Last updated April 12, 2019
Moviegoers who suddenly decide to start using their new or old cell phones in the middle of a film are the bane of cinema lovers, and one theater in the United States has decided it has had enough and is putting its foot down over the social faux pas. Wehrenberg Theatres has decided to launch a “zero tolerance” policy over the use of cell phones in their auditoriums and says that any cinemagoer that is caught using one during a film will be shown the exit – and not given a refund.
“It’s part of our obligation to provide a quiet environment so that you can listen to the movie that you purchased the ticket for and not have to listen to someone’s casual conversation about going to a concert or buying groceries,” says the chief operating officer of Wehrenberg Theatres, Bill Menke. Menke adds that cinemagoers will be asked to shut off their cell phones prior to the commencement of the previews for other films, and that will cinema staff will make regular patrols during the film in order to ensure the rules are being obeyed. The public will be notified of the change in policy by signs in the theater as well as at the concession stand and the box office.
Customers, it seems, are only too happy with the strict new policy. “The response that we’ve had since Friday is applause,” Menke notes.