The war between adults and children is starting to take an interesting turn, with several adults across the nation now vowing to ban anyone under 6 years of age from catching R-rated movies in theaters. Of course, this is tremendously fantastic news for anyone who isn’t a kid and has been forced—usually during a particularly attentive R-rated film’s most vulnerable moments—to endure the wrath of a nearby toddler who’s bored with the art of it all.
"At Regal, it's our job to provide the best moviegoing experience for our patrons, and we want to make sure there are minimal interruptions during R-rated movies," Amy Miles, CEO of Regal Entertainment, tells the Hollywood Reporter. "We best achieve this through controlling the number of children in these films." Regal, unlike Cinemark and AMC, have started enforcing the ban during all hours of operation. Cinemark and AMC instead observe what’s known in the industry as "No 6 After 6," meaning a kid under 6 can't get into an R-rated movie after 6 p.m., even with a parent or legal guardian in tow.
According to THR’s report, one Texas-based theater chain stands at the forefront of this movement: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Perhaps most known for strategically offering booze and food during one’s cinema experience, Alamo is clearly trying to make that experience even doper. "We tried to determine at what age a kid can behave themselves and not blurt out the first thing in their heads," Tim League, who co-founded Alamo in 1997 with his wife Karrie, tells THR.
This, of course, may come as a profound bummer to anyone under the age of 6 who peeped a red band trailer for Deadpool and thought "Wow. That looks cool. I want to see that in a theater." For what it's worth, Deadpool was definitely cool and you probably won't get to catch it at your local Regal.
At time of publication, no one under the age of 6 was available for comment.
