My favourite story of the past week, and probably the past forever comes from Alamo Drafthouse cinema founder Tim League in response to the hilarious reaction of a patron who persistently ignored the cinema's strict Don't Talk or Text policy and was dully ejected from the Austin cinema. It's a story close to my heart, as I believe that all cinemas should have a zero tolerance policy on talking and texting during films and I often find myself seething with rage at almost every screening I go to these days. Just last night, in a screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (yes, that is the second time I've seen it now - I was obligated!), in an almost empty screen I was forced to ever-so-Britishly turn round and glare at an older couple sitting right behind us who felt it necessary to talk at normal volume for almost the entire film. When patrons are paying good money to see a film, what exactly entitles these cretinous, ill-mannered morons to spoil the experience? So it's great to see the Alamo sticking to their guns, and even using this "customer's" response to being thrown out as an advertisement for the policy, running before all R-Rated movies in the cinemas. Be warned, there's some colourful language in the video below... http://youtu.be/1L3eeC2lJZs The cinema's founder outlines the policy, and why they chose to follow it on the article from the cinema's official blog:
When we adopted our strict no talking policy back in 1997 we knew we were going to alienate some of our patrons. That was the plan. If you can't change your behaviour and be quiet (or unilluminated) during a movie, then we don't want you at our venue. Follow our rules, or get the hell out and don't come back until you can.
Simple. Logical. And when he says it like that, you wonder why no-one else is policing their cinemas in the same way, for the benefit of their real customers. His sign off is just as genius...
Ma'am, you may be free to text in all the other theaters in the Magnited States of America, but here at our "little crappy ass theater," you are not. Why you may ask? Well, we actually do give a f*$k.
Bravo! And once more to you, Tim League, I doff my cap - if every cinema was as dedicated as you are to the silent majority of audience members who turn up to watch movies in the spirit they were intended to be viewed in cinemas, the world would be an infinitely better place. I just wish my local Cineworld would take heed and do the same.