CommentsTHE CHAPMAN REPORT-This was bad. Very bad. We were on our way to the Cinemark-owned Century theaters in Napa to celebrate Jennifer’s birthday. Dinner was on tap afterward at the new sports bar. We were in spectacular moods on a gorgeous, wind-whipped day.
My mom and Jennifer went inside to get seats while Jim and I grabbed popcorn and coffee. When I approached the ticket taker, she turned into a militant security officer, pointing at my bag. “You can’t take that purse in,” she said. “You’re not going in until you get rid of that purse.”
I had been aware of a Cinemark policy imposed a couple of months earlier (and posted on the door) that bans purses and bags of a certain size. But I’d taken in this purse there several times without being stopped. This time, however, the employee ordered me to stand behind a rope away from the other customers as though I was doing something illegal.
I started to protest with my husband saying: “We were just here last week, and they let her in with the very same purse.”
Still, the employee ordered me to stand back. I decided not to move, because like everybody else I’d paid to get in. I finally stepped aside but not behind the rope, frustration filling me with the why of it all. It really seemed silly.
Then, to my good fortune, the woman behind me in line piped up that she too wanted to keep her purse, saying the bag was filled with medicine she would need during the movie. Overwhelmed and exasperated, the unpleasant staffer called for “backup.” Soon a manager came out. We began a new round of protests as he explained what he called Cinemark’s “no tolerance” policy.
What Cinemark posted on its corporate website (and the door) was this: “In an effort to enhance the safety and security of our guests and employees…any bags or packages measuring larger than 12” X 12” x 6” will not be permitted into the theatre. Exception: Medical equipment bags and diaper bags.”
Both of us pointed out we had medicine in our bags, so the manager relented. In the theater, we settled into Amy Schumer’s “I Feel Pretty.” Ironically, the movie tells a story of women’s struggle with their self-images. Still, it was an unsettling and uncomfortable way to go to a movie. As it turned out, the ordeal wasn’t over.
As the audience poured out into the hallway after the movie, a nicely dressed woman was complaining loudly. “Look at that purse…and that one…and that one,” she said to her husband, pointing at several moviegoers with large bags. “Those bags are bigger than mine.”
She explained to onlookers what happened.
“They treated me like a criminal and forced me to put my purse in the car,” she said. “What if my purse got stolen?”
And you know what? She received plenty of sympathy from other customers, including men. I was glad she did because she was 100 percent, over-the-top right.
Let me explain why this policy is not only bad but plainly ridiculous. First, the theater staff apparently had been given no training to make the situation better. I’d like to give you Cinemark’s reason for the ban, but the Napa theater management (and I understand that) directed me to the corporate office. I phoned and sent an email, but neither was returned.
It’s never a good thing when you have a theater employee scolding customers and barking out orders with no finesse whatsoever. This is especially true when the theater industry is reeling from competitors such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu. Today you can watch movies in the comfort of your home for less money without worrying about terrorist shooters or that your bag is too large. That’s why so many have quit going out to the movies.
However, for the most part, Cinemark Holdings, headquartered in Plano, Texas, has done well trying out new concepts. They’ve opened theaters in smaller communities rather than just major cities. They’ve tried to lure back customers by serving beer and wine, cheese plates, gourmet coffee and ice cream along with adding 3-D screens. Cinemark is the country’s third-largest theater chain (behind Regal and AMC) and reported about $2 billion in revenues for fiscal 2016. In the United States and Latin America, it operates 507 theaters with 5,746 screens.
Perhaps that’s one reason Cinemark doesn’t seem very interested in what customers think about its “no tolerance” policy: The company is doing well. Maybe they’re angry about customers bringing in outside snacks in their bags. I get that, but many of us with health conditions can’t eat what theaters offer.
It might seem Cinemark, more than any other theater chain, would have a reason for banning large bags after it suffered a horrific domestic terrorism attack that jarred moviegoers worldwide. What should never have happened, did.
On July 20, 2012, a paying customer, James Holmes, went into the Cinemark Century 16 in Aurora, Colorado. He slipped out an exit, apparently propping the door open, and returned with gear stowed in his car. With images of “The Dark Knight Rises” playing in the darkened theater, he turned the next seven minutes into a bloodbath, releasing two tear gas canisters and firing an AR-15 rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun. He killed 12 people and injured 70 others.
After such an incident you might think it’s understandable that Cinemark would ban large bags and packages. But there are many reasons the policy is super bad (that’s more than just bad). First, why now? It’s been nearly six years since the Aurora tragedy. Further, preventing attacks is probably not going to work by dictating that bags of a certain size can’t be carried in. My mom’s purse that day was only slightly smaller than mine; she could have carried in the kitchen sink.
Another problem: The Cinemark policy by default targets mostly women. I don’t know if Cinemark has noticed this or not, but nearly all recent terrorist-style attacks in the United States have been committed by men.
Hooray for this woman expressing her anger right there in the theater. Had staff called in the police, it would have only made the rest of us even angrier. As she continued to talk, the staff surrounded her, which was a bit unnerving. Nevertheless, she went on about the way she’d been treated.
And she wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
The surprising thing was the amount of support she received from other customers. “They did that to me,” one woman said. “Me, too,” said another. Out in the parking lot, people followed her and continued to express their support.
It’s so sad that it’s come to this. Cinemark’s approach to security is not the answer. It’s not even a Band-Aid -- either for security or hidden snacks.
The woman’s husband pointed out how easy it would be to carry in a gun without a bag. “I could put two guns in each pocket and carry them in,” he said. “I could even put guns in my socks.” He added he would not be returning to the Napa theater, a sentiment many of us were beginning to share.
I’ll tell you why this makes no sense:
Women tend to carry many things in their purses…medicines, combs, brushes, makeup and many other hygienic products you just can’t fit into small bags. Bags that are considered an “acceptable size” can still carry loads of items in them without much trouble, including contraband or weapons. Banning large bags is confusing when patrons see others getting in with them while they are stopped at the entrance to the theaters.
Often women (as I said, this primarily seems to target women) don’t find out that their bags are too large until after they have paid for their tickets and their snacks and are headed into the movie. They should be warned before their purchase is made and told before they purchase their tickets. And no, a sign on the door is not enough. The ticket sellers should be sure that customers understand the policy before they buy their tickets. At the self-service kiosks, the same question should be asked before a customer hits the “purchase tickets” button.
Most adults understand it’s a new world today and they will encounter more security measures. But this security measure isn’t really secure at all. It provides virtually nothing except maybe a way to cut down on hidden snacks in larger bags. It comes off more as a bullying tactic than anything else. And it wouldn’t have saved anyone from the Holmes incident.
Having security officers do bag checks does make sense. Customers on that day told me they’d rather have their bags searched than risk having them stolen from their cars.
If Cinemark finds that big bags are a potential threat, then they should take it seriously and do the full enchilada -- not half a sandwich. Either make security a top priority or not at all. Because this policy is not working. It’s not even coming close.
(Diana Chapman is a writer/journalist and a long-time CityWatch contributor. She has written for magazines, newspapers and the best-seller series, “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” You can reach her at: [email protected].) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
