I (mid-30s male) saw Scream 7 last night at a local independent cinema. A group of 4-5 teenage boys came in late and sat behind me. From the second they sat down, they were talking. And it didn’t stop for most of the film. They weren’t whispering either – it was full commentary and conversation.
During the opening scene, a tense jumpscare sequence, they were making inappropriate gulping noises and snickering.
At first, I tried ignoring them. Hoping they’d get bored and settle down. When it didn’t stop, about 20-30 minutes into the movie, I tried the usual non-verbal hints, looking back in their direction a few times, without eye contact, just hoping they’d get the message that they were bothering people. But they didn’t stop.
I didn’t want to have to deal with it, but it was ruining the movie. So internally I was practising a polite way of saying "Please be quiet?"
About two-thirds into the movie, there was an extremely climactic, quiet, and tense scene. One of them was commenting non-stop. Like you shouldn’t have been able to hear a pin drop, but one of them was performing a live analysis on the scene. That was the final straw, and I turned around and snapped: "Would you shut the fuck up? Jesus!"
They went completely quiet after that and didn’t talk for the rest of the film.
For context, I’m not someone who expects total silence in a cinema. I was reacting to the movie myself (gasping or laughing at moments), and I think normal reactions like this or the occasional quick whisper to a friend are reasonable and part of the experience. What bothered me was the constant talking throughout the movie, and what almost seemed like trolling behaviour.
I know swearing wasn’t the best way to handle it, and I wished my tone was the polite and calm version I was rehearsing.
So… AITA for how I handled it?
You say : “Would you shut the fuck up?” And they shut the fuck up. problem solved, NTA.
NTA not at all. You did a public service
Only read the title. NTA
NTA
I’m not sure what has happened in the last few years, but people seem to think they are fine to behave like they’re in their living room when they go to the cinema.
I do expect total silence, no phones lighting up. If they want to ruin the experience for themselves, fine, but they’re ruining it for others too.
NTA. It takes a village to raise a child, you did your part.
NTA- I’m a middle school teacher and throughout the past 5 years especially, I’ve found myself telling the kids that outside of school, their behavior will not be tolerated in public. I am glad you could meet them with their own energy. I would if I could, but I’d be out of a job lol. They need to know that they are disrespecting others.
Teenagers? Fuck them. They’re not afraid of hearing curse words as much as they are getting embarrassed by a stranger in public. You did the cinema a favor dude
Telling loud assholes to shut the fuck up in movie theaters is how I was raised and was the norm for my entire life, until what seems like the last 10 years or so ago, when everybody has regressed socially and has no clue how to behave in public anymore. NTA. Everyone should do this.
I think people have also become more scared that they’ll get beaten up by the youth.
WHAT?? You must not be in the US, because our teenagers here have regressed into children and are the least fearsome creatures imaginable. I’m literally chuckling at the thought of some teenager trying to stand up to me in his hoodie with rabbit ears or whatever 🤣
Yea like… OP, the only assholery here is that you waited over an hour to tell them to shut the fuck up.
Next time tell them to stop talking after like 5 minutes.
NTA your my hero 🙂🙂🙂🙂
Rule 1 of going to the cinema- you shut the fuck up!
NTA. Some teenagers really need to be told to shut the fuck up. Realistically, they know they should do that, and they do it because they are teenagers and teenagers are dicks.