Interestingly, I have the exact opposite opinion. Arthouse style movies are pretty much the only ones I will go see in theaters—if every frame is a masterpiece, it is enhanced by being in a big format, and the audience tends to be quiet.

I don’t go to the movies to hear other people, and I dislike when that happens. Alamo Drafthouse does a pretty good job keeping things quiet, and these days I pretty much refuse to go anywhere else. I don’t want to deal with other people’s noise taking me out of the zone you can get into with a really good movie.

I feel the same about plays too. Generally speaking, the best plays are when you can hear a pin drop during most of the scenes, with brief applause when appropriate.

If I wanted a bunch of audience input, I’d choose a show that was heavily geared towards that such as standup comedy or improv. Otherwise, it’s just a distraction from the artist I came to see.