I was told to be quiet during the credits of a movie — am I wrong?

Have you ever been shushed during the credits of a movie? I have. So let’s talk about movie theater etiquette.

Earlier this year, I went to the Academy Museum in Los Angeles for a screening of Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival. (Great movie!) But even before it even started — there weren’t any commercials, since this was a museum; we were just sitting in a theater with all the lights still on — the guy in front of me turned around and passive-aggressively said, “Wow, I can hear everything you’re saying!”

Cut to the end of the movie. The credits rolled, everyone clapped, and then people in the theater started talking about what they just saw. “Did you like it?” “The spaceship kinda looked like a big rock, didn’t it?” “How about that twist?” You know, the usual. My friend started talking to me as well.

That’s when Passive-Aggressive Moviegoer’s partner turned around. “Can you be quieter?” My friend stopped talking completely because she felt awkward. I came to her defense. “You can keep talking. It’s OK, it’s the credits.” Passive-Aggressive Moviegoer wouldn’t have it. He stood up and began berating my friend. There was a full wagging of his finger as he said something like, “You come to the theater to be quiet! Be silent! Be silent! Give it respect!” Yadda yadda yadda.

Look, I hate people talking during movies. I respect cinema. My friends and I were dead silent during the film (pre-credits, at least). I don’t even like it if a friend tries to quip to me during a movie. I will simply look at them, give a half-assed smile, and then ignore them.

So is talking during the credits OK or not? Look, if this were the premiere of Arrival, I wouldn’t have been yapping during the credits. But if you’re reading this, Passive-Aggressive Moviegoer at that Arrival screening: “No, YOU shut up.” You don’t own the space. We weren’t yelling, or speaking louder than anyone else in the theater; we were just sitting near you. And if you really wanna watch credits in dead silence, watch the movie at home, dude.