AMC says it won't allow texting in theaters: 'Not today, not tomorrow and not in the foreseeable future'

Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of irate film audiences who don't want phone screens lighting up all around them?

AMC revealed earlier this week that it was considering a pilot program that would allow texting in certain movie theaters. Audiences and media outlets responded with swift, near-universal anger. As a result, AMC has now declared that texting is not and will not be allowed in its theaters.

In an official statement, the theater said this:

Unlike the many AMC advancements that you have applauded, we have heard loud and clear that this is a concept our audience does not want. In the age of social media, we get feedback from you almost instantaneously and as such, we are constantly listening. Accordingly, just as instantaneously, this is an idea that we have relegated to the cutting room floor.

The decision came days after AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron first explained that the chain might experiment with texting-friendly theaters.

"You can’t tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone," Aron told Variety. "That’s not how they live their life."

Similarly, sharing a theater with people who can't be separated even temporarily from their cell phones is not how movie-goers spend their lives.

The quick turnaround since AMC's initial announcement shows how receptive large companies can be to their customers, provided the outrage is strong enough. Now, if only other companies and filmmakers could be as attentive.

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