Gangnam Cinema Turns into Raw Fish Smell Restaurant... "Munching While Watching Avatar 2" Outrage

Netizens Debate "It's Rude" vs "Too Sensitive"
Outside Food Allowed in Movie Theaters Since 2008
Complaints Often Arise Over Eating Noise and Smell

The movie 'Avatar: The Way of Water' attracted nearly 2 million viewers during its second weekend after release, surpassing a cumulative audience of 5.5 million.

Among them, a story was shared about a viewer who suffered from the smell throughout the screening of 'Avatar: The Way of Water' due to another audience member eating packaged raw fish at a theater in Gangnam. This story sparked a heated debate among netizens about whether eating raw fish inside the screening room is appropriate.

A scene from the movie 'Avatar 2'

On the 24th, a post titled "Experienced the worst audience disturbance at COEX Dolby Cinema" was uploaded on a movie community. Here, 'audience disturbance' is an abbreviation for audience critical behavior, referring to acts that disrupt the performance.

The author, Mr. A, watched 'Avatar: The Way of Water' at the COEX Dolby Cinema in Gangnam at around 2:35 AM that day. This theater is a special venue supporting a premium sound system and 4K resolution. However, upon entering the screening room, Mr. A complained that he could not concentrate on the movie because the audience member sitting right in front of him was eating packaged raw fish, causing the pungent smell of chojang (spicy dipping sauce) to linger throughout the film.

Mr. A said, "They even brought something like pasta or milmyeon (wheat noodles) with the chojang and slurped and smacked their lips for two hours straight," adding, "The smell of chojang permeated the theater throughout the movie's running time. I lost count of how many times I felt nauseous."

He continued, "It was amazing how they acted as if this was their own living room, eating raw fish in front of so many people despite receiving disapproving looks," and said, "I chose the early morning screening to watch quietly and even went to a theater known for being good, but I only got stressed."

The movie 'Avatar: The Way of Water' attracted nearly 2 million viewers during the second weekend after its release, surpassing a cumulative audience of 5.5 million. Photo by Yonhap News

The story soon spread to other online communities. Netizens responded with comments such as "What an eyesore," "Unbelievable," "I would have been angry too," "They should get a refund," and "There should be regulations restricting certain foods."

On the other hand, some netizens argued, "These days, theaters even sell japchae rice," "Raw fish and chojang don't have a strong smell; people are overly sensitive," and "The smell of squid sold at theaters is worse."

In the past, bringing outside food into movie theaters was prohibited. In 2008, the Fair Trade Commission judged such restrictions as unreasonable regulations and issued corrective measures, allowing outside food to be brought into theaters. However, as the variety of foods brought in increased, complaints among viewers about strong odors and eating noises have occasionally arisen.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.