We've all been there. You're in a nice quiet theater trying to enjoy a movie and somebody nearby won't stop talking, is making way too much noise opening their candy bar, or is kicking your chair. This is how not to handle that situation. A Kentucky man was getting annoyed with a boy behind him who was kicking his seat during a screening of Star Trek Beyond. So he got up and swore at the child. When the kid's father got involved, the frustrated man pulled a gun. Well, that escalated quickly.
The event took place at a Cinemark theater in Paducah, Kentucky at 11:50 am on Saturday. Apparently, after the man in question swore at the kid, asking if he was going to continue kicking the seat, the father got involved and an actual fight broke out. According to witnesses, the father was gaining the upper hand in the fight, and that was when the gun, and the phrase "What the (expletive) are you going to do now," came out.
Needless to say, at this point, the people in the theater freaked out, because guns in movie theaters have been a thing that has happened way too often in recent years. The Hollywood Reporter does not mention any injuries from the mass exodus, which could have been just as bad, so we'll hope that means everybody was ok. A combination of moviegoers and theater employees escorted the man from the theater and were there when police arrived. Police have announced they will be seeking charges. He's also been "barred from Cinemark property."
According to comments on the Paducah police Facebook page, all the theaters in the complex were evacuated following the incident, but once the man had been apprehended everybody was allowed back inside to finish watching their movies.
While we've all had the kid behind us kicking our seat one time or another, can we all agree that fist fights and pulling weapons are a somewhat extreme reaction to such a thing? In my experience, a dirty look from an angry adult usually stops these things before they escalate further. If not, a dirty look to the parent usually helps. Often, in a dark theater, the parents don't even realize what's going on, and they're usually embarrassed to discover their kid is being a pain.
In the end, it's just a good thing that this didn't end in bullets. There have been far too many incidents of guns in theaters and if this guy had actually shot somebody, the resulting panic could have been much worse. Also, Star Trek Beyond is pretty good, but seriously, it's not that good.
How do you get kids to stop kicking your seat? Non-lethal methods only, please.
