Member # 832) on 03-24-2004, 03:00 PM:
 
We employ a very liberal refund policy. If you come in with a baby the staff will inform you while selling you a ticket, "If the baby becomes fussy, please feel free to come out and get a pass or refund. You are welcome to try again another show or come back when you have a sitter. No problem." We have never in seven years had to go in and ask people to take advantage of this policy. I've gone in once and "loomed" until they headed for the lobby. They got their pass and apologized, stating they've become so used to the crying, they don't notice it. I think it is important to try to appear that you are working with them rather than making it hard for them to see a film.
 

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