Man beaten after telling cinemagoers to shush

A man who asked people in a cinema to be quiet was beaten up by the noisy moviegoers in the underground car park after the film, his wife has claimed.

On Sept 8, a netizen by the name Cookie Gu, who declined to disclose her real name, and her husband went to Jinyi Cinema on Jinshajiang Road in Putuo district, Shanghai, to watch the US thriller Expendables 2.

"A man in a blue T-shirt took the seat to the left of my husband 15 minutes after the movie started, and started to speak and make noises," Gu said.

When Gu's husband asked the man and his friends to be quiet, he replied: "It's none of your business".

When the movie finished, the man and his friends - another man and two women - followed Gu and her husband to the underground park and attacked them.

Gu said she and her husband were kicked and beaten on the head and chest, resulting in multiple injuries, including temporary hearing loss and mild concussion.

Gu posted on micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo asking for witness to the attack and information about the attackers. She also called for more awareness and respect for order and discipline in cinemas.

The Putuo police said on its micro blog that they are investigating the case, and promised to catch the suspects as soon as possible.

Gu said the police have collected information from the film ticketing agency in an attempt to identify the suspects.

"We are sorry for what's happened, but the fight occurred in the building's underground car park, and we couldn't help with that," said the cinema manager surnamed Cai. "We remind audiences using different methods to remain quiet and not to cause a disturbance during the show, but it's hardly possible to keep perfect order - for one thing, you often hear a telephone ringing in the cinema," Cai told China Daily, revealing only her first name.

Gu and her husband's experience attracted wide sympathy from netizens. Many expressed their annoyance at uncivilized behavior in public cinemas. Zhejiang-based Qianjiang Evening News made a list of things that annoy movie audiences. Talking loudly on the phone, chatting loudly, and consuming snacks with a strong smell topped the list.