Video of Emiratis arguing in the cinema goes viral

A video of two Emirati men getting into a war of words over cinema etiquette has been viewed more than 250,000 times since being uploaded on YouTube two weeks ago.

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DUBAI // A video of Emirati men arguing over cinema etiquette has been viewed more than 250,000 times since it was uploaded on YouTube two weeks ago.

The video, titled Two Locals Fighting in the Cinema, is shot in Dubai.

It begins by introducing viewers to an actor who is sitting down to watch a film among an unsuspecting audience.

As the movie begins, the actor answers his mobile, very loudly, much to the chagrin of those around him.

His conversation gets louder and more animated and an Emirati man sitting behind him asks him to take the call elsewhere.

Ignoring the young man, the actor continues with his call. Eventually, the man asks him to leave.

“Friend, the movie has started, please hang up the phone,” he says, as the actor asks why he should end the conversation.

The actor stands up and says nobody will miss anything, before picking up a remote control and pointing it at the screen. The movie pauses.

As the audience stares in confusion, the actor says he will play the movie back for everyone.

The video is an advertisement for Pause Live TV, part of Etisalat's eLife TV package.

The movie restarts, the audience applauds and the ad ends with the actor shaking hands with the man behind him. Although staged, the situation hit close to home for some people who commented on the video.

“They didn’t need an actor, this happens every time I go to the cinema,” said one viewer. Another said: “Funny ad, but how annoying. It happens all the time in the cinema except no one pauses the film.”

zalhassani@thenational.ae