Movie-Theater Behavior Has Gone Off the Reels
“Barbenheimer" might be good for theaters, but it’s bringing out some bad behavior in theatergoers. Many attendees are forgetting the cardinal rule: Never take out a phone during the film. Instead, people are picking out selfies to post, scrolling during dull moments, even taking pictures of the screen—with the flash on.
TikTok is inspiring a new generation of theatergoers to act out and even post their antics on social media. The cinephiles sitting next to them have to decide whether to keep quiet or make an even bigger scene. Vikash Patel goes to the movies most weeks in Savannah, Ga.
The 27-year-old convenience-store owner watched “Barbie" and “Oppenheimer" during opening weekend. During his “Barbie" evening showing, someone took photos and videos during a Ken monologue. Patel didn’t complain, but he says he heard several people in his row groan.
“There’s a concert-ification of movies," Patel says. “You want to experience the movie and share the experience at the same time." Etiquette at public events has become harder to control and manage after the pandemic. At concerts, fans are rowdier than ever, shrieking at artists, blocking people’s views with signs, even throwing items at artists.
At Broadway shows, Playbill inserts now remind people to turn off their phones and let the actors do the singing. And now, some movie venues are posting videos to teach people how to behave. “Barbie" and “Oppenheimer" continue to do well at the box office, together grossing more than $1 billion in ticket sales globally.
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