Although not strictly affiliated with a comic book movie, the matter of having a film interrupted by the bright shining light of a patron answering a cell phone call or text message has become an issue we all have faced at one time or another.
Whether you decide to interact with the offender vocally or expressing your dismay by sighing loudly, there seems to be further hope for you and others in your position where they feel a law or rule should become more widespread as opposed to the brief message/video clip posted on the screen of respecting others in the theater by not adding your own sound effects.
Carousel Luxury Cinemas, which owns roughly 16 theater screens in Burlington, North Carolina, is in the process of banning cell phone usage in theaters. This means no texting or answering phone calls during a film's release. On the first attempt you'll be asked to silent/shut off the phone. If you're asked a second time, you must leave the theater of the specific screening you were in.
The passage of a ban isn't a far fetched idea for Burlington because another movie theater establishment in North Carolina, owned by parent company Southern Theatres LLC of New Orleans, has successfully banned cell phones from being used while a movie is screening. Ron Krueger,the chief operating officer for Southern Theatres gave patrons an advance notice before enforcing the ban.
Whispers68: This ban would work well in NYC. The idea is now whether banning cell phones will become a national phenomenon amongst chain movie theaters. How will this matter hold up in court because although the movie theater has the right as described on the back of your ticket stub, to remove you from a screening, will a lawyer be able to find a loophole with this new cell phone ban? I don't mind your phone being on silent or vibrate during a movie's screening because if you're expecting an important call (parents out on a date and your children are at home with the babysitter), you should be able to have your phone "open" at all times for communication. But the idea is to have it on silent/vibrate and leaving the theater when a call/text comes through. With a text message, you could leave your seat and go towards the door without leaving, in order for the light to not affect others. If you use the theater as if it's your private living room; talking at the screen as if the actors can hear you, answering your phone and talking for two minutes about the next group hangout... that's drawing the line and for that, I would willingly accept the banning of cell phones in movie theaters. I've been witness to the lack of integrity by patrons in pretty much every movie I've seen so i definitely understand why certain chains in North Carolina have banned usage or will be banning eventually.