Can pagers stop cell phone movie chatter?
The head of America’s largest theater chain told the Reuters Media Summit this week that his company has a plan to combat cell phone use in theaters: pass out more small electronics to audience members. Regal Entertainment Group is testing transmitters that allow patrons to “buzz” theater staff in the event that the projector stops working or other patrons have grown loud and unruly. Staff members then swoop in to fix the problem and the theater keeps its customers satisfied. How big a deal have theater distractions become? “We had gotten to the point … where we have had people getting into physical battles in theaters,” said CEO Michael Campbell. “One customer will say to another ‘Shut off your cellphone’ or ‘Shut up’ … We’ve had people assaulted with bats, knives, guns.” It’s just the latest strategy by theater operators to create a compelling experience for patrons who are, after all, coughing up vast sums of money to enjoy a film that they could more easily watch at home in six
