Home cinema

Perhaps the issue that moviegoers have with the cinema experience is that it is too close to home

Sometimes a sentiment is so common that it almost seems pointless to express it. But when someone does, it ignites a chorus of approval. Such appears to be the case with Fatima Al Shamsi's opinion article last week on why she hated visiting cinemas in the UAE. Al Shamsi wrote that she was shocked, on returning from the United States, to find that people would have loud conversations, take phone calls and even smoke cigarettes in cinemas. Her article has gone viral, with comments pouring in and the article being shared widely, and many explanations proffered.

Perhaps, though, the explanation lies in another story, reported yesterday, that the countries of the GCC love watching television. The survey found that 86 per cent of UAE residents watched TV at least once a day, a high number compared to the UK (80 per cent) and the US (75 per cent).

It is possible there is a relationship between the two. Perhaps the reason there is so much television viewing is that people feel that the experience of going to the movies is unpleasant. At the same time, perhaps part of the reason the experience is unpleasant is that moviegoers treat cinemas like their own living rooms, shouting at the screen, talking to their friends and – particularly those used to watching sport – throwing things at the screen.