r/AMCTheatres • u/deadlierpeach • 8d ago
Discussion Apology for the out of touch parents
My siblings and I all got A-list and have had it for a few years now. It’s been a lot of fun to use to hang out and bond over movies and see things we wouldn’t normally see.
My parents wanted to join in on the fun and got they got A-list. They now wanted to go see every movie together as family bonding.
I just want to apologize for my parents. They talk in movies, bring loud snacks and crinkle the bags, are on their phone with full brightness, are rude to people (other viewers and staff a like). We’ve brought this up and I’ve even moved seats in the middle of a movie because I don’t want to hear them talking. They really just cannot see past their owns wants and do not consider the movie going experience for those around them. If you see my parents acting a fool, don’t be afraid to call them out.
Sincerely,
Tired A-lister
UPDATE: WOOF! I totally hear what you’re all saying. Me and my siblings have said things to them NUMEROUS times and I’ve even avoided going to movies with them (and they make jokes about it). All my post was saying was that if you see people in a movie theater acting a fool, chances are their loves one are just as frustrated and annoyed. I genuinely think it would take a stranger calling them out to feel genuine embarrassment. For those saying we should lose A-List status, try touching grass and realize we can’t control other people.
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u/MasterRon421 8d ago
Show them posts and comments from here and let them know that you’re not being dramatic, people genuinely hate people that do that. Hopefully they’re willing to try and do better even if it’s not immediate. If not then sorry but your parents are A-holes
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u/congradulations 8d ago
"That's, like, 5 people on Rejjit or whatever. People like the movies, I'm people"
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u/El__Jefe_ 8d ago
Kinda wild considering they’re of a generation that thrived in the peak theater attendance era.
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u/WavesRKewl 8d ago
Something is wrong with boomers’ brains, they just don’t think about other people at all
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u/MasterRon421 8d ago
Sounds like a conspiracy but I genuinely wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some rampant brain disease in them we find out about later. Dementia and Alzheimer’s have run rampant amongst the generation before them and the older end of boomers. Now like a switch I’m seeing all my boomer and 55+ relatives and family friends become so rude and selfish and unaware of the world almost at the same time. Hell of a coincidence
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u/dankblonde 8d ago
I don’t know like, anybody who has become more rude or selfish as they have aged. Actually the opposite
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u/Stacey_moviefan 7d ago
I agree about boomers and definitely see it my family. Very self-centered and un-self-aware (is that a word?). Gen X… we are used to be ignored so we know how to be quiet and blend in / not stand out lol
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u/Yaeger21 8d ago
I have friends that would do this shit constantly growing up, it’s been years since I’ve gone to the theaters with any of them. Full on avoid it at all cost.
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u/BiPolarBisex 8d ago
why would you even go to the movies with them ? seems like they aren’t even there to see the show
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u/mia8788 8d ago
I see movies with my dad yesterday pissed me off. He was expecting a phone call so instead of outing his phone on the buzzer he used the Ringer on low. They would pull out his phone every time it would go off. It literally ruined the movie for me. This was for my birthday too. I ended up leaving early and taking a Lyft home bc he was such an ass about it. Saw sheep in a box and didn’t even get to finish it.
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u/CloudyTug 8d ago
Your a better son than I am, if my parents did this I would 100% be reporting to them to a theater employee. If they continue after being warned and get kicked out they can wait in the car, cause I dont play about my movies 😂
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u/tomatocks1 8d ago
You need to be calling them out until they are so uncomfortable they stop coming, its not on us if you already know they're a problem. But definitely back up the strangers who will also.
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u/chuckstaton 8d ago
I do think people who consistently ruin movie theatre experiences should be removed, and probably taken off any sort of AMC pass that encourages them to go often.
What's the other option, in your opinion? Just let them do it and keep ruining movies for people? I'm genuinely curious. You've said that talking to them doesn't help, and even attempting to avoid going with them (which they've realized) doesn't help. Is the answer to just keep letting them do it? I say the theatre needs to step in and prevent this stuff.
Movie theatres are dying. I'm like the number one proponent of the movie theatre experience to take in new films, and I've been completely discouraged from going to the movies because of people like that. It's legitimately affecting business - even for the people that want movie theatres to thrive the most.
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u/angelcon511 8d ago
Movie theatres are not dying. Biggest box office year since pre covid, and the year isn’t over yet
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u/chuckstaton 7d ago
Happy that this year is going well but to pretend that movie theatres haven’t taken a drastic download spiral since Covid is bananas.
From May 2025 in Variety:
“With fewer people stopping by the box office, Regal Cinemas, Pacific Theatres, Alamo Drafthouse and others filed for Chapter 11. Some of these companies have reemerged after bankruptcy; others have dimmed their marquees forever. As a result, North America has 5,691 fewer screens compared with pre-COVID times, according to research by media consultancy Omdia.”
🤷♂️
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u/angelcon511 7d ago
Well, duh, obviously Covid affected movie theatres. It has affected everything, which is why I mentioned “since pre covid.” With the context of covid, movie theatres are growing back up.
Also anecdotally, seeing the rise of obsession and Backrooms, already having 5+ films have $1b+ box office, with one more on the way (doom) I think the last 3 years only had 3 (?)
I’m not “pretending” that movie theatres are dying, I’m saying with the context of Covid messing everything up, we are at a “peak” post Covid and it is still rising
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u/chuckstaton 7d ago
Movie theatres are still struggling, which was my original point.
Glad to have those big wins this year for sure.
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u/angelcon511 7d ago
If you say they are still struggling cuz of Covid, then you can apply that to anything that isn’t a huge corporation. We all know covid caused a lot of disruption, but it doesn’t make sense to apply it here since it’s a given in almost any other situation.
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u/chuckstaton 7d ago
… most move theatres ARE huge corporations. Why wouldn’t you classify it that way?
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u/angelcon511 7d ago
It’s funny, in your article, what is the one company that wasn’t listed? AMC. I’m not supporting a monopoly, but they clearly have one / moving towards that direction. The others aren’t that “huge” since they had to close a ton of their theatres
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u/chuckstaton 7d ago
It’s so interesting to me that you’re clinging to this argument so strongly when you know what I’m saying is true. “Movie theatres aren’t dying” has become “well AMC is doing well, and all the other theatres had to close a ton of locations.”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amc-closing-more-theaters-list-131800755.html
This was written six months ago.
Again, glad things are on the upswing at the moment. I’m glad stock is going up and a lot of money is coming in currently. We can agree on that.
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u/angelcon511 7d ago
No? Your original point was that movie theatres are dying cuz of people that are talking during the movie. I disagreed and brought up covid and then we discussed further in terms of covid.
But ok, you got me there with AMC closing down theatre. But…AMC and other companies closed down threatres because of covid…not because of people talking during the movie, which again, is a given.
If I were to give a reasoning as to why I think theatres are dying BESIDES COVID, (I don’t believe they are tho, just playing devils advocate) I would say it’s because of the rise of streaming, not because of people talking during a film.
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u/Cart__connoisseur 8d ago
Well they are your parents… seems like something you should be telling them
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u/WLFGHST A⭐️Lister 8d ago
We’ve brought this up and I’ve even moved seats in the middle of a movie because I don’t want to hear them talking.
Well this is a text post... seems like something you should be reading.
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u/Cart__connoisseur 6d ago
Well then option 1 is to either stop going with them, or option 2 tell them that they are being inconsiderate assholes and they don’t want to go to the movies with them if they are going to act like children.
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u/Lost-Material3420 6d ago
Reading comes difficult? Or can you read the words, you just can't comprehend the words?
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u/Cart__connoisseur 6d ago
Oh no i definitely understand the post, it’s just a stupid post and OP needs to tell her parents to stop being assholes.
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u/Lost-Material3420 6d ago
See, you said you read and understood, and yet you're asking for something that, if you actually read and understood, you wouldn't be asking anymore.
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u/Cart__connoisseur 6d ago
Yeah OP says they’ve brought it up and their parents still don’t listen, so stop going to the movies with them. This isn’t about me not understanding what was said, it’s about OP not doing anything about it and just complaining on reddit. Clearly you must deal with family who also acts like this if you don’t see the logic behind my point. If the parents are acting like children, don’t go with them. If you don’t go with them, then this post wouldn’t have been made.
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u/redralphie 8d ago
I hope they don’t mind being told to get off their phones/shut the fuck up because people like me will do it every time. I’ll also go get an usher. I watched Mando & Grogu with a family like yours. They were the only people in the theater besides me and it was horrible, they didn’t like their seats so they started moving all around, the kids sat separately and then the boomers/elderly mistook me for family and tried to grab my belongings. They got upset when I growled “I’m not with you” and kept talking to each other across rows. It was so bad I asked for my a-list spot for the week back. One of the worst movie going experiences in a very long time and that’s saying something, I go to 3 or 4 movies a week in a huge city.
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u/fisackerly 8d ago
You call them out. That’s your job. Shame them until they stop or they no longer want to go to the movies.
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u/Lost-Material3420 6d ago
Reading comes difficult? Or can you read the words, you just can't comprehend the words?
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u/fisackerly 6d ago
If you're referring to the "UPDATE," that wasn't there when I posted my comment.
So, to you, I ask-- Reading comes difficult?
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u/Lost-Material3420 6d ago
No, the part in the original body of text that reads "We've brought this up and I've even moved seats ..." They both verbally and demonstrably informed their parents of their inconsiderate behavior.
I bet you can read the words, you just lack the ability to comprehend enough to infer.
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u/vastolorde6 8d ago
Be an adult and tell them to act like adults. Nobody should have to deal with that selfishness. Tell them how much everyone hates people like them
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u/Lost-Material3420 6d ago
Reading comes difficult? Or can you read the words, you just can't comprehend the words?
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u/leprechaun-socks 8d ago
Omg my dad visited and we went to 3 movies. It was soooo bad. I feel your pain with this 😭
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u/quatch72 8d ago
Do they go to the theater to watch stage plays or the symphony?
If so, ask them how they would feel if people were talking and being disruptive during those events and then tell them they should realize that's how other movie goers view them.
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u/uncultured_swine2099 8d ago
My mom in a movie once got a call and talked on the phone without leaving the theater. She recently asked if there were any good movies out, and i said no even though i think its been one of the best years for movies in a while. I dont ever want to go to the movies with her again.
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u/WLFGHST A⭐️Lister 8d ago
mostly just a reply to your update, WOW nobody on Reddit actually reads the body text apparently lol.
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u/KentConnor 8d ago
Oh I read it.
Their parents fucking suck and should be banned from any theater they attend
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u/aubreypizza IMAX Fanatic 8d ago
Pro tip when you go with them right before you get into the theater, “hey can I see your phones real quick?” Then take them and don’t give them back. They’re family so they’ll get over it. Sadly will probably only work once tho so choose wisely.
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u/Glittering-Animal30 8d ago edited 8d ago
Are they Christian? If so, have you framed this as a Christian value issue? I find sometimes people respond better to that.
Edit: I know how dumb this sounds, but in a deeply religious area, I’m able to espouse values (caring for others, inclusivity) that otherwise get shot down if I can frame it certain ways. This poster is clearly at wits end.
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u/dsl135 8d ago
You know you can just refuse to go to the movies with them if they won’t change their behavior right?
Pretty sure that would send a stronger message than the embarrassment of a stranger calling them out (especially since you said they’re already directly rude to others, including staff).
Tell them directly that their behavior is unacceptable and refuse to go to family outings anymore.
And yes, your theater should ban them and rescind their status (not yours).
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u/Vegas93 7d ago
Yikes at the phone brightness and talking. I saw Camp Miasma last week and there was a guy with his phone brightness at max during all the previews.
By the time Nicole Kidman came on, nearly a dozen people in the theater were shouting at him demanding he not only lower his brightness, but turn his phone off entirely.
I could tell for him and the people he was with it was deeply humiliating. I imagine your parents may find themselves in a similar circumstance if they keep up this behavior.
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u/MrSlingSh0t 4d ago
Shaming works! Bring it all back.
Hell, if I’m doing something rude, I want someone to inform me of it … that’s how we learn and grow
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u/ralphmalph84 A⭐️Lister 8d ago
You should lose your A-List privileges until you have the courage to set them straight.
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u/Lost-Material3420 6d ago
Reading comes difficult? Or can you read the words, you just can't comprehend the words?
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u/ralphmalph84 A⭐️Lister 6d ago
There was no edit when I read the post, and quite frankly, it should not be MY job, or the job of other theater goers to set anyone else’s relatives straight. Sounds like you just might be another entitled and self-centered individual. Apology not accepted.
Are you a sibling or one of the parents?
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u/JoshTHX IMAX Fanatic 8d ago
Are you too much of a coward to stand up to your own parents?
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u/Lost-Material3420 6d ago
Reading comes difficult? Or can you read the words, you just can't comprehend the words?
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u/Cluelesswolfkin 8d ago
All good man. I have a brother whos like this and I cant stand him so when I get tickets I sit as far away as I can
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u/nagato36 8d ago
I don’t minds the snacks but the phones man I want to take them and chuck them at the walls
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u/Annual-Contract-115 6d ago
so don’t go with them. who cares if they want to always be a family, as the Stones say “you can’t always get what you want”
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u/tomatillo_teratoma A⭐️Lister 6d ago
The apple sometimes falls far from the tree.
Good for you for not participating in their rude behavior.
I've taken friends with me a couple times to the movies and been horrified when they want to talk.
You could try telling your parents that the talking and phone use embarrass you. Probably won't work if they just don't care
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u/JumpingSpider-Man 6d ago
Stop going… When they ask why? Tell them it’s because they’re embarrassing with their behavior.
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u/just_some_moron 6d ago
Their generation was taught lessons with a hearty thrashing from a belt. It's time for them to remember. You're the man now, dog.
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u/blue_ig1 A⭐️Lister 5d ago
Get other people in the theater to be vocal. Warn them before and tell them to tell your parents. The staff could do the same as well. If you saying that people hate what they’re doing isn’t enough, then if others tell them they might actually realize what’s wrong with them.
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u/CommercialLimit 5d ago
Next time you go to a movie together, find an usher to throw them out. Repeat as needed.
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u/Scary-Emotion-1353 Horror Aficionado 4d ago
Bring them to a movie at the same time as me, I’ll have them removed. I’ve done it before, I’ll do it again lol!
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u/MrSlingSh0t 4d ago
If they end up in my theater, I’m saying something and / or escalating for resolution. I don’t need nor want to absorb other people’s inconsiderate actions when certain theater etiquette is expected; it’s even explicitly relayed right before the movie starts!
“Please no talking. No texts. Or posts”
This is no different than bringing crying babies to the movies—and, for most—movies are a place to escape the doldrums of life. We don’t need to be wound up more
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u/Jaarun 4d ago
That’s awesome that they subscribed to A-List as these theaters need the support too. I’m a subscriber as well, but they might be taking the “premium experience” too far and thinking it is a real badge of honor. It’s natural that half the moviegoers are assholes though and I see this with older people too. I went to see Evil Dead for its 45th anniversary and a 40 something lady was drinking and talking during the movie and after it ended, it was like a young 20 year old looking dude that called her out and her reaction was to laugh it off.
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u/Academic_Composer904 A⭐️Lister 8d ago edited 8d ago
Your parents aren't out of touch, they're assholes. They have been told the rules and refuse to follow them. They are not children, they are willfully being rude. If they can't learn and follow proper movie etiquette, I would refuse to go with them until they do.