the take

Movie-Theater Chain Introduces Wireless Complain-o-Matic

Courtesy of Regal

USA Today reports that the Regal Entertainment Group, the largest owner of movie theaters in the country, is introducing a wireless device into 114 theaters that allows patrons to anonymously report gripes about the moviegoing experience. The device, which looks like a small walkie-talkie, features four buttons, marked with common moviegoing complaints such as PICTURE or SOUND, and transmits directly to the theater’s manager.

First of all, we’re amused by the button marked PIRACY. We know we don’t care whether the person next to us is videotaping the screen. But how great would it be to head into a Regal theater, request one of the devices and a ticket to this past weekend’s No. 1 movie, and then spend two hours pressing the PIRACY button over and over and over, yelling “There it is again!”

Second, we worry that the device doesn’t really reflect the concerns that most New York theatergoers have with the movie-theater experience. That’s why we’ve taken the time to redesign the device, engineering it specifically for the New York City moviegoing market!

Photo illustration by Everett Bogue


Select moviegoers get tattletale tool [USA Today]

Movie-Theater Chain Introduces Wireless Complain-o-Matic