Going to the movies is one of America's favorite pastimes, with more than 600 million tickets sold during the summer blockbuster season each year. While choices for this summer's best on-screen fare may differ, film-goers nationwide agree on their least favorite in- theater, off-screen performance - somebody yakking on a cell phone.

In a recent survey of U.S. movie-goers, an overwhelming 73 percent indicated that talking on a cell phone in a theater topped the list of bad movie manners. Respondents, who were asked to rank the audience behaviors that annoy them most, were tied when it comes to hearing an audience member chatting with a seatmate and hearing a ringing cell phone during a movie; each was voted the top troublemaker by 10 percent of film buffs. By contrast, few movie-goers topped their list of annoyances with seat-saving in a crowded theater (4 percent) or snacking loudly (3 percent).

I'm OK - Your Phone is Ringing

The survey, conducted by Braun Research for Cingular Wireless, also revealed that though 67 percent of movie-goers insist that their cell phone has never gone off at the movies, nearly one-third admitted they were guilty of the gaffe. What's more, a whopping 86 percent of movie patrons reported that they have heard "cell's bells" in the theater.

Simple Solutions

According to film-goers, there is a simple way to promote cell phone courtesy in the theater: 93 percent believe there should be an on-screen message asking people to turn off their cell phones in the theater, and 97 percent of audience members who own a cell phone said they would comply if they saw such a reminder.

Cingular Wireless and the Silence of the Cells

To help change movie behavior, Cingular Wireless is launching a fresh, nationwide series of entertaining public service announcements, beginning with one called "Disk" that reminds patrons to turn off their wireless phones. This announcement will run before the feature presentations at Loews and other theaters nationwide, where Cingular also reminds cell phone users year-round through signs inside the theater and theater lobbies as well as through messages on popcorn bags. In addition, Cingular has renewed its partnership to promote wireless courtesy with Best Buy and Nokia through the "Silence Is Golden" campaign in AMC theaters.

Cingular's efforts are part of its longstanding "Be Sensible" campaign, designed to encourage the safe and courteous use of wireless devices. In a prior survey, completed in late 2004, Cingular found that 69 percent of movie- goers who saw the company's pre-film reminders took action as a result, such as turning off a phone, muting the ringer, switching to vibrate mode, or reminding other patrons to do the same.

Movie Manners by Market

Cingular's recent survey results also highlighted regional variations in audience attitudes and behaviors. For example:

- The talkies: While the majority of movie-goers nationwide ranked cell phone chatter as their chief annoyance, it topped the list most often in Atlanta, Chicago, and New York City.

- The Ring's the thing: Bostonians led the nation in admitting that their cell phone has rung in a theater (49 percent). Next were audiences in New York City (45 percent), Washington, D.C. (34 percent), and Chicago (33 percent). By contrast, audience members in Atlanta, Seattle, and San Francisco were the least likely to report that their cell phone has gone off at the movies (14 percent, 18 percent, and 19 percent, respectively).

- Ringing in the aisles: New York City and Orlando patrons were most likely to report hearing another audience member's wireless phone ring in the theater (97 percent and 94 percent, respectively), above the national average (86 percent). Seattle patrons were least likely to have done so (72 percent).

- Movie madness: When asked "just for fun" what imaginary penalty should apply if someone's cell phone goes off in the theater, nearly one in four film-goers in Washington, D.C. voted to print the offender's name in the newspaper (24 percent), while more than one-third of audiences in Dallas, Boston, and San Francisco would enforce wireless etiquette with "cell phone ejector seats" (40 percent, 35 percent, and 35 percent, respectively)! Serial cell phone offenders might want to consider moving to Los Angeles, where most patrons favored no punishment (53 percent).

Braun Research conducted the survey among 1,100 moviegoers in May 2005.

Which behavior do you find most annoying while you are watching a movie?
1. Someone talking on a cell phone during the movie (73%)
2. A cell phone ringing during a movie (10%)
3. Someone talking to their seatmate during a movie (10%)
4. Someone who saves seats in a crowded theater (4%)
5. Someone loudly eating popcorn or some other snack during a movie (3%)

Has your cell phone ever rung during a movie?
1. No (67%)
2. Yes (32%)
3. Don't Remember / Not Sure (2%)

Have you ever heard someone else's cell phone ring while you were watching a movie in a theater?
1. Yes (86%)
2. No (12%)
3. Maybe / Not Sure (2%)

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