'Not dogs!': Cinema staff call police on mums who did this common theatre act

A child could be heard crying, "I want my mum" while being escorted out. But, we're all guilty of it so what's the big deal?

Taking food into the cinema is something a lot of us do, even though it’s frowned upon, right?

With exorbitant cinema food prices and lots of little mouths to feed, it’s no wonder we stash our bags full of snacks and drinks to enjoy during a movie.

But one pair of mums did exactly that and ended up getting the police called on them.

Before you freak out about this happening to you, this incident happened in New Zealand, where it’s standard to ban outside food from being brought into cinemas. 

At this particular theatre, Cinema 3 near Auckland,  the women allegedly ignored five signs around the premises stating ‘no outside food or drinks allowed’. 

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Image: TikTok

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The heated cinema debate

In a recent TikTok video that’s since been deleted, one of the mums documented the whole debacle that occurred on Tuesday. 

In the clip, kids can be heard crying as cinema staff tell their mums to leave because they brought in their own food. 

“Let's call the police,” a Cinema 3 employee says in the pitch-black room as the movie continues to play in the background.

A child can then be heard saying, “I want my mum.”

With the tension growing, the mum then tells one of the staff members, “You’ve got no right to tell a five-year-old off and make a five-year-old cry.”

“You are not going to kick us out, we are not dogs,” the other mum says as she tries to comfort her children. 

“Let’s call the police,” a staff member says to another, taking out their phone and explaining to the mums why they're escalating the situation. 

The caption for the clip gave further insight into the situation from the mum's perspective. “Yes, we bought snacks for the kids to eat. When asked to put them away, we agreed. But we're not gonna stop kids from eating.

“One baby asked, ‘Are the police going to kill my mum?’ Which [the employee] replied and said, ‘Maybe’.”

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And in a second clip that has also been taken down, cinema operations manager Robert Greig can be heard saying: “We can't really operate as a business if we start letting people bring in all their own food and drinks.”

A police officer is seen in the background while another voice asks Greig if they will get a refund. 

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"It’s the first time we’ve had to call the police" 

Mr. Greig told the New Zealand Herald that the customers had brought in ‘a lot’ of outside food.

“Beverages, snacks, hot food, you name it,” he explained.

He said that a heated debate broke out after the staff asked them to leave and they were “made to feel unsafe”. Police were called, and the group was subsequently kicked out. 

“It’s the first time we’ve had to call the police,” he shared.

Standard adult tickets at the cinema cost AUD $19.50 and children $13.60. A food combo, which includes a drink, popcorn and ice cream, costs $15.45 for the smallest size. 

An ex-cinema employee weighs in

In Australia, cinemas are slightly more lax about bringing food into the theatres. 

Hoyts says on its website that the following items are prohibited: “No alcohol, bottles, cans, aerosols, glass, outside food or beverages, laser pointers, large bags, personal stereos, electronic equipment, rollerblades, bicycles, scooters or skateboards.”

However, it’s not usually strictly enforced.

One ex-Hoyts employee told Kidspot: “It was really in the Lux section of Hoyts, where they tried to enforce the no-outside snacks rule more strictly - but everyone, not just parents, brought their own treats.”

They added, “It was difficult to catch people since they hide snacks in various bags and spots. We weren't supposed to allow outside food, but we can't go around kicking people out for food with every showing.”

“It didn't annoy me as much since I know there are people that have dietary requirements. And I think the cost of food was one of the underlying reasons, too, as well as parents want to bring in healthier foods.

“Parents would go get fruits or veggies because that was what they found acceptable as a snack rather than all of the sweets and savoury things we had on offer.”

The community feel 'sad'

Over in a local Facebook group, the community weighed in on the incident, with many saying they were 'sad' that this issue is affecting small businesses like Cinema 3. 

"At the end of the day, rules are rules, we must follow, but communication must be transparent too. Keep supporting our local cinemas," one anonymous member wrote.

"It's really no different to booking a table at a restaurant and taking in your Maccas to eat... you just wouldn't do it. We need to support these local businesses otherwise we'll lose them," said another.

However, some defended the mums, saying that it could have been handled better by staff and cinema prices are to blame.

"At the end of the day, it was just a few snacks," said one.

"I'll stop bringing in outside snacks when I don't have to spend $40 on a large popcorn and drink and a bag of lollies," someone else claimed.

"What a waste of police resources," another concluded.

Kidspot has reached out to Cinema 3 for comment. 

Originally published as 'Not dogs!': Cinema staff call police on mums who did this common theatre act