Eating at the cinema

Seems amazing to me that people can't manage a couple of hours without stuffing food into their faces. I rarely go to the cinema these days, but when I do it's in the afternoon and towards the end of the film's run at the cinema so the chances of sharing the place with more than about 10 others are minimal. (I also prefer to go alone - love the escape and the peace!)

Don't go to cinemas anymore.
Completely spoilt by eating, drinking and bloody mobile phones. Not to mention (as others have) the non stop jibber jabber of some morons in the audience.
I just wait until the film comes out on DVD or shown on the TV. Bliss.....

Se only go to the most unpopular times like morning showings and are usually on our own or only one or two other couples as neither of us can tolerate, the rustlings, cracklings, talking and smell - I know we are old moaners.

We were watching a French film recently in the cine lumiere in Kensington which has a no eating policy during a film. The woman next to me started eating incredibly smelly crisps which she had in her handbag. After some eye rolling I told her there was a no eating policy which she obviously knew, and she stopped. Much to the relief of those in adjacent seats. The problem in most cinemas is the lack of staff to enforce any noise/ movement/ behaviour issues.

You talk about food and I agree with most of you but what's with the alcohol can't you go a few hours without a drink in your hand, it's just encouraging people to drink more we never needed it before why now!?

I rarely go to the cinema now because of people eating such smelly food. The volume is so loud too. I would rather wait until I can watch it in the comfort of my own home in peace.

Reading all the posts on this thread makes me realise why I rarely go to the cinema, would rather watch films at home when no longer new.

My local arty-farty cinema has banned eating, drinking and mobiles.

Quite right, too.

I love going to the cinema. And eithet go with friends or family. If I go with friends I just take a drink in. Different when I go with gc, I'll buy them snacks from cinema as a treat. It's normally popcorn and a drink. But hate it when people have crisps, or any crunchy food. And if people talk, then I've been known to say something.

The chatterers are almost always female and elderly, and I've never understood why they paid to go to the cinema in the first place when you can do that, along with unlimited cheap cuppas, at home. The whole eating works is an American import. My American friend, when visiting quite a long time ago, was so impressed by the total lack of it in our cinemas - she wouldn't be any more!! I mostly watch films at home, on the pc.

We only go to the cinema in the afternoon these days - so much more civilised.

My DDs and a friend went recently and the big group of girls behind carried on talking and laughing as the film started. Quiet DD said she knew it would end badly. Sure enough assertive DD and equally assertive friend turned round simultaneously and gave them such a roasting they barely breathed for the rest of the film. People nearby applauded.

Oh for the days when you got shushed by all and sundry for rustling sweet papers ( mind you, a group of us went to see the Towering Inferno one afternoon and I actually missed about 10 minutes of it because one of the group dropped the last Toffo in the tube on the floor and proceeded to crawl around looking for it!)
We always used to go to Woolies for the pic'n'mix before going, but made sure we chose sweets without wrappings!
It's just now the general attitude of "knickers to everyone else" - I wonder if the reason that many cinemas are struggling is because people are tired of not being able to follow the whole film because of the noise made by other customers?
Just don't get me started on people eating on trains!

Some films just need to be seen on a large cinema screen and 1917 is certainly one of those we felt. The photography and sound were everything we were told to expect and in that it really makes you feel part of all that is going on. A truly great film we felt that lived up to all the pre-release hype.

However, for many the crisps and popcorn are all part of the cinema experience in these modern times, and as long as people do not talk during the film we are prepared to go along with the eating.

They should bring back the old usherettes that they used to have,for this reason as they were there to tell people to keep down the noise etc,also it would still be helpful for them to help show you to your seats in the dark,which i always have trouble with- while helping provide jobs for some young people too! If its really a problem when folk are talking& munching,once films got underway,and its obvious which seats are/arent taken,just move further away from the offenders.& if questioned by staff about changing seats just say "well you need to keep people quiet then dont you?"

I was at a concert in Memphis Tennessee at a concert by Elvis' remaining band members (a little one - not those stadium affairs) and hugely irritated by the woman next to me who worked for the city council, had a free ticket and was doing her emails on her phone which lit up the place. In the end I told her I'd come thousands of miles for the concert and her phone was spoiling the experience. She couldn't have been nicer, was horrified by her thoughtlessness and in the interval went out of her way to introduce me to local people and make me feel welcome. I've always remembered her.

However most people behaving like that couldn't care less about others even when you ask them nicely. Same with public transport, with their feet on the seats, eating MacDonalds, leaving litter everywhere, loud endless phone calls etc. etc. When I was a child it was drummed into me to think of others first. I sometimes wonder how much worse can it get and I'm glad I can remember that other, more civilised time. I wouldn't want to be young now!

Oh, the memories! You took me back to when I won tickets to the cinema... for my essay "A Visit to the Cinema" - in which I spoke about what was happening anywhere but on the screen. Food, quarrels, snogging, gossip... and a stray cat that walked in while, presumably, the usher was in the loo...

My local cinema is big and modern - 12 screens, and vibrant. However, as you walk in there is an overpowering smell of popcorn. Once seated you are probably surrounded by people with popcorn buckets, dipping in and munching all the time. Horrible.

I think they have the sound so loud because of the noise- makers! But really,couldnt they just keep it at a reasonable level,& put more warnings on the trailers about keeping noise down,all they usually do is mention turning phones off but why not tell them theyl be ejected too if they talk,etc? Theres a difference between surrepticiously trying to eat something or not giving a fig how loud you are being. BRING BACK USHERS/USHERETTES!

Don't be such boring old farts.

Remember in the 60s when you were doing EXACTLY the same.

Remember when you got shouted at by your parents for listening to THAT noise (music)

Not everyone is on a nice day final salary civil servant pension, and getting discounts at the cinema. Stuff costs a lot in the foyers, and believe it or not (it is true tho) you are fully allowed to bring your own food.

Want to avoid the HORRIBLE young people? Go to the oap sessions, or mornings in the week, when most would be working.

The way some of you go on, it's easy to forget what you lot got up to in the 60s!

I never understand why people need to eat a big bucket of popcorn because they are at the cinema

I think it would be a good idea for anyone who is being annoyed by people nearby to say something to the person, as mentioned in some of these posts. Recently went to the cinema with DD and a man nearby had his phone on silent, but it kept lighting up, so in the end I asked him to turn it off, and he complied without a murmur. I think sometimes people don't realise how annoying their behaviour is!

Thing is,they need the staff to say something,not other film-goers,as in this day& age you never know how people are going to react to you 'saying something' do you? Id be wary of asking someone to keep it down these days to get a punch or worse in return for it,especially as they have alcohol served in cinemas now too.!

That made me chuckle Maxblank however,as one or two others pointed out,sometimes its the oldies doing all the chatting thats annoying as well

I agree that going to the pictures as an adult back in the day was a much quieter affair. Probably more to do with being watched by the usherette than anything else.

But do others remember going to children’s Saturday matinees? We’d walk a mile or so there with all the other village children, carrying pop bottles we used in part-payment (). Then us littlies would sit in the middle rows with the older girls and the boys would sit front and back and spend the whole film hurling missiles at each other from one end of the cinema to the other over our heads and whooping and hollering. I remember watching cowboys and Indians galloping across the screen, and their mouths opening and shutting later, but never heard a word.

The usherettes must just have given up and gone for a cuppa!

My gripe is the time my friend and I have to wait to buy our tickets, while those in front of us purchase their food and drinks ( our local Vue cinema is obviously not busy enough to have separate queues ?). And the mess left around the seats at the end of the film is disgusting.