“Our Screen Not Yours”: Odeon is trialling phoneless film screenings this Christmas
ODEON is aiming to cut down on distractions by banning phones from certain film screenings this Christmas.
If you’ve ever been sat behind someone in the cinema who keeps looking at their phone, then you will love this trial of the UK’s first phoneless film screenings at ODEON Greenwich. Conversely, if you’re one of the people on your phone at the cinema… then shame on you.
22% of Brits admitted to being distracted by their phone at the cinema. That’s according to Research from ODEON, which also revealed that almost half of Brits (47%) go to the cinema to relax and escape daily pressures, yet they don’t fully ‘switch off’ when watching their chosen film. Cinemagoers are well versed in turning their phones to silent, however almost one in four (23%) still check their device during a film.
Related: The Best phones of 2019 (please don’t look at them in the cinema)
It gets worse though, a third of cinemagoers admitted to checking their phone up to nine times during a film.
If you’re one of those pesky phone checkers, there is a useful side to this innovation for you too. Not only will you be forced to actually watch the film you’ve paid to see, but ODEON is providing phone charging lockers. So, you can top up your juice while watching the film.
Sixty charging lockers have been installed at ODEON Greenwich and will be available for cinemagoers to use during their visit, free of charge.
We think this is a good idea from ODEON. It guarantees a more immersive experience for you, if you are someone prone to being distracted by your phone, and being immersed in a great story is what the cinema is all about. For some, this doubtless help them make more of their downtime. We’re interested to see whether people are keen to try out the phoneless screenings or not. Watch this space.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
