Cinema Code of Conduct
Our good friend Wynter Tyson over at CinemaScream (or is that Cinema’s Cream?) made a good spot a couple of weeks ago: a new set of cinema laws laid down by film critic Mark Kermode and radio presenter Simon Mayo. Wynter also challenged the greater blogging community to add their own 11th rule, so without further ado:
Rule 11: Clean Up After Yourself.
I’m not sure if this is a uniquely Irish phenomenon, but it is certainly not as prevalent in the UK, French or US cinemas I have ever visited. There seems to be an unwritten acceptance that the Irish cinema-going public will just drop whatever boxes, cartons, paper cups, sweet wrappers and mobile troughs we have gorged ourselves out of as soon as we are finished with them, leaving them for the beleaguered cinema staff to clean up. The major problem with this is the cinema staff don’t always get around to it. Empty popcorn boxes or Coke cups are not so bad, but my issue really stems back to my Wall.E cinema experience when I made my way through a darkened cinema and sat square into a tray of warm nacho cheese sauce someone had kindly left on the seat earlier. My awe at Disney’s finest work since The Lion King was somewhat hampered by my light linen trousers being soaked through in pungent viscous yellow goop. The car journey home in my mate’s leather-seated Mercedes was also a little awkward.
Ross v Ross 
December 1, 2010 at 2:53 am
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December 1, 2010 at 3:28 am
haha… that beats me stepping in a pond of melted Milk Dud goo!
December 1, 2010 at 8:37 am
[…] Ross V Ross […]
December 1, 2010 at 9:24 am
Good rule! That does happen quite a bit in the cinemas in the UK too. Everyone just leaves rubbish, even though the cinema staff stand at the doors with black bags. I have been in a later screening after a full one which caused our screening to still have all of the rubbish as it was a Friday night and packed!
December 1, 2010 at 10:00 am
light linen trousers? ugh.
December 1, 2010 at 3:39 pm
That is a really good rule!! I saw that often in my country too. In fact, it happens not only in cinema
December 1, 2010 at 5:19 pm
Warm nacho cheese sauce?! Lovely. Yep, that is one of the worst things about going to the cinema & I pity the poor guys who have to clean the mess up afterwards.
December 1, 2010 at 10:47 pm
As someone who used to work in a cinema, the Clean Up After Yourself rule is one I would strongly agree with. Over the course of several months I saw things that made me weep for the future of mankind – it actually looked like people were bringing stuff in from outside and dumping it in the cinema – you can’t buy socks at the cinema. why would you leave your socks there?
oh, and another rule – once you’re in, stay in. don’t leave with half an hour to go. or at any time really, but especially when you’ve sat through most of it. would it kill you to stick it out? do you really have to get up, sigh loudly, put on your coat, fumble with your bag, check you have your keys, your phone, your wallet, shovel the last of your popcorn into your mouth, then ‘sorry, sorry, sorry’ your way past a row of people who actually want to see the film, kicking half of them in the ankle on the way, then trudge up the aisle and slam the door on your way out?
December 1, 2010 at 11:41 pm
Damn, I would have lost it if that happened to me!!! I personally always make sure to dispose of whatever I bring into the theater, that’s common decency.
December 2, 2010 at 11:03 am
the sooner they invent cinemas that fit just one person the better
December 8, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Just be glad you aren’t in a cinema in Kuala Lumpur. I went to see Inception and every fecker was on their phone all the way through. And then they brought the house lights up 10 seconds before the end and everyone got up! Honestly.