AMC Theaters Backtracks On Allowing Moviegoers To Text At Screenings

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – The CEO of AMC Theatres said the company would not allow moviegoers to text during screenings, reversing course after his proposal caused a backlash online.

In a statement posted to the company's Twitter page Friday morning, CEO Adam Aron said, "this is an idea that we have relegated to the cutting room floor." The reversal comes after numerous complaints, particularly on social media.

Aron went on to say that texting would not be allowed, "Not today, not tomorrow and not in the foreseeable future."

Earlier this week, Aron said in an interview with Variety that he would be open to allowing texting in theatres as a way to attract millennials.

"When you tell a 22-year-old to turn off the phone, don't ruin the movie, they hear please cut off your left arm above the elbow. You can't tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone. That's not how they live their life," the CEO told the entertainment magazine.

Before the idea was scrapped, Aron said allowing texting in theatres must be done in a way that would not disturb other members of the audience.

AMC theatres has 387 theatres across the country, including 10 in the Bay Area.