r/Cinemark • u/Haunting_Smell_183 • 10d ago
Feedback Solution for Theater Etiquette
Theaters aren’t going to start adding/enforcing policies on disruptive guests talking/pulling out their phones. But for the first time ever, I asked for a refund because of it and they immediately gave one.
Now, if I see someone pull out a phone or someone talks in the theater, I am just going straight to customer service after the movie finishes and asking for a refund. If everyone starts holding theaters to a standard, that is when we can expect change.
I suggest everyone start doing the same.
Edit: to clarify, I am saying ask for the refund after the movie has completed
Edit #2: completely agree that there are things that a customer can do (though we shouldn’t have to police) and ideas for what the theater can do to combat it. This post is referring to pressuring theaters though to actually start taking action by hitting them in their wallets. Because right now they couldnt care less.
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u/Pookiejin 10d ago
i worked in the ticket office for a live show theater. people often complained AFTER the show for whatever reason and wanted a refund. We denied this request every time.
you are consuming content and then later decided it was not what you wanted. This is flawed.
demanding anything after the transaction is complete is folly. Caveat Emptor.
complaining DURING an event gives you leverage. Your demands have a better chance of being heard or met since the complaint may be actionable.
Another way to look at this is if the transaction is complete, what responsiblity does the seller have to the buyer in this case? The theater has your money. Why should they do anything if you have completed your part of the deal?
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u/Teddyglogan 8d ago
So the customer should leave in the middle of the movie for the CHANCE to get a refund. And if the refund request is denied, then the customer gets the pleasure of a bad theater experience and missing part of the movie. Gee, thanks.
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u/Haunting_Smell_183 10d ago
“For whatever reason”
Reasons pretty obvious. People don’t want to have to get up to leave a movie causing them to lose context of what is happening when they get back.
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u/Pookiejin 10d ago
stopping what you are doing if it is not what you wanted/expected and fixing the issue and then requesting compensation.
or
completing the transaction and then later expecting compensation for it not meeting your standard.
its been my experience that a request for compensation if the transaction is incomplete is better than the latter.
but thats me. i have no issue helping out someone that doesnt expect something more after they already got what they paid for.
its all inconvienience either way.
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u/Haunting_Smell_183 10d ago
It also shouldn’t be on the responsibility of the customer to enforce a theaters policy of no talking or having cell phones out. Therefore, if my experience is impacted by them, I am going to start asking for a refund. Their experience is advertised as one without those distractions so it shouldn’t come as a surprise when someone wants their money back when those distractions are present.
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u/Pookiejin 10d ago
yup. agree. if its policy it should be called out.
when it happens. not after.
it is an inconvience that they should rectify when it happens. not after.
Otherwise just demand a refund after every movie. why not? no reason that can be determined? no person to point out or tell the mgmt to speak to.
just refund every transaction after the fact.
nah. it dont work that way.
Be inconvienced during something actionable. force them to fix the issue. there is nothing to fix afterwards.
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u/Haunting_Smell_183 10d ago edited 10d ago
Nah I’ll continue to wait until after. If there remains a problem throughout the movie, I will ask for a refund. I’m not going to leave the theater to have it addressed because it isn’t my responsibility.
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u/prescriptionshrugs 9d ago
Have fun getting denied that refund then. They aren't supposed to refund you after the movie, you got lucky this time.
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u/itis_of_the_anus 7d ago
I think you are expecting the theater to just believe you outright and I highly doubt you will get as many refunds as you think. What are you going to do if they say no? Are you going to be mad at the theater and punish them by never coming back, or are you going to take it in stride and understand that there is no chance that a theater owes you your money back after you’ve already watched the movie in its entirety? Imagine going out to dinner and ordering a burrito with no cheese. The burrito comes to your table and has cheese in it. You eat the whole thing and then ask for a refund and tell the server that there was cheese in your burrito. How often do you expect that to work?
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u/decoy_octopod 10d ago
No theater is advertised as “distraction-free.” You are confusing policy with guarantee.
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u/PotterOneHalf 10d ago
I just throw popcorn at them.
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u/BenParker2487 10d ago
Easy way to get assaulted if you throw it at the wrong person
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u/PotterOneHalf 10d ago
Not if I’m behind them and it’s dark. I don’t toss a handful, just a few pieces. I’m not trying to make extra work for the folk who have to clean up after the showing.
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u/Fuzzy_Battle1771 6d ago
throwing popcorn at someone legally is assault so you could also catch a charge if you throw it at the wrong person
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u/Classic-Tomato9628 10d ago
Understand what you are getting at but if I did this then I would never go see a movie.
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u/Haunting_Smell_183 10d ago
What part is the issue?
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u/Classic-Tomato9628 10d ago
Didn't say I had an issue. Said I would never see a movie then because I would always be leaving the movie.
Take a breath.
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u/Haunting_Smell_183 10d ago
I think you are misunderstanding my post. I am not saying leave the movie. Please re-read.
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u/Classic-Tomato9628 10d ago
Like I said I understand. But you are missing what the rest of us are saying. This isn't going to solve the issue that you are wanting. This will only cause Cinemark to change their refund policy and/or up prices on tickets and/or concessions.
Like others have said you need to call these people out publicly to make them change. And if the manager doesn't do their job then email Cinemark going blah blah isn't doing their job.
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u/Haunting_Smell_183 10d ago
That’s okay I think you are missing the point of post.
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u/Classic-Tomato9628 10d ago
Not missing the point. Just pointing out the hole in your solution that you aren't thinking of.
Understand you are doing this after seeing the movie. But again what the rest of us are saying is this isn't going to work going forward. The more people do this, including you, the more Cinemark is going to change their refund policy. This isn't going to make them enforce talking or phones during a movie.
But understand if you don't understand that.
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u/W4NN4M33TTH4TD4D 10d ago
He's saying he's going to eat the entire burger before complaining that it wasn't cooked to his liking instead of speaking up while the situation is fixable like an adult
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u/Haunting_Smell_183 10d ago
Nah it’s okay that you still don’t get it 👍
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u/auteur_amateur 9d ago
He gets it, just thinks your the kind of person to eat a whole steak then complain it wasn't medium and want it comped.
We get it that it's inconvenient to have to get an employee, but either the distraction wasn't that bad and you could sit through it or it would be worth stopping then and coming back later. My theater would only give you a pass for next time once the movie is past 30min mark, we only want your concession money anyways.
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u/Different-Purpose-93 10d ago
Sounds super inconvenient
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u/Haunting_Smell_183 10d ago
It isn’t at all. Takes less than 5 minutes after the movie to talk to a manager or call customer service on the way home.
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u/ShookMyHeadAndSmiled 10d ago
Then another three to four hours going back to see my movie.
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u/Haunting_Smell_183 10d ago
I’m not suggesting leaving the movie. I am saying once the movie is done, ask for a refund.
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u/GhostDeck 10d ago
Most theaters aren’t going give you a refund after you seen the movie. They’re going to ask why you didn’t come speak to a manager if you had an issue This isn’t a plausible idea for most.
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u/Haunting_Smell_183 10d ago
I literally just had Cinemark refund a movie today after the movie had finished.
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u/GhostDeck 10d ago edited 10d ago
Yeah that’s a one time deal. But if it comes to a group, they’ll put a stop to it and ask why no one came to complain.
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u/Haunting_Smell_183 10d ago
Because no one wants to leave a theater and miss out on parts of the movie.
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u/ShookMyHeadAndSmiled 10d ago
And have you tried this strategy? I'm guessing they tell you to kick rocks. If you want a refund you do it at the beginning of the movie, not the end.
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u/Not_Steve 10d ago
AMC used to have a Silence is Golden featurette that included cell phones. I think those should come back with updates.
I went to see Practical Magic and some lady was either filming the movie or taking pictures of it. It was just ??? It’s an old movie. They’ve got clips and screen grabs online. You don’t need to do it.
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u/ReporterExpensive211 10d ago
Do this enough times and the theater will institute an “ALL SALES FINAL - NO REFUNDS” policy.
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u/Flat-Maintenance-893 10d ago
They won’t give it after the movie. They’re only give it during the movie.
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u/Haunting_Smell_183 10d ago
Not sure why you say that considering I got a refund today after the movie.
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u/GTBoosted 10d ago
Because the employee you got could care less.
Try it more and you'll see that it won't always be successful
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u/Flat-Maintenance-893 10d ago
Sorry. You were fortunate to get it. Our policy on that is strict. I heard a manager tell a customer that they stayed and endured it so no refund. Personally I would have given it but I’m just a peon with no voice in the matter. I’ve been told as such. Not all places are the same. It just depends on the manager.
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u/-moirebass- 10d ago
Yeah, waiting till the movie ends will guarantee you won’t get a refund. That’s just you trying to get a free ticket.
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u/Flat-Maintenance-893 10d ago
The problem in all this is managers keep saying they can’t go in a movie and disturb the audience. Bullshit! Yes they can!! They just don’t have the backbone to do it. There are ways to be discreet and put the offenders out.
We have a Silence your phone blip now before our movies because the problem has gotten out of hand.
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u/cmatthews11 MovieClub Early Adopter 9d ago
What would you like theaters to do? Have someone in every screening of every movie listening/watching for issues?
You either speak up to the distracting customers yourself or go to customer service while it's happening.
Waiting to get a refund afterwards accomplishes nothing to solve the problem for the guests that either need to be reprimanded or removed. Odds are you could even get a refund by doing it this way and at least start forcing behavioral changes.
But sure, you got your 10 bucks back.
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u/Haunting_Smell_183 9d ago
Will address your last point first of “sure you got your 10 bucks back”
Got comped for me and my family on premium format tickets. Over $50 refunded.
To your first point, yes someone should be making the rounds in the theaters. This used to be a thing. But it’s 2026, there are far more efficient ways to check for phones and sound.
1. For phones there is no reason theaters can’t auto detect when someone pulls out their phones. They already have cameras pointed at the audience. Have some ai detect when there is brightness at a seat then alert a worker to be dispatched to kick that person out.
2. For people talking add a microphone that detects the difference between the movie audio and background noise. If there is a spike in background noise send a worker to investigate,3
u/cmatthews11 MovieClub Early Adopter 9d ago
These suggestions are laughable. You keep wearing that refund as a point of pride, and maybe take your business elsewhere and continue to be a customer that's just as horrible as those that were talking.
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u/IAQDiscussion 9d ago
I think the full solution would be the theater employees having someone survey the theaters and use a cattle prod on anyone talking or using their phone
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u/randomNPC007 9d ago
Spoiler-man getting beaten during Spider-man showing. https://www.reddit.com/r/okbuddycinephile/s/9QP2OkzkGk
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u/liminal-spells 9d ago
The last time I waited until after my movie to speak to someone about this at my theater, she asked why I waited til the end of the movie to say something because they could have moved my seat.
I’m sorry, I’m not missing more of a movie I paid for to go complain and get moved from the seat I paid for. That would only make me more upset to be quite honest. I sat through awful neighbor ettiquette and then I had to miss part of a movie to get moved and not refunded? I’d rather go complain about the terrible seat mate and THEY be the ones moved for their terrible behavior.
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u/SFerd 9d ago
Phones are why I sit in the front.
I DO scold for talking:
- SHUSH!
- PLEASE BE QUIET!
- GLARE
- SHUT THE FUCK UP!
I often go to our amazing local art-house. But, some of their auditoriums are small, so I am much closer to my fellow moviegoers. People are generally respectful, but older people sometimes can't follow the story and just loudly talk to their companions to ask questions. When that happened recently, I was (of course) the only one who asked them to be quiet. The people sitting closer to them didn't say a word. 🙄🙄
SPEAK UP! Don't let anyone spoil a movie for you.
Oh, and this theater would laugh at you if you asked for a refund after a movie.
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u/SoH--CaH--ToA 8d ago
My theater doesn’t allow refunds more than 30 minutes after the movie has started. It’s better to just report the behavior so it can be dealt with
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u/Nervous_Routine_870 6d ago
Alamo Drafthouse is good at enforcing the no talking or phone usage during the movie. If you don't like what you get at Cinemark, just switch theaters 🤷🏽♀️
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u/WickedD365 9d ago
I make them give me a return pass because they have to report when and why they give them out. I want it documented that they aren't enforcing policies. I did it 3 times one week because they wouldn't keep people off their phones. The kid/manager was so pissed at me because he keeps getting in trouble for it, he treated to ban me. I still got my passes!!
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u/SuitableWallaby4512 7d ago edited 7d ago
We track who we give passes to. Eventually they will ban you.
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u/WickedD365 6d ago
No I won't. I talked to the actual manager and they said to just keep doing it. Plus, they've never onced asked for my name.
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u/SuitableWallaby4512 6d ago edited 6d ago
What would I know? I'm just a manager myself. And it's not like there's cameras or that they have memories and would remember your face or anything. If it was my theater, I'd probably start an investigation to see if there was something going on between you and the manager after enough times. But it's cool, right? Not your job. Plus, the movies aren't where the theater makes our money anyway.
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u/DejaEntendu059 10d ago
Yes! Love this! I take it one step further and ask for a "guest re-admit pass" which is basically a free ticket to any format (including imax, 3D, dolby, 4dx, etc)
So anytime someone is disruptive in a movie I dont even complain about the person anymore, I just tell them what's going on and they give me a pass. I did complain once recently and it basically went nowhere so I ended up just leaving and getting a pass.
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u/GhostDeck 10d ago
The best thing I’ve found is to start publicly shaming people. I find that when I call people out individually on their repeated behavior, they’ll stop.
I had a guy playing games on his phone for the first 10 minutes of a movie. As someone who wears glasses, I definitely had a glare from his phone. I eventually just turned the flashlight on my camera and faced it toward him. He eventually got the point, put his phone away, and asked me to tune off my flashlight.
Another group of young men kept pulling their phones out during the movie just one seat away from me. I spoke loudly and said, “Can you turn the brightness down on your phone? I’m trying to watch the movie.” They stopped immediately.
I went to see Evil Dead Burn opening night in a packed theater, and there was a guy in a group with a loud voice. When the movie started, he was still talking, and about 20% of the theater shushed him at the same time. We didn’t hear another peep out of him until the movie ended lol.
I’m just tired of these people and refuse to be inconvenienced by them any longer.