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AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron has made a controversial statement regarding the usage of cellphones in theaters, with him saying that he’s looking at allowing people to text/browse Twitter and Facebook during movies.
Aron, who has been head of the theater chain for less than four months, expressed that he was looking at avenues that would those watching movies in theaters to still use their phones without it distracting others. When questioned by Variety in regards to whether he was looking at appealing to millennials by allowing texting and cellphone use, he replied: “Yes. 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.
“At the same time, though, we’re going to have to figure out a way to do it that doesn’t disturb today’s audiences. There’s a reason there are ads up there saying turn off your phone, because today’s moviegoer doesn’t want somebody sitting next to them texting or having their phone on.”
When pressed on how he’d introduce this new lax approach to cellphone use in theaters, Aron suggested that AMC would open up specific auditoriums for those who wished to text throughout a movie. Though AMC Entertainment has yet to put any new policies regarding cellphone use into place, the notion of patrons being allowed to freely text during movies will likely put off a number of frequent cinema-goers concerned that their experience will be interrupted by people tweeting that they’re watching a movie, rather than actually watching the movie.
