Somerville Theatre bans (young) kids from entering after 6 pm. Let's discuss it here

[ron_newman]

This week's Somerville News has an article about the Somerville Theatre's policy of banning children under 12 8* from entering the theatre after 6 pm, even if they are accompanied by adults.

Is the theatre's policy a service to its customers who want a peaceful movie experience, or is it unfair discrimination against families with young children?

I'm posting this because we can have a more civilized discussion here than on the Somerville News blog comments. Ian Judge, the theatre's manager, reads this community, so we may be able to provide useful feedback to him here.

* Edited 11:55 am to add: I have a serious factual issue with this article. It says the policy applies to children under 12, but the theatre's website and exterior signs say it's for children under 8. That's a significant difference -- maybe significant enough to change people's opinions.

Second edit, 3 pm: Ian Judge has clarified that the theatre's policy is to exclude children under 8, not 12, from entering after 6 pm. He had made an erroneous statement to the News reporter which very unfortunately made it into the published article. Also, here is Ian's response to the specific incident detailed in the News article.

Comments

[svilletheatre.livejournal.com]

Thank you Ron for posting this, and to everyone for posting their thoughts.

I think this article is the direct result of me not letting the specific kids mentioned in the article into the movie.

And the reason I didn't let these kids in is because all in the same evening: they REPEATEDLY tried to go to the R-Rated movie on their own in a sneaky manner; after being denied entry for being underage and unaccompanied initially, they came back later and tried to have a cop bring them in, whom they claimed was their dad, but who was not going to watch the movie with them but assured me "he was on duty in the square". This is not parental/guardian supervision. Then, after I denied them entry, they tried to get random dudes to buy them tickets, and when we said that wouldn't fly, they acted like jackasses, screamed "this theater sucks!" and "we're never coming here again" to which I responded, as I am often inclined to do so, "I hope that is a promise if you're going to act like that".

These kids weren't even effected by the policy, since they were over 12. They were however, effected by the ratings guidelines almost ALL movie theaters go by, namely that R-Rated films must have a parent or guardian. Random dudes and parents off-site do not count. This was the 10:15pm Pineapple Express on a Tuesday night. Throw in the fact that they acted deceptively and like jerks, and voila, you don't get in.

I understand that for some people, perhaps they disagree with the policy. That is fine, as these people can go to Revere or Boston Common or Fresh Pond and have all the kids they want in the theater. I personally don't want to see small kids in the movies at night, so that is how I run my theater. The beauty of a competitive marketplace is that the consumer can choose. I think this policy reflects the desires of the majority of our customer base, so it does not hurt the theater, in fact I think it helps us. I have heard overwhelmingly positive things about the policy from our customers.

Obviously, and as I said to the paper (though it was not mentioned) if we have a rare children-oriented movie at night, like when we ran "The WIzard of Oz", we would allow kids in, but this happens so rarely it is truly an exception.

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

I think you should post or email to the Journal, since none of that was reflected in their article, just the "accompanied by a police officer." It makes it sound like he was going to go into the theatre with him.

[ron_newman]

I think Ian should post or email the News since that's where the article appeared. So far, there aren't any comments on the (moderated) News blog, but I suspect that will change soon once the moderators there look at their queue.

[jadelennox]

I completely agree with keeping underage children out of R-rated movies. And it sounds like these kids, in question, were brats, and good for you for kicking out those two kids.

However, it is good to know that you are not even going to consider changing your policy about under-12s. I guess I have a new policy of not attending the Somerville Theatre. Just because I don't have children, doesn't mean I'm willing to patronize businesses which discriminate.

It's your choice to discriminate -- age discrimination is legal in the United States -- and it's my choice to avoid your business from now on. Thus the free market soldiers on.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Oh Jesus H. Christ. This isn't a "no coloreds" sign hanging off the marquee. Stop acting like there's some great social injustice going on here. There isn't.

[chumbolly.livejournal.com]

Man, I was at the public pool a while back, and would you believe it, they made all the kids get out for a few minutes and had "adult swim!" Loathsome, I tell ya! (Regrettably, at the time I took no action regarding this injustice as I was wholly unaware that my rights had been trampled.)

[purpless77.livejournal.com]

I agree with Jade. I'm definitely telling the friends I have that still go to this theater. They won't be going there anymore. Your last quote in that article is enough to do that. The Somerville theater was once a great place to go. With the changes that have taken place it's become a joke. Those theaters you mentioned are going to be the ones lucking out.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Really, are we surprised?

[ron_newman]

This article is not in the Somerville Journal. It is in the Somerville News.

[gypsy882.livejournal.com]

Although 6 may seem a little early...I think it's a super idea. It's like enforced common sense.

[thebiggestroom.livejournal.com]

I know this is going to be difficult, but think all the way back to age 11.

Now imagine it being 6pm and you're not allowed to walk into a movie theater...

Now let's talk about how stupid that is.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

thank you!

I will try to go more often, drink your beer and enjoy the lovely space. And I will bring and tell my friends to come as well.

Not everywhere at every time has to be family friendly. Even people will kids go out to enjoy a night on the town without them once in a while.

[thebiggestroom.livejournal.com]

So you're comparing a night on the town to independent film?

I'm fine with not taking kids with you when you go to a bar, but we're talking about independent film here. Something that is supposed to be different and stimulate your mind. We should be encouraging kids to see these movies, not telling them to screw.

[firepail.livejournal.com]

I enjoy your policy, so thanks.

With movie ticket prices being as expensive as they are, I have higher expectations of my experience. When I go to other theaters for an evening showing of an R movie, it is typically packed with teenagers that are either talking, texting, or being otherwise disruptive. Very few theaters have ushers, and even fewer have ushers willing to eject these teens as they are teens themselves. So typically, if I go get an usher to alert them to the situation, I am just depriving myself of 10 minutes of the movie plot rather than getting a jerk tossed out.

I would love it if all theaters would have more ushers so they had the staff capacity to do rounds of each screen to curtail the bad behavior of bad patrons. Teens tend to be the worst offenders, but I have also witnessed plenty of adults talking on their cell phones, texting, talking, and doing other jerky things in movies that I have spent ten bucks to see. Actually, I would pay more to see a movie if the theater had ushers more actively patrol the screens and encourage people to behave or be ejected.

I am much more likely to have a good movie experience at the Somerville Theater.

[nungnung.livejournal.com]

I wasn't aware of your policy previously, but it will definitely encourage me to attend your theater. Thanks!

[thebiggestroom.livejournal.com]

How are you going to draw the a line between a kid who is 12 or a kid who is 14 or 15 and doesn't have an ID to prove his age?

"I personally don't want to see small kids in the movies at night, so that is how I run my theater"

11 years old isn't a small kid. I was going to movies without my parents when I was 11.

Aren't we supposed to be exposing kids to independent films and not telling them to just go to the common and see some summer blockbuster? Your post comes off as very elitist and ageist.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

Dude, you know what's playing at the Somerville Theatre right now? the Dark Knight, Pineapple Express, Step Brothers and The Wackness. We're hardly talking about withdrawing the experience of going to see High Independent Art from cultured little 11-year-olds. The Somerville has, for as long as I've been around, geared itself to adults, with adult movie selections, and they're following this up with adult-only policies, in a theatre with an art gallery and a liquor license to serve beer.

[daft.livejournal.com]

I had no idea of this policy before, but now that I do, I am far more likely to actually see movies at the Somerville. While I admit that the stadium seating at the big multiplexes often lures me, the prospect of not wanting to strangle folks for bringing in their babies and toddlers is very, very tempting.

And any theater that does something about annoying teenagers instead of just turning a blind eye is a-okay in my book.

Factual question for you, Ian

[ron_newman]

Hi, Ian. It's good to hear from you. I have one question that I hope you can answer:

The News article says that the theatre's policy is "that children under 12 are not permitted to enter the theatre past 6 p.m".

However, the poster in front of the theatre says that children under 8 are not admitted to "evening shows". Amd your theatre's website also says "children under the age of 8 are not allowed in movies beginning after 6 p.m.

There's a really big difference between 8 and 12. Big enough to change a lot of people's opinions about the policy. Did the News reporter get it wrong, or are your signs and website in error?

Re: Factual question for you, Ian

[svilletheatre.livejournal.com]

First of all i would like to say that I have read nearly all of the comments on this page thus far. They have all been helpful, even those that I disagree with or find to be somewhat intentionally inflammatory. I appreciate both arguments on this and they are all food for thought. The article is flawed, but positive discussion can stem from it.

Let me say that I am not trying to be elitist - just as I have created this policy at Somerville, I did not create any such policy at Capitol Theatre; I am trying to cater to two different neighborhoods.

I grew up in Somerville; when I was a kid, the Somerville Theatre did not generally show kids films - it was mostly double features and art stuff, so there was no big tradition of kids going there at that time (I am 31.) Today, I still live in Davis Square and fit the demographic of not liking little kids in movies (thus my comment that "I personally don't like kids in movies" - obviously if I were going to a kids film that would be different) and appreciating that many, though not all, of our patrons feel similarly. I might feel differently if I had kids, I admit.

We don't do this to be lazy - we still patrol theaters, though it is not always enough to prevent disturbances - and I personally am quite aggressive about cell phones if I see one. I agree that adults can be worse than kids. Honestly, teenagers, who are not even involved in this policy, are the worst offenders of all, as they apparently cannot go five minutes with out texting or phoning. I did this specific policy because too many little kids were causing problems in the evenings - quite literally we would have to constantly monitor certain shows due to restless children - and we were fielding complaints from adults. Nevermind parents with babies. I have even been called 'reprehensible' for allowing kids INTO a movie with their parents. You can't please all of the people all of the time; I try and please the majority in this case.

As to Ron's direct inquiry - I did tell the News reporter it was 12, but as you point out, our website and signage indicates 8. I had 12 in my head because traditionally 12 and under are considered "children" in ticketing terms (though we no longer have a kids price, just general admission and senior.) However, the specific rule is 8, which was my error in communication.

This policy has nothing to do with ratings enforcement, which are voluntary policy; the theater is a member of the National Assoc. of Theatre Owners, which requires us to comply.

[laryu.livejournal.com]

Does it bother anybody else that an on-duty police officer knowingly tried to circumvent the theater's policy on behalf of the two kids? If that's true, it does not inspire confidence in the priorities of Somerville's finest.

(For the record, I'm a frequent patron with no kids. I suggest the theater run its business however it sees fit, unless of course it tries to keep me out for a beer and a movie.)

[infinitemorning.livejournal.com]

I have to say it bothers me greatly. I was thinking that there was another side to this story, and now that I've heard it, I'm fairly appalled.

Leaving that aside: Ian, thank you for posting here. After reading your comments and the notes that the policy, in fact, is limited to children entering the theater after 6, I admit that I'm not honestly as concerned as I was before, and I'm actually pretty happy that there's a theater with an 'adult swim' policy this close to my home. There are plenty of other theaters in the area that don't have such restrictions, many of them completely accessible via public transportation, so I really don't have a problem with the Somerville instituting this policy. The original article was clearly much more alarmist than it needed to be.

Great decision!

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

I love the Somerville Theater even more. I cannot stand Boston Common and such because there are always kids spoiling the movie.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Dear Ian,

Earlier this week, you recovered my wallet that I lost at your fine theatre and I asked, "What *can't* the Somerville theatre do?" This policy just adds to my adoration. I will be very happy to spend my free-market money having a kid-free movie-watching experience.