Illinois theater owner limits teens' access

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The only noise in the Parkway Pointe Cinema lobby on a recent October afternoon was the sound of popping corn. Last winter, gunshots echoed and patrons scrambled as feuding teenagers fired at one another.

An 18-year-old was shot in the hip, customers got jittery and Tony Kerasotes got tough.

First, the chief executive officer of Kerasotes Theatres began delaying the openings of films he believed could draw troublemakers -- beginning in January with the PG-13 "Stomp the Yard," an uplifting story about dancing black college fraternities. When community members complained and charged racism, it got national attention.

Now, Kerasotes has begun banning children younger than 17 from late-night Friday and Saturday showings unless they're with a parent, in an effort to stop disruptive behavior.

"I have to consider the long-term viability of my business, which is the comfort and safety of my customers and their ability to enjoy a movie," Kerasotes said.

His tactics are unorthodox. And he's discouraging some of his more loyal patrons.

"You want to see movies on Friday and Saturday nights," said 18-year-old Britany Negron, who's not affected by the adults-only policy but sympathizes with her younger friends. "Some of us don't get off work until 9 o'clock."

Theaters nationwide have tried the no-children approach for a variety of reasons, said Patrick Corcoran, spokesman for the National Association of Theatre Owners. Some want to serve alcohol, he said. Sometimes having teens at mall-based theaters after closing time makes mall owners nervous.

"Too many kids hanging out, and people get worried," Corcoran said.

Kerasotes, whose chain operates more than 800 movie screens, has tackled the issue head-on wherever he sees a problem -- even if his methods draw criticism.

Teens under 18 in Cicero, Ill., and South Bend, Ind., are not admitted to movies without parents unless they attend a 10-minute "code of conduct" presentation, verified by an ID they must show.

Cicero's population is largely Latino, and some residents believed he was targeting them, but Kerasotes said he aims the policy at areas "where we've had persistent gang problems, or expect gang problems."

Likewise, delaying a movie takes the "edge" off a hyped film, lowering excitement and chance for violence, Kerasotes said.

When "Resident Evil: Extinction" took in $24 million nationally in its opening weekend, Kerasotes wouldn't show it in Springfield. That meant it wasn't available anywhere in town because his chain owns every theater.

The weeklong delay came after minors complained when they were denied entrance weeks earlier to the R-rated "Halloween" and "didn't go away quietly," Kerasotes said.

Perhaps his most controversial move was delaying opening "Stomp the Yard" in Springfield after the Christmas Day shooting, fearing it would invite violence because it "would draw that audience."

Springfield's branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People criticized him sharply. The shooting involved black men but took place at a showing of "Black Christmas," a horror movie with a predominantly white cast. An 18-year-old man was charged with armed violence and other offenses in the incident, but authorities later dropped the allegations.

And while the movie was only held up two days, the incident was reported across the country.

A Pensacola, Fla., columnist called Kerasotes bigoted and sarcastically suggested a dance contest might break out. "Maybe he was afraid he'd walk in during the battle and attempt to throw down with his own moves, only to end up getting served," Chemarryn Thornton wrote.

Kerasotes says his decision to halt "Stomp" was based on gang concerns, not race.

Ken Page, president of Springfield's NAACP, said Kerasotes officials didn't understand what "Stomp" was about. But he said they were responsive once his group complained, and believes they will be more cautious about making similar decisions in the future.

Kerasotes says his adult-friendly policy -- anyone younger than 17 who doesn't have a parent along is barred from films that begin at 9 p.m. or later on Fridays and Saturdays -- is an experiment.

It began last month in four theaters in Springfield, population 115,000, and at seven others in Illinois, Indiana and Colorado after adult customers asked for time alone in theaters, Kerasotes said.

Although last year's shooting factored into his decision to try it, it's more an attack on teens who have a "different culture of moviegoing," text-messaging or conversing aloud with friends while the reels roll, Kerasotes says.

Retired school teachers Shirley Wilson and Jackie Graham, heading to see "The Jane Austen Book Club" in Springfield, said they don't believe the practice is unfair.

"Not if there are other choices for them," Wilson says.

There are, Kerasotes says. Each film plays 21 to 35 times per week. "Our policy affects two. I don't think there's much to give up," he says.

John Millner, a juvenile justice expert and former Elmhurst, Ill., police chief, says the idea could build peer pressure against troublemakers.

"Maybe this will wake them up," says Millner, now a Republican state senator.

"I see why they have it because certain teens do disrupt movies, but it depends on the situation," says Samantha Motley, a 15-year-old attending "Resident Evil" at Parkway Pointe with her parents and brother.

Her parents see downsides. Debbie Motley says kids will be out late on weekends anyway. If they're not at the movies, where will they be?

Don Motley objects to the other Kerasotes practice of late.

"It's probably taking it to the extreme by postponing the opening day of a show," he says.