Theaters Begin Barring Children

[LynneSin]

Personally I think they should ban ALL kids after 8:30 - I don't want your screaming babies during my R-Rated movie. Not my fault you can't find a babysitter!

http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2007-10-25/#film6

Theaters Begin Barring Children


Some theater chains have begun barring children from theaters after 8:30 p.m. if they are not accompanied by their parents -- in hopes of attracting more adults who are put off by the disruptive behavior of some kids, according to USA Today. A spokeswoman for the Midwest chain Kerasotes Theaters said that it is testing "adult-friendly" screenings at 13 of its 95 locations. Marcus Majestic Cinema in Brookfield, WI, has gone further, serving alcoholic beverages and prepared entrees in its adults-only auditoriums and providing a babysitting service. "We want to create an entertainment destination and reach people who might not otherwise come to a movie theater," Marcus Theatres spokesman Carlo Petrick told the newspaper

[redqueen]

1. Yay and...

:popcorn:

[Parche]

7. I Guess

I cant take you to the movies after 8:30pm now....................:rofl: :hi:


I slay myself.............:hi:

[Radio_Lady]

2. Are you familiar with the "cry room" phenomenon? Here are some of the articles I found:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20020519/ai_n10003754

From the Seattle Times:

Movie outings (CHECK DATES, PLEASE... old article)

Three local theaters offer special showings just for parents, while several Landmark theaters feature cry rooms.

At Reel Moms, operating at Loews' Meridian and Woodinville theaters, parents can see new movies at 11 a.m. Tuesdays with babies through age 12 months.

The auditorium lights are dimmed but not fully dark. Parents are free to walk in the aisles or lobby area with babies. The sound is monitored so that it is loud enough to hear but not too loud to startle infants. Adult tickets are the regular admission price; babies are free.

For more information, visit www.enjoytheshow.com/reelmoms and click on "Seattle." Loews Meridian 16, 1501 7th Ave., Seattle, 206-622-2434 and Loews Woodinville 12, 17640 Garden Way. N.E., Woodinville, 425-482-6538.

Kirkland Parkplace Cinema (404 Parkplace Center, Kirkland, 425-827-9000) offers its own parent-and-baby program at 9:45 a.m. the second and fourth Fridays of each month. The cinema opens all its auditoriums so parents can choose which feature they want to see.

Cry rooms

Three Landmark Theatres feature auditoriums with soundproof cry rooms fronted by glass windows. For all theaters, call Landmark's information line at 206-781-5755. Parents are advised to come early as cry-room seating is first come, first served.

[Connonym]

27. heh, I remember those from church

back in the days of my youth parents took crying kids out to the vestibule or whatever but now my mom's parish has actual sound-proof booths at the back of the church with big windows and a speaker.

[China_cat]

36. When I was a kid, our local theater

(open only on Fri and Sat nights and Sat afternoons during the school year) had a crying room. When there were no parents with babies, we used to use it to get noisy and not get kicked out.

I was shocked when I found out that not all theaters had them. (We're talking about a theater that would make one of the ones in a multi-plex today look huge)

[sasquatch]

3. Awesome! K&R

Also, they should place children in leashes like they do dogs or halters like they do horses.
:hide::popcorn:

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

9. Goddam bleeding heart liberal...

Every theater should have a roomfull of these...

[IntravenousDemilo]

37. Damn right!

And they should be kept in the hold during transcontinental flights, too -- in their carriers, of course.

[LynneSin]

13. I was thinking ushers should have pitbulls they could unleash on bad behaving kids

:hide:

[flvegan]

16. No. Tasers. Don't have to feed 'em or walk 'em.

[sasquatch]

24. No, pitbulls with tasers attachted to their heads

:popcorn:

[flvegan]

31. Wearing Olive Garden t-shirts for ad revenue.

[LeftyMom]

28. The pitbulls could eat songbirds and ponies and noisy children.

Actually, this sounds like a huge bonus. Please overnight me three.

[johnnie]

4. I don't mind them being there

That's what duct tape was invented for.

[MrCoffee]

5. movie theaters suck

you people are the reason i don't go to theaters. and by "you people", i mean all people everywhere in the space/time continuum

[Phillycat]

6. It is about freakin time!

Will this include the screaming teenagers on their Nextels, too?

*BREEEP* "Where you at?" *BREEP* "I'm at the movies!" *BREEP* "No shit! What you watchin?" *BREEP* "The Bourne Ultimatum, and it's the shit." *BREEP* "Aiight, hit me up when you get out" *BREEP* "Wait! Where you at?"

:banghead:

[SacredCow]

8. Honestly, it's not the infants and toddlers that bother me....

Babies cry- They can't help it; it's about the only way they communicate. And I've rarely encountered a parent that just sat there and let their baby cry without at least trying to assuage them. Most of the time, they take them out into the lobby.

What ticks me off in most movie theatres is the pre-pubescent age that Mom and Dad just drop off and leave to their own devices. Nothing ruins my theatre experience more than a gaggle of 12 year old girls giggling and squealing and running hither, thither, and yon for no reason whatsoever. And the boys are no better (before someone calls me misogynistic).

Regardless, I'd be on board with the theatres offering some adults only showtimes. I'd certainly patronize that over a general admittance.

[AllegroRondo]

11. I agree - I wont go to another opening night because of that

I TRIED to watch Disturbia on opening night, and Ill never make that mistake again. Nothing but teenagers talking, screaming, on the phone for the entire show. I nearly decked the girl behind me who kept kicking my seat.

[SacredCow]

15. I admit that I did get nasty with a kid not too long ago...

Another pre-teen. He and his buddies thought it was funny to laugh like (their words- not mine) "retards" VERY loudly at every gag in the movie. They were full-on into it, let me tell you; and it was pissing me off on every level imaginable. Finally, I had enough and kicked the seat in front of me hard enough to almost throw him out of it. He turned around and started to bow up (until he saw I was an adult). I just gave him the nastiest glare I had, and they sank in their seats and ultimately moved.

Maybe I look threatening?
:shrug:

[LynneSin]

14. That comment about R-Rated movies that I made - that's happened several times

including a few times when it was after 9pm and here come the parents with their babies and toddlers dragging them into to see some goreflesh movie like "Underworld", "History of Violence" or "Saw" (those were the 3 movies where it happened to me).

First, babies should be sleeping at late at night and second these aren't exactly family-friendly movies. If I happen to be seeing "Happy Feet" at the late show I could almost understand why the kids are there, but these were violent, gory, movies - that is extremely poor parental sklls taking your babies along to see crap like that.

BTW I know of a few theaters that have family movie times - specifically for families who want to see movies but are dragging along their very young kids. Usually it's one of the early shows during the week but at least there it's ok if your kid is screaming because everyone there is in the same boat.

[SacredCow]

17. I agree, re the R rated movies.....

That's a whole different level to this topic... I wouldn't think of dragging my 5-year-old to one- it's just not age-appropriate. The time issue is debatable, depending on your family's dynamics and all, but certainly it isn't ideal to have your kids out at all hours....

[redqueen]

23. Thank you!

WTF are some parents are thinking, taking their kids to movies like that...

[grace0418]

33. We went to see the Exorcist when they re-released it several years back. It was

the 10:30 show, on a Wednesday. A family came in and sat right behind us with a five-year-old, a-nine-year-old (or so) and a baby. At the Exorcist. At 10:30 at night. On a school night. It was unbelievable. I rarely go to movies anymore because of that shit.

[prole_for_peace]

18. i have rarely encountered a parent that takes a crying child out.

most of the ones in the theaters i have been in just ignore them or try to "shush" them. only after multiple grumblings and looks do they grudgingly take them out. last week one guy didn't even take the kid to the lobby. he left the seats but stood in the entrance aisle. guess he thought if we couldn't see him we couldn't hear the kid.

[Shine]

10. hmmmm...interesting.

my biggest pet peeve with kids and theatres is when you see young, young kids (5 and under) at R-rated and violent movies. It's bad parenting that could be nipped by the theatre forbidding them to come.

But on the other hand, we tend to look down upon anything that limits our "personal freedoms", so it's a losing battle.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

38. Our favorite theater has a babysitting room...

Kids can play games and watch kid-friendly movies there. Parents pay for the service; but if they want to watch R rated flicks, it seems like a good solution.

We just don't watch R stuff, unless it's a date (like those ever happen!) or our little guy is asleep.

:hi:

[flvegan]

12. I wish they'd bar dipshit assholes that can't/won't STFU next.

AND SHUT YOUR DAMN CELL PHONE OFF!

[lildreamer316]

19. It would be nice to have, maybe, one showing w/kids and one without??

Would that be so impossible?
Sheesh.

[Connonym]

26. the one in Brookfield has just one screen with adults only after 8:30

I think there are like 20 different screens in the theater and the selection playing on the adults-only screen has always also been playing on another screen so I really can't see how it can be anything other than a win-win situation.

[KitchenWitch]

20. Nice post, Eva Braun

I have kids and I agree with you.

[Radio_Lady]

21. Portland reviewers are continuously battling the "free-bee" audience members.

The very dubious name they have come up with for people who get tickets free from local newspapers and radio stations -- is "screening rats."

In Boston and Miami, the places where I started my movie reviewing career, we usually had special screenings ONLY for press members. Some of the studios still do that, but here in Portland, Oregon, it's more often a few special rows in the auditorium or theater are set aside for the press, and the rest of the house (audience) is "papered" or "comped" (free tickets for everyone).

And, oh, yes, there are children of all ages at many of those screenings.

[Burma Jones]

22. I've had a lot fewer problems with kids than with asshats that won't STFU during the movie

This isn't your fucking living room assholes......

[LeftyMom]

29. At least the goddamn laser pointer craze died down.

That was officially the most annoying movie misbehavior ever, I think.

[Connonym]

25. I've been in the Majestic in Brookfield and it's VERY NICE

Nobody under 18 (or maybe it's 21) after 8:30 pm in the one auditorium.

[Rabrrrrrr]

30. A good first step. Next, banning college kids who don't how to shut the fuck up, and pigs who don't

know how to chew without opening their mouths.

I'd go to more movies if I could be assured of no noisy babies/kids, no college kids who can't fucking shut up, and know that I wouldn't have to listen to any sub-human filthtard who thinks chewing with one's mouth open is appropriate.

It's a movie, you fucking jackals - remain perfectly silent, or go fucking home (same thing for concerts, too).

(as a side note: I saw Roger Waters, The Police, and Rush this summer, my first rock concerts since 1997, and mostly it was older people like me and older at the shows; but all shows had some college kids, and the ONLY people in the audience who talked throughout the entirety of every show in loud voices were the fucking college kids. I swear, their fuckhead no-discipline "My Dakota is the most precious child ever and he can do whatever he wants!" parents should all be executed).

[MrCoffee]

32. remain perfectly silent at concerts?

[Rabrrrrrr]

35. In terms of holding conversations at concerts, yes.

That's not the place for it.

Shouting, screaming, getting into the music - that's fine (unless it's, say, a string quartet concert...).

It's an absolute lack of respect for the performers AND for one's seat neighbors to talk during a performance, whether a rock concert or a play or the snootiest classical concert.

The fuckers behind me totally ruined "Sheep" and "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" because they wouldn't shut the fuck up.

I go to a show or a movie to hear the concert or the movie, not the conversation of ignorant shitbags.

[Godhumor]

34. One of my local theaters has been doing this for a few years

It is nice.