Re:Yes! (Score 1)

Other people have not mastered that skill. If people would keep their cellphones on quiet and leave the theatre to check them, there wouldn't be this problem.

Technology exists, though, to allow calls only to someone who has pre-registered and perhaps signed a declaration to accept whatever hefty consequences if their phone rings audibly or they answer there and then. Consequences could include things like loss of a substantial deposit, barring from the service in future etc. Since people would pay for pre-registration (if you're not willing to pay, you've made the judgement that the 2 hour wait isn't worth the money) this would seem to be good for everyone.

However, even with jammers, its easy to give the babysitter the number at the theatre in case there is an emergency.

At a restaurant I know this can be done. However, I've never heard of anyone successfully phoning a cinema and being able to get a message to someone watching a film. The cinema generally has no way of finding them without going to the extreme of halting the film and making an announcement- and I don't think anyone would do that. Or want that. The only case I've seen anything like that was a cinema at a holiday camp where there was a messageboard next to the screen, but that was quite distracting.