I’ve just got back from a highly anticipated trip to the cinema with friends. The film? Superman, big silly superhero fun.
There was couple sat to my right, with a seat space in between me and the girl of the couple. We were around the halfway mark when she leant and over and said “excuse me, can you stop laughing please? Because it’s really annoying me.” I was initially a bit taken aback and asked her if she was being serious, she said very firmly “yes”
Trying to contain my immediate anger I explained that we were in a public cinema and that I would laugh if I wanted to. Her partner then leant over waving his finger in my face about to lay in and I shut him down by saying “shut the fuck up you fucking prick”, I admit not my most adult of responses but I was so angry by what was happening. He responded by telling me to get out of the cinema, I said no and repeated my previous comment (blood was boiling). He then stood up and told me I was being abusive and left to go and tell someone.
While waiting for him to return his partner sat in her seat sobbing. (This whole situation was caused by her)
He eventually came back asked her if she wanted to leave because he’d sorted some free tickets to which she said yes. As they left he turned around and told me the police had been called.
I sat there for the next half an hour trying to get back to enjoying the film but the adrenaline was surging (I’m not usually one for conflict) so my concentration was shaken.
Going to watch a film at the cinema has been something I’ve enjoyed for most of my life and due to having small children the opportunities to do it are not as frequent as they used to be.
If I’d spoiled someone’s movie viewing experience due to obnoxious behaviour I would have been mortified, but I was just enjoying my own experience which was somewhat ruined by this person.
I put it to you good people of reddit, AITA?
PS no police were called
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I’ve just got back from a highly anticipated trip to the cinema with friends. The film? Superman, big silly superhero fun.
There was couple sat to my right, with a seat space in between me and the girl of the couple. We were around the halfway mark when she leant and over and said “excuse me, can you stop laughing please? Because it’s really annoying me.” I was initially a bit taken aback and asked her if she was being serious, she said very firmly “yes”
Trying to contain my immediate anger I explained that we were in a public cinema and that I would laugh if I wanted to. Her partner then leant over waving his finger in my face about to lay in and I shut him down by saying “shut the fuck up you fucking prick”, I admit not my most adult of responses but I was so angry by what was happening. He responded by telling me to get out of the cinema, I said no and repeated my previous comment (blood was boiling). He then stood up and told me I was being abusive and left to go and tell someone.
While waiting for him to return his partner sat in her seat sobbing. (This whole situation was caused by her)
He eventually came back asked her if she wanted to leave because he’d sorted some free tickets to which she said yes. As they left he turned around and told me the police had been called.
I sat there for the next half an hour trying to get back to enjoying the film but the adrenaline was surging (I’m not usually one for conflict) so my concentration was shaken.
Going to watch a film at the cinema has been something I’ve enjoyed for most of my life and due to having small children the opportunities to do it are not as frequent as they used to be.
If I’d spoiled someone’s movie viewing experience due to obnoxious behaviour I would have been mortified, but I was just enjoying my own experience which was somewhat ruined by this person.
I put it to you good people of reddit, AITA?
PS no police were called
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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> I swore at a pair of strangers in a cinema after they told me to stop laughing.
I feel my reaction may have been a bit ott
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Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.
YTA – If your laughing was annoying another member of the audience, then you are the dick. Swearing at people like that was infantile.
ESH
Some laughter is expected at a cinema, especially if the movie is funny.
However, if she asked you to tone it down, that’s an indication that you may have been a bit over the top.
Instead, you immediately became defensive. However her partner overreacted and so did you.
They could have moved
Having seen the film, basically everyone in my screening was laughing as it was a really cheerful fun film. Lots of laughter all round.
She sounds insufferable and miserable.
NTA.
NTA you are allowed to laugh and enjoy your experience.
You sound like you have anger issues. Yta.
YTA.
No one likes a Brenda.
NTA! People laugh in theaters all the time. If the couple had a problem with it then maybe they should wait for movies to come out on streaming services so they will have no one around to “annoyingly laugh” during movies!
Laughing at the cinema, how strange. I’d honestly just get up and move.
ESH
She was super rude to ask in the way that she asked and so was her partner, but it’s hard to say whether she was justified to be annoyed by your laugh when we don’t know what it sounds like. If it’s a normal volume then ok, if it’s particularly loud or grating or out of sync with the rest of the crowd then yeah, people are going to get annoyed. The fact that you focus on the fact that you were “just enjoying your own experience” rather than “i don’t get why she was so annoyed because I wasn’t louder than anybody else” tells me your focal point is me me me and there’s a real chance you were actually obnoxious af.
Secondly, you keep saying you’re not usually one for conflict, but given your pretty aggressive response I have trouble believing that you’re usually a kindly reasonable citizen.
It depends if you have one of those loud obnoxious and annoying laughs.
NTA. Who tells someone to stop laughing at the movies? Don’t talk, don’t light shit up, but no laughing? At the movies? This woman would’ve straight up died at Minecraft screening.
Calling armed officers with a dim understanding of civilian rights in because someone told you to shut up at the movies is really all you need to know about these people. Come on.
NTA.
ESH but Impossible to really judge without hearing the laugh. There’s always that one Laugh Guy with the way over the top deafening clown cackle that ruins everything
No, NTA. This is a funny movie, you weren’t chatting on your cell phone during the film. You probably caught them off guard with your bluntness, but good for you.
Superman is not a comedy, you may want to do some introspection on your own main character energy. You’re in a public space and you might be acting like you’re in private.
Were you laughing or being extra? Some people can be very loud and I would find it annoying if I am sitting close to the person.
ETA you suck at managing your anger, her husband sucks by his behaviour. Both of you are AHs
“Fuck off” is such an effective phrase. All time favorite.
Honestly this is a tough one though I’m sure a lot of people here will be quick to call you an asshole.
I don’t know if I was in the same cinema but I went to see Superman on Friday and the guy I was sat next to was also laughing loudly. While it annoyed me slightly, I didn’t see the use in saying anything because all I’m really doing is stopping someone who is clearly having a great time when I’m at most mildly annoyed. Having a go at that person for being happy is definitely an asshole move.
That said, shutting partner down with “shut the fuck up you fucking prick” is an overreaction and I think presents you as someone who certainly could do a better job of holding your aggression in and de escalating a situation.
So ESH
YTA, depending on what the laughter was really like.
Listen y’all, we teach our children that yelling and swearing is not an appropriate way to demonstrate our emotions. Unless they were in your face, it’s not okay that you did that to a point where they sat there and cried.
Like, have we lost so much of our humanity that we have to ask ourselves if swearing at someone so bad they cried makes us an ass???
Even when my students are justified in being angry or upset about something, they know that that kind of response is not okay. It has become way too common to be openly hostile towards our fellow humans. You made someone cry and leave a movie, man, how can you ask us this?
Anger can be justified, it is okay to make mistakes and lose your cool, doesn’t mean you are a bad person, just means that you really should get a handle on your anger.
YTA- She was completely polite about her request and before her boyfriend said a word you were cussing at him and calling him a fucking prick. I’m willing to bet your laugh was constant and disruptive for them to even bring it up and then you got threatening with them.
YTA, because you posted this and are arguing with people and calling others ‘a dick’ because you don’t like their verdict. YOU asked for people to call you an asshole (or not), they did not, so ‘they started it’ is not a valid response. Also, ‘laughing’ is not a one size fits all activity; some people have an obnoxious, distracting laugh. If someone called me out I’d either be mortified that I was disruptive, or I’d be self-aware enough to realize that some people have sensitivities and would make sure I toned it down. What I would not do is verbally attack someone like a feral animal. Do better.
You have to be very careful these days with what you say in the public. You didn’t handle this well.
ESH.
Her for being ridiculous, you for escalating the situation (and possibly getting yourself into a lot of trouble).
Craig of awesome… what a name. Been here two years and the entirety of your activity is on this page, unless you have deleted things. I’m guessing, Craig of awesome, that you might have an annoying over-the-top laugh which is quite possibly something you have no control over, but when your laughter quickly leads to strangers fleeing the scene and threats of calling the police, then hmm, you might not be the delicate flower of innocence that you believe. Post a video or vocaroo of your heartiest laugh and let the jury decide.
I am in actual awe that people are calling you the asshole. Calling the police on someone for laughing in the movie theater. Obviously NTA these people were mentally ill.
NTA. I love hearing other people laugh. It usually makes me laugh harder if I’m watching something funny and I hear others laughing.
Look, it would be different if you were laughing inappropriately for the genre—if it were a heavy or serious movie, or a thriller, for example. But I’m assuming this iteration of Superman is getting back to its roots and therefore genuinely funny.
My two questions:
Maybe you should talk to the manager and get a free ticket too, so you can watch this movie again in peace and enjoy the parts you missed because of the entitled couple.
YTA, just because it’s a public cinema doesn’t give you the right to ruin their viewing experience because you didn’t want to stop laughing. have some ettiquette ffs
you sound unhinged bro
Hard to tell from just what you wrote. If you were laughing loudly and obnoxiously, it would have prevented them from enjoying the film. A public space doesn’t mean you are entitled to being loud. There isn’t enough info here and I’m sure you don’t think you were. They asked politely and you escalated which leads me to believe you are TA.
NTA This is reddit, so obviously, this could just be creative writing, but… this reads like you are one of those people who don’t (or pretend they don’t) realize how loud they are. My dad is one of them, sometimes it’s accidental, and sometimes it’s not. That said, she was the one who started out with attitude. Who tf asks someone to stop laughing? Asking you to mind your volume is perfectly reasonable in a public theater.
Do you want validation or an honest answer?
I don’t think you’re an asshole, necessarily. It sounds like she was.
However, your laugh doesn’t need to be loud and obnoxious. You do have a choice. Anyone saying otherwise is being intentionally obtuse. You can tone it down in a public setting and people that fail to do so in cinemas are fecking annoying.