Page the Cinema Staff

These days watching a film in a theatre can be a noisy experience: mobile phone usage tends to be the biggest source of aggravation. People get calls, send texts, or worse, begin a conversation and regale the other person about the merits of the film. The New York Times notes that some theatres in the USA have come up with a system to nip this problem in the bud.

Late last month, five Regal Entertainment Group cinemas around the city began arming some audience members with black plastic pagers that can be used to silently alert the theater staff about various irritations.

"It empowers the guest; they love it," said Heather DeMatteis, the manager of Battery Park Stadium 11 in Manhattan, where the pager system has been in place since late 2005 as part of a nationwide test.

Perhaps theatres in Ireland should investigate this system?