Birmingham movie-goer Ankita Sagar has called on Vue Cinemas to address air conditioning and ventilation after she said a screening of Spider-Man: Brand New Day at Star City left her family 'dripping in sweat'. The 21-year-old, who attended with her parents on Monday, August 3, also described a lack of 'cinema etiquette' among the audience, including people sitting on stairs and using phones.
Film Paused Over Seating Confusion
Fifteen minutes into the film, the screening was paused due to 'confusion' over assigned seats. Vue confirmed the pause lasted five minutes, saying some customers sat on stairs, posing a health and safety concern. A spokesperson said: 'During a capacity screening of Spider-Man: Brand New Day earlier this week, some confusion among a small number of customers over assigned seating resulted in some individuals sitting on the stairs, posing a health and safety concern.'
The spokesperson added: 'To deal with this, the screening was paused temporarily so the team could resolve the matter, before resuming the screening. The total pause was five minutes, and there was no delay to subsequent screenings.' Vue did not respond to complaints about air conditioning.
Sweat and Smell Ruin Experience
Speaking to BirminghamLive, Ankita said the heat and smell were the main issues. 'From the moment we stepped into the room, it smelt so bad. I can't explain the smell, it was so bad and put us off,' she said. 'It got to the point that I was having to smell my popcorn to disrupt me from the air. I don't know if cinemas usually have AC, but it was so hot.'
She added: 'We hadn't been the cinemas at Star City so we didn't know how it was going to be. Throughout the movie, people weren't watching. They were just constantly sitting up, arriving late and being on their phones. I don't know what was going on in that screen but it was just hectic. The audience was a mixture of kids and adults, I don't know why it was like that.'
Family's First Cinema Trip in Years
The trip was the first time Ankita's parents had been to the cinema since she was a child. Her father's reaction summed up the disappointment: 'My dad said this is exactly why I'd rather sit at home and watch Netflix. However I do enjoy the cinema with the big screen and audience aspect.'
Ankita concluded: 'The heat and the smell were the only things which really got to us. They need to address the air conditioning and ventilation system, we were literally dripping in sweat. If they can't manage it, close it during the summer because we couldn't enjoy it.'
