It’s become almost a cliché to say that mobile is having a seismic impact on all of technology and that no vertical right now is feeling it more than retail. But every now and then, an example illustrates what a complete reversal in thinking mobile is causing.

Take recent comments from the CEO of movie theater chain AMC Entertainment. In an attempt to get younger people back into movie theaters, Adam Aron told Variety that he wants to reverse a long-held position and welcome mobile devices. To say that this is industry heresy is an understatement.

“When you tell a 22-year-old to ‘turn off the phone, don’t ruin the movie,’ they hear ‘Please cut off your left arm above the elbow.’ You can’t tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone. That’s not how they live their life,” Aron said. When asked if he would simply make certain areas of a theater texting-friendly, he said, “That’s one possibility. What may be more likely is we take specific auditoriums and make them more texting-friendly.”

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