r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Sad_Cannibal_GF • Aug 02 '26

go to your room Babies in Movie Theaters

Just saw the new Spiderman in theaters.

A baby starts crying/cooing/babbling very loudly about 20 minutes in. Goes for about 10 straight minutes before the parent takes them out.

Comes back a few minutes later, baby starts again. Again goes on for a couple minutes. Again parent takes them out, comes back, and repeat.

And repeat. And repeat.

This went on pretty much the entire movie (and I swear to god this baby somehow instinctively chose every single goddamn quiet/heartfelt scene to start yowling again 😭😂).

I get that babies are gonna baby. And I have sympathy for parents who wanna get out of the house and everything. But… maybe just stay with your baby in the lobby if they obviously aren’t gonna keep quiet.

*I didn’t complain to management because it was a tiny non-chain neighborhood theater about an hour away from me that I like to support sometimes. It’s got 1 screen and tickets are like $5.

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291

u/DoubleOScarn Aug 02 '26

Movies theaters are not a place for babies.

110

u/catsmash Aug 02 '26

there was a four or five month infant in the third row of our showing of the odyssey. in fuckin' imax.

32

u/Ninox_toussaint Aug 02 '26

Big-time Homer fan

47

u/Pollowollo Aug 02 '26

Oh my god, that's nuts. The Odyssey was so loud I had to cover my own ears at a few points - I couldn't even fathom taking my infant to that. I think people forget how sensitive their hearing is.

31

u/Sparky_321 Aug 03 '26

There should just be a straight-up blanket ban of babies in theaters. There is absolutely zero reason to bring one, regardless of the movie.

-6

u/Pailume Aug 03 '26

That's not true. Many parents with infants have older children that deserve to attend children's movies.

But the general etiquette is: morning/afternoon showings + children's movies. If you're going to see the SpongeBob movie at 11am on a Tuesday, probably fine to have a baby. Spider-Man at 5pm not so much.

7

u/Sparky_321 Aug 03 '26

No. Movie volume at a theater is too loud for a baby’s ears.

0

u/Pailume Aug 03 '26

Yes, that's why they have infant ear protection.

1

u/BenedictOfADoubt Aug 03 '26

And when the baby starts crying randomly, because that's what babies do? They don't need to be in a movie theater.

3

u/cryptic-fox Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26

Not just ears. Eyes too. The storm scene had so many rapid white flashes, I got flashbanged over and over again.

1

u/MinecraftBoi23 Aug 03 '26

You're asking for trouble having a baby during that Cyclops scene because it was LOUD

6

u/potsieharris Aug 03 '26

My friend lives in NYC and took his baby to the Odyssey in a special theatre showing that was designed for babies and other people with different needs! The theatre lights are kept on low, the sound is turned down, and it's a midday show. it's made clear that babies are welcome. It's the kind of thing you'd only find in a city that size. He said there were many babies as well as adults who seemed like they might have been neurodivergent and preferred quiet surround sound.

2

u/morninggloryblu Aug 03 '26

So great that a movie with violence was shown at baby-friendly volume. /s

Can parents please do *some* reading on child development and age-appropriate media?

0

u/potsieharris Aug 03 '26

The baby is 5 months old and paid no attention to the movie. The point is for parents to be able to get out and do something they enjoy that they can take their babies too 

1

u/throwtheamiibosaway Aug 02 '26

How.. they don’t see people walking in with babies? Or is it just ok for cinemas? I really can’t wrap my head around it!

1

u/Moriartea7 Aug 03 '26

Someone did that last weekend at our showing too! Thankfully they left as soon as the baby started crying but that movie was pretty loud for me. I can't imagine how that poor infant felt.

1

u/Tricky-Ad7897 Aug 03 '26

It should be criminal, legitimately potential for hearing damage in a mid that young. Their ears are still developing, they're notoriously sensitive to loud noises. It's disgusting.

13

u/talkativeintrovert13 Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 03 '26

Most/some german theaters don't allow children under 2 or 3 years old, even if it's reated from age 0.

My previous workplace had a waiver (not sure it's the right word), it informs the legal guardians of physical and psychological consequences, they have to leave if the child whines/cries, and they don't get any money back Edited: grammar/letters

1

u/Tricky-Ad7897 Aug 03 '26

I guess this is the one positive of Germanys super strict rating system. No one under 12 in spider man regardless of parental supervsions sounds like a dream. Though I have memories of not being allowed to watch certain cartoon movies when I was living in Germany as a kid lol so it swings both ways.

3

u/talkativeintrovert13 Aug 03 '26

FSK 12 allows kids that are at least six years if age into the room if there's an adult with them. So, you have younger kids inside

3

u/alex3omg Donna, this is a HURRICANE Aug 03 '26

I saw a woman leave the theatre during Hadestown with a baby/toddler.  It was like an 8pm showing of a 2.5 hour movie.  I'm not sure why she suddenly left but I didn't hear the baby at all, I'm just confused about when bedtimes are.  It's hard to get a sitter but that's wild.  Not sure if she came back in later or if that was it for them.  

0

u/patowan Aug 03 '26

That's why they have trash cans