How to fill those movie theater seats
Apr 18, 2016, 5:17 AM | Updated: 10:59 am
AMC theaters says it's leaving the idea of texting during movies on “the cutting room floor.” (AP)
(AP)
Movie theaters have a lot of empty seats these days. Which is why last week the head of AMC Cinemas said he was considering allowing texting during movies — to attract millennials.
Well, it was as if he’d tried to legalize heroin. Movie goers were outraged.
“That bright screen in the theater and you can see people trying to hide it,” one woman said.
“If you’re going to pay money to go see a movie, I think you ought to be there to see the movie,” a man said.
Well, actually those people didn’t sound all that outraged. But within 24 hours the experiment was dead. AMC is now backing off its consideration to allow texting.
The idea of texting during movies had been “relegated to the cutting room floor.” So we still get to hear those sanctimonious warnings: “Now is not the time for talking or texting. Let’s all be more like Dave.”
That one is my favorite.
But then I realized in some circumstances, texting could actually be less disruptive.
Almost every movie I go to, at some point my wife leans over and whispers “what did he say.” I say “what?” and she says “what did he say just now?” Because American actors mumble.
Matthew McConaughey especially. Anyway, if I could text, I could tell her what the actor said without having to whisper.
Come to think of it, how great would it be if theaters would just display the dialogue in real-time on the phone.
(Insert any and every Shakespeare utterance here).
And I can respond: “I have no clue what he said, just look at your phone.”
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