AMC Cinemas have issued a statement to clarify that they will not be allowing texting in their cinema after a number of reports that they were considering a move to allow cinema-goers use their phones. 

Ahead of a merger between the AMC Entertainment group and the Carmike cinema chain, which would see the new entity becoming the world's largest cinema operator, CEO Adam Aron told Variety that:

"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."

He added that they may look at taking "specific auditoriums and make them more texting friendly", which got a lot of attention online. 

Many cinema fans were not happy about the move, and it seems that the backlash did not go unheard in the offices of AMC, as they moved to release a statement on Friday backtracking on the suggestion from their CEO.

"Unlike the many AMC advancements that you have applauded," read the statement "we have heard loud and clear that this is a concept our audience does not want. In this age of social media, we get feedback from you almost instantaneously and as such, we are constantly listening. Accordingly, just as instantaneously, this is an idea that we have relegated to the cutting room floor".

NO TEXTING AT AMC. Won't happen. You spoke. We listened. Quickly, that idea has been sent to the cutting room floor. pic.twitter.com/JR0fo5megR

— AMC Theatres (@AMCTheatres) 15 April 2016

In order for it to remain perfectly clear, they stated that there would be "NO TEXTING ALLOWED in any of the auditoriums at AMC Theatres. Not today, not tomorrow and not in the foreseeable future".