Attending the cinema today can feel like a roll of the dice. You might find yourself beside someone who is scrolling through their phone or even capturing footage of the screen. Some crowds have even stirred up disturbances during films, reminiscent of the recent uproar surrounding a “chicken jockey” during Minecraft screenings. Now, a new partnership between Meta and Blumhouse — the studio known for horror hits like M3GAN and The Woman in the Yard — could be steering the movie-going experience in an even worse direction.

On April 9, Blumhouse declared its plan to re-release three of its well-known films — Annabelle, Ma, and M3GAN — as a part of its Halfway to Halloween festivity, celebrating the company’s 15 years in the industry. However, the M3GAN re-release on April 30 comes with a twist: a collaboration with Meta to introduce Movie Mate, a chatbot tailored to enrich the so-called “second-screen experience.”

Here’s how it operates: moviegoers can message the M3GAN Instagram account to activate Movie Mate, which will then provide live trivia, behind-the-scenes insights, and exclusive content during the film. This feature aims to generate excitement for the upcoming sequel, M3GAN 2.0, but in reality, it seems to endorse phone usage during movies — a significant disruption to the shared theater experience.

Setting aside the irony of unveiling an AI chatbot for a film about a deadly AI doll, Movie Mate appears to be a misguided concept. The enchantment of visiting the theater lies in becoming absorbed in the film alongside an audience. Promoting phone engagement during movies — even if limited to certain screenings — conveys the notion that such behavior is permissible. It is not. No one wants their viewing experience marred by the light of a nearby screen or someone tapping away to find trivia. That’s reserved for the credits — and post-film Google searches.

Ultimately, the second-screen experience is best suited for home, not within a dim theater where everyone aims to immerse themselves in the narrative.