AMC Theatres May Allow Texting During Movies

Those who can’t seem to go more than a few minutes without checking their phones might have a new reason to side with AMC next time they see a movie. Adam Aron, the CEO of AMC Entertainment. said in an interview with Variety that he has considered allowing texting during screenings.

“When you tell a 22-year-old to turn off the phone, don’t ruin the movie, they hear please cut off your left arm above the elbow,” Aron said to Variety. “You can’t tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone. That’s now how they live their life.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean AMC auditoriums will be lit up with lights from smartphone usage throughout every movie. Aron also said the company needs to “figure out a way to do it that doesn’t disturb today’s audiences.” This could mean making only certain auditoriums within a movie theater “more texting friendly,” he also said.

“We know vast majority of audience wants no texting,” the CEO later tweeted.

It’s not the first time movie theater executives have tossed around the idea. Regal Entertainment CEO Amy Miles and Greg Foster, senior executive vice president of IMAX Corporation, both appeared to support more open rules around cellphone usage during a panel at the CinemaCon convention in 2012, according to Deadline.