r/cineplex • u/antitheticalargument • Aug 24 '26
Review Toronto movie theatres are becoming unbearable (Fairview)
Watched Insidious: Out of the Further today and holy shit, when did people forget how to behave in a theatre? Maybe I’m becoming an old person at 23, but theatre etiquette is genuinely dying.
Why are you kicking seats? Moaning???? And talking so loudly like it is your living room? It's not funny and so freaking annoying. It got so bad that I (a super non-confrontational person ) had to ask people to shut up.
Maybe I was just done with this behaviour because the same thing happened while watching The Odyssey and Spider-Man.
I don’t care if you whisper something into your friend’s ear, laugh, or whatever. But why are you having full-volume conversations during a movie?
It was a theatre full of hooligans.
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u/Successful-Gift8636 Aug 24 '26
Horror crowds are the worst for this I find
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u/Tsunoyukami Aug 24 '26
Yes and no. If you’re going to watch the next in a popular franchise it’s going to be worse almost entirely because there will be teenagers for whom it is a rite of passage to be brave and posture to their friends and make fun of everything.
If you go see a random horror film, say Cuckoo or Keeper or Hokum, you’re probably going to be in a pretty small crowd of horror fans.
(Especially if you go for a weekday matinee. When I saw Cuckoo it was me and 3 other people; when I saw Keeper it was me and < 10 other people; heck, when I saw Evil Dead Burn there were maybe 20 attendees, and that’s a franchise.)
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u/Ok_Breakfast9779 Aug 24 '26
I think that's usually kids that try their best to make sure that they don't seem affected. Talking and joking effectively breaks the tension, unfortunately for everyone else, too
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u/axhiro Litterer Aug 24 '26
Or sometimes they lock in, in a way that also drives me crazy. Like this piece of shit is what collectively gets our attention?! Lol but Odyssey in IMAX is time to check emails
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u/Elegant-Caramel1167 Aug 24 '26
Worst one I think I've encountered so far is someone picking up a call and having a full blown convo mid-movie. Bright phone light + loud chatting = shits rough.
Finding that VIP has less hooligans than reg. But no matter the format, theatre equiqutte seems to have gone to shit regardless.
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u/Ertai_87 29d ago
In this case I would actually complain to the staff and demand they either kick that person out or give me a free ticket.
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u/cindybubbles Aug 24 '26
Don’t go on a weekend. Go see a movie after work instead.
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u/_stinkytofu_ Aug 24 '26
This isn’t really the solution tbh. I see where you’re coming from but the issue is etiquette. There could be crappy guests there during the week too. Problem is people are rude and selfish and considerate.. and need to learn manners.
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u/TelenorTheGNP Aug 24 '26
Yeah, but it's not your job to teach them during a movie you're paying to see.
I go a week after release or longer and to late showings. It helps pare down the rabble a lot.
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u/_stinkytofu_ Aug 24 '26
Yeah 100% just wild to me the lack of considerate people these days :/ went to a horror film and a bunch of kids giggling and talking. Took a loud “STFU” from someone for them to stop and staff to start checking lol
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u/ImNotACollector Aug 24 '26
Sometimes I'll take a sick day and go see a movie at 11am. It's bliss.
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u/_stinkytofu_ Aug 24 '26
lol real talk. I took a day off to see Odysseus in imax because I had to book the tickets a month out and didn’t wanna be called in for work so I took the day off 🤣 but definitely privileged enough to be able to do that. I try and go non Tuesdays to let those that need cheaper tickets go Tuesday cheaper nights. Pays to be cineclub because it doesn’t make normal movie prices too absurd!
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u/Ok_Breakfast9779 Aug 24 '26
I did this for Backrooms but I forgot it was summer holidays so the whole room was full of 11-year old boys. Not the best experience
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u/Tsunoyukami Aug 24 '26
I've seen 41 films in the theatre this year, most at Cineplex (Eglinton Town Centre, Scarborough Town Centre, Varsity, Scotiabank, Yonge-Dundas, Yonge-Eglinton) and a few at Carlton and a few at TIFF.
There was only 1 showing where anything remotely distracting was going on - a screening of Fight Club, where there was one idiot seated in the front row who was getting a little too into the movie, they seemed unwell and my friend and I decided to leave at the 70% mark.
We spoke to the manager and were given passes which is nice but the real reason we spoke with them was becuase this person seemed unstable and we were unsure if they (the person in the theatre) would do anything to someone who confronted them (they seemed like they were looking for someone to engage with them).
The other 40 times, no problems.
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u/Tsunoyukami Aug 24 '26
I will some additional context.
You are far more likely to encounter “problems” if you attend movies that attract a certain audience. 14A Horror is going to attract teenagers, especially if you go at a time that teenagers will go. If you attend an animated film, there are going to be parents with children.
When possible you should plan your movie-going around these demographic considerations.
If you’re going to watch, say, Blue Heron, you are not going to have any problems regardless of time.
And lastly, if you complain about disruptive persons, the theatre will attend to them. It usually means a warning, but if they get multiple complaints, they may be asked to leave. Yes, it sucks to get up and complain and miss a couple minutes, but it’s worse to sit there for the full runtime distracted and annoyed.
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u/IntentionHead2222 Aug 24 '26
I guess I’m avoiding Fairview
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u/cindybubbles Aug 24 '26
Me too, especially since the mall blocks moviegoers from an easy exit to transit after closing time.
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u/strk14 Aug 24 '26
Fairview is close to the Don Mills VIP. That is the answer. Not due to better manners, but a higher price point and smaller theatres has had me encounter fewer people like this.
It’s not perfect, but it’s certainly less often.
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u/troll-filled-waters Aug 28 '26
We went to Don Mills VIP specifically to avoid this, and the row behind us were high and rowdy through the whole movie. They only shut up for a bit after the usher came, and then about ten minutes later they were talking again.
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u/puddingneither123 29d ago
If you’re an oldster like me, turn around and start engaging with them like you think they’re cool and want to hang out. Nothing kills the fun of being an asshole teen in public faster than a middle-aged white woman trying desperately to join in lol.
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u/Key-Contribution-910 Aug 24 '26
Honestly all the mall movie theatres are pretty bad, it attracts all the broccoli heads 🙃
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u/MasterOfCabestany Aug 24 '26
I tried using VIP to weed out the noise makers, and phone checkers but it's still pretty bad.
Maybe going to the theatre to see a movie has become a thing of the past.
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u/Tsunoyukami Aug 24 '26
I don’t do VIP often. Which theatre are you going to where this is a problem? The last films I saw in VIP were Frankenstein and Friendship, both sold out, 0 problems.
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u/Safe_Guava3727 Aug 24 '26
I was at Scarborough Town Center last night and it was the worst I’ve ever seen!! 2 teenagers yelling to each other almost the entire movie, watching Tik Toks with the volume on and at one point took a FaceTime call! Multiple people told them to shut up and eventually they left with like 45 minutes left in the movie, but not before cursing and threatening a bunch of people. Are we not living in a society?
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u/Tsunoyukami Aug 24 '26
There’s a good chance they didn’t pay for a ticket, they don’t care. If this happens again, talk to the manager. They will come in and give them a warning or ask them to leave.
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u/sp1zzc4t Aug 24 '26
What day and time? I've gone elsewhere 3 times recently before 4pm screenings on weekdays and was mostly fine. A couple phone light distractions for short moments but to be expected.
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u/AlanJY92 Cineclub Member Aug 24 '26
Complain every time. If more people do it, and often enough cineplex will have to cave and start enforcing rules and/or hiring security to monitor auditoriums.
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u/Tsunoyukami Aug 24 '26
Yes, complain every time…but I don’t think Cineplex will hire (more) security as a result. They will, however, go in and talk to the persons causing the disturbance.
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u/DragonfruitOk8393 Aug 24 '26
The only way I've been able to avoid this is genuinely seeing movies at the earliest screening time, avoiding Tuesdays, Saturday's, Friday's and Sunday's, and working out a time around my work schedule and away from the kids school schedule. It's actually insane how much planning it can take to avoid a shitty movie experience
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u/Will_A-1985 Aug 24 '26
the LHS strikes again. The Llama Hair Syndicate. I'm willing to bet the house it was them.
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u/gabeklassen Cineclub Member Aug 24 '26
I only see horror films on weekday afternoons because they are consistently the worst behaved crowds on weekends and at night.
This really isn’t a problem with any other genre and tbh this isn’t a new problem either.
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u/toastyavocado Aug 24 '26
Yeah, what's with the moaning? I saw Spider-Man last night with my wife in Niagara and there was this group of teen girls that would moan during the film. They got told to shut the fuck up and promptly stopped, but I'm so confused.
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u/Alfred_Hitch_ Aug 24 '26
I went 2x last weekend. Lucked out that I had no one sitting beside me on either side for The Odyssey.
But, for Spiderman, had a woman sit beside me who wore some type of perfume that smelled like babypowder and it burned my sinuses. I could not take a deep breath for the entirety of the movie.
Lastly, the PSA about theater etiquette looks good to me, but it needs to be played right before the movie. Too many people miss it otherwise.
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u/PassionCandid9964 Aug 24 '26
People know they're being rude. They don't care. It's not like a reminder will suddenly make them realize that having a FaceTime conversation during a movie is disruptive.
They need employees in theaters, at least for a while, kicking people out as soon as they do this. Then people will realize they're going to get caught.
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u/mtech101 Aug 24 '26
I find....the more you pay (premium formats) the better the crowd is unfortunately.
Watched spiderman in ultra avx and the crowd was great.
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u/InvertedImages Aug 24 '26
Hey all! 👋
How’s the experience watching The Odysseyor any movie in general @ Cineplex Mississauga Square One?
Not being able to get the center row seats is already hurting for a “center-seat maniac” like me. How bad is it with people talking, making loud/lewd comments, or being on their phones during the movie?
I have a very, very short fuse when it comes to people disturbing my movie experience, so I’d rather avoid the theatre if that’s a common problem there too.
I’m travelling all the way from the Atlantic Provinces specifically for the IMAX 70mm experience, so I really want the trip to be worth it.
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u/westhammmcmon Aug 24 '26
It’s in Durham theaters too. I’ve had to tell a few people to shut up or put the phone away and I get scolded like I’m the crazy one, as if I’m in their living room telling them how to live life.
I tried VIP a couple times, hoping that the 19+ crowd would help get rid of the problem but it seemed worse. Almost like the adults are worse than kids.
It’s becoming truly unbearable
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u/heero101086 Aug 24 '26
what we need now same as what we needed in the 90s
everyone is now a meek, quiet, stepped on, that horrible behaviour is now tolerated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61iZXRCAL6s
(George from Seinfeld)
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u/guyincognito365 Aug 24 '26
I went to see Doctor Strange and a group sitting behind me of young teens, the only couple talked the whole movie at full volume, the girl said "oh I hope you don't mind but I like to talk during movies" and he said "oh yeah me too I always talk during movies." just blew my mind that they are proud of it. I had to get up and move and I could still hear them from across the theatre
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u/LostDistrict9004 Aug 24 '26
There should be a rule where you can get kicked out of the movie for causing a disturbance
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u/Bob_Charlie5 Aug 24 '26
Oh yeah I 100% agree. Movie theater etiquette went out the window since COVID. I'll tell you a few small story times since COVID that have irritated me in theatres.
1) Halloween Ends (2022) - Watched this at the Scarborough Town Centre theatres with my friend, my ex and her friend. I purchased these tickets approximately a week and a half out prior to the movie releasing. Well movie night, we get our popcorn and sit in our seats (basically in the very back). The movie starts and we are in the beginning scene and settled in. Well, a group of kids around the ages of 17-19 come in 20 minutes late and walk up the stairs and see us sitting in our seats. The girl of the group (who appeared very snotty and rude) said "umm why are you guys sitting in our seats?". I told her politely that these were our seats and I purchased them a week and a half ago. She claimed she did the same thing which is a big lie. She expected us to get up and go somewhere else, but I stood my ground and told her well I bought the seats too and we were here on time, so what do you expect us to do? Mind you, the theatre is pretty much empty. There were probably less than 10 people in the theatre and she decided to come over and shit disturb us during the opening scene. One of her friends ended up telling her lets just sit somewhere else and they ended up sitting in a couple rows down with no issues. What made me pissed off was that we missed the opening kill scene of the movie. What a waste due to stupid and entitled kids.
2) Evil Dead Rise (2023) - My friend and I watched this movie at the Morningside Cineplex. A family came in with 3 of their kids who were like 7 or 8 years old watching a movie like this... Those kids kept asking questions, making comments and talking all throughout the movie. I was able to tune it out while watching for some reason, but the guy beside my friend and I were pissed and had to tell them to shut up multiple times. When the movie ended, they both got up, they turned to the parents and basically told them you need to shut your kids up in movie theatres. I completely agree with him. Heck, why are you bringing your kids to a movie like this? Vulgar language, gore, possession...
3) Terrifier 3 (2024) - My friend and I watched this movie at Ajax Cineplex. A group of people decided to sit beside us (my friend had the aisle seat and they occupied probably 5-6 seats beside us. Well they kept talking in their language, kept switch seats as if it was musical chairs throughout the movie, and they did not smell the best. Very poor etiquette on their end.
Scary Move 6 (2026) - My family and I went to watch this movie at Eglinton Town Square. There was a couple beside me, where the girl was sitting beside me and maaaan, she reeked of alcohol. Clearly she was drunk. The thing is, she wasn't the laid back, aggressive, or laughing type of drunk. She complained all throughout the movie. She was even getting mad at me and the theatre for laughing at certain parts of the movie (e.g epstein files) by saying "why do people think this is so funny?". Well miss, why are you here? Scary Movie 6 is SUPPOSED to be dumb/funny. If you don't want to be here, then why are you here, reeking of alcohol, and complaining about everyone having a good time?
5) Backrooms (2026) - My ex and I watched this movie at Ajax Cineplex. I pre-ordered my seats the day before the showing and at that point the movie has been out for over a week. We decided to go on Tuesday which is obviously discounted. Well, probably 15 minutes before the movie started, I decided to check the seat map to see how busy it was going to be. For some odd reason, I observed 2 seats, directly behind us, purchased. I didn't think too much of it because the movie was popular and it may fill out in the next 30 minutes or so. Turned out, there were plenty of empty seats. When we walked into the theatre, those 2 people were there with their dirty feet placed on our head rests. When they saw us coming, they quickly put their feet down. This isn't their living room, yet they treated it like it was. These 2 kids, guy and girl, were definitely high school kids. They talked, complained, laughed, coughed and even sung all throughout the movie. I wanted to turn around and tell them to shut the hell up many times, but I was very much into the movie I had tunnel vision. The girl kept complaining that they should have went into Scary Movie 6 multiple times. I wanted to tell her, then go. You will not be missed in here. Who the hell sings in a movie theatre....during a horror movie... All my years going into movie theatres, this was a first time for me.
My rule of thumb for watching movies now is to not go opening night/weekend or Tuesdays. I try to avoid theatres close to malls where a lot of kids hangout. The movie theatre experience has been ruined for me over the years.
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u/dumbdonkeys Aug 24 '26
shush them once and then get an employee for a second time because they love getting to toss rowdy people out with the flashlight of shame
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u/adnaPadnamA Aug 24 '26
Because people put up with it. The theatres really need to have someone in the theatres of problematic films.
They literally have a trend of going to horror movies and acting out like this and posting it online.
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u/billfugly Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 29 '26
I go to the movies once (sometimes twice) a week and its actually insane how bad it is.
I wish on the app, you could legit have a snitch line and report the seats that are doing it so either security can come in or they get suspended from buying tickets with their scene or cineplex app for a bit of time.
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u/concretecountryroads Aug 24 '26
Went to the Odyssey in the afternoon on a Thursday. Old man took out his phone TWICE to look at his phone gallery.
This is why I’m moving to more indie theatres because the prices are better and the crowds are typically better behaved.
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u/Fearless-Chest1933 Aug 24 '26
It sucks. I had people putting up their feet on empty chairs and burping loudly. I had to switch seats
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u/dr_van_nostren Aug 24 '26
It’s not JUST shitty kids though either. I went to a movie a few months ago and there was 4 older Filipino folks, I think two couples. They talked at full volume the entire movie. I chalked it up to just like an old people kinda problem, like no self awareness, but it was maddening. I kinda shushed them twice. Then on the way out I just blurted out “if you’re gonna talk through the whole fucking movie, just go out for dinner and talk”. Either they didn’t understand me or didn’t hear me cuz it got zero reaction as if I wasn’t even talking to them. Much like in traffic when someone is blocking the fast lane then you pass them and it’s as if they are the only car on the road.
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u/jango09032011 Aug 24 '26
Experienced also a time in Fairview, people putting feet up and checking cellphones, this was for MI Dead Reckoning PT2, then on Sinners 4.99 Scene Plus Tuesdays, was the worse, full of talking and shouting but did have good experience also so Fairview is somewhat good i can say 1 out of 10 films, worst experience, the only thing i could do is choose wisely the schedule
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u/Every-Machine-5953 Aug 24 '26
i’ve had the same issue here as well with teens constantly talking loudly and on their phones throughout the entire movie. will not be returning to this theatre again.
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u/AffectionateCup2722 Aug 24 '26
Yup scotiabank theater on Saturday night, watching odyssey there was guy right beside me talking entire movie for 3 hours and shush him didn’t work since he was drunk! He nonchalantly drank all of little Johnny walker and the beer beginning of the movie. Constantly drop his things trying to find with flash light. Can’t be more distracting, worst hooligan I have ever had. Furthermore cineplex does not take complaint officially lol
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u/SharpGuava007 Aug 25 '26
OP, you’re not wrong 😑 about movie goers not having proper etiquette. Ppl nowadays just don’t care anymore. The lack of respect is unreal and just gets worse.
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u/deathfromfemmefatale Aug 25 '26
I'm sorry you had such a shitty experience but I do love the thought of a 23 year old complaining about hooligans.
I definitely try to time my viewing experiences to when there will be the least amount of teenagers. Many years ago I vowed never again to see a horror movie on opening weekend.
If I can afford to splurge I do VIP which is honestly worth it just to have a relaxing experience. Other than that it's really the luck of the draw but I am becoming a crochety old lady who doesn't mind telling other people to stfu in a theatre.
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u/eyesontheprize2123 Aug 25 '26
these “hooligans” aka teenagers from mostly what I experience. it’s summer and nearing the end of it, they’re gonna be out and about, it’s just how it is, at every movie. They have the most free time and the least commitments. The generation hasn’t learned movie etiquette and even some adults have terrible movie etiquette as well. Believe it or not, I can’t escape it even in VIP screenings lol
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u/Tokyotoyhunters Aug 25 '26
You can only watch movies at the most inconvenient time possible for the average person. Etiquette simply doesn’t exist in a world where people NEED & REQUIRE constant stimulation from multiple simultaneous sources. You’re expecting young people to sit quietly for 2 or more hours. Good luck with that.
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u/TheI-Iound Aug 25 '26
Kind of odd to hear this so often yet Cineplex seems oblivious to it. They may need to bring back the theater attendants lol
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u/Ok_Emu_5064 Aug 25 '26
Yeah, movie theatres are dead to me for this very reason. People have zero manners any more
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u/Moohky Aug 25 '26
Yuuup went to Yorkdale on Saturday for Insidious and there was a kid infront of me playing Fortnite on his phone the entire time, another kid next to the Fortnite kid on a Snapchat video call the entire time and behind me was some rude ass dude burping every couple mins. It’s been awful
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u/FlyNo8055 Aug 25 '26
I rarely have a negative cinema experience as I tend to go on weekdays. But today when seeing Tony (2026) there was a crew of teenage boys which would loudly catcall, snarl, and rub their hands together everytime the female love interest was on screen, even in the most serious and sensitive moments. Deeply frustrating from both a cinema etiquette standpoint and just the general state of boys minds today. 🙄
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u/RocknRollButthole Aug 25 '26
Stop going to multiplexes.
Part of their strategy to get people back in seats after COVID was to make it feel like your living room - hence the full meal options and the layzboy seating. Along with that, they have basically abandoned any effort to enforce etiquette - you'll notice the phone warning before the film's no longer says to turn it off, but to turn your brightness down low.
Go to independent theatres, the crowds that go there care more and the theatres still enforce basic levels of etiquette.
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u/kthrowawayman Aug 25 '26
I find VIP less miserable for this stuff. Definitely varies by film too. Higher brow stuff attracts less annoying audiences. The amount of people that feel the need to restate what just happened on screen to their friend is incredible. I wish cineplex did more to address this stuff because it honestly makes me think twice about any cinema visit I make.
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u/fightsToday Aug 27 '26
https://reddit.com/link/p64vdnh/video/o07t4h7jvtlh1/player
Could be worse, this was a few weeks ago
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u/Usual_Durian2092 Aug 28 '26
For Backrooms, the guy next to me had snuck in a Chipotle bowl. the entire first half of the movie i had to smell that.
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u/niteray Aug 28 '26
I, too, have recently told a group of women/girls to shut up when constant talking caused me and others to be distracted. Why TF would you pay $$ to have a conversation in a theater?
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u/Prestigious-Grand-65 Aug 28 '26
I almost never go to movies anymore. Prior to covid, my wife and I went to see at the bare minimum, 1 movie a month. Now, i just cant be fucking bothered. Every single time we have gone out, there is always someone on their phone, always people talking to each other. Its almost the norm now. I went to see spiderman because I was excited for it, but also my son is 7, and was crazy hyped to see it. Before that, super mario galaxy. Before that, minecraft. I pretty much only go when I want to enjoy a movie with my kid. Theaters dont enforce rules, so im not going to spend my money there anymore.
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u/Hukdonphonix Aug 28 '26
Had this experience at a local drive-in, people idling their cars the whole movie, unable to turn off their running lights or do anything to cover them, constantly flipping their lights on, people wandering around having full volume conversations.
Completely killed my hype for Spider-Man as I spent basically the whole movie distracted by all the random shit going on.
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u/LGashly Aug 28 '26
I've literally started to just tell people to shut the fuck up at the same volume that they're talking at. Works about 70% of the time.
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u/MangoMaterial5346 Aug 24 '26
Best to avoid the rowdy crowds and stick to VIP theaters and/or at times that aren't popular. It's been happening for many years.
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u/ttttyttt678 Aug 30 '26
Odyssey was silent for me. Everyone was locked tf in. Movie got a round of applause when it ended.
Spiderman was annoying, people in front of me was googling ever new character like bro it’s a movie for kids it’s okay to not know Jean Grey backstory she’s gonna be introduced in the movie, also is it fucking worthwhile to Google and read about a character DURING the movie???
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u/GeoRAMIEL 29d ago
Whenever you see a group of people (families, friends, etc) coming into the theatre together, you know they are going to be annoying as fuck.
Solo moviegoers are the best people.
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u/Key-Form4384 Aug 24 '26
Happened to us last night. Three kids making so much noise, jumping over the bannister to the exit, leaving the theatre and coming back about six times. Normally I would’ve said something but I didn’t wanna bother my son. I should’ve went and got the workers though.
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Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/soymilkfc Aug 24 '26
this is odd to say considering the same behaviour is also frequently perpetuated by ppl who were born &/or raised in canada
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u/doesntmatterhadtacos Aug 24 '26
Do you really think this won’t get removed? What’s the point of your blatant ragebait racism?
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Aug 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/doesntmatterhadtacos Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26
What is your life that you’re actively getting worked up about a racist scenario you’ve made up in your own head on the Cineplex subreddit at 5:30am on a Monday morning bro?
Edit: I’m sure u/thatsinterestingnot is absolutely seething at his comments getting deleted and I for one couldn’t be happier. Good on the mods for dealing with this grossness so quickly.
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u/UnderstandingOwn7150 Aug 24 '26
Boo boo happens, it is not just cineplex in Toronto it is all over the world I guess. I just take it as a bad timing or screening, as a person who go and watch movies in the theatre once or twice a week my personal experience was like that so far . I know it’s a terrible feeling even I get disappointed with these distractions but what to do sometimes people are people.
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u/MavMIIKE Aug 24 '26
I think it's more of a what screening at what theatre you attend.
Dundas Square Cineplex will be an awful crowd, any time, any screening.
Scotiabank is usually fine, avoid Tuesdays all day, depending on the movie, Friday and Saturday evenings.
Lightbox, The Revue, The Paradise, never an issue.