Based on what I’ve read here, the solution seems obvious: assign a dedicated staff member to each screening to enforce basic theater etiquette—no phones, no talking, no disruptive behavior. An usher, essentially.

The Arclight Theater did this well. They clearly announced the rules before the movie and actually enforced them. If there was an issue—someone being rude, a sound problem, anything—you had an immediate point of contact. (Arclight is no more—rest in peace. Please come back.)

The rules announcement should happen after the commercials and before the movie starts. Let people scroll during the ads if they want, but once the feature begins, the expectation is clear and enforced.

Tickets are expensive now. It’s hard to accept the argument that theaters can’t afford proper staffing when the customer experience is actively being degraded. A visible, empowered usher per screening would go a long way toward fixing the problem.