Taking a date to the movies is a pretty common thing to do, especially in the early stages when you’re just getting to know someone. You get to do something fun, while also ensuring you have something to talk about afterward. Movie dates can even provide an important window into the behaviors of your partner, helping you figure out if the other person is right or very, very wrong for you.
Perhaps the most blatant recent example of a disastrous movie date came in May 2017. A Texas man took a woman on a first date to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. She repeatedly texted during the film, which he found distracting. The guy told her to take her phone outside if she was going to text. The woman did indeed go outside — she hopped in her car and drove off, leaving him stranded. He responded by suing her for $17.31, the cost of her ticket. The incident went viral, leading to a lot of ridicule for both individuals. Let’s be honest, though: can’t all of us relate to one side or the other?
What’s the most intense reaction you’ve ever had to a film? Have you ever had to look away from the screen because what you were seeing was too horrific? Have you ever screamed or run out into the lobby? Did you ever faint? Even if you haven’t passed out, other people have. There are many documented cases of sensitive viewers fainting from what they saw, going all the way back to the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.
More recently, the cannibalism-themed horror flick Raw caused several viewers to drop when it premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. One particularly unlucky gentleman is reported to have hit his head on a wall on his way to the floor. And it’s not just horror movies that cause fainting. The James Franco drama 127 Hours, in which the actor is shown graphically cutting through nerves to sever his own arm, similarly had some viewers passing out in the aisles. The next big make-’em-faint movie is yet to be determined, but who knows — it could be you who succumbs!
It’s a long-standing problem. Theaters are not supposed to allow anyone under the age of 17 into R-rated movies unless they are accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. Of course, there are a few theaters that simply don’t care, but most try to adhere to that rule, if for no other reason than to avoid getting parents angry at them. Teens are teens, though, and they try mightily to sneak into the R-rated films they want to see.
Cinemas have some rather creative means of policing such activity. It’s common practice to have security cameras installed for a variety of reasons, including keeping an eye on who’s entering the various auditoriums. Sometimes theater staff will come in during the movie to make sure everyone in the crowd is of proper age. And if there’s a movie they know teens will really be itching to get into, they may intentionally put it in an auditorium near the area where your tickets are taken so the person ripping them can monitor the situation.
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