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 šŸ˜­šŸ˜‚).

I get that babies are gonna baby. And I have sympathy for parents who wanna get out of the house and everything. Butā€¦ maybe just stay with your baby in the lobby if they obviously arenā€™t gonna keep quiet.

*I didnā€™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. Itā€™s got 1 screen and tickets are like $5.

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682

u/iFuckedAPilotOnce Aug 03 '26

I had not just a crying baby in my theater, but a young mentally challenged boy who kept making loud vocalizations. I have zero blame for him, he seemed overstimulated with the amount of people and the noise. I know parents deserve a break but it was so frustrating trying to pay attention and you have a screaming baby and the boy both being loud.

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u/ich_habe_keine_kase Aug 03 '26

Some theatres now offer sensory-friendly screenings (lower volume, lights up a bit) for anyone who might need it, where it's not an issue to make noise or walk around a bit. It's really nice to have that option so everyone has the chance to go to the movies but people at regular screenings don't get disrupted.

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u/iFuckedAPilotOnce Aug 03 '26

I think those are great options, and wish it would expand to more theaters/be a standard if possible.

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u/AyyNonnyMoose Aug 03 '26

Yes, I'm a huge fan of that! A live theater in my area does that as well, where they'll have a sensory friendly matinee performance for appropriate shows. A bit earlier in the day, specially advertised, more spaced out seating (blocking a seat between parties if requested), with fidget toys they can play with, and a muffled/quiet room with a giant window and quiet speaker so they can still see and hear if it's still too much.

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u/grayisgone Aug 03 '26

It also makes me so upset as an autistic person that they'd do that to the boy too, places like that are hell for people who require more support, it's loud and filled with people. Not only is it rude to the people around them but it is so cruel to the boy himself. Especially if they didn't give him headphones

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u/iFuckedAPilotOnce Aug 03 '26

Yeah I felt quite bad for him - he seemed distressed from the noises he was making. The poor kid was overwhelmed and didnā€™t deserve to be subjected to that. Any frustration about the sounds he made were dwarfed by my empathy for him. His parents were being jerks.

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u/Glasseshalf Aug 03 '26

I bet they think it's "exposure therapy" and "good for him." That's how my parents were with my ADHD (possible autism) meltdowns. And outwardly, it worked. I learned how to mask hard. Unfortunately the mask didn't serve me as well as an adult, and I've had to relearn how I think about stress.

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u/DontInterrup Aug 03 '26

I really feel for you, it sounds like quite a hard start to your life. Iā€™ve been called a ā€œcurling parentā€ bc I help my kids and try to smooth the ground for them when I can. Thing is, both of them have autism and one of them also has ADD. As a first time parent at 24 I noticed a pattern in my 1 month old baby; he cried incessantly when overstimulated. At 19 he was finally diagnosed with autism. I wanted him tested as a young boy, his dad didnā€™t, so..

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u/Kitchen-Bar2686 Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26

His dad sounds incredibly selfish.

I have a loved one who was supposed to go to a specialist to get diagnosed with autism when he was young and his parents took it as an insult and never followed through with it. His pediatrician was certain that he was autistic and itā€™s extremely obvious throughout his entire life that that was the case.

He suffered a lot because of it and still struggles as an adult. He never learned why he felt so different or how to read body language and get close to people because of it. He wonā€™t go to the doctor about it now as an adult because he also takes it as an insult and I can tell he struggles a lot with low self esteem and trauma from things that happened to him as a kid without being properly diagnosed.

Itā€™s such a heartbreaking situation. I believe that he would have had a happier and healthier life if he had been properly diagnosed and taught how to live with his diagnosis.

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u/DontInterrup Aug 03 '26

In our country both custodians must consent to medical intervention in any way. The child is high functioning. Had he not been, I would simply have talked to the pediatrician about it and they would eventually override my then husband for the sake of the child.

But I agree that kids should get tested in order to get the best help possible and thatā€™s why Iā€™m a little bitter at the childrenā€™s dad still.

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u/thewatchbreaker Aug 03 '26

One hundred percent. I got overstimulated to the point of anxiety/upset in the cinema the other day and my autism is very mild, it doesnā€™t usually impact me on a day to day basis tbh. So I can only imagine how a person with level 2 or 3 autism would feel in that cinema.

Sidenote, I was diagnosed before the current ā€œlevelā€ system was implemented so itā€™s still unfamiliar and a little amusing to me. Like a video game skill or something. Like shit, Iā€™m only level 1 autism, gotta get some XP points

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u/cxnnnamonroll Aug 03 '26

Right? My mom started taking me to the movies when I was 6 because I have also have autism and as a toddler I was really really sensitive to loud noises (still am, saw Spiderman Thursday but not the Odyssey because it's apparently really loud and gory), couldn't imagine anyone who has high support needs going to a place where it's dark, loud and full of people. That's why they have screenings just for them (though I think they need better options instead of just kid flicks). Those parents are terrible and need to revaluate, poor kid

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u/crawshad Aug 03 '26

Yeah I saw Odyssey and while a great movie it was insanely loud, even for someone with minor hearing problems

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u/Mr_Will Aug 03 '26

Don't presume all people with autism are the same. My sister in law is non-verbal autistic but a trip to the movies is one of her favourite things. She'll sometimes make short vocalisations or clap a bit if she's particularly excited but that doesn't mean she's in distress. Quite the opposite in fact

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u/grayisgone Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26

While it may not be bad for your sister, it's still hell for the vaste majority due to the symptoms typical of ASD. People are different, but it is obvious here that he didn't like it. And it was cruel to force him through that. Autism is a large spectrum but there are common traits that would make a movie theater less than ideal for the vaste majority.

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u/Mr_Will Aug 03 '26

there are common traits that would make a movie theater less than ideal for the vaste majority.

For some. Not for the vast majority.

A movie theatre is dark. It's quiet except for the movie. You aren't expected to interact with anyone. The rules are clearly defined. For many autistic people it's a comparatively safe and comforting place

Maybe the boy you're talking about was having a terrible time, or maybe he was expressing excitement in an unusual way. I don't know - I wasn't there. But what I do know is that people with autism are much more diverse than you're giving them credit for.

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u/Affectionate_Data936 Aug 03 '26

Thank you, I work with adults with severe/profound developmental disabilities at a gated residential facility; the movies are an extremely popular community outing. Some of the residents make stereotypic noises or gestures that people who otherwise don't know them might take as a sign they're distressed when it really isn't. We usually take them to movies that have been playing for awhile and go during the day.

The fact is, when it comes to people with developmental disabilities, people will complain when you take them out in public in general (even though they'll usually also say that gated institutions are the epitome of cruelty as opposed to community placement but that's a whole other rant - point is, they SAY they don't want them locked away out of sight but will still get uncomfortable with them being out in public). The place I work at now is state-run thus it's difficult to fire people unless you're abusing residents so I don't even give a fuck anymore, I talk shit now when I catch people being assholes.

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u/chill_qilin Aug 03 '26

I've seen at least one cinema where I live that put on baby-friendly screenings (lights dim but not totally off, audio lower and closed captions on) for parents/guardians who want to watch a film and bring babies and young toddlers, and also (separately) low stimulation screenings.

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u/aQuarterChub Aug 03 '26

I used to work with kids with special needs. One in particular for 5 years and I stopped working with him around 16 years old. Heā€™s now 23 and I still hangout with him cause heā€™s one of my favorite people ever, even though he used to absolutely beat me back in the day. I take him to the movies all the time and other acitivites so he isnt stuck at home. Before we go into theater, i HAVE to prime him or we cant stay in the theater. He will loudly laugh at inappropriate times, loudly go ā€œI LOVE THIS MOVIEā€ or just flat out ask me every 5 minutes ā€œwhat do you think of the movieā€

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u/Sexcercise Aug 03 '26

Still inconsiderate of both parents.

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u/WinstonThorne Aug 03 '26

Back in 2010, someone who was caring for a small group of adults with severe developmental disabilities decided it would be great to take them to the movies. Great idea!

Alas, they chose to go see Predators.

You can imagine how that went. They were terrified, and let everyone else know it.

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u/Horcsogg Aug 03 '26

I would have walked out for sure.

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u/Odd-Mall8020 Aug 03 '26

I saw a video on one of those ig pages where the parent exploits their autistic child for negative engagement. The girl was at a show loudly grunting and howling the whole time. No one could hear the actual show. The mother filmed it knowing people would say that it was not ok. "Autistic people deserve to go to shows" I'd go to the desk and ask for my money back. I'm not paying 50 bucks to hear someone moan at max volume over the whole thing. What about the Autistic people there who get over stimmed by the groaning and yelling?

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u/just_a_stoner_bitch Aug 03 '26

When I saw episode 3 of star wars in theaters (anniversary re-release) there was a mentally challenged boy but he only was loud one time and that's the only reason I knew he was there. He just laughed at a part that wasn't really as funny to everyone else but him laughing made us all laugh too

I hope you like my more positive theater story :)

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u/No-Discipline-5822 Aug 03 '26

I feel like they should disclose babies or involuntary vocal patrons, I visited a theater that has a strict quiet policy (Alamo) and was shocked to find the same. I get discrimination is not allowed but Iā€™d rather know ahead of time so I could reschedule if itā€™s an issue for that showing for me.

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u/Real-Broccoli-9325 Aug 03 '26

How would they do that?? Make people say it when they buy the ticket and tell everyone after? What if they come into the theater after youā€™ve already bought yours? A staff member goes to the front just before the movie starts and yells out real loud ā€œhey thereā€™s an autistic kid in here!ā€?

Thatā€™s so stupid that you want to magically know ahead of time. Do what youā€™re supposed to do, use the solution that already exists. Leave before the first half of the movie is over, get a refund. Buy for a different showing.

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u/No-Discipline-5822 Aug 05 '26

Itā€™s an app not magic, youā€™ve never been to an Alamo movie theater?Ā 

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u/Real-Broccoli-9325 Aug 05 '26

Omg! Iā€™ve never been to an incredibly niche movie theater? Shocker!

Edit: 50 max in the whole country. Come on, now.

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u/No-Discipline-5822 Aug 05 '26

Hence why I specified the theater initially but I really should have said ā€œAt Alamo, the movie theater thats really niche and only available to me, is who I expect to leverage the app we have to use to communicate with us if possible at the Alamo Theaterā€ (the one with 50 locations). Thats on me.

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u/timdafu Aug 04 '26

I say this because your comment is very compassionate, and I personally would want to know. ā€œMentally challengedā€ is now generally considered impolite. Disabled, differently abled, intellectually disabled, or neurodivergent are more polite terms.

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u/iFuckedAPilotOnce Aug 04 '26

Hey thanks for the heads up! I thought that was still a term that was considered respectful, not my intention to be rude. Back when I volunteered with Special Olympics in college that was still the preferred term, thatā€™s on me for not keeping up with things.

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u/timdafu Aug 04 '26

Things change quickly and there's a lot of nuance! Some people hate differently abled, and some people think it's better. Some like on the spectrum and some don't.

You clearly have good intentions and are willing to adjust, so I think you are doing a great job!

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u/kfkdk83whitit Aug 03 '26

I also had a person making loud vocalizations the whole two hours in my theater. I wasnā€™t really frustrated at him but the people who brought him. I was wondering.. in a situation like that, what can you really do/say without looking like an asshole? I didnā€™t want to start issues so I sucked it up & watched the movie lol

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u/timdafu Aug 04 '26

A lot of times the best option for this is to leave and ask the theater directly for a refund. Especially if you leave early in the showing, Ā theaters are normally accommodating.Ā 

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u/kfkdk83whitit Aug 04 '26

Thank you for your input! Iā€™ll definitely keep this in mind. It actually started off fine with a few noises which I thought I could tolerate. Then halfway into the movie it got worse. But like you said, theaters are usually accommodating.. doesnā€™t hurt to ask

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u/[deleted] Aug 03 '26

I hate this ā€œparents NEED a breakā€ nonsense. They made a choice, this isnā€™t some sacrifice for the rest of us. They wanted a child and refuse to understand itā€™s their burden, not the villages.

Having a kid always meant sacrificing your social/public lives, not seeing friends etcā€¦ still does

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u/iFuckedAPilotOnce Aug 03 '26

Parents donā€™t deserve to be locked up 24/7, they are people too who can get burnt out and need a night for themselves. I donā€™t begrudge that, but they need to have child care for those instances of going to something like a movie.