Whatever Happened To Movie Theatre Etiquette?

Oh no…

By Snarky LisaPublished 9 months ago • 3 min read

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Popcorn, flashing images, and rich sound in a dark room filled with people who might not even know each other. These are all the telltale signs of a classic movie theatre. Whether as places to take in riveting plots and action scenes, areas to quietly hang out with loved ones, or both - movie theatres have been settings of enjoyment for decades now.

That being said, movie theatres have not been without their downsides. Indeed, many things can go and have gone wrong at these institutions of leisures. From general breaches of etiquette like speaking loudly with others to blindly following risky Internet trends in hopes of getting more views, certain film viewers unfortunately have made others’ experiences less fun.

How does movie theatre disruption occur, though? And importantly - what can be done to reduce and mitigate it? These are the questions this piece will attempt to answer.

Please note that I cannot fully guarantee that any advice you try and follow from here will be successful 100 percent of the time. Nonetheless, I hope you find my article of at least some use.

COVID-19

Let’s face it: some of the COVID-19 pandemic’s aftereffects do still linger to this day. It isn’t just the virus being around - albeit in a more manageable form. It’s also the fact that people around the world have been isolated at home for so long; they haven’t really gotten too many opportunities to truly practice social skills for a while.

Don’t get me wrong: We are five years into a world where the virus exists, and many of us have gone back to daily out-of-home activities for a while.

However, the lack of socialization from worldwide lockdowns undoubtedly did help factor into moviegoers who went back to theatres early on into reopenings not bothering with the traditional rules that kept formal film-watching enjoyable for years. When others around them got used to this behaviour…needless to say, there was somewhat of a new normal to be found in places.

Obviously, COVID is not an excuse for people to be douches. We all do have free will, after all, and a respiratory virus’s existence does not take away that. But perhaps things might have been a bit different if the pandemic never occurred.

With that being said, COVID-19 is probably not the only factor in why movie theatre etiquette often sucks. Indeed, rowdy film-watchers have existed even before much of the world shut down in 2020.

What else could be to blame, then?

The Trends

Ever since social media and the Internet became widespread, they have become fairly intertwined with film consumption.

Songs in musicals such as those of Wicked in 2024 are often tempting to sing. What makes them even more tempting, though? Their widespread knowledge. Thanks to the Internet, it’s possible to search up lyrics to just about any song with a team to promote it before encountering it outside - like at the movie theatre.

On top of this, social media trends when it comes to moviegoing can also be more direct.

Take A Minecraft Movie from this year. Despite mixed reviews, it’s managing to make plenty of money for its crew thanks to audience numbers. Unfortunately, some of these watchers have decided that intentionally throwing their popcorn in the air is a good idea. Why, though?

Enter the chicken jockey trend. Derived from a popular Minecraft creature, the phenomenon involves aggressively cheering when the movie’s chicken jockey makes an appearance. Sadly, this often results in screaming and wasting cinema food.

Does the above mean that social media is bad for the art of cinema? Not necessarily. The Internet’s reach can be a powerful tool to help hype up movies and thus, make more at the box office. Besides, it’s frequently comforting to be able to safely discuss recent films with like-minded people you can easily find.

If only some filmgoers weren’t so…asinine.

Solutions

All is not lost, though.

Cinemas around the world have used pre-movie screenings to remind people of the rules. While they don’t always work, there are also plenty of movie showings where nothing overly chaotic occurs.

You can help as a movie theatre viewer as well. Stay quiet when the movie starts, try to keep your food to yourself and make sure your devices are off while the film is playing. The only exceptions might be certain concert movies and singalongs.

If everyone does their part, we all win.

…

In spite of the existence of rowdy screenings, movie theatres shouldn’t have to be unsolicited frat parties. With proper measures and effort, they can be enjoyable for all.

Any other thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments!