AMC considering texting-friendly movie theaters

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It's a simple request issued now before every movie, designed to address a growing annoyance: Please don't talk or text when the film is playing.

But those rules could be changing a little bit at the world's largest movie theater chain, to accommodate millennials who'd rather cut off their arm than turn off their phone.

AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron told Variety he was open to the idea of creating separate auditoriums that would be texting-friendly.

He said it was hard to convince younger people to turn off their cellphones, even during a movie. The company wants to be responsive to that problem, while at the same time figuring out a way to not disturb other audience members.

"When you tell a 22-year-old to 'turn off the phone, don't ruin the movie,' they hear 'please cut off your left arm above the elbow'," Aron told Variety. "You can't tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone. That's not how they live their life."

But a statement from AMC issued after the CEO's interview began gaining public attention appeared to back off slightly from his comments, reassuring theatergoers that for most of them the moviegoing experience won't be interrupted:

"While we recognize that there is a growing population that is continuously connected to their phones, above all we also remain extremely sensitive that the overwhelming majority of our current audience does not want texting to disrupt their experience."