Am officially old
Posted by al_brownie@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 106 comments
The small local movie theater by my house does $5 movies on Tuesdays so my friend and I went to see Sinners finally, which was great. But it was of course super busy and there was a group of three teenage girls who got up and left and came back at least five times in the first fifteen minutes of the movie. There was also a family in there with two kids, probably 8 or 9 years old (I watched plenty of movies I shouldn’t have at that age but wha?!) and a couple of teenagers who were on their phones the entire time and didn’t pick up their trash when they left. All of the trashcans were overflowing as we walked out and my friend said the bathroom was a disaster. We got out around 9:45 and there was a family with kids getting popcorn to go see Lilo and Stitch and my thought was “ummm those kids need to be in bed” even though it’s summer. Obviously some of these issues are poor management but…. Am I just old/cranky? (The answer is probably yes).
SlackerDS5@reddit
Not old, just someone who invests way too much time paying attention to others.
I just paid cash money to watch a movie, Idgaf other people unless they’re actively bothering me directly. I don’t have time to play theater cop.
al_brownie@reddit (OP)
I also find it annoying when people litter or don’t put their shopping carts back, or watch videos out loud on their phones in waiting rooms…. I’m not saying or doing anything about any of those things, including this. Just wrote down an inner thought 🤷🏻♀️
SlackerDS5@reddit
Oh, I understand. I just get to the point where my care threshold gets exceeded. I’ve spent too much of my life interjecting and burning through energy on stuff like this. But yeah, I get it.
Possible-Tangelo9344@reddit
You went to a movie that got it at 9:45 at night?! Look at the stamina on this dude.
katieclooney@reddit
You are not alone. Its wild the lack of theater etiquette people dont have. Up and down. Talking. LOOKING AT THEIR PHONES. Kids in movies that they shouldn't be in. After all that, they leave the area a mess. Humans have become such pigs.
I thought it was just me being hyper observant.
aceknowsbest@reddit
This is more of an American issue than a "human" issue.
I've been to movie theaters all over the world (various ratings/blockbusters hits) and american adults and kids imo are louder, messier and have a higher disregard for others. My hyper observant ways won't allow me to focus on the movie, so there's no sense paying top dollar only to be distracted and annoyed.
CountIstvanTeleki@reddit
It’s also more of a poorer American thing. Poor people are generally less educated and boorish and just don’t care about polite social norms.
Spiritual_Smile9882@reddit
I am right there with you. I loved going to movies. I will almost never go now unless I know it's going to be a mostly empty theater simply because of just how much people suck in social settings now.
elektrik_noise@reddit
I agree. More of an American thing. I live in the US and travel out of the country. A LOT. And the brand of foulness in the US, of the general population, makes me want to retch. There is no longer any sense of community. Everyone’s just on their “me me me, and fuck everyone else” train. I was in Spain for a few weeks this year and never saw phones out on tables during meals. EXCEPT, one time.
They were Americans.
Petraaki@reddit
Keep in mind it's a 5 dollar movie that's been out for a while. I haven't had a problem with people's movie etiquette at normal theaters recently, and the floors seem to be way less sticky than they were when I was a kid. Overall theaters seem cleaner to me than they used to be.
My bigger problem is that they aren't very full anymore. People go to movies less now and it makes me sad
katieclooney@reddit
$5 movie day or regular price, people should still behave in public
Petraaki@reddit
Totally, but I have lower expectations if a movie's been out for a bit and I'm not paying much for it
katieclooney@reddit
Maybe I just dont like the general public anymore😄
Petraaki@reddit
Lol, that's fair
Deep-Interest9947@reddit
The dollar movies were where you went to get stabbed at night when I was growing up. But great deal during the day!
jrunner02@reddit
Stabbed?? Dollar movie late night is where you went to fool around with your gf/bf.
photogypsy@reddit
We used to joke about the one close to us and call it the double bleeder. Loose your virginity inside and get stabbed outside.
-bobsnotmyuncle-@reddit
Yeah.
While getting stabbed.
Secret_Bees@reddit
Like, is that a euphemism? Stabbed with a penis in the vagina?
-bobsnotmyuncle-@reddit
Nope. Just grew up in a rough area :p
KingCarnivore@reddit
I haven’t really had a problem either and I go to the movies fairly regularly. The last issue I had was with some chick who thought she was funny and kept trying to riff The Menu, but that was a while ago.
inspectorendoffilm@reddit
Pigs are more decent.
Sharpshooter188@reddit
I think people have always bern like this. I think we are just noticing it now because we are middle age. Lol
Riddler9884@reddit
Like they say in Cyberpunk "No Future"
edwardturnerlives@reddit
The phone thing I just cant forgive. It's epidemic. I was at my daughter's dance recital. A large family was beside me, all on their phones for 2 hours. Watching Tik Tok, watching a baseball game, shopping on Amazon. All of them. It's dark. All my right eye sees is screens. It drives me flipping bonkers.
LeafyCandy@reddit
Yes! My kid was in a musical last week, and it was phenomenal, and I really wanted to take a pic of the set during one scene but didn’t because phone, dark room, rude. And then the freaking people around me start recording on their phones. One person took flash photography several times until we all yelled at them. (Happened during two performances.) The program explicitly said no recording, no flash. The director said it before the musical started. People are so selfish and entitled.
FidgitForgotHisL-P@reddit
Y’all would love Tool concerts. Sign posts up saying “no photography or we’ll kick you out”, and they genuinely do. It was wonderful.
LeafyCandy@reddit
Gabriel Iglesias does the same thing. He has people walking the crowd, and if they see your phone, they get you off of it one way or another (not nearly as ominous as that sounds). He’s like “I’ll give you photo ops at the end; don’t worry.” And he does. It was interesting.
CrabbyCatLady41@reddit
I love going to concerts where they put your phone in that little phone jail case. Saw Jack White a couple of times and it was awesome to see people forced to just have an experience like a human being. Security was nabbing people who didn’t lock up their phones, and my old ass was like, ha, get ‘em!
al_brownie@reddit (OP)
I went to a show a couple of years ago and paid like $100 for nosebleeds and the two older women in front of us literally videoed the entire show with their phones. They’d put them down for a second and then pick them right back up again. It was so distracting.
CrabbyCatLady41@reddit
Can’t handle it! It’s like, put the damn phone down and have an experience without holding an object between your face and the thing you paid to be physically present for. You can watch a concert video on YouTube that is 1000x better quality than an iPhone video.
HicJacetMelilla@reddit
I would be incensed if I saw that! If I were the program director I’d make an announcement that if audience members want to use their phone for anything other than recording the dance, they should head to the lobby because it’s disrespectful toward the dancers and all the hard work they put in.
What’s worse is that I completely believe you that this was happening. My mom is a 70-year-old boomer and she’s on TikTok and YouTube watching the absolute worst shorts all day long. Literally all day. And I just found out she found Temu so… cool, great. It’s crazy how much these little devices have taken over our lives.
PickleFlavordPopcorn@reddit
We are going to have to reach a tipping point eventually right? At some point there has to be some enforcement of a little etiquette with phones in theaters, I cannot believe how insane it’s gotten in the last 5 years. It makes me way less excited about attending events
insomniacandsun@reddit
I’ve become really selective about which movie theaters I go to, and it’s because I want to avoid experiences like the one you just described.
abeeyore@reddit
One of the relatively few redeeming qualities of living in Texas is Alamo Drafthouse. By far the best overall movie going experience I’ve ever had.
Every time I wind up going to another theater, I’m surprised that they have found even more ways to make the pre reel - and the whole experience - worse.
ASingleThreadofGold@reddit
Overrated. I actually find the workers scurrying around trying to take orders to be just as distracting as the complaints OP had in this post. I hate having to worry about signing my credit card bill/tipping right toward the end of a movie.
I feel like the old system of just getting up and grabbing your shit is better.
abeeyore@reddit
Valid complaint. I’ve noticed that how intrusive it is varies a lot by location. Newer ones seem to have larger height differentials between the rows, and more space in the walkways that make their passage less distracting.
Even with caveats, it’s still far and away the best movie going experience for us.
Ahazurak@reddit
As a Michigan native who moved to TX i can state that one of the coolest things about Texas is Alamo Draft house.
insomniacandsun@reddit
I had to Google “Alamo Drafthouse,” and it looks pretty amazing. I’m not sure I’d ever want to see a movie anywhere else.
abeeyore@reddit
We very rarely go anywhere else. The food is even good, and merely over priced, instead of abusive.
We actually look forward to the pre reel, even make an effort to get the early to see it. It’s weird!
Equal_Question_4594@reddit
I’ve been feeling similarly, but I think a big part of it is we’re witnessing society gradually going off the rails. I think because of the internet, smartphones / various devices, the political climate, the pandemic, etc., many people have become rude, haven’t learned to have an attention span or manners, have become more self-focused, etc. It’s like the movie Idiocracy come to life 😆 We feel like we’re old and cranky, but we just remember that things used to be better (although that thought and thinking about the direction things are going does make me cranky 😞)
Original_Telephone_2@reddit
Careful, Grandpa Simpson. Your argument has been made by every generation, going back forever, at least as far back as Socrates, who used to bitch about kids these days.
Secret_Bees@reddit
I don't know. I understand The point you're making, but also I feel like we have continually been stretching the fabric of community, which is the fabric of society, thinner and thinner. I may not be running for the hills myself, but I'm certainly keeping a worried eye on things
Equal_Question_4594@reddit
Exactly. The changes going on now are different from the usual changes between previous generations; what’s going on now is unprecedented. The internet, then smartphones, then ai etc. has opened a whole Pandora’s box.
sjd208@reddit
what’s the matter with kids today!
DearBurt@reddit
In Socrates’ defense, kids those days were terrible!
al_brownie@reddit (OP)
You’re not wrong!
SignificantApricot69@reddit
I know I’m old because I think the last time I went on a movie date was 20 years ago and I’ve rarely gone since. Mostly kids movies with my kids but even that mostly came to end around idk Toy Story 3 maybe
al_brownie@reddit (OP)
I definitely don’t go as much as I used to- I probably went once a week from middle school through my 20’s/early 30’s.
BANGImportant2825@reddit
I saw Poor Thing at 10:30 on a Tuesday morning. I did not realize that Emma Stone was going to be naked the whole time!
al_brownie@reddit (OP)
Whoops yeah lots of nudity in that one lol
ASingleThreadofGold@reddit
The amount of bitching over a movie that cost you only $5? Jesus. The answer is yes, you sound like an old asshole. It's summer. Who cares if kids are out enjoying life with their family? Get a grip. What's with all of the crotchety "old" people takes in this sub lately? Count me out.
The only complaint you had in your entire rant that's actually valid is the kids on their phones during a movie in a darkened theater. That is poor behavior.
Ineedavodka2019@reddit
Yes you are. Stop worrying about the things you can’t control and try to focus on what you can control. Unless the entire movie was ruined and you couldn’t see or hear then you need to chill.
al_brownie@reddit (OP)
It’s not that serious, just made some observations. I didn’t complain, or yell or even say anything to anyone.
Ineedavodka2019@reddit
I sometimes think being old is a state of mind.
defucchi@reddit
you explained exactly why I no longer go to movie theatres and enjoy movies from the comfort of my bedroom.
geekgirlwww@reddit
The teens are Covid kids theyre basically feral at the theater.
Would’ve judged the family too but I had working parents maybe it was the only showing that worked.
HermioneMarch@reddit
When we were growing up there were a lot of societal expectations that were unnecessary. However, in throwing off the yoke of institutions and traditions, we seem to also have just forgotten basic human decency. I also think screen addiction contributes to us paying more attention to humans we’ve never seen irl than we do to the people in front of us.
dontletyourcrownslip@reddit
All of what you mentioned would drive me nuts. I probably would have been debating leaving early
ConnectKale@reddit
You just described why I pay for movies at home!!!
The fact that people cannot seem to just watch the movie and that movies in theaters are too damn loud. Also I have been like this since I was a in my 20’s.
childofeye@reddit
Seems like a lit of stuff i would neger care about, even now. Does being annoyed by everything mean you’re getting old? I don’t know.
niobiumnnul@reddit
Welcome to the old folks group, kid.
Dinner is served at 4:30.
Bat2121@reddit
I was at a movie with my wife. There was one other couple in the theater and also 3 teenage boys. 20 minutes into the movie, after 20 minutes of talking, I just reacted without thinking. I got up, turned around, pointed at them, and said, "Hey, why don't you shut the fuck up or leave."
And I'm not a scary man by any means, but they didn't make a peep the rest of the movie. Little angels from them on. It made me think that they have simply never been taught how to properly behave in public. And one very angry stranger made them realize other people can hear them.
gummyneo@reddit
I stopped going to movies altogether. Haven’t been to the movies in years. I just wait until its on digital and enjoy movies in my home, on my couch, I can pause to pee at any time, I can turn on the subtitles because I can’t hear dialogue sometimes (I AM LOOKING AT YOU CHRISTOPHER NOLAN), and I can’t snack on my own food and not pay $50 for 2 hot dogs and a popcorn
CrabbyCatLady41@reddit
Yeah, my husband and I like to comment on movies in real time, MST3K style. So we do that at home. I take my mom to see whatever she’s excited about. We go to a fancy theater with the recliner chairs, and that’s nice because they’re spaced out enough that you don’t get distracted by other people’s weird phone addictions. And they have staff who actually kick out noisy people. It also costs about a bazillion dollars, but worth it as rarely as we actually go.
Available-Crow-3442@reddit
Kids have always been assholes.
That includes us.
PlumSome3101@reddit
At our local theater that kind of behavior wouldn't have been tolerated. The teens would've been asked to sit quietly/put their phone away or leave. I also think there's some kind of policy regarding not allowing kids into rated R movies after a certain hour even if they have an adult present. Come to think of it I've never seen children under 12 in a rated R showing. When I lived in Bellingham Washington in the US there were three separate theaters. One was for rated R movies and NO ONE under 18 was allowed in which was pretty cool. But yeah you're not old and grouchy with the exception of maybe the late night Disney movie. It just sounds like that's a really badly run theater.
al_brownie@reddit (OP)
I think this place maybe has three employees on a good day lol.
PlumSome3101@reddit
That's fair and I'm sure they're underpaid and overworked but we also have a small staff at ours. I'm with ya though. I have nicely but firmly told teens running in and out to sit down or I'd get somebody to escort them out at a different theater in my 20's. And I've been to showings at a different theater where someone brought a 3 and 5 year old to the 2nd 300 movie which was wildly inappropriate. But they were pretty quiet. Im pretty spoiled where I live now but I also have always thought theater etiquette is important. My kid and I see a lot of movies and I've done my best to teach him no talking, no phone, to sit relatively still, and no farting. You'd think the last part would be a duh but apparently being in 5th grade has made him gassier. We also always pick up our trash.
I'm sorry you had to see Sinners like that.
al_brownie@reddit (OP)
It’s ok, I did still really enjoy it!
ihatecatboys@reddit
I almost dread the idea of going on a vacation to any area of significance because there will undoubtedly be some asshat doing a tiktok dance in front of whatever I have spent thousands of dollars to see, and it enrages me. I am old.
al_brownie@reddit (OP)
I always wonder when I’m going to run into one of those grocery store health influencers that picks up a box or whatever off the shelf and talks about how full of chemicals and poison it is. That one will enrage me.
harrilal@reddit
I have the opposite experience. When I was a kid right through until I was a teenager, we would all hoot and holler and hit silly one-liners like "I would have run" or "You made a mistake" or whatever.
A few movies, I had to see more than once because we got too carried away. Cable Guy, Happy Gilmore, Phantom Menace, and Fellowship of the Ring come to mind.
Now, it's usually a dead silent audience barring a few laughs. Exceptions being major cultural landmarks like Avengers Infinity War and Endgame. Haven't noticed phone screens lighting up either.
I do feel old, because when I leave the cinema I think to myself how wild the experience could have been. The kids today are TOO respectful. 🤣
The one thing I will say is that we never threw stuff. The Minecraft nonsense of throwing drinks and entire buckets of popcorn is stupid. And no, it isn't the same as Rocky Horror because that experience didn't start happening until it garnered a cult following, became a full on event, and cinema staff is prepared for it (it was also rated R, so you took kids there at their own peril).
Look at that tangent and unrelated rant! I am old!
al_brownie@reddit (OP)
I don’t mind that at all, a few people made comments like that last night- “get back in there!” Etc. I think that makes it fun sometimes.
Rough-Boot9086@reddit
Aside from the phones, none of that sounds new
VideoEvening2382@reddit
Exactly. I worked at a multiplex 1998-2013. All of this sounds very familiar.
Connallthemac@reddit
Our earth is degenerate in these latter days; there are signs that the world is speedily coming to an end; bribery and corruption are common; children no longer obey their parents… and the end of the world is evidently approaching,” attributed to an Assyrian stone tablet of about 2800 B.C.
jjmawaken@reddit
We went to see Minecraft with my son when it released. I have to say mostly people were quiet and behaved other than some loud uproars at specific times (like chicken jockey).
inexplicably_dull@reddit
I haven't gone to a theater in probably 5 years and honestly, I'm probably not going again.
Wife and I used to be big movie goers but these days I see no appeal. A lot of it is just getting older and having different priorities but still... Put another notch on the board of Enshitification.
InteligentTard@reddit
Probably just old and cranky. I’ve come to the realization that other people only exist to annoy me or get in my way. Stay off my lawn!!! lol
Mountain-Fox-2123@reddit
This is so f...ing stupid, old is 70+
People in their 30s and 40s are not old.
chronicnerv@reddit
I don’t think you’re old, I think you’re just experienced enough to know exactly what you want from a movie. And the truth is, your ability to enjoy that movie is constantly at risk when you’re surrounded by other people talking, texting, or just being disruptive.
Then there's the cost. These days, taking a family of four to the cinema,say, two adults and two kids, easily runs up to £80+ per trip with tickets and snacks. Do that 10 times, and you're at nearly £1,000.
For that kind of money, you could buy a really solid home setup: a 55-inch 4K TV and a quality soundbar. You get to watch what you want, how you want, when you want no queues, no noise, no overpriced popcorn. Just you, your couch, and cinema-quality picture and sound.
valleysally@reddit
I never get more annoyed by the human race than at a major movie theater. I'm lucky that I live in a city with small independent ones that run what they want and people have to obey the rules (saw a guy get kicked out) I have tickets to go to AMC to see the 25th anniversary of Dogma, I hope everyone's cool.
eat_like_snake@reddit
I don't really pay attention to what other people are doing in the theater unless they're interrupting my experience. I'm there to watch the movie, not people.
Also I was allowed to watch R-rated movies as a kid and 9:45 wasn't that late. Even now, I go to bed around 2 - 3 AM.
al_brownie@reddit (OP)
My favorite movie as a kid was Dirty Dancing so I’m with you but there was some pretty explicit stuff in this movie 🤷🏻♀️
I find phones, talking and getting up and down distracting but I know I may be more sensitive to that kind of stuff than others.
eat_like_snake@reddit
I don't care when people are on their phones or getting up and down. I just get annoyed when they're loud, throwing shit, or kicking my seat.
To be fair, I've never heard of Sinners and don't know what's in it. I just know that I saw... well other things, but of note was Event Horizon, way before I should have seen Event Horizon. Lmao.
Melodic-Tax-6678@reddit
Same for me. that movie traumatized me. My uncle and I went to see it (and I was not into horror/gore at the time; in fact, I refused to see any of the Alien movies) thinking it was just a sci-fi flick. I still refuse to rewatch it.
Roland-Of-Eld-19@reddit
Grab your flannel blanket, your rocking chair, your shotgun, and your get off my lawn sign and come right this way sir 😵💫
Psycosteve10mm@reddit
I just got sick with the whole theater experience and dealing with A-holes. I would rather sit at home where I can vape, drink a beer or 2, eat whatever I want without going broke, and not have to deal with the idiots who go to theaters. Plus, I have the option to pause the movie.
Fabulous-South-9551@reddit
100% poor movie etiquette pisses me off HOWEVER I was also 100% one of those teenage girls with a group of her friends talking and laughing through a movie so I get it.
al_brownie@reddit (OP)
I’m sure I was too. We probably all were lol
AnotherCrazyChick@reddit
No no, I’ve always been an old grump. Went when I was like 17/18 to a movie about skateboarding with lots of fun music. Every time music came on, this group of younger girls threw their hands up in the air screaming like they were at a concert.
I asked politely twice. They continued to block my view with their hands. So I kicked the shit out of the back of their seats and told them to shut the hell up. I got to see the rest of the movie with no problem.
When the movie was over and the lights came up, groups of people behind us started throwing their drink cups and even shoes at them.
captain_flak@reddit
It’s really hard to deal with the crap at theaters these days. I pretty much only go to Alamo Drafthouse these days.
DinglesBerry3@reddit
I’m pretty sure Covid obliterated the last bit of decency we had as a society.
icberg7@reddit
Related people being on their phones the whole movie:
The fact that the film academy had to make a rule to actually require people to actually watch a movie before voting on it is sort of telling for where the world is at right now.
And I realized I was old when I went to Washington, DC last year and said things like "this is the first time I've been to this place in thirty years. Gosh.
BalrogRuthenburg11@reddit
People on their phones during a movie bugs me. People leaving trash isn’t cool but at least it doesn’t affect me watching the movie. The kids being in a movie that might not be appropriate for them is none of my business as long as they don’t disrupt the movie. And the kids going to see a late showing of Lilo and Stitch is none of my business either. During summer when I was a kid my bedtime was the same as my parents.
Fly-by-Night-@reddit
I had the flip side of your experience a couple of years ago, when a friend and I went to the cinema on a rainy day in a town with a high population of retirees….
This was the worst cinema audience I’ve ever experienced. Three separate groups of people where talking the entire way through the film, including one woman who was explaining (in a normal talking voice, no attempt at a whisper) the entire film, scene by scene to her husband.
Another lady, sat directly behind us, was having a text conversation the entire time, without turning off notifications.
I honestly couldn’t believe how incredibly inconsiderate they all were and that I - a mere child of 40 something - had to shush people multiple times, and then got smart alec comments back from one man!
It was bad enough that on the way out, I actually stopped the gentleman who had given me lip and explained how rude his behaviour had been and that he’d completely ruined the film for me!
al_brownie@reddit (OP)
Yeah I have season tickets to our performing arts theater for the Broadway touring shows and it tends to be an older crowd- I’ve definitely noticed they are on their phones a lot though thankfully it’s a little more frowned upon in that setting.
superschaap81@reddit
I willingly pay more for the VIP movies these days because they're usually empty, and they're 19+, for this very reason. I don't go often, but if I am I want to be able to enjoy it.
Sunchinethewerewolf@reddit
It’s you and your mentality. “No good music has came out since “insert year graduated high school” . That’s also how you see it right? You should have enjoyed the movie like you paid for, rather than be invested in what everyone else is doing. For no reason but to be that small percentage that sets this generation back. We aren’t getting any younger man. we can be us without being looked at as what we are starting to be perceived.
al_brownie@reddit (OP)
Not at all. I listen to tons of new music. And I still enjoyed the movie. Just observations.
Sunchinethewerewolf@reddit
Okay good. What are you listening to right now?
al_brownie@reddit (OP)
To be fair I don’t tend to listen to a ton of pop and some of these have been around for a min, but Lola Young, Chappell Roan, Durand Jones and the Indications (seeing them in Nov), Jason Isbell, Punch Brothers (saw them two weeks ago), also really enjoying Miley’s new stuff… just a few off the top of my head. I
PilotC150@reddit
This is exactly why I don’t go to movies often anymore.
It’s also why I put a 120” projector screen in my basement. I usually end up waiting until something is streaming before I see new movies. I’d pay decent money to be able to stream new movies while they’re still in the theater. I just don’t enjoy the experience anymore.
Some-Exchange-4711@reddit
Sounds like a bunch of asshole movie-goers in there with you
actionerror@reddit
NGL that environment sounds annoying af to be in 😂