People Are Calling For Babies To Be Banned From Cinemas

Film fans are calling for babies to be banned from cinemas after one Spider-Man viewer described his infuriating theatre experience over the weekend.

After avoiding all spoilers and paying for a ticket to see the latest Marvel film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, one Reddit user was devastated when a mother and father brought their unsettled baby into the same screen, ruining the movie for every other ticket-holder.

Explaining just how disruptive the family were during the highly-anticipated screening, the user wrote: "Throughout every emotional and major scene in the movie the baby was crying or screaming and frankly made the movie significantly less enjoyable.

Would you consider taking a young child to the cinema? (Pexels)

"The mother took the baby out only once after it had been shrieking for five straight minutes, despite it constantly making noise for about one third of the movie, and once she came back it started to work itself up again."

The disappointed cinema-goer added: "I don’t understand why you can’t get a baby sitter for your baby for the three hours you’re going to be at the movies, but instead have to bring the baby to the theatres and actively make everyone’s viewing experience worse.

"I don’t mind babies in other settings, but a f***ing movie??? Let alone a loud, action movie??? Come on! Theatres really need to ban babies."

Reddit users were quick to jump on-board the bandwagon and call for younger children to be barred from movie theatres.

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While some shared their own similar experiences, others questioned why parents would bother trying to bring their babies to a quiet cinema at all.

A Redditor commented: "Parents shouldn’t even be bringing babies to theatres. Way too noisy, bright, etc. Bad for the kid, bad for the parents, awful for everybody else nearby."

Another wrote: "I have a 3 month old and 20 month old. I wouldn't be caught dead in a theatre unless I had a sitter."

One father added that trying to bring a baby to see an action film like Spider-Man would be "essentially torture" for any parent.

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Another dad wrote: "As much as I'm dying to see No Way Home, it's one of the things I've happily put on hold for parenthood. I would never subject my baby to the theatre, nor would I want to ruin it for other people trying to enjoy the movie.

"Either get a sitter or take the L and miss the movie, plain and simple. I hope you get a chance to go back and actually enjoy the movie."

Amongst the debate, one former cinema employee offered some seriously useful advice to any cinema-goers who might experience something similar in the future.

They wrote: "If you’re having issues with a loud/distributive customer (baby screaming, disruptive teens/people, etc), complain to theatre staff the minute it happens. Walk out, complain, and come back.

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"A staff member will walk in and observe to see if it continues. If it does, they have to do something. If it doesn’t and it’s a one time thing, fine.

"If the employee walks out and it starts happening again, wait until the end of the movie, request a manager, and explain what happened and that you’d like a refund.

"Never had a manager that argued against a situation like that, especially if the customer was calm and polite about it. They won’t refund your concessions but you’ll at least get your ticket money back (or more likely a voucher for a free movie)."

Topics: TV And Film, Cinema

Ali Condon

Ali is a journalist for LADbible Group, writing on all things film, music, and entertainment across Tyla, LADbible and UNILAD. You can contact Ali at [email protected].

@alicondon