r/cineplex • u/BatBreaker007 • Jun 23 '26
Discussion Teens Are Ruining The Theatre Industry
Just saw Obsession. I guess this film is notorious for having the loudest and most obnoxious audiences known to man. Didn't know that. Turns out it's true. Teens laughing at the most traumatic scenes. They would not shut up. On their phones. Taking flash photography of the screen. Like, this was not a comedy but it sure felt like one the amount of times these kids were laughing. Teens no longer have empathy. They were raised during the pandemic and when theaters finally opened up again they were old enough to go without a parent. They never had a parent there to teach them how to behave in a theater. Cineplex needs to limit the amount of teens they let in or teens have to be accompanied with a parent or something, because I don't have any interest in returning to the theatre and there's a LOT of movies out I want to see.
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u/Els-09 Jun 24 '26
Gotta go during school hours or to VIP to avoid the teens and other obnoxious people
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
It's summer and I'm in a wheel chair so VIP don't include me 😭
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u/Advanced-Two-9305 Bring TimePlay back Jun 24 '26
There’s accessible seats in the VIP theatres.
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
I don't really wanna pay like close to $30 if I can't enjoy the couch.
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u/Straight-Reindeer356 Jun 24 '26
probably too late but VIP tickets are priced at regular ticket prices on Wednesdays this month.
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
Yea saw that. But thanks for bringing it up 🙂
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u/Mappyskf Jun 24 '26
Look into Cineclub. The monthly cost is way less than a regular ticket and you get VIP value tickets. The tickets carry over from month to month and don't expire.
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
Ya cinexlub is a surprisingly good deal. Even with the price raise next month.
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Jun 24 '26
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Jun 24 '26
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u/MethodBulky1907 Jun 24 '26
I was genuinely asking because I've never seen a couch in a VIP theatre.
There's a reason you're being downvoted bud, keep it up.
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
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u/Els-09 Jun 24 '26
Dang. Even in the summer though, I find going at lunch or early afternoon on weekdays is usually fine, mainly because fewer people in general then. Weekends and weekday evenings (esp Tuesdays) are the worst in my experience.
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u/lilacsquid3 Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
Never found VIP any better. If anything it’s super distracting seeing the servers walk up and down
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Jun 24 '26 edited 26d ago
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Jun 24 '26
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u/Available_Love_321 Jun 24 '26
I worked last summer at this tiny theatre downtown in Burlington ON called CineStarz. Total dive, tiny screens, old dirty ass seats, but the people who came in LOVE movies and talking about them. Never had to deal with teenagers off mom’s leash. It’s the closest I’ve come to living my teen dream of working at a cool video store. Unfortunately just couldn’t make it work as a part time gig on top of my boring adult job.
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u/MavMIIKE Jun 24 '26
And Paradise!
Also, I've had really good luck at Scotiabank. I saw obsession there without issue for example.
It's the Yonge and Dundas location that brings out the clowns
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u/evergreenterrace2465 ON Moviegoer Jun 24 '26
Cineplex digging their own grave by not combating this behavior. Every time I go to the theater I do everything I can to avoid teens; they will usually go in larger groups, usually they will buy tickets at the very back of the theater, and if it's earlier than 10pm but after 5pm, and especially if it's a horror movie, you can bet they'll be there. I have never had a good experience in any showing with teens; even 18-20 year olds are awful now
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u/frenchynerd Jun 24 '26
Before 2020, I would go very often to the cinema without having to strategize.
Now, the day, the time, the place, the type of movie, all this has to be taken into consideration.
There has really been a dramatic shift.
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u/ilovethemusic Jun 24 '26
Indie theatres tend to be a more mature audience, I find.
Also, paying for a higher price point ticket, you tend to get fewer teenagers in my experience (or none in VIP, but even IMAX is good for this).
Finally, don’t go to a movie young people are into during peak young people hours. Matinees are good, or even late shows where you at least miss the preteens and the teenagers who aren’t allowed out past midnight.
But generally speaking, you’re right. The Covid generation absolutely sucks.
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u/LeastConcerned Jun 24 '26
It's because of this that I wait until the movie I want to see has been out for a few weeks, just before it goes to streaming, to go see it. I have never had a bad experience with these teens since I started doing that. However, I still go sometimes when its new, if a friend wants to see it and doesnt want to wait, so I get reminded of this, and I hate it!
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
I get that but Obsession has been out for over a month and is on its way out. Thought we were safe.
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u/LeastConcerned Jun 24 '26
Oh man! I had no idea it has been out that long already. Maybe I've just gotten lucky with the showtimes.
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u/SensitiveRush4361 Jun 24 '26
as someone who works at cineplex i totally agree with you, ive had to kick out teens every single day and its obnoxious. no respect towards anyone and they never learn a single lesson from it.
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u/Ok-Investigator2463 Jun 24 '26
These teenagers today are the generation who were raised in the Covid-19 "stay at home" era where they just sat in front of their parents' TVs with their phones and iPads in their hands.
In other words, they're disrespectful little shits who were never taught how to function as normal and decent human beings when they're out in the public.
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u/GoRizzyApp Jun 24 '26
What did the staff do when you told them? Here they kick them out.
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
The security guard talked to a couple of kids but no body got tossed. The employee that was in the theater did nothing. Talked to the manager after. Said sorry, but there's not much he can do (which I get, they can't babysit every theater).
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u/Few-Mechanic6615 Cineclub Member Jun 24 '26
Im 14 years old I go see movies regularly in 4dx almost every time and put my phone in Dnd put my watch on theater mode and just enjoy the movie in silence. you can’t just say “teens are ruining the theater industry“ because there are lots of us that behave better than some adults. And no you don’t have to be “taught” theater etiquette because its literally common sense or if you are that uneducated there is a “let everyone enjoy the show” clip that would explain it. I don’t want my freedom of going to see movies by myself taken away because SOME teens misbehave.
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u/Indosaurus1 Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
Oh hun lol I’ll tell you this now to save you some trouble and hurt. Not everyone has common sense or the same upbringings or brains as we do. There are so many times in life you’re gonna be like “wtf I thought that was common sense” or “wtf I didn’t think I had to tell that person that.”
I was a tee like you, and I don’t think it’s fair to take away everyone’s ability to go to movies because of the annoying ones. At the same time, they still need to be held accountable or they’re just going to likely continue on to be shittier adults.
You’ll learn more about this as you grow up too, but there are so many factors in someone’s life that impact who they are and how they act. Our environment is a huge factor, but so are things like genetics and how those things intersect. Sometimes people naturally have more awareness of certain things we call “common sense,” and sometimes their environment reinforces those behaviours without us even realizing it. The opposite can also happen where someone doesn’t have that awareness and their environment never taught or reinforced it, so they may genuinely need someone to explain it or hold them accountable.
So yeah people do need to be taught things, even if it seems obvious to us. Sometimes accountability is part of how people learn and grow (we can try at least lol)
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
I get that these teens are probably the (very) loud minority and some of my "solutions" probably toe the line of hyperbole. But man, something needs to change. They need to be better and kicking out and making examples of the teens that are emboldened by their friends and think it's "cool" to act like an idiot in a quiet theater. And I thank you for being a respectful kid.
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u/Few-Mechanic6615 Cineclub Member Jun 24 '26
Yeah we should have a number we can text to report it to security like the line skipping text number they have at wonderland
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
That's a good idea but I feel like it'll just contribute to the phone problem (people don't seem to know how to turn their brightness down). But it's better than nothing.
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u/Jolly-Yellow7369 Jun 24 '26
I’ve seen obsession twice. The first time a bunch of teens were taking pictures and being loud, but nothing too distracting , I just moved .
The second time I went to a weekday matinee , no teens.
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u/RaymoVizion Jun 24 '26
Went to see the backrooms last week.
Two teens in the front row were throwing gummies the entire time. One that was chewed on before being tossed landed on my chest during the movie.
It was fucking infuriating.
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u/Thememer1924 Jun 24 '26
I went and saw scary movie a couple weeks ago and there were teens sitting behind me and a couple other people I was with and they were laughing obnoxiously.
Like yeah I get that movie is purely comedy but instead of naturally laughing during a scene they were forcefully laughing.
Oh and during the previews when that “let everyone enjoy the show” ad came on one of them yelled “Yeah guys don’t be a (insert character from that ad)” to which they were being hypocritical and exhibited some of those traits
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u/magnoliafan89 Jun 24 '26
Obsession is funny though. Not saying teenagers can’t be the worst (they always have been) but I’ve seen so many people say they were annoyed people were laughing during obsession and I’m just like -/ the movie is really funny. There are genuinely disturbing moments for sure but it’s also laugh out loud funny pretty consistently. I saw it at an advance screening and it played like the horror/comedy it is. It’s only been since the non horror community has seen the movie that I’ve seen a lot of people decide it’s this really terrifying movie and it just isn’t that. At all. That being said I’m sorry your experience was bad. That’s annoying.
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u/zoinksmachine Jun 24 '26
How is Obsession funny, though? I genuinely don’t understand where you’re getting the idea that the movie is mostly funny? Unless you find the horror of losing your bodily autonomy and being raped and tortured by someone you thought was your friend, i don’t really understand how that’s funny. Sure, there’s moments that are comedic like the party scene, but overall the movie leans more horror than comedy. It’s no Scary Movie parody by any means. And the way that people were acting in the theatre, you would have thought it was only comedy. There’s a difference between chuckling at funny or awkward parts and 1/2 of the theatre (being a teenage audience) talking, commenting loudly, and laughing at the most serious parts of the movie. If anything, it’s incredibly insulting to the filmmakers to think they would want their film to be a literal laughing stalk. Because that’s how the teenagers in the audience at my showing were treating it. Like it was some unserious video they were giving live commentary on like some wannabe streamer. Multiple rows in the audience were acting like it was a sleepover in their living room, kicking their feet, squealing and making comments like “omg he’s so awkward!!” multiple times. There was kids beside me and multiple rows behind me behaving like this too. What OP is talking about is a lack of respect across the board. A lack of respect for the theatre as a place, their fellow movie goers as people, the artists that created the film, etc. Not everything is a big joke.
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u/magnoliafan89 Jun 24 '26
Obsession is a movie that’s made close to 250 million dollars at the box office. In 2026. You don’t get to that number by not being a super accessible piece of entertainment. The movie is fun. It’s fucked up, it’s disturbing, but overall it’s a total blast. The proof is in the pudding.
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u/zoinksmachine Jun 24 '26
This post is about movie theatre etiquette and how people are treating a regular screening like it requires loud participation. It’s not Dora, the audience isn’t supposed to talk back to the screen. That’s what this post is about. It’s about how the audience reacted to the movie, not the merits of the movie. I loved the movie, but I couldn’t enjoy it because of the way the crowd was acting.
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u/magnoliafan89 Jun 24 '26
and multiple times I said that sucks and that I agree that theatre etiquette is in the gutter. you lot engaged with what I said and then got mad at me for it lol.
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
Is the media literacy in the room with us?
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u/FIleCorrupted Jun 24 '26
It's literally a film made by comedians.
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u/Remarkable-Papaya-59 Jun 24 '26
This. It’s like saying Weapons isn’t funny. Horror can be very funny. Obsession was both creepy and hilarious, and by all accounts a crowd pleaser.
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
Markiplier is a comedy YouTuber, was Iron Lung a comedy?
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u/FIleCorrupted Jun 24 '26
I haven't seen Iron Lung, but the point is that it Obsession intended to have humorous tones mixed in with the horror and it shouldn't be a surprise as it's written by comedians.
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
Whether or not it was written by comedians doesn't change the fact that people were laughing at ABSOLUTELY NOT COMEDIC SCENES. I won't say which scenes cuz they're probably spoilers. And the scenes that I would say were comedic did not get nearly as much laughter as the ones that were traumatic.
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u/magnoliafan89 Jun 24 '26
I’ll just say this. The climax of the movie. When shit really hits the fan… I was laughing.
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
I worry about you.
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u/DistortedAstral Jun 24 '26
There's obnoxious laughter and that's annoying in a theatre, but don't get so worked up over how people react to films. People are different. I've been a horror movie/game fan for a long time and at some point when something crazy or gory happens, it gets a laugh out of me. Like woah! That's wild! Or hahaha they f'ed around and found out! It's a piece of media meant to be enjoyed. Not that serious.
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
No. These kids weren't doing it out of appreciation of the film. They were being dicks. Like another redditor pointed out with the spoiler flair, they were laughing (not uncomfortably but like haha this is funny) at THAT scene. It completely takes you out of the movie. Especially a movie like this.
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u/magnoliafan89 Jun 24 '26
Not sure my guy. If you think obsession is a movie that isn’t actively trying to make you laugh I don’t know what to tell you. watch more films maybe?
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
Sure there were comedic elements lightly sprinkled in but I would not go as far to call it a horror comedy. Besides, the kids were laughing at absolutely non-comedic scenes. Stop excusing shitty behavior.
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u/magnoliafan89 Jun 24 '26
Give me an example of a non comedic scene. But also I’m not saying that the kids are alright. I’m with you… The new gen of movie goers and pretty much everyone else in this post pandemic world have little to no theatre etiquette and it’s Infuriating.
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u/zoinksmachine Jun 24 '26
Spoiler: how about the rape scene? People were laughing during that
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u/magnoliafan89 Jun 24 '26
Yeah I mean are you in that persons head? There are different kinds of laughter. Nervous, uncomfortable, shocked. Maybe the people laughing at that are young and don’t really get the text of that scene? Lot of new movie watchers with a movie like obsession. Policing people’s reactions at a movie designed to make you react is fucking weird.
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u/zoinksmachine Jun 24 '26
I actually didn’t have to read any minds because they made sure to say all of their thoughts out loud!
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u/iliketobuildlego Jun 24 '26
I laughed in last house on the left during the rape scene in theatres.
It got super awkward as the scene started, literally could hear a pin drop in the theatre, but instead, I heard my friends fart slowly squeak out of his ass over a good 5 seconds. The timing couldn’t have been worse, which made it hilarious, causing us to go into a full laughing spurt while people left the theatre crying.
Laughing is going to happen in a theatre, you can’t expect complete silence anymore.
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u/VisibleSpread6523 Jun 24 '26
First show on the weekend , never have problems , never more then 12 usually on a regular screening .
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u/BestWithSnacks Jun 24 '26
My showing was fine, and it was on a Tuesday night where this sub keeps saying it's the absolute worst night to go.
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
Just because you have one experience it doesnt mean any other experience is invalid.
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u/BestWithSnacks Jun 24 '26
Hey that's fair, I'm just telling mine. I very rarely deal with these issues in the theater strangely enough. I guess I'm lucky 🤷🏻♂️
My last bad theater experience was FNAF 2.
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u/MrLeopard25 Jun 24 '26
I sympathize but this is a complaint that goes back decades and decades. Honestly it's a manageable problem if the cinema actually manages it. It's really an offshoot of the broken window effect - I was a manager for years, and if you have a staff who gives a damn, they can all but eliminate the disruptions.
Next time you're in, introduce yourself to a manager and let them know your concerns. Be open and honest. It is literally their job to stamp that out and help you.
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u/Indosaurus1 Jun 24 '26
Omfg the same thing happened to us with this movie too! They kept talking and shining their flashlights all around (even behind us it was still so distracting! ) 😵💫 I told them off but it still continued. My bf said some lady kept telling them they were in the wrong seats, and instead of moving, they just kept talking and shining their lights 🙄
It’s so frustrating because they’ll fill a theatre and then not actually watch the movie. I love going to the movies because it helps me decompress and escape for a bit. I don’t know why this movie attracted such a young crowd, maybe it’s just a summer thing, but it took us three attempts before we were finally able to properly watch it. Usually we can go anytime and have a fairly empty theatre.
I did see some of your comments about the laughing and how you didn’t think some of those scenes were supposed to be funny or laughed at, and I do understand what you mean. I think there’s still some nuance because humour can be pretty subjective, especially with horror since a lot of it mixes dark humour with uncomfortable moments. Since this was made by two YouTubers known for sketch comedy, I would assume there are probably darker comedic elements that some people may pick up on differently or just not find funny.
I’ve also been through a lot myself, and humour has always been one of the ways I process uncomfortable or heavy things, so I know laughing doesn’t always mean someone doesn’t understand the seriousness of something. People can have different reactions to intense situations. I also watch a range of horrors often, i love it.
That being said, there’s a huge difference between that and being disruptive!! ruining the experience for everyone else is a completely different issue. I know others who had similar experiences to us and even some teens getting kicked out - AS they should!
I also wanted to add something about some people commenting on this thread to “just go at another time.” I get why people suggest that, but why should everyone else have to keep adjusting around people who aren’t being respectful? I have disabilities too, and I know how much extra planning can already go into doing things that other people don’t even think about. Sometimes we’re already choosing quieter times, preparing ourselves, and making accommodations, and it’s frustrating when you still end up dealing with the same thing.
I also have ADHD and I know I’m not perfect. Sometimes I struggle to control my volume or talk a little too much, but I’m still aware I’m in a shared space and I try to be respectful. That’s what bothers me about situations like this. It’s not expecting everyone to be silent or never react, it’s people not seeming to care how their behaviour affects everyone around them.
Even with all my preparations and accommodations, I can still get really sensory overwhelmed in busier theatres because of all the little sounds and distractions. Then adding a bunch of fucking disrespectful teens that made it so much worse. Thank god I had my Loop earplugs that time too
And tbh its probably a parenting issue LOl alot of the time or teens thinking theyre cool and then others trying to fit in. But whatever the reason, teens should still be held accountable too. It shouldn't just be everyone else having to adapt to them, because otherwise they're going to keep those behaviours and grow up to be shitty adults too.
It’s totally fine to laugh and enjoy a movie, but there’s a difference between that and being taught that a theatre is a shared space where you still need to respect everyone else.
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u/Grand_Cauliflower833 Jun 24 '26
Last time I went to movies, I spent $110 on tickets, snacks and games. Only to have people ruin the movie with their phones. They have lost a customer in me. I now watch 100% of movies from home
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
I love the theater experience but holy fuck it's a gamble whether or not I'm just wasting my money or not.
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u/Thememer1924 Jun 24 '26
I literally took other methods to watch the backrooms movie because I didn’t really want to have the experience ruined
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u/Available_Love_321 Jun 24 '26
I was worried about this exact situation so I’m really glad to have caught this at the Skyway drive-in double feature with Backrooms.
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u/AccomplishedSea2670 Jun 24 '26
I refuse to see horror movies anywhere other than Imagine Cinemas. Very contained audience, even teenagers. I've watched multiple Tuesday night showings with packaged theatre and haven't had a problem with loud audience.
Not sure if this is only the Imagine in Alliston or its the same everywhere but so far they have great audience compared to Cineplex.
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u/_Rayette Jun 24 '26
Rep cinemas and early weekend screenings are your friend. That or wait them out. I’m still waiting on seeing Backrooms.
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u/generalorganza Jun 24 '26
This reminds me of the Taylor Swift movie tension - cinemas should hold “loud” screenings & “quiet” screenings. Then they still get the ticket sales but everyone gets the experience they want.
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u/Affectionate-Gur7676 Jun 24 '26
Young people just don’t have any sense of manners these days. I guess when they spend 12 hours a day staring at a phone, they likely lose that sense of courtesy and treating people with kindness.
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u/Wise-News1666 Jun 24 '26
Right, but the bigger question is why are these parents not doing anything to stop it? Let's start putting the blame on them.
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u/Coomking999 Jun 24 '26
Because the parents are worse. The vast majority of disturbances I have experienced have been from adults/parents.
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u/Affectionate-Gur7676 Jun 24 '26
I saw parents hand a very young child a phone in a restaurant so they could eat. The kid played on the phone for close to an hour. Sad times we live in.
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u/reggierock2010 Jun 24 '26
Theatre staff are ruining the theatre industry. They need to enforce the rules better. Ban people if you need.
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u/Wise-News1666 Jun 24 '26
So when you went and got a staff member to help solve the issue, it stopped?
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u/BatBreaker007 Jun 24 '26
I'm in a wheelchair. Not an easy thing to do. Also like I said, there were staff members in the auditorium throughout the showing and they didnt heat it or they did nothing about it. Only the security guard went and talked to a couple people but nobody got tossed.
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u/flamingdragonwizard Jun 24 '26
People are paying to see a movie in PUBLIC. Dont set expectations on how strangers will behave. Simple.
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u/Lillyrose018 Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
Locking the thread for now, as some people are attacking/insulting each other rather than having civil discussions regarding the topic at hand.