AMC Theaters considering OK on texting during movies

If recent reports are any indication, millennials have already ruined politics, Wall Street, free speech, the housing economy, the modern workforce and, yes, even wine.

And according to a new interview with the CEO of the AMC theater chain, Adam Aron, smartphone-free theaters may become a thing of the past, thanks to — you guessed it! — young people.

“When you tell a 22-year-old to turn off the phone, don’t ruin the movie, they hear please cut off your left arm above the elbow,” Aron told Variety. “You can’t tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cell phone. That’s now how they live their life.”

He later expanded on his statement via Twitter, suggesting a future where AMC would designate certain auditoriums as texting-friendly.

Movie theaters are in a tough spot, as audiences increasingly choose to stream programming at home instead of shelling out for ever-pricier tickets and concessions. But does that mean AMC and other chains should ruin theaters for those people who’ll still gladly pay $15+ for nights at the movies? Some of whom, crazy enough, may be millennials?

Part of theatergoing’s thrill is sitting in a dark, screen-free room for several hours, enjoying a different kind of entertainment. Instead of betraying that fundamental escapist appeal by adding smartphones, AMC should be focusing on making theaters more attractive gathering places for younger audiences, through developing new innovations or adding other amenities. Netflix is already gobbling up AMC’s ticket revenues, so why drive away disappointed theatergoers to the very medium they’re trying to compete with, online streaming?

“There’s a reason there are ads up there saying turn off your phone, because today’s moviegoer doesn’t want somebody sitting next to them texting or having their phone on,” Aron says in the interview. And yes, those “smartphones in theaters”-adverse moviegoers also includes some millennials, ones who may rather sacrifice an arm for a quiet movie than for another few minutes of texting.

USA Today Network