The Kidd here...
So I'm guessing some people underestimated the outrage they'd be hit with when they raised the idea of relaxing the no texting policy that should be in place and enforced (it's not!) in theatres at CinemaCon. All you had to do was take a good, long look at the TalkBacks for my coverage of the "debate," and you could see how genuinely pissed people are when texting occurs during their time at the movies, some of which who have sworn off going to the theatre altogether, because the aggravation just isn't worth it anymore.
It's not that big of a surprise then that damage control has begun, as I've gotten word of Regal Entertainment CEO Amy Miles now placing phone calls to some who contacted Regal's customer service department regarding her statements in Vegas.
Our reader Letterboxer received an email response to his inquiry on the matter at the end of last week that read as such:
Thank you for your inquiry and comments. We do appreciate hearing from our guests. The comments from Regal were regarding a proposals from some of our studio partners about possibly programming some teen oriented films with an interactive element. Regal is considering a test in a few theatres but no widespread adoption of the practice. Again thank you for your comments and we appreciate your constructive input.
Thank you for choosing Regal!
Thanks,
Jamie Miller
Operational Services Coordinator
Well, that wasn't the end of it. Earlier today he received a phone call on the number he had left from Miles herself. Here's his account of their discussion:
You may or may not be interested in this, but impressively enough I just answered my cell phone to find that it was Regal Entertainment Group CEO Amy Miles on the phone in response to an email I sent Regal Group regarding her texting in the theaters remark from last week.She called and said the main stream media only picked up a portion of her panel discussion on the issue. The panel was discussing how to get the teenage demographic back into theaters (apparently numbers are falling) by allowing texting to happen in a separate theatre for teens or kids where the theatre rules would be relaxed. However, they brought this up only to disregard the possibility due to other risks (copyright issues, taping movies, etc).I asked her point blank if she was against texting in theaters and she said "absolutely." I also asked if she was going to straighten this out in the media and she said she did but the main stream media did not pick up the story. She is more concerned about her customers and she is calling a handful of folks who sent in emails regarding this issue to reassure them texting will never be allowed in Regal Theaters.Well, that's it. Wish I had something cooler to send you.All my best,Letterboxer
