Earlier this week, AMC Theaters revealed they were considering creating texting-friendly cinemas, theaters where patrons could whip out their mobile free of the fear of being yelled at by fellow moviegoers. The company’s head, Adam Aron, claimed it was a move designed to appeal to those pesky millennials, who can’t bear to turn off their phone for the duration of feature length film. The plan was roundly criticized in many quarters, and forced AMC to clarify their position, that it was something they were looking at, but that they realize the “vast majority of audience wants no texting.”
With the chatter swirling around the subject, Tim League of the celebrated indie chain Alamo Drafthouse issued a statement on texting in cinemas and made the company’s position quite clear: “…when it comes to our core business, creating a special environment for our customers to experience new stories for the first time, there is absolutely no place for the distraction of a lit phone screen.”
League counters Aron’s position that it’s only twenty-somethings who feel the pull of their cell, by noting pretty much everyone has some kind of mobile these days, and that we’re somewhat addicted to checking in. That said, he still believes it’s in the best interest of the industry to preserve the fundamentals of movie-going — watch a film on a big screen, in a dark, quiet room — and it also respects filmmakers, who spend years crafting their work so it can be seen in the most ideal viewing experience possible.
You can read the full statement below. Share your thoughts and texting-at-the-movies horror stories in the comments section.
Update: AMC has announced they have scrapped plans for text in cinemas. Read their statement below.
Alamo Drafthouse Founder/CEO Tim League:
First off, I’d like to say that I am very excited for Adam Aron to be taking the helm at AMC. I am a fan of the Starwood Hotel and Resort brand and the customer experience that his former company consistently delivers. Bringing that leadership focus to our industry will undoubtedly yield positive results and drive healthy, innovative competition.
That said, I disagree with his statements on texting in a movie theater. Innovation in this direction could seriously hurt our industry.
My first objection stems from cinema’s relationship with directors and producers, the content creators. Auteurs focus for years to complete their films. We as exhibitors rely completely on these creators for our content and have an unwritten obligation to present their films in the best possible way: on a big screen with big sound and a bright picture in a silent, dark room. You can only be immersed in a story if you are focused on it. If while watching a film you are intermittently checking your email, posting on social media, chatting with friends, etc., there is no way you are fully engaged in the story on screen. I find that to be disrespectful to the creators, those who make the very existence of cinema possible.
My second objection stems from the generalization of millennial behavior.
“When you tell a 22-year-old to turn off the phone, don’t ruin the movie, they hear please cut off your left arm above the elbow. You can’t tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone. That’s not how they live their life.” – Adam Aron, quoted in Variety.
22-year-olds aren’t alone; heavy cell phone use is far more widespread. Today, 68% of U.S. adults have a smartphone, a staggering increase from 35% just five years ago.
I spend a great deal of my life on my phone, too. I check news, social media and email obsessively. If there is the slightest of lulls in my day, a 20 second pause in an elevator, for example, I impulsively break out my phone and check something. I always carry an external battery because I can’t make it through the day on the standard power. I am not alone. According to some reports, the average American checks their phone over 100 times a day.
This isn’t just a millennial behavior, it is a global attention span epidemic.
Regardless of your age, turning off your phone and focusing on a good movie is much-needed therapy. This time of focus in a darkened room is core to the experience of cinema. Only with this focus can you lose yourself completely in the story and really fall into the magic spell of the movies.
Plenty has already been written about glowing screens and unchecked chatter driving people from the cinema experience, so I won’t belabor that point further. And I’m fine with “second screen” experimentation with regards to alternative content, gaming, interactive screenings, etc.
But when it comes to our core business, creating a special environment for our customers to experience new stories for the first time, there is absolutely no place for the distraction of a lit phone screen.
At the Alamo Drafthouse we are actively engaged in trying to make sure cinema remains a compelling destination for young people, and I agree this should be a focus for the whole industry. I just don’t believe that this line of experimentation is the right tactic. A firm policy against talking and texting in the cinema is about respect: for the filmmakers and fellow cinephiles of all ages.
Outside of this issue, however, I look forward to being challenged and inspired by what innovations and enhancements Adam Aron brings to the cinema experience.
NO TEXTING AT AMC. Won't happen. You spoke. We listened. Quickly, that idea has been sent to the cutting room floor. pic.twitter.com/JR0fo5megR
— AMC Theatres (@AMCTheatres) April 15, 2016
