York Theatre Will Ban Kids Under 6 From R-Rated Films, Even With a Parent

Classic Cinemas, the parent company of the York Theatre in Elmhurst, announced two new policies to reduce the number of children attending R-rated movies.

Starting Friday, March 2:

• Children under the age of 6 will no longer be permitted to R-rated features at any time, even when accompanied by a parent or guardian.
• The applicable general admission ticket for ages 6-11 will be charged for all R-rated features.

The management, in an email to subscribers, said the new policies are being implemented to “foster a distraction-free environment."

“By eliminating the discounted child ticket we hope to further encourage a mature movie-going atmosphere for films that are geared to an older audience,” said Chris Johnson, one of the owners of Classic Cinemas, in the email.

“We struggled with this decision as our intent is not to dictate family values or determine what is appropriate for children,” Johnson said in his statement. “However, enough children become bored during R-rated features and subsequently disrupt fellow guests that we felt this change was necessary. We hope you see this as a small but positive step toward achieving a more enjoyable movie-going experience.”

Classic Cinemas own and operate 13 theaters including Charlestowne 18 in St. Charles, the Lake Theatre in Oak Park and Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove. The company, based in Downers Grove, is family-owned and run by Willis, Shirley and Chris Johnson.