We’ve all had to sit next to that person at some stage. Source: iStock.
AFTER countless ads telling us the polite thing to do is make sure our phones are turned off, mobile phone use may soon be permitted inside movie theatres.
That is, if Adam Aron, CEO of American cinema chain AMC Entertainment, has anything to do with it.
In February AMC announced it was merging with Carmike Cinemas, making it the world’s top movie chain.
This latest idea is just another in a bid to boost ticket sales.
The rationale is that by providing a mobile-friendly environment, millennials will visit the flicks.
“When you tell a 22-year-old to turn off the phone and don’t ruin the movie, they hear ‘please cut off your left arm above the elbow,’” Mr Aron told Variety.
He explained that AMC needs “to reshape our product in some concrete ways so that millennials go to movie theatres with the same degree of intensity as Baby Boomers went to movie theatres throughout their lives.”
However, he is aware that this may cause conflict with current audiences. He added that AMC will have to find a way to implement mobile-friendly cinemas without distracting other moviegoers.
But what will this look like? Separate ‘texting sections’ are unlikely, Mr Aron said.
“What may be more likely is we take specific auditoriums and make them more texting-friendly.”
While there’s no signs Australian cinemas will change their policy and allow texting, tweeting and Snapchatting, mobile addicts can only hope. Any American experiment will shed light on whether moviegoers would prefer to see more than one silver screen.
