Couldn't reach a real person at the corporate HQ, but I did leave a message. I think you might want to think about writing a letter to the editor to the Oklahoman and also the Oklahoma Gazette. The Gazette in particular I bet would run it, and I'm sure that would get the theatre's attention.

I used to work as an usher in a theater yeeeaaaarrrrrssss ago and got chewed out by my manager for checking ID during a Richard Pryor concert film. This was before cell phones and people would drop their kids off and drive away. I had to make the kids sit outside the theater for two hours (or until their angry parents came back after the kids called home.)

I even had a guys threaten to deck me because I wouldn't allow their 17 year-old girlfriends in.

I forgot report back that I did get a call from "Maryjo" at the corporate headquarters. She was very nice and said that they would check to make sure the new theatre was following the policies BUT that as long as an adult bought the ticket there was nothing they could do to keep a kid from going in with the bought ticket w/o the parent being with them. she also emphazed that this was a voluntary policy that was not required by law, but that they are a family-owned company and want to be family-friendly.

I think it is hogwash. They are probably about industry standard but I still think it is lame. I would much rather that they lower the age (say to 13) but actually ID folks going in, that to follow the practically non-existent status quo.

you guys are a bunch of right wing coservatives. mind your own business. do you really have nothing better to do than count kids and complain. you do live in oklahoma remember. you guys had cockfighting up until last year. go kill something and don't worry about everyone else so much.

thanks.

Joshua, you must have some fine kids.

point rightly taken. no offense, but it seems to me that if you disagree with the theatre's take on allowing young children to see violent movies--call, complain, don't be a patron of the facility (civil disobedience).

however, if the theatre allows an adult to accompany the child into the movie then they are obiding by their policies and there is not anything that you or I can do about it (besides start lobbying).

i agree that child abuse is bad; however, what is the difference of taking a child to a violent movie or a barbaric football game, it's all violence for entertainment. as you noted, the child is most likely emulating the parents and for them to set a good example is of primary importance. depending upon the age, i seriously doubt that the kid was able to realize the atrociousness of the movie. addtionally, i seriously doubt the parents emulate "blade" around their house.

being a parent is a great responsibility and it seems to be a right today instead of a responsibility. we do not require a permit or license to have a kid. teaching a child right from wrong will far exceed anything they see in hollywood movies. remember, oklahoma is one of the most uneducated states in the union.

you guys can have your forum back now. thanks and happy new year from the west coast.

First, I'm definitely not a right-wing conservative. (I am a Green Party member and would define my political idealogy as being agrarian-socialistic in nature)

Second, "civil disobedience" means breaking the law for conscience sake. An example in this case would be chaining yourself to the theatre door to prevent patrons from entering. Simply refusing to go the movies (while probably a good idea) is not disobedience.

Three, Oklahoma is far more educated that the uppity coastal folks who think they know it all. At least in Oklahoma we still have common sense.

Four, I'm sick and tired of upptiy coastal folks insulting Okies with prejudicial comments. It is no different to say that "all black people are..." or "you know how those Jews are..."

Five, I would quesiton the wisdom of taking a young child to a football game because yes it is violent. However, i would also say that a football game does have rules, the players do wear pads, and generally there isn't much blood. I don't think you could say the same thing about Blade.

Six, I personally think any parent who would bring a pre-school aged child to a movie like that should have DHS after them, because they obviously are not fit parents.

Seven, a movie theatre that is complicit in encouraging child abuse I think should be held accountable. I would much prefer that R-rated movies say "no child under 10 years of age under any circumstances (parents or not), and no person from ages 11-16 without the parent being present." I don't see this as a problem because young people have a diminished capacity to know right from wrong, and our laws operate from that assumption. A ten year old can't buy a bottle of whiskey, they can't drive a car, etc. Heck, they can't even sign a binding contract.

I agree with the above about "no child under 10 years of age under any circumstances (parents or not), and no person from ages 11-16 without the parent being present."
However, I must say that I had a mom that told me about everything. She was very open to communication about sex, violence, drugs and alcohol, and just anything I had a question about. She was never prejudice in her answers or explainations and it was never just a brief "that's just the way it is" answer.
I was allowed to watch scary movies from about 9 years old and I listened to rap music whenI was a young teen. I watched the news and cable television. The problem is definitly not media (of any kind) it's a parenting problem.
Now, I'm sure not all of those parents (if any at all really) are sitting down and explaining the movie.
Unfortunately, the cinema itself cannot judge what the parents are doing as they are a business built to make money. If a parent buys a ticket for their kids and drops them off, chances are the theater will let them in.
If you have proof that the theater itself sold tickets to children under 17, then I would be quick to call or write to complain.
The real complaint here should be addressed towards the parents who allowed this in a public article like mentioned above (The Gazette).
The way I see kids around my neighborhood, young kids, the parents obviously have much better things to do then play with them and raise them with values. It's a shame that I constantly have to break kids up from abrasive fighting, that I have to roll down my window and tell the kids that not everyone on the street is sober or even paying attention just to get them to move a little quicker out of the street.
It's a sad world right now and it's spinning out of control. All we can do is keep trying in our own lives, keep addressing our concerns, and raise our kids better than the rest.

I once saw an old woman with the body of a baby at the freakshow at the state fair. It made me uneasy around both old women and babies for the rest of my life.

While I understand the concern from both sides of this argument, I must say that I am greatly concerned by the suggestion that the MPAA, motion pictures studios, movie theatres, or worse, another parent, be able to tell me what I can or cannot take my child to see.

Let's keep in mind that not all R-Rated movie fare can be equated to mindless escapism such as BLADE: TRINITY. Many important film works are R-Rated, and are movies that I consider are imperative for my children to see at some point in your YOUTH. Yes, I said YOUTH, not ADULTHOOD. I want my sons to see films like SCHILNDER'S LIST, HOTEL RWANDA, MEAN CREEK, while they are still forming their opinions about self, other people and the world we live in. And don't preach to me that I shouldn't leave TV or movies to teach my kids these lessons, because I don't. I am close to my kids, and very involved in their lives. We attend church and both my sons (age 6 and age 14) both volunteer in the community. I want them to be able to see a movie like SCHINDLER'S LIST because no matter how much I talk to them about hate, no matter how much they study it in school, there is NO GREATER IMPACT than watching the story unfold for you in front of your eyes. I'm not saying my 6 year-old should see this film, because he has yet to develop the skills in which to understand the subject matter. However, my 14 year-old is certainly old enough to attend. And it is not for anyone else to make these decisions for me and my family.

Oh yeah, and plenty of people took their children to see PASSION OF THE CHRIST, a film that nearly received an NC-17 for it's violence and brutality, but this was nary a problem for many parents. When I attended a showing of PASSION, more than 1/3 of the audience were under the age of 17. I guess graphic violence is okay for most moviegoers as long as we are talking about Christ at the same time.

I greatly agree that people need to take more responsibility for their own lives and for their children. Our world would be a much, much better place if we truly did what was in the best interest of our own children. Why drag these poor kids out to a late night showing of BLADE, on a Wednesday night in December (according to the original post) when these kids should be at home in BED, getting ready for school the next morning!!!

But I RESPECT the fact that we have our differences. I will respectfully say to those parents that had their kids at a screening of BLADE: TRINITY, yes, I might disagree with what you choose to let your children see. You might say that you disagree with what I choose to let my children see. I disagree with many things that have been posted here on this forum, but I will say this....

I don't believe in censorship. I may disagree with you. I may think what you say is ridiculous, but I defend to the death your RIGHT TO SAY IT.

Hello everyone,
my name is Mike Bowers and I am Vice President of Harkins Theatres. A manager at one of our theatres stumbled across this blog and brought it to MariJo (our guest services administrator), who then brought it to my attention. I appreciate the opportunity to address the concerns raised. I have read with great interest the spirited discussion, and I see that everyone is struggling with the same issues with which we as theatre operators struggle.

Harkins Theatres is a family owned company and has been since 1933. We take very seriously our mission to deliver the best movie-going experience at all times. We believe that we are entertaining our families, friends and neighbors; and approach our business with this in mind.

Harkins Theatres subscribes to the voluntary film rating system administered by the Motion Picture Association of America (as does AMC, Cinemark, Regal, and 99% of the theatres in America). We believe that it is our responsibility, to ensure to the best of our ability, that the rating restrictions are enforced at all times. The film rating board is comprised of volunteers, including parents, who rate films and provide guidance to movie-goers as to their content (information on the MPAA can be found at www.MPAA.org).

In order for a movie-goer under the age of 17 to purchase a ticket to an R-rated film at a Harkins' theatre, he/she must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. Our team members and managers are trained thoroughly on these procedures. Box office personnel are instructed to check ID, and our ticket-takers are trained to verify as the tickets come through. In addition, Harkins Theatres has created special ticket types (GC Guardian Child, GA Guardian Adult) to enable us to quickly identify a movie-goer under 17 attending an R-rated film without parent or adult accompaniment. When a parent buys a ticket for their child to an R-rated film, the child is give a ticket that reads "GC". This assists the managers when they approach a movie-goer under 17 attending an R-rated performance unescorted. This is important as many times children of a certain age attending a movie with their parent will sit separately.

Occasionally, we will hear from guests that are disturbed by seeing movie-goers under 17 in R-rated films under any circumstance. Unfortunately, not all parents are as concerned or involved in the development of their children as any of us would like them to be. I have at times marveled at the selfishness of some parents who would subject their young children to what I believe to be completely inappropriate content because they themselves wanted to see the movie. Harkins Theatres however cannot take on the role of parent for them. What I believe as a father of three (ages 9, 9, and 11), to be appropriate violent or sexual content for my children, may differ greatly from what another parent would approve of for their children. This specific concern is what lead me to create an alternative for parents wanting to view a R-rated movie, the Harkins PlayCenter. This is an on-site playcenter for children ages approximately 3 to 8. Children are checked in to our facility where there are games, books, popcorn, crafts, and of course movies. The parent and the child are given matching numbered wristbands, the parent is also given a local vibrating pager; and the child is supervised by our specially trained staff in a safe, secure, fun environment under constant video surveillance. At only $6 per 3 to 4 hour movie period, we lose money on this effort, but we believe it is worth the investment

We can also make our best efforts to provide information and enforce our stated policies. We cannot always stop a determined 15 year old from circumventing our systems by sneaking around in to the wrong auditorium; however, we should be expected to not sell him or her a ticket. With a young work force of typically high school age employees, I cannot say that we never fall short, but I can say that we make every effort to ensure that any shortcomings will be addressed swiftly.

I had our staff research the specific circumstances in the original posting. As it happens, this performance was an advance private screening held by New Line Pictures. These types of screenings occur when a movie studio rents our auditorium and distributes the tickets through direct mail, radio stations, newspaper contests or other means. With the state of film pirating these days, the studios are very vigilant in their efforts to keep copies of their films from appearing on the web. This is why it was noticed that New Line had hired so much extra security for their event. These screenings are booked by the studio and usually managed by a local agency. The studio then is responsible to determine and manage their invited guests. Although the agency and radio stations have assured us that they did make the age restriction clear, It appears from the first hand reports in the above post that they did not properly follow these guidelines. Regardless of whether or not this was a Harkins Theatres event, we recognize that it will perceived as our responsibility. We accept this and have had communication with the agency and the studio to make them aware of the reported lapse. We have also discussed this with our local management team. I would also like to extend our apologies and ensure everyone that we will make every effort to see that this reported problem is not repeated.

The Harkins Bricktown 16 is the first Harkins' theatre to open outside our home state of Arizona. We are extremely committed to ensuring that the core philosophies that have brought us so much success for the last 71 years, are consistently evident in this location. If every you feel that we are falling short of our mission, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. Matt Foss is the theatre's General Manager and can be reached at 405-231-4747, or feel free to contact MariJo Perez at 480-627-7777. Thank you again for the opportunity to address your concerns, and I hope to see you at the movies soon.

-Mike Bowers

It's pretty coolto get a reply from someone at Harkins, but I do have one question for Mike Bowers. You said that an agency and radio station "did not properly follow" the R-Rated guidlelines. I have attended a few of these advance showings of movies and it seems to me that the person responsible for taking tickets is the person responsible for checking ID's. So my question to Mr. Bowers is this...who takes the tickets for these showings at your theatres? Is it these agencies or radio stations or is it YOUR employees? If it is your employees, then it really isn't fair of you to place the blame off on to other people. And yes, the age restriction is clearly posted on the tickets that you win. Besides, how can anyone really know if people really checked to see if the "under 17" portion of this movie audience were or were not with persons OVER the age of 17 (a parent or guardian as defined by the MPAA guidelines). Unless you stood and watched people as they presented tickets, you have no way to make a blanket statement that these kids came in without the proper adult escort. And let's use some common sense here...no children under the age of 8 (this is what the person in the original post said...kids under the age of 8) made it to the theatre on their own.

I give props to Mike Bower for his follow-up, but I think it is poor form to place the blame for this on other people when it is perhaps his employees responsibility to take tickets from patrons in the first place. Maybe the real "lapse" here occurs at the box office when the free passes are presented. Just a thought....

Thank you, Mr. Bowers for addressing this issue! I am relieved to know that your theater has such good policies. I have 2 boys, age 4 & 2. I personally would not let my child see The Passion of Christ or Blade until they are at least 17 (hopefully older).

I was very disturbed to see young children in the theater that night and when I say young I mean 2 to 8 years old. The 2 yr. old girl sat behind us and cried at all the scary, bloody parts of the movie. Her mother never took her out of the theater or tried to soothe her. I felt sorry for the little girl and was amazed that someone could be that selfish. It is the fault of the parent for taking a child that young (it shows their values).

But I think that society has specific rules because of people like that and when a parent isn't doing a good job, then it is society's job to help that parent. A graphic movie affects a child in more ways than we can understand. I for one don't want that to be OK .