Martin Scorsese no longer watches films in cinemas due to audience bad behaviour

The Guardian

13 hours ago

The director Martin Scorsese has said that no longer watches films in theatres because he's so appalled by the behaviour of his fellow cinemagoers.
Speaking to US film critic Peter Travers for his blog, The Travers Take, Scorsese reportedly explained that he found himself too distracted by the chat and mobile-phone disturbance from the audience to concentrate on the film.
Wrote Travers: 'I asked the maestro why he doesn't see movies in theatres any more and he went all raging bull about audiences who babble on phones during the movie, leave to order snacks and vats of soda, and keep up a noise level loud enough to drown out the actors.'
Travers then countered that Scorsese, 82, likely behaved in a similar way when he was younger. ''Come on, Marty,' I said, 'we couldn't keep our mouths shut when we were kids.''
Travers added: 'His [Scorsese's] eyes darkened. 'Yeah, maybe,' he conceded, 'but when we talked it was always about the movie and the fun we had chewing over the details.''
Cinema etiquette is widely perceived to have declined in recent years, with the ascension of streaming, and the legacy of Covid, meaning audiences are now less minded to devote their full attention to the screen.
Fights and shouting matches in cinemas have become increasingly common, while food-throwing and constant conversation are normalised. Some films have sought to embrace the general atmosphere of chaos, with The Minecraft Movie's clarion call of 'chicken jockey' signalling the cue for children to run riot.
Meanwhile, high-profile stars including Tom Cruise energetically cheerlead for audiences to patronise cinemas and ensure films are watched on the big screen on opening weekends.
Scorsese has multiple projects in production, including a Hawaii crime drama starring Dwayne Johnson and a documentary about the late Pope Francis, with whom it is believed he had the final interview.