COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — A Collier County man is concerned over an incident at a North Naples movie theater after someone complained that his son - who has special needs - was making too much noise.
Matt Francis said that his six-year-old son Jude was excited about seeing the movie "Avengers: Endgame" - so they went to see it Friday at Silverspot Cinema.
"About a third of the way into the movie, I took (Jude) to go to the restroom," Francis recalled. "When we came back, a manager was standing there and immediately offered us tickets to another showing."
He said he was told that someone in the theater complained about too much noise coming from where he and his family were sitting. Francis concedes that while Jude did make some comments during the film, he doesn't believe that it was loud or disruptive.
He said Silverspot's offer of tickets to a different showing made he and his family feel unwelcome.
"For somebody with a disability, it magnifies it that much more," Francis said.
When Fox 4 reached out to Silverspot Cinema for comment, they emailed the following statement:
"We regret the recent incident that occurred with the Francis family at our theater. It has always been our policy to provide our guests with the most comfortable movie-going experience. After receiving several complaints from guests within the theater, we politely asked the Francis family to lower the noise level. At no time was the family ever asked to leave. In addition to providing them with a full refund, we have also offered to have them return as our guests and will ensure they, as with all who visit our theaters, are treated with open arms."
