Did Alamo Drafthouse get sued or did they just change policy?

[William Kucharski]

Then why bother going to Alamo for a new release?

If they really want to attract the AMC/Regal crowd, so be it, I won’t be back.

I know, they won’t care.

[Frank Cox]

The guy threatened to call the cops. My father just said, "Go right ahead," and we kept right on watching the movie.

If that had been in my theatre that would have been the moment that the movie stopped. "Sorry folks, this chap here is being disruptive and apparently needs help finding the exit. I'll get the show going again as soon as he's out of here."

I've done this twice.

Public shaming works, and if it doesn't then everyone else in the theatre is usually ready to throw the problem child out if he still refuses to move under his own power.

[Randy Stankey]

William? What's with the snap assumptions?

First, you assume that the Alamo got sued just on the basis that they don't play a certain policy snipe before movies. Then, when we suggest that they might be trying only to improve business you jump ahead and assume that they are pandering to the unwashed masses.

All the Alamo did was make a change in their PR. We really know nothing beyond that.

Things in the world are rarely so black and white as you seem to make them out to be.

Frank, I like your idea. If I was in your place, I probably would do something similar.
However, my father had a personality like Donald Trump. He had a certain ability to turn the tables against you, making you look like the bad guy.

Notice how frequently I refer to him as "father" instead of "Dad." It's not an accident.

[Mike Blakesley]

Public shaming works, and if it doesn't then everyone else in the theatre is usually ready to throw the problem child out

That's the truth. The best weapon is the flashlight.... it works especially well with girls. If they're being giggly and noisy all I have to do is turn the flashlight on 'em and say "you guys need to be quieter, OK?" and they'll say "Okokokokokokok, turn the light off" and that's usually the end of it.

[James Wyrembelski]

I remember reading an article about how theatres in China handle disruptive behavior and it's essentially public shaming. It read that usually ushers in the back carry laser pointers and will point them at the back of whoever is being annoying causing those around them to get a bit of a chuckle. Typically the person notices they're being singled out and it usually remedies the situation. I've been thinking for the past couple years that more folks need to publicly shame and not just in theatres. It would really help.

I have a laser pointer I use to play with my cat. I've thought about bringing it in for phone users. Just a little red dot on your screen to let you know "I see you". I wondered how effective it would be.

[Jim Cassedy]

"Public shaming works ...."

DidntWashHands.jpg
(cartoon ©️Gary Larsen)

Even though I first saw this cartoon a decade or more ago when
it was first published, I still can't help thinking about it every time
I'm tempted to leave a public restroom without washing up first.

[Leo Enticknap]

remember reading an article about how theatres in China handle disruptive behavior and it's essentially public shaming.

This doesn't surprise me, in a nation that reportedly subjects its citizens to an anal probe covid test (involuntary, if you happen to be in a zero covid lockdown zone when an alert comes into force).

I have a laser pointer I use to play with my cat.

Mine used to run after it when they were little, but nowadays, Kitler and Pussolini just give the red dot a disdainful look as if to say, "Really Daddy ... that's so 1990s!", and then curl up on the couch again. The only thing that will persuade them to get any exercise now is if I start to play the piano, in which case they run upstairs for cover. I try not to take it personally.

[Bobby Henderson]

If Alamo Drafthouse is lightening up on its mobile phone use policy I would consider that disappointing. Inconsiderate behavior on the part of other people in the audience is my biggest complaint about seeing movies in theaters. And that compulsive, selfish use of mobile phones while the movie is playing is by far the most common offense. If I was ever in the position to build a new movie theater I would sneak a whole lot of phone signal killing material into the walls of the auditoriums; if anyone wanted a working phone signal they could get it out in the lobby.

[Marcel Birgelen]

If Alamo Drafthouse is lightening up on its mobile phone use policy I would consider that disappointing. Inconsiderate behavior on the part of other people in the audience is my biggest complaint about seeing movies in theaters. And that compulsive, selfish use of mobile phones while the movie is playing is by far the most common offense. If I was ever in the position to build a new movie theater I would sneak a whole lot of phone signal killing material into the walls of the auditoriums; if anyone wanted a working phone signal they could get it out in the lobby.

Amen... but...

Your plan to "sabotage" wireless reception may be a bit problematic. While usually nobody can force you to ensure mobile connectivity within your building, actively sabotaging it may actually be frowned upon and could get you in trouble in the case someting went wrong and nobody was able to call the emergency services...

[Randy Stankey]

Um-m... Yeah... We were picking up a lot of EMI at frequencies, right around 800 MHz... You see...
And... Um-m... We had to block it out because it might cause the digital projectors to go haywire...

[Marcel Birgelen]

You need to block a lot more than just 800 MHz if you want to block 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G nowadays .

Just look at the mess called 5G.

[Leo Enticknap]

Signal jammers are illegal in the USA.

The only possibly legal way to absolutely prevent phone use (for communication) in theaters would be to build a Faraday cage around the auditorium and not put any wifi coverage in it. I am not aware of any theater in which this has actually been done. I would guess the reason to be either that the legality is not clear, cost or customer resistance (more customers want to be able to use their phones in the theater than are annoyed by others doing so).

The FCC page linked above states that it is a violation of federal law " to use a cell jammer or similar devices that intentionally block, jam, or interfere with authorized radio communications." Could a Faraday caged structure to which the public are admitted be considered a "similar device"? Were one to be built, the cellphone industry would likely put immense pressure on federal prosecutors to take action.

[Lyle Romer]

If Alamo Drafthouse is lightening up on its mobile phone use policy I would consider that disappointing. Inconsiderate behavior on the part of other people in the audience is my biggest complaint about seeing movies in theaters. And that compulsive, selfish use of mobile phones while the movie is playing is by far the most common offense. If I was ever in the position to build a new movie theater I would sneak a whole lot of phone signal killing material into the walls of the auditoriums; if anyone wanted a working phone signal they could get it out in the lobby.

If I was going to build a new theatre I would 100% put wire mesh into the walls, ceiling and floor to create a faraday cage for each auditorium. Then, I'd put wi-fi access points inside each one and use wi-fi based walkie talkies for staff communication.

Possibly I'd provide open wi-fi for the customers that gets turned off by automation once the show starts.

[Bobby Henderson]

A Faraday Cage is essentially what I would be suggesting be built into the theater walls. That would be a passive solution. I don't know what kind of cost that would involve, aside from any possible legal issues.

One thing is certainly clear: current policies with customer behavior in commercial cinemas aren't working. I would personally go out of my way to see movies at Alamo Drafthouse or any other cinema that had an explicit anti-phones policy. Unfortunately for me the nearest Alamo locations are 200 miles away in the DFW metroplex. There are none in Oklahoma.

This issue with obsessive mobile phone use is proof the general public in this country needs a great deal of ongoing, remedial lessons in manners. It's clear lessons in etiquette aren't being taught to children in many homes. School districts are obsessed with improving student test scores in "STEM" subjects. They probably need to be teaching more basic things: like how not to act like a dick all the time. Adults of ALL AGES desperately need refresher courses on that subject. As a nation we seem to be getting worse with our tendencies to be blindly inconsiderate, self-absorbed and even narcissistic. American popular culture has championed that negative behavior even more intensely in recent years.

I wish this syndrome of compulsive mobile phone use merely began and ended with movie theaters. It's one thing for a good movie to be disrupted by someone taking calls or letting his iPhone® display light up the auditorium via his texting conversation. It's another when your life is directly threatened by another motorist looking at his phone rather than the road in front of him.

I'm hoping the day will come when mobile phones are no longer seen as anything special and that they just become another boring digital tool. That may not happen for a long time though. So many parents are giving elementary school age kids smart phones as digital pacifiers and status symbols. The cycle still has a lot of life left in it.

[Marcel Birgelen]

A Faraday Cage is essentially what I would be suggesting be built into the theater walls. That would be a passive solution. I don't know what kind of cost that would involve, aside from any possible legal issues.

A Faraday cage that will be able to block all the frequencies modern mobile phones will work with, will be almost impossible to construct. It has to be a a completely closed box, made from something like a superconductor... Your best bet is to burry your cinema underground and put a lot of concrete on top of it... I recently visited an arthouse cinema that has some of their rooms underground and the cellphone reception there was pretty abysmal, but still not bad enough to block it completely... 5G doesn't need to have a lot of "bars" to be halfway usable...

This issue with obsessive mobile phone use is proof the general public in this country needs a great deal of ongoing, remedial lessons in manners. It's clear lessons in etiquette aren't being taught to children in many homes. School districts are obsessed with improving student test scores in "STEM" subjects. They probably need to be teaching more basic things: like how not to act like a dick all the time. Adults of ALL AGES desperately need refresher courses on that subject. As a nation we seem to be getting worse with our tendencies to be blindly inconsiderate, self-absorbed and even narcissistic. American popular culture has championed that negative behavior even more intensely in recent years.

The thing is... this kind of behaviour is actually embraced in some of the very movies we're being shown in movie theaters. I recently ended up watching "Bodies Bodies Bodies", which I now consider "TikTok the Movie"...