AMC might allow moviegoers to text during movies

Did the temperature in hell just drop a few degrees? Was that a flying pig that just buzzed by your ear? Are Apple fanboys and Android fanboys breaking bread with each other, living in harmony and peace? What prompted us to ask if the world has changed is an interesting development from movie theater owner AMC.

The top executive of the world's largest theater chain, CEO Adam Aron, has come to the conclusion that you can't fight city hall. In other words, AMC is considering a plan that would allow some theaters to be open to mobile-device users. Yes, those buying a ticket for those specific theaters will be able to use their handset while a movie plays, without fear of getting tossed from the building.

AMC's Aron, who is new to the industry, is looking to shake things up. In an interview in trade mag Variety, the executive says that by offering mobile-friendly showings, AMC can attract a younger crowd. Some of the possibilities that he mentioned include having a special section in each theater where mobile use would be permitted. Another idea would be to designate some auditoriums as being totally mobile device friendly.

It is pretty obvious that AMC's CEO isn't necessarily a big fan of allowing movie-goers to text during a movie. It is distracting and tickets aren't cheap. "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. But he admits to being "a big fan of experimenting and testing on everything that we do to see if there aren’t alternative ways of doing business."


There is no word on when AMC might start testing out this concept. If it results in getting millennials to buy more movie tickets at the cost of upsetting a few customers, will AMC consider the testing a success? And if AMC does manage to work this out, don't be surprised to see other theater companies opening up their doors and welcoming smartphone users inside.

source: Variety via Engadget