'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Regal CEO Eduardo Acuna recently suggested that people should be allowed to text and smoke in movie halls. While speaking at the CinemaCon on April 3, 2025, in a panel assembled by Puck News journalist Matthew Belloni, Acuna was asked about his stance on "free-for-all theaters." In response, he said:
“I’ve heard that we should bring back younger audiences by having texting auditoriums, and that we should sell weed in our theaters, and we should do all these other things… Listen, I’m not saying we’re never gonna test it. We should test everything!
A post about Acuna's remarks was uploaded on X on April 6, 2025, by @raphousetv2. Netizens mostly criticized his suggestion. One even sarcastically said that they should make a good movie instead. The X user wrote:
“How bout a good movie? Art is dead.”
Others also echoed the same sentiment. One said that the movie industry is dying, while another user remarked that they don't want to go to a theatre where people can smoke or text.
“No. PLEASE! Why tf would me or any children in my family wanna be sitting around smoking in a theater?” asked one user.
“Hollywood doesn't make good movies anymore. That is the biggest issue,” one user commented.
“Movie industry is definitely dying,” one suggested.
Some netizens supported the Regal CEO. While some welcomed the idea of allowing smoking in theatres, another group sided with the idea of texting.
“I’m with the smoking in theaters. People already text,” wrote one user.
“Don’t support texting but we should consider letting people smoke,” another one echoed the idea.
“YES U DEFINITELY SHOULD LET PEOPLE SMOKE AND ITS LEGAL IN CERTAIN STATES THAT WILL HAVE PPL COME TO THE MOVIES HIGH WATCHING THAT BIG A*S SCREEN OR SH*T IN 3 D LOL,” one excited user said.
Regal CEO Eduardo Acuna opened up about the 45-day movie window at CinemaCon
On April 3, 2025, the final day of CinemaCon Regal, CEO Eduardo Acuna also talked about the issue of the 45-day theatrical window at the CinemaCon. Besides Eduardo Acuna, the panel hosted for Cinema United included Neon C.E.O. Tom Quin, NBC Universal chairman of worldwide distribution Peter Levinsohn, and F1 filmmaker Joseph Kosinski.
Belloni further questioned why Acuna doesn't allegedly reject a studio's films until they establish a 45-day buffer as the norm. The Regal CEO replied:
"In my life, I don’t think I have ever said to any studio, 'I will not play your movie.' I hope it doesn’t get to that, but I do think there’s momentum for a 45-day window."
As per a report by IndieWire, he said in the same panel:
"Let's not jeopardize the long-term health of the industry for a short term gain."
Elsewhere in the interview, the Regal CEO added:
"We have argued for breaks when the window is shorter, and we’ve had it sometimes. But I would actually be opposed to that, because I’m worried that we’re training our customers to know that the movie’s out at home very soon."
Puck News' Matthew Belloni further said that another area that reportedly requires improvement is marketing, which includes fewer pre-show advertisements, shorter, higher-quality trailers, and improved in-theater advertising.
Meanwhile, as of now, the Regal CEO hasn't responded to the online reactions to his remarks.
