Problem in theater? Just buzz manager!

[morosco]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 4:02pm

08-04-2006
The News Journal (Wilmington, DE)

Sick of folks talking on cell phones during movies? Movies that are showing half on the wall? People cursing or behaving inappropriately? Weird sound levels?

Regal Brandywine Town Center 16 in Brandywine Hundred is one of 13 Regal Entertainment theaters testing a new Guest Response System that will allow theatergoers to buzz management if there's a problem.

While Regal workers routinely patrol auditoriums, the company hopes the system will make moviegoing a more pleasant experience.

Under the program, theater workers will invite selected patrons to carry a paging device into the theater. Each device has four buttons. Each button alerts management to a different problem, such as sound or picture problems, a disturbance or piracy. When the patron pushes a button, a message goes to a device worn by a manager that tells the nature of the concern and the auditorium.

"If something needs attention, we want to know about it and respond as quickly as possible," Dick Westerling of Regal said in a statement. "With the Regal Guest Response System, our patrons provide us extra eyes and ears, and can immediately report concerns without leaving their seat."

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 4:08pm

Way to go, Regal! They are completely right in this.

I recently swore off ever seeing a movie in a theatre again the other night at MIAMI VICE. The audience was acting like a bunch of monkeys or something. No one knows how to behave in public anymore...it's ASTOUNDING.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 4:15pm

i saw John Tucker Must Die the other day at the AMC on 42nd and there were a bunch of kids who seemed to fancy themselves gangstas, who were using their walkie talkie phone functions, talking, standing up, changing seats and finally, eventually leaving when they decided the movie was 'whack'

audience members were actually yelling at them to sit down and shut up, but i guess they had to prove to each other that they werent intimidated by ignoring others around them.

[Ghosthost999]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 4:19pm

Yeah, I think this is amazing. Last friday I went to see The Descent with a friend and it was a nightmare in there. Pretty much every other scene I had to listen to "LOOK OUT WHITE GURRRLLLLL. DAT MONSTAH GON KILLL YEW!!!!" Then about half way through the movie two girls next to me just began talking about their plans to go to Six Flags the next day

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 4:21pm

I saw this on the news about a week or so ago. It's an amazing function! They should do this for Broadway shows, too.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 4:23pm

I second that for Broadway houses :) YAY!!!

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 4:39pm

This is nice. I hate being in a movie with stupid teenagers who are throwing things and talking the entire time, I really don't get why they bother paying.

Go Regal!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 4:42pm

Whatever happened to the matrons that patrolled the aisles in the theaters?

Whatever happened to being able to go to a movie after 9pm and not seeing any kids?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 4:49pm

I really dread going to see movies anymore - especially if it's a big movie.

It's funny how when I go to see movies like UNITED 93, FRIENDS WITH MONEY, A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION, etc., there is no one there that behaves like a moron.

I absolutely hate it. I hate to say it - and I know it's probably unfair (or probably just because I see most of my movies on E. 86th St.), but it seems that more than half of the offenders are either hispanic or black. Just last weekend there were a huge group of kids in front of me who talked through the whole thing. They answered their phones, texted people, and even used the obnoxious NEXTEL walkie talkie function with the ear piercing BEEP. I asked them to please stop being disruptive, and they said "White boy, know who you're messin' with because you speak out of turn again."

I didn't say anything - I didn't want to get shot - but I was so mad I ended up leaving the movie early.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 4:59pm

That could be why I don't go to the movies much. I finally went last weekend after not going to a movie theater in over a year. I also saw a movie that has been open for a while, so there was hardly anyone in there. Hence, a much more enjoyable experience for everyone involved, and no obnoxious people to deal with.

[Craig]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 5:03pm

Munk - the staff at that theater and the one on 3rd/86th aren't much help either. In fact, they are equally if not more clueless on proper behavior. Quite sad

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 5:07pm

RENT was one of the worse movie-going experiences of my life due to all the RENT-HEADS who took it upon themselves to talk and sing with the film and the management did nothing. I had to tell the tweens to shush or take it outside.

[Ghosthost999]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 5:59pm

The same thing happened to me BettyBoy. A group behind me kept yelling "BEEP!" when Mark and Rogers answering machine went off. And a few people even got up and danced at La Vie Boheme. I saw Phantom opening night in hollywood, besides a fight breaking out in the first 5 mins the audience (full of phans) were quite well behaved.

[whatyouown223]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 6:00pm

Wow, I live in Wilmington! This is really weird.

[myManCape]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 7:54pm

They should just electrify the seats so you can “buzz” the annoying guest yourself.

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 8:00pm

I don't know how well this would work because I'm sure some people would use the buttons inappropriately and buzz the movie attendant people when there are no problems.

[Dyllew]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 8:28pm

Broadway houses should REALLY look into getting this system. My FIRST ever broadway experience was almost ruined by a couple teenage girls. The show was spamalot and the jokes were usually ruined by the loud girls ruining the punchlines.

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 9:35pm

Finally a theatre is doing this! I saw MI3 and this group of teens decided to call eachother on their cells, the entire movie. I complained and the managment said it wasn't their fault (hmm)

[LionessInWinter]

Posted: 8/7/06 at 11:22pm

I *finally* decide to go to a movie theater to see something and I had a man and (unfortunately) his roughly 8 or 9 year old kicked out of XMen 3 a couple of weeks ago at the AMC 42nd St. I was apparently sadly mistaken that there would be next to no one in there. It was a smaller theater and packed.
The guy and his daughter didn't want to sit in the first row or two, sat on the stairs next to the row in front of me and proceeded to talk without whispering through the movie. He wouldn't sit in the first 2 rows. Three theater employees came in, including a bouncer looking guy, when I went out to complain about him. Making much more noise he finally left, after calling me a couple of choice names quite loudly.
The buzzer would've come in handy so I didn't have to get up.
I had a kid on a cellphone 2 seats down, too, with Dad right there.

Three days later I encountered the tourists who rummaged through a plastic grocery store bag through 3/4 of the first act of The Lion King, where I turned around half a dozen times to see if they'd get the message to stop, but didn't until I turned around to ask in the loudest whisper I could, "What is in that freakin' bag?!!*
A buzzer would've been quite handy there, too.

[broadway_freak2]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 12:19am

The second time I saw Rent with some friends, (Mind you I am a teen myself, but maybe my friends and I are in theater and know how to act in an audience.) it was one of the worse experiences of my life. We were watching the movie and behind us there was an entire row of tweens behind us, who apperently only came into the movie to not get kicked out of the mall. Two girls were talking and showing text messages to each other the whole movie. At the beginning when the title song began, another girl asked, I kid you not, "Why are they singing?" The moment after "I'll Cover You" when Angel and Collins kiss, the same girl says "Enough with the kissing! We get it! They're gay!" That after many derogatory comments and ew's. Then at Angel's funeral, one of them exclaim "Who died?"

Anyways, I think this idea is fabulous! Honestly, what I wouldn't give to have one of those devices perminately every time I go to the movies.

[zzannahk]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 12:21am

i never understood why there wasn't atleast a panel near the door, should the sound or picture be "off" that you could notify. I missed the opening of a number of movies by having to go find a person who could help.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 12:40am

I had the worst experience ever when I saw The Devil Wears Prada. This group of 14 or 15 year old's of had broght their skate board's and were skating around the theater before the movie started. The group sat down the row from me and my 3 friend's that were with me. The group was loudly going "Hey let's go see the Davinci Code or we can see..." and they started naming other movie's that were out at the time. So before the movie started about half of them came back. The first few minute's of the movie they were loudly talking and their other friend's were going in and out of the theater. Then worst of all, they started throwing candy at us. Me and one of friends went up to Customer Service's and went to tell them what was going on. They said they would send somebody to our theater to see what was going on. When we got back there, only about 3 people from their group were left. So the staff member stood at the entrance way for the next 15 minute's or so to watch if anything else happened. Then they left us alone for the rest of the movie.

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/8/06 at 8:01am

This sounds like a great idea, but the cynic in me wonders if the manager will come and do anything.