A 19 year old girl named Jhannet Sejas was immediately arrested after she recorded a 20 second clip from the movie Transformers that she wanted to show to her little brother. She now faces up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. According to the Washington Post, Sejas was celebrating her 19th birthday with her boyfriend when two police officers arrived:
“I was terrified,” said Sejas, her voice breaking. “I was crying. I’ve never been in trouble before.” She said the assistant manager of the theater saw her holding up the Canon Power Shot and reported it to the general manager, who called police.
Sejas of course had no intention on selling the 20-second clip. I mean, who would even purchase such a thing? And for once, the MPAA are not the ones to blame. Regal Cinemas Ballston Common 12 decided to prosecute the case.
I think that everyone should boycott the Regal Cinemas movie theater chain until they drop the charges. A “zero-tolerance policy at the theater level” is ridiculous, and I encourage /Film readers to stay away from Regal until they decide to change their policy and reverse their decision.
We don’t live in a black and white world. Situations like this should be decided internally on a case by case basis. The is no reason that this 19 year old girl should serve jail time and have a permanent record because of this incident. The police should have never been called. We live in a time when a 19 year old kid can more easily download a film off bit torrent than make a $20+ trip to the local multiplex on opening weekend. The movie theaters should give more respect to those of us who pay for a ticket.
“The movie industry needs to recognize that their audience isn’t the enemy,” said Cindy Cohn, general counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
August 2nd, 2007 at 7:48 pm
I alredy hate Regal for other reasons. They’re ticket return policy is ridiulous. Not to mention they arrest this girl for doing something stupid while at the same time allowing kids into rated R movies and doing nothing when they cause problems.
August 2nd, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Unbelievable.
But now you know how smokers feel in fascist California. Something needs to change, but it won’t until people do.
August 2nd, 2007 at 7:58 pm
This is just obnoxious. It’s not setting a precedent or making an example out of a prime candidate. This is just bullying.
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:30 pm
What kind of idiot records ANYTHING in a theater anyway? You have to have a serious lack of common sense to do something this dumb. I’m actually glad she’s prosecuted for this, just for being stupid.
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:52 pm
She recorded a 20 second clip! Why is it not considered an honor rather than a crime?! There was something so cool that she just had to show her little brother. That’s a good thing. That means the movie is doing its job.
And Dante, if only someone were there to prosecute every time anyone did something stupid. But that’s not the way the world works. Dumb is not a crime. If it was, I’m sure you’d have been thrown behind bars loooong ago.
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:00 pm
disgusting.
even though i must admit that if i ever saw someone pullout a cam at the show, i would be really annoyed….maybe even to the point of confronting the person but just that. a theater chain coming down on a nineteen year-old for twenty secs of a flick that’s been out for a month?!?!?! i’m sure she’s the mastermind responsible for the thousands of uploads on torrent sites and the hundreds of bootlegs at any flea market, right.
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:08 pm
The fact that the MPAA gives a cash reward (Around $500 last time I checked) to whoever reports someone for using any kind of recording device in a move theater might have something to do with it…
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:06 am
She wanted to show her brother the 20sec clip. What about all the trailers, all the clips, all the interviews, was that not enough? She takes a camera inside a movie theater and is then surprised that she is arrested. Why don’t I bring a gun onto a plane, and see what happens. I just want to show the gun to my brother, it doesn’t even have bullets. Who cares, you’re going right to jail.
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:20 am
By far the biggest leap in the analogy world EVER. 20 second phone clip compared to bringing a gun on a plane?! Are YOU a terrorist John?
I have a pretty good feeling that the botards who feel a 19 year old girl should go to jail for this, are the same sort of people that can’t tell someone to keep quiet during a movie, so they get a manager involved. Wankers.
Piracy IS theft. Recording 20 seconds of a kickass scene from Transformers is NOT theft. Here’s a more realistic analogy: someone takes a picture of a work of art to show a friend. That’s not a crime. A real crime would be taking a good enough picture to pass off as a print. I highly doubt this girl intends to make bootleg dvds of her 20 second clip.
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:44 am
there was no phone. i’m sure its just a force of habit. most people have cameras on their phones now. i don’t. but most do.
I only care cuz of the whole police involvement thing. That’s just a bit much. Thank you for protecting the public from…..19 year old girls??? Let her loose and go catch a real criminal for once.
i’m still gonna download movies before they come out. i’m gonna sneak into movie theaters to see the latest blockbusters. and i’m going to give away copies of my movies to whoever freaking wants em. at least until hollywood stops spending over a hundred million dollars to make mediocre movies, then expect us to dish out our HARD EARNED cash just so their weekend revenues kick arse. When, if Hollywood execs really wanted the respect they so demand, they could actually try out something radical like…..an ORIGINAL idea. It’s Ri-goddamn-diculous right now with all the sequels, prequels, remakes, tv shows gone big screen, and graphic novel inspired movies. Piracy is just society’s backlash in the wake of all this un-originality.
August 3rd, 2007 at 4:22 am
A year in prison and the fine are extreme, but I think the woman is a moron using the excuse that she would only be showing it to her little brother.
I’m may be guessing here, but this is the sort of person who likely doesn’t think twice about texting on her cell phone in the middle of the movie. (which should also be a criminal offense).
August 3rd, 2007 at 4:32 am
Wow. Interesting story, but I don’t think a sob fest or a boycott is warrented. She won’t serve time, but you can bet that she will get a slap on the wrist, and the publicity of the event will help people think twice before they haul in video cameras to movie theaters. Suits me fine.
August 3rd, 2007 at 4:53 am
what she did was stupid yes, going to jail for it- not going to
happen, and David Markland, I dont know what kind of phone
makes that much noise when people text that it would
annoy you to the point that it should become a crime, people
do it all the time here and no one hears a thing.
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:16 am
Foolish… I wish an email address could be published so the internet could respond directly to Regal. When the main movie is up and running … book’m Dano.. but some trailer. Sigh…
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:27 am
I’d like to know what ticket return policies Sam S. is referring to. From what I’ve seen and gone through, Regal is pretty forgiving if you have to return a ticket or if you complain about noise, distractions, etc. during your showing.
Oh, and the girl was stupid for thinking she could record any portion of a movie, no matter how long it is, in front of everybody else in the theater. I don’t think she should go to jail, but she’s still an idiot.
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:37 am
this is rediculous. I can’t believe this theatre.
I mean I recorded a clip once. It was of Pirates 3….it was a sweet scene. ANd all it was was everyone yelling FIRE in the big fight scene…..There is nothing wrong with it….Why she just didnt go take her brother is confusing to me….but whatever
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:48 am
I agree with John who wanted to know why all the trailers and other clips that were released weren’t enough to show her brother. There was tons of footage available. Her 20 second clip was probably among the footage.
While the gun on a plane analogy was pretty dumb, I get the point. If you know it’s illegal to record a movie, why would you ever take out a video camera?
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:34 am
Did she know that you can’t take a video camera into a theatre? If she says no she’s a damn liar or an idiot. She should get what she has coming to her. Common sense is not that common.
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:40 am
@ Mike Hardle: She was recording a portion of the actual film’s ending, not a trailer.
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:42 am
Sorry if I can’t get behind the boycott (although there are no Regal Cinemas in my area) but it is illegal to have a camera, or to record a movie with a cell phone. Just wanting to show a 20 second clip to a family member isn’t an excuse. A 19 yr old should know better.
But doesn’t Regal Cinemas have that device to warn of piracy? Was that used in the arrest?
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:06 am
@ the OP, Peter Sciretta: Exactly why shouldn’t the police have been called? The article clearly states the assistant manager saw the recording in progress, notified his or her boss, who in turn notified the police. How was the assistant manager supposed to know how much of the film the girl had recorded? It could have been 20 seconds, 20 minutes, an hour or the whole damn thing. He or she isn’t going to put his/her hands on the girl (I don’t believe they or any theater employee have the right to physically detain a suspect), and so the police did need to be called.
This girl is not in any way a “movie pirate” in the normal sense, but heads really need to come out of asses on this one. She was recording a major motion picture in a theater. She should have known better. She will be given probation and/or a light fine and go about her business…and this “boycott” nonsense will dissipate almost as quickly as it arose.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:12 am
They have been placed on the banned list.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:59 am
BB - The theater management should have watched the situation for a few minutes before calling the police. If they had even checked the situation more than 20 seconds, they would have realized that the 19 year old girl was not a movie pirate.
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:27 am
ender: if these movies are so mediocre and bad why do you download or sneak in to watch them? You’re actually spending something far more valuable than money on them: time. And if you’re willing to spend the one commodity you can never get back on them, please stop whining that ticket prices aren’t worth the quality.
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:51 am
mpaa gives 500 dollars to the employee that discovers someone trying to record a movie. it isn’t about selling or not selling, it’s about making an example out of somebody, but this was definitely a bad move on their behalf. you shouldn’t hate a movie chain just because people are trying to pad their paychecks..
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:56 pm
friend in the mix: i download movies and sneak into theatres in the hopes that my spirits will be lifted and faith in movie making rejuvinated until one day, i just might be okay with paying to see a flick. no whining there. just cold hard logic.
and what the HELL are you talking about with spending time?! It takes less than an hour to download a movie these days. i then watch the movie, and if i like it i keep it, if i don’t, it’s gone. i’m investing no more time than if i were to actually drive to the theatre and pay to see a movie.
and how about this people, we wait to see if she is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law? if the punishment is extreme, then i’d say anger towards a movie chain and boycotting is allowable. if she only has to pay a couple hundred bucks and do some community service (equivalent of slap on the wrist), then i say we all just forget about this mess.
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Well it is just the fact of anoying a customer doing nothing wrong.
I never believe the MPAA BS that camcording is a source for the real pirate! Who is going to buy a camcorded movie with crappy resolution, trapezoidal screen, poor sound and people passing in front of the camera from time to time?
Oh I know! Glueman (MPAA) and Gerge Bush!
I am right!
Boycott Regal Cinema!
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Frank - have you ever been to New York City? People sell bootleg copies of every movie you can imagine. They’re only in business because people continue to buy them, even with their crappy resolution, poor sound, etc.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:18 pm
What no one bothered to ask is the simplest question:
How long of a length is okay to record?
So we’re saying this girl should not get punished for her 20 second clip. Okay. But what’s the cut-off? A minute? How about five-minutes? Or for a three hour movie, could we record an hour and be okay?
The point here is that either you draw a line in the sand or you don’t. If you draw a line and don’t adhere to it, why bother drawing the line? If you draw a line but it’s an arbitrary one, how is that fair?
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:27 pm
I hate to say it, but uh, Jeff just might be onto something here.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Jeff - my big problem is Regal Cinema’s “zero-tolerance policy at the theater level†policy. If they empowed the general manager of the movie theater to make a decision, may-be he would have watched the situation for more than 20 seconds and may-be his trigger fingers wouldn’t have called the police.
When I was a young teen, one of my friends was caught stealing candy at a convience store. The store owner let him go without calling the police. He scared him enough so that he never did it again. If that manager/owner had a “zero-tolerance policy” the kid might have a record and who knows what else. The answer here is to empower the manager at the theater level to weigh the situation before making a decision.
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Oh yeah.. sure “I was recording it for my brother” *Wink,Wink*.. Yknow I believe they have versions that can be seen for 20 seconds of a movie.. They are called Movie Trailers!!!
What a lame excuse.. besides they caught her after 20 seconds, how much more was she going to record?!
Look I know the music and movie associations ream out people when they should really lower the price of their material, which would probably drop the piracy down considerably,
BUT for someone to use a lame excuse as recording “only 20 seconds” for her brother just doesn’t make any sense, why was he on the fence about seeing it? I mean what more can 20 second of a movie show that a trailer doesn’t?
I mean this isn’t some deep serious movie about clams or something, it is robots beating up on robots.
I think she should have to pay a fine and be banned from the theater, but not thrown in jail for this.
I mean if everyone was thrown into jail for being stupid, well, the Prison would have to be a whole State, not just in one.
But for a boycott to a movie theater for someone’s illegal action doesn’t make alot of sense IMO.
August 4th, 2007 at 10:17 am
“People sell bootleg copies of every movie you can imagine.”
What’s wrong with you? MPAA Drone?
Go to a p2p network and download tranformer DVD Iso image or even AVI CD.Way better quality that a camcorder. No need to go to this piece of crap or regal Cinema wasting $10 or bying
a “botleg” You are lying the bootleg are comming from the theater!
I don’t like parasites therefore I don’t like the RIAA nor the MPAA and I don’t like you because you are working for them.
August 4th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Zero tolerance is just dumb in general. It’s the lazy man’s way of avoiding having to weigh the issues in any given situation. Example: Many people are pro-life because that is their political party’s stance. But what if your daughter was raped and impregnated by some drugged up, diseased criminal? Wouldn’t that be one of those rare occassions where maybe your view of abortion should be a case to case basis, and not necessarily some esoteric zero tolerance type policy. Kind of a stretch. But still, it illustrates my point. Zero tolerance is dumb.
August 4th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
I see people’s point about the zero tolerance. It’s often a code work for “lacking common sense.” But all we have is this girl’s word that she was just going to record 20 seconds. For all we know, that wasn’t the case. Maybe she was planning on recording a little more.
I don’t have a reason to distrust her on principle so let’s just say that she felt 20 seconds would be enough to hype the film for her brother. But here’s another question: wouldn’t the two minute trailers have done that? All of which were online, by the way. Did the brother need this 20 second shot of the “real thing”?
Honestly, that explanation sounds like crap to me.
I don’t think she should go to jail necessarily and maybe the fine is excessive. I don’t know. But I know that maybe — just maybe — getting a little fear put into her was a good thing. Maybe not. Honestly, I don’t know. I just know that maybe if they show they’re going to crack down on this people who really do record entire movies will be less likely to do so or, at least, will have to be that much more circumspect.
August 4th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Turcicus:
Some friends and I got together to go see Silent Hill. One of our friends didn’t make it and called durring the trilers (yes, I went outside the theater to take the call and I ALWAYS keep my phoneon vibe in the theater) to let us know. After the movie was over I attempted to return the ticket and was told in no uncertain terms that it wasn’t going to happen. I would have even been happy with a pass to another movie on another day, but the manager would not budge. I called the home office and wrote a letter to the home office and was rejected both times.
Also keep in mind that durring the movie the crowd was extremly rowdy with 4 of them being escorted out by police. Not only was it a bad movie experience but the group of 8 of us will never visit a Regal theater again.
August 7th, 2007 at 9:38 am
Honestly, no one gets arrested in a movie theatre for this, even if the police ARE involved. There is ALWAYS more to the story and it usually involves the person becoming loud and abusive and too stubborn to know when to shut up. It’s a relief when they get hauled off, and the crowd usually applauds. You turn on your camera or cellphone in a movie theatre, you are asked to turn it off or leave. You get belligerant, the police take you away, simple as that. BTW the theatre can’t press charges. Only the police or the owner of the film can.
August 7th, 2007 at 10:08 am
Seriously people, what she did was dumb on an all new level, but we all do dumb things. We’re people for goodness sakes, we’re going to do dumb things, some of us more than others! But this is just sad when child predators can walk the streets free and easy but a nineteen year old girl could go to jail for recording 20 seconds of a movie. Now I’m not at all approving of her actions, they were illegal and no doubt she knew that, but it all seems too extreme to me in any case. What the heck is this world coming to?
August 7th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
THE REAL TRUTH: While the police officers were arresting her for trumped-up charges, in the same local area two women were raped, five cars were stolen, and a person was held-up at gunpoint. Talk about priorities FUCK REGAL CINEMAS, FUCK THE MPAA, and FUCK THE POLICE!!! You PIGS make me want to F’N PUKE my guts out!!! What will happen to her? Since its the COMMIEWEALTH of Virginia the most ASS backwards state in the USA she will probably get royally FUCT by the DUMB ASS SHITHEADS that are the court system here. And whoever the STUPID jackass managers at the cinema who thought they were being hero’s by calling the pigs on this lady I hope you get your punk asses beat down like the fucking LOSERS you are. Im going to find out who you LOSERS are and go from there ASSCLOWN since I live in the area. I hope that $500 reward you get from the MPAA will cover your Doctor expenses after you get the hell beat out of your candy ass for being a snitch you punk ass MF’ers!!! I’ll be sure to come to the court dates just so I can find out who the snitches are and once I find that out then your snitching candy asses are going to be ASS OUT you dumb ass MF’ers!!! I hope your candy asses have insurance cause youre going to need it LOSERS!!!
August 7th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
To the person who tried to return a ticket AFTER the movie was over: dude, whether the ticket was used or not, I have NEVER been to a theater that will take a ticket back after the movie is over. If your friend called and told you during the trailers that he/she wasn’t coming, that’s when you should have returned the ticket. I’m sure they would have refunded your money. I think most theaters have a policy of refunding up to 1/2 hour into the film; after that, why should they?
August 7th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
Wow, the internet is serious business. I’d like to respond to “Ivana Tinkle” about text messaging in movie theaters. It’s not the noise that’s irritating it’s having an incredibly bright screen lit up in a darkened movie theater. It is incredibly annoying and distracting for the people in the rows behind you. Fine, maybe you’re a doctor on call and might need to be involved in ONE text message but the last time I went to a theater I sat behind two women who texted for the first 15 minutes of the movie. Finally, I politely asked them stop, which after giving me ugly looks caused them to stop for all of five minutes. After they started up again another guy lost it and started yelling at them. Even this didn’t entirely stop them. I want to know why the hell you would pay good money to sit in the dark and text people for two hours. You could sit at home and do that for free. Some people’s mommas just didn’t raise them right.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
A year in jail and a $2,500 fine? Something is badly wrong here.
Count me in - no, count me OUT! Regal SUCKS
August 7th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
@friend in the mix
Depending on a person’s worth and earning power it’s possible to think of a 2 hour movie requiring 2 hours at $0 and say 4 hours of your time when you pay for it
August 7th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
“She now faces up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.”
Chill out, people. This is the maximum punishment for the charge she was arrested under.
Anyone who thinks Regal is going to press this is smoking a doobie.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
My god the amount of morons posting about this issue is ridiculous.
Does anyone really believe she took a video camera into the cinema to record 20 seconds of the film?
Clearly she’s just been sitting there watching the movie (with her boyfriend to the person that asked why she didn’t take her brother to the movie, please read the article before replying) seen something that she’s thought wow he’ll love that. Recorded 20 seconds of low quality un-sellable footage (camera-phone people!).
It is entirely fair to boycott the cinema on this issue. Our wallets are the best means of showing companies that their activities are unacceptable. Putting a 19 year old girl through this ordeal, even if she is found innocent and all charges are dropped is absurd!
There was no need to call the police. If she broke down in tears the second the police arrived she clearly didn’t realise that it was going to be a big deal at all and it didn’t have to be.
How Regal could have handled it better.
1- See the girl recording.
2- Walk up to hear, ask her to come outside.
3- “Could I please see what you’ve recorded on that phone?â€
4- “Please delete that footage mam, did you realise that it is an offence to record blah blah blah. If we catch you again we will have to prosecute.â€
5- Let the girl leave with some dignity and a warning.
No police involvement, no public backlash, no stressful costly and absurd legal case.
And even then, she was providing the movie with free advertising, and I’m guessing if it was her local cinema it’s probably where her brother and his mates would have gone to see it shortly after.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Itsumishi:
Clearly you’ve never been around girls before who’ll cry to get out of trouble, feigning ignorance or sorrow. This shouldn’t be an indication of her innocence for even a moment.
Also, she wasn’t using a camera phone - she was using a Power Shot camera. Depending on type of Power Shot, it could be used to record high enough quality to post to the internet.
Finally, if the theatre pressed for her to delete whatever she had on her camera they could have been sued by her on a couple different grounds (as crazy as that sounds, private parties can not confiscate your property or use the threat of arrest to get you to show them footage or delete footage).
If you want to boycott Regal, find better grounds than a single isolated incident that hasn’t had all the fact revealed about yet. Does Regal have poor projection quality? Crappy popcorn? Red Vines instead of Twizzlers? Those are real reasons to boycott a theatre.
August 7th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
I wish I could be as retarded as half the people replying here. Peter already replied to all the replies, stating that his main “beef” is Regal’s Zero Tolerance policy. Yeah yeah, cameras and phones in theaters are bad. Same things goes for people who won’t shut up and crying children. But zero tolerance? Damn that. That’s the same as shoving your fingers in your ears and giving the same (worst) punishment to every person that does something wrong.
August 8th, 2007 at 7:38 am
Anyone whips out a camera or a phone in a theater deserves a boot to the head.
The intentions don’t mean a thing.
I’m just happy someone got bitchslapped because of it.
Here’s hoping it happens more often.
August 8th, 2007 at 8:19 am
She should have been removed from the theater and banned just like all idiots with cameras, cell phone’s blackberries, ect… This is not your living room moron; this is a movie theater where there are other human beings who don’t want to be distracted by your never ending narcissism. I’m looking forward to the day when theaters block cell phone signals in their doors. Pending that… frisk these mouth breathers at the door!
I will not be joinging in any silly boycott…
August 8th, 2007 at 8:42 am
Regardless, little girls violating clearly posted rules aside, they also do a suck job - I saw the Simpsons with no dolby, the sound was like it came from a tin can, and a kid was singing at the top of his lungs FOR AN HOUR STRAIGHT. Why can’t they get one of their half-wit minimum wagers to walk through periodically to confirm that what they’re doing is not shit? If they did maybe I’d even give that kid with the camera a smack on way out. But as of now, I’m boycotting too. Good for you, kid. You were probably just trying to recoup your loss.
DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD DVD
August 8th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Free Culture @ NYU has joined the call to boycott Regal Cinemas! Read more about it here:
http://www.freeculturenyu.org/2007/08/08/boycott-regal-cinemas/
And digg the story here:
http://digg.com/movies/Help_Fight_Draconian_Zero_Tolerance_Piracy_Laws_and_Boycott_Regal_Cinemas/blog
Thanks!
Fred
President, Free Culture @ NYU
August 8th, 2007 at 9:16 am
You people are pathetic! Yeah, what she did was wrong and stupid and no doubt she knew it, but come on! Getting the police involved? That’s even more stupid! There’s worse crimes that the police should be dealing with than a stupid teen recording 20 seconds of a freaking film! They could have just deleted the footage and kicked her out of the movie theatre! That would have been the fairest thing to do.
August 8th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
The police involvement was pretty lame. I mean, I guess that’s part of their zero tolerance thing, but seriously? The cops? Granted, I get pissed when cops pull me over for speeding a little, or bust my friends for a joint’s worth of dope, but at least those are examples of a the cops protecting citizens from my reckless driving and trying to keep drugs off the streets. Here, the police were called in for a 20 second movie clip! I couldn’t get the cops to show up when my car was broken into OR when it was vandalized (separate incident), but with this it seems like the cops are at the theater’s beckon call. What’s up with that? Crazy to think the police would even show up. In conclusion, damn the cops for being so eager to please an effin movie theater, and damn Regal for being so ignorant as to call the police.
August 8th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
The VP of investor relations for Regal Cinemas is D. Dela4ria. His email address is ddelaria@regalcinemas.com
I suggest that people post this email everywhere possible and encourage everyone to write.
Consider that this is not only an injustice for the woman charged and for the moviegoing public, but it is also going to have a negative effect on Regal shareholders, as the boycott will result in economic loss to Regal. If Regal fails to act reasonably to protect the share value when a simple action could have done so, there may be grounds for a shareholder lawsuit.
People who want to be really serious about this can also buy one share of Regal stock, then insist on making a statement at the next shareholder meeting.
August 8th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
I can’t get behind a boycott like this.
There are signs all over the theaters that state that no recording devices are allowed. Usually in the trailers, it is clearly stated that no recording is allowed - sometimes they even run the annoying MPPA warning clips during the trailers. And it is common knowledge that this is not allowed (in fact, illegal). And now there is surprise that she got in trouble? The stated penalty may sound harsh; but it’s not likely that this will be the actual judgment against her.
I love it when people KNOW the rules, then are surprised when they are in trouble for breaking them…
August 8th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Not that the internet isn’t an open forum and everything, but why is it that so many people who are NOT behind this boycott care enough to post a reply saying, “I’m not going to boycott.” Okay. We get it. So go start up an Anti Boycott Forum somewhere. All your doing here is wasting your own time typing out a message that most people will read and then say to themselves “This guy is an ignorant asshole.” Again, I realize that the internet is open to anyone and everyone with varying opinions. It just seems a little stupid to come to this article about calling on people to boycott Regal, and all you have to say is I’m not gonna do it. Wow. Awesome. Now, unless you’ve actually got something intelligent to contribute, go play with your legos and let us rally and boycott.
peace bitches
August 8th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
“But now you know how smokers feel in fascist California.”
Okay, I fail to see how that’s even relevant.
August 8th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
“Not that the internet isn’t an open forum and everything, but why is it that so many people who are NOT behind this boycott care enough to post a reply saying, “I’m not going to boycott.†Okay. We get it. So go start up an Anti Boycott Forum somewhere. All your doing here is wasting your own time typing out a message that most people will read and then say to themselves “This guy is an ignorant asshole.†Again, I realize that the internet is open to anyone and everyone with varying opinions. It just seems a little stupid to come to this article about calling on people to boycott Regal, and all you have to say is I’m not gonna do it. Wow. Awesome. Now, unless you’ve actually got something intelligent to contribute, go play with your legos and let us rally and boycott.
peace bitches”
They’re probably Regal employees trying to make things look more balanced.
August 8th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
Sam S.:
Sounds like the Regal you visited was run by crappy managers. But I have no explanation for the way the home office handled it. All I can say is, at my local Regal, I’ve never had a problem returning a ticket, or requesting what they call an emergency ticket. Please don’t let your one bad experience sour your view on the entire chain.
August 8th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
I’m a former Regal employee, and last summer I was involved in a similar incident. As I was working as an usher, a patron approached me and complained that two young girls were taking picture of the movie (Pirates 2) with their cell phones. I mentioned this to my manager (probably should have known better). Two managers then kicked the two girls out of the theater, took down their information and called the police. THEN, the head manager contacted Disney. Apparently, it’s Regal protocol to call the studio after discovering “piracy”, and it is then up to the studio whether or not charges will be pressed. The girls got off pretty light, compared to this girl: they deleted the pictures, their parents were called, and they even got some ‘emergency tickets’ to come back later and see the whole movie. However, later a manager mentioned that one of the girls had taken a video. This was not mentioned to the studio during the initial call, and she simply deleted it to avoid more trouble.
Granted, this all could have been avoided if I had just handled the situation myself without letting a manager know. The same goes for my former managers as well as the head manager.
Regal offers employees, most of whom make minimum wage, $10,000 for catching a “pirate”. I’ve never heard of anyone getting it.
The theater business is going to pot, and they can’t figure out why. It’s things like this.
August 8th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
I once caught a group of foreign “tourists” videotaping a showing of Willy Wonka with a high end Sony digital camcorder. This was an obvious case of Film Piracy, but nothing ever came of it because everyone is afraid of lawsuits. No one got arrested and we’ve yet to see the $500 reward. Believe me, nothing’s going to happen to this girl. The only thing she did wrong as far as I’m concerned was to turn on her camera in a dark movie theatre. But hell I’m one of those crappy theatre managers. I’d be happy to arrest her for that.
August 8th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
David, you’re an idiot. How in the hell do you know nothing is going to happen to this girl, or hasn’t happened already? You don’t, so shut up. Furthermore, the fact that you’re a crappy theatre manager (and i’m guessing the crappy describes you and not the theater) makes you a target in a forum like this. I hate you just for being dumb and saying you’d arrest her yourself, but the fact that you’re a theater manager makes me want to do bad things to you. Honestly, if i could, i’d arrest you….just for being you.
August 8th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
And Tora, let us not forget that the theater business is also going to pot because the film industry in general scoffs at the thought of doing something original. Shrek 3? Pirates 4? Rush Hour 3? Indiana Jones 4? Just cuz a movie makes money, do you really have to adhere to the same exact idea/story? Hell, why not a Titanic 2? Or The Poseidon Adventure: Revisited? I’ve got it! Sister Act 3!
August 9th, 2007 at 12:48 am
Nah, people still pay to see those (you just named some of the top grossing movies of this summer). Granted, it’s not entirely appropriate to judge an industry based solely upon revenue.
People don’t like being treated like criminals after they’ve already paid 9 dollars to see a movie. Anti-piracy commercials before a movie? Stickers on the box office? Also, I wish people wouldn’t rag on the managers so much. All but two salaried managers and the GM at my theater got paid about 10 cents over minimum wage. It’s not exactly the greatest job in the world. Most are civil enough if they’re treated with some respect. Nobody likes a jerk customer who blames you for things outside of your control.
August 9th, 2007 at 5:13 am
Yeah. I know I did. That was kinda the whole point Tora. I wasn’t claiming nobody saw them. Just claiming they suck. Thought you were smart enough to catch on to that.
And yeah, one of my best friends (teenager) worked at a movie theater for years. I kinda know what’s up in that respect. The managers weren’t but a year older than him, and didn’t make but 10 to 25 cents more than he, a lowly ticket taker. But a dick is a dick is a dick. And sometimes, the only way they can make up for the lack of income is abuse of power. As is the case with hmmm….. the incident that started this whole mess.
Furthermore, at this point, I just encourage piracy. On these peer 2 peer networks, it’s almost like free trade. I think that’s what really pisses people off. The thought of free trade.
Zero tolerance sucks. Boo on Regal.
August 9th, 2007 at 9:30 am
A boycott is silly. The theater was executing an automated policy to limit their liability and protect copyright. They are not going to have their rent a cops tussle with her since she might have tried to run or resist being hauled out of the theater and ended up suing the theater chain. I’m sure that’s been the case with real illegal film recorders. So they automatically called the police and let them handle the situation. It’s out of Regal’s hands once she’s taken away. As for 20 seconds, is the chain going to trust her word on that? She’s committing a crime and doing it with a camera that’s capable of recording the entire movie–as opposed to a cell phone. It doesn’t matter that the quality would be poor. Point is people say anything to get out of trouble. And maybe she was stupid but innocent. But how can you tell in that 10 minutes it takes to spot her call the police and have her taken away?
August 9th, 2007 at 10:08 am
I think Jack has had the single most sensible comment thus far.
August 9th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
I don’t really think Jack knows what he’s talking about, he’s just trying to sound like he does. And again I say, zero tolerance is the lazy man’s way of avoiding weighing the issues. Call it what you want, zero tolerance or an automated policy, it’s still wrong to be THAT ignorant in this day and age.
And thanks for that awesome contribution Christine. It’s insights like yours that get me through the day….idiot.
And again with another anti-boycott comment! Don’t you realize you make yourself a target/enemy when you say dumb shit like that. I mean, in the time it took you to post your “A Boycott is Silly” comment, you could’ve done something constructive with yourself. Like play with a dog, blow up a balloon, or maybe even pull your head out of your ass.
August 9th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
On the subject of ethic’s comment. Yeah, she probably knew it was illegal, but that doesn’t stop anybody nowadays. You have no idea how many people record things in movie theatres. Just go to youtube and you see a whole bunch. Nobody ever gets busted, and she probably thought she could get away with it. Bad idea, and they should have just kicked her out. No reason to call the police.
August 9th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
The Internet is supposed to be about free expression. Targeting people with opinions different than your own makes you the idiot.
August 9th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
This whole thing is stupid. I’ve been watching the news and it’s plain that police have much better things to do, so they should stop wasting their time with this girl and let her parents ground her or something. Ban her from the theatre or something, but don’t put her in freakin jail! Paris Hilton gets into all sorts of trouble and it takes her years to have to go to jail, and then only for like, a month! And this girl could face worse circumstances for 20 seconds of a stupid film. Go after the murderers, the rapists, and the theifs, not dumb teenagers for goodness sakes!
August 9th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Again I am floored by your profound comment Christine! Please keep these golden nuggets of wisdom coming. Or better yet! Eat a dick!
I’m just trying to stir the pot a little bit, so don’t get all butt hurt when you become the target of my attacks. If you want to avoid my attacks, then either contribute something slighly worth while, or shut the hell up. And as I’ve said in my previous comments (which i doubt you read) I know the internet is an open forum, but I find it odd and somewhat stupid that people would come here to talk about how they don’t want to boycott, when the article’s goal is to rally boycotters. If you don’t wanna boycott, awesome. We’re proud of you for taking a stand against…..whatever it is you think you’re taking a stand against. But if you’re not with us, you’re against us. Therefore, you will be targeted. And chances are, not only by me.
August 9th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Uh Dur, do you really feel that being an ass and attempting to radicalize the boycott movement into “Your either with us or ‘Eat a dick!’” is the best way of promoting your boycot?
I think everyone should vote with their money and I think it’s fabulous that you care about being respected as a consumer. I know I do. However, I don’t think you help your cause by being a jerk and talking about targetting people for attacks.
It’s a free world though (at least for now), so if you get your jollies by being a forum bully then “Viva le resistance!”
August 9th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
WHTP, if I say yes, will that be the end of our dialogue? I hope not, cuz my answer is in fact yes, I do feel being an ass helps. If I’m a big enough ass, my radical behavior might finally piss off these anti-boycotters to the point that they don’t even feel the need to post anymore. It’s not so much bullying as it is crowd control, but you say tomaytoe and i say tomahtoe. Whatever.
Furthermore, my eat a dick comment was soley directed at Chritine, who twice in a row had nothing insightful or interesting (or even relative to the topic) to contribute. The with us against us thing, well that was just a little mellowdrama to help get my point across.
Geez, for someone with some real substance in their post….I’m just honored you even addressed me in the first place. But if you’re going to take everything I say soooo literally, I don’t think you need to address me again….queer.
Regal=bad. Boycott-good.
August 9th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
and i honestly meant to say “clear?” at the end of that post. i just got a little caught up and thought i was talking to Jack or Christine. i do not think you’re queer WHTP. and that’s sincere, which i know is hard to tell online, but it is.
August 9th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Looks like you knocked all the intelligence out of the conversation Uh Dur. Now you’re the only one left.
August 9th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
you don’t even get the irony of posting a comment like that do you Jonah?
August 9th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
On topic: Should the boycott be on the theater chain who initiated the process, or on the movie studio who instituted the policy and continues this madness by actually pressing criminal charges? Both?
Discuss!
August 9th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
If you want to boycott something, boycott the egregious practice of “clearance.†This is where big chains use their clout (which is considerable) to monopolize new movie releases and keep them from independent theaters. It’s driven a lot of indies out of business. In this case, it’s the multi-state chains that are actually able to strong arm distributors. It’s been going on for years.
August 9th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
I’m sorry Uh Dur, but I don’t think you being an ass is helping. I say if you want to boycott, go boycott you’re little heart out, but I don’t think I would even if I had one to boycott. You’re not going to fix anything by boycotting, that’s just plain and simple. Sorry. Especially not if you act like a jerk because then less and less people want to be on your side. Believe me, I know.
August 9th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Everyone gets all whiney when I make my rude remarks, and then they comment on how the net is an open forum and people have a right to opinions that vary from mine. Wow. Does noone see the irony there? And for the most part, a lot of what I have to say is just dripping with sarcasm. Being an ass turns people off?! It’s not helping the cause?! Thanks for that heads up Nicole!
I don’t care about the boycott anymore than I care if you get hit by a bus or become the first lady president. There are no Regal Theaters anywhere near where I reside. I just want people to hear this story and know what’s going on in the world of film and theaters. I’m just stirring the pot. The fact that all of you people (you know who you are) allowed yourself to get caught up in petty insults by some unknown who could very well be a punk 15 year old kid……well that just makes me smile.
ps. I’ve posted under several different names with several different takes on the pro-boycott thing. Some understated, and others…..well, not so much. It just seems that Uh Dur gets the most attention. Whose fault is that? Do you HAVE to respond to my comments? Do you even HAVE to read them? You people are making Uh Dur more popular than I would’ve ever imagined, and for that, I thank you.
August 9th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
It is unfortunate that Regal Cinemas seems to have no common sense. Why prosecute this person for a 20 second clip? Her intent was not to steal the movie and sell it. They should put more effort into cleaning their restooms instead of trying to prosecute someone for poor judgement.
August 10th, 2007 at 9:24 am
Uh Dur, I think you fail to understand what irony is. No one has said you’re not entitled to your opinion or voicing your opinion. People have disagreed with you and been upset over the rude and childish way YOU acted in response to other people voicing their opinions.
You want irony? How about the irony surrounding the fact that you seemed to be promoting the cause for Regal Cinemas to respect it’s clientele but you can’t seem to manage to respect anyone else yourself.
Now YOU are whining about how you don’t even care about the boycott and you just wanted to “stir the pot” (which basically translates to me as a desire to be annoying). Well, HOORAY, you managed to mildly annoy some strangers and prove that negative attention must be better than no attention at all.
Yes, I know I’m an idiot for wasting five minutes of my life typing this out but I still hold the naive belief that people are occasionally capable of learning from mistakes or learning by example.
Bottom line, and the reason I initially made a post, was to illustrate that it doesn’t cost anyone much to be polite or at least civil and that you look like a selfish jerk when you’re not. SHOCKING REVELATION!!!
August 11th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
You just can’t stop can you? Silly rabbit. Why don’t you go see what an electrical outlet tastes like?
Come on. Respond back again. Keep fueling the fire. You know I’d stop if you just didn’t address me. But something inside ya just won’t let you stop. Ego I bet. Learn to walk away ya big grown up you.
And yes, you’re right, I don’t have respect for complete strangers/faceless commentors. Like that really makes me a jerk. Get over yourself. Yeesh.
August 13th, 2007 at 10:16 am
Uh Dur, apparently you’re not understanding due to a lack of intelligence. And thank you so much for you’re heartfelt response to my comment. I wasn’t telling you not to voice your opinoin, I was telling you not to be an ass about it. As much as I dislike you, I would not tell you to eat a dick or I wouldn’t care if you get hit by a bus because I don’t know you, and I don’t care to know you either. Even if you’re totally against regal cinemas, it doesn’t matter. It’s people like you and regal that are ruining our world. Get your priorities straight, and that’s to you and regal. And fyi, I keep posting on here because it’s something that caught my attention, and I have just as much a right to be on here as you do.