(STUDY FINDS) — You might want to think twice before going to the movies on date night. A new study reveals that movie theater seats are harboring thousands of bacteria colonies, including mold.
So just how bad is the problem? According to the UK-based study, commissioned by online casino Betway, movie theater seats and cup holders are breeding grounds for significantly more bacteria than the average toilet seat. The analysis, involving swab tests on these surfaces, aims to bring to light the microbial world thriving in the dark corners of movie theaters.
The research indicates a staggering presence of 1,864 bacteria colonies on an average movie theater seat, dwarfing the 135 colonies typically found on toilet seats by 14 times. This revelation suggests that the nearly 7.3 billion tickets expected to be sold in movie theaters worldwide in 2024 could contribute to an environment ripe for bacteria proliferation. The variation in cleanliness among different theaters and seat materials was noted, with the dirtiest seat harboring up to 3,000 colonies and the cleanest at just 80, making it considerably less contaminated than a toilet seat.
