Martin Scorsese no longer goes to cinemas due to audience etiquette
Director Martin Scorsese has revealed he no longer watches movies in cinemas due to audiences using their phones during screenings, among other habits he finds annoying.
According to movie critic Peter Travers, in his blog The Travers Take, Scorsese recently explained why he finds watching films in theatres to be an unpleasant experience because of others in the screening distracting him from the movie that he’s bought a ticket to see.
Travers wrote: “I asked the maestro why he doesn’t see movies in theatres any more and he went all raging bull about audiences who babble on phones during the movie, leave to order snacks and vats of soda, and keep up a noise level loud enough to drown out the actors.”
The critic then reasoned with Scorsese that he may have behaved in a similarly obnoxious manner during screenings as a younger man, stating, “‘Come on, Marty,’ I said, ‘we couldn’t keep our mouths shut when we were kids.’”
To a degree, Scorsese conceded his point, adding, “His (Scorsese’s) eyes darkened. ‘Yeah, maybe,’ he conceded, ‘but when we talked it was always about the movie and the fun we had chewing over the details.”
Audience behaviour at screenings has been a major talking point this year following the release of A Minecraft Movie. At one point in the film, Jack Black’s character says, ‘Chicken jockey’, which led to a TikTok trend of audiences filming themselves reacting wildly and throwing popcorn across the theatre.
As a result, Reel Cinemas issued the following warning to audiences: “To ensure everyone has the best possible cinema experience, we’re increasing our monitoring of screens during performances. Disruptive behaviour, including taking part in TikTok trends, before, during, or after a screening will not be tolerated. Anyone causing disruption will be asked to leave, and where necessary, the police will be called.”
Many other cinema branches also followed suit. However, the film’s director, Jason Hess, found the entire situation hilarious, saying, “It’s way too funny. It’s been a total blast. I’m just laughing my brains out every time someone sends me a new video.”
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