The Galaxy Fandango Theatre will start a new policy that will allow minors to go to weekend movies without their parents.
Rafe Cohen, president of Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based Galaxy Theaters, said minors will be able to apply for a "Galaxy privilege pass" starting March 24.
The application will need the signature of a parent or guardian and require that minors agree to follow "basic rules of common courtesy," according to Cohen.
The passes, which can be suspended or revoked for bad behavior, will take effect April 1.
The theater had started a policy Feb. 15 that required minors to have a parent or guardian with them at movies after 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturdays.
A few teenagers had started fights or had been obnoxious during movies, General Manager Joe Williams has said, and the theater needed to do something about the situation.
Some teenagers and parents had said the rules were not fair to those who followed the rules, but some adults had said the rules allowed them to enjoy a movie.
Cohen said contrary to a report by a Reno television station, the theater did not change its policy because of any complaints.
Most minors behave themselves, he said, and the new policy is a good way to handle the situation.
"Believe me," he said, "we don't want to discourage people from coming to the movie theater. We're a business and we're out to make a profit."
