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

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.

Re: Factual question for you, Ian

[ron_newman]

Thanks for your reply. I've made a second edit to this post, based on your statement.