At This Movie, Their Phones Won’t Bother You. Their Barking Might.

Kab, a 2-year-old Doberman carrying a blue bandanna, is noticeably anxious.

Sometimes referred to as “cupcake,” he’s roughly the dimensions and weight of a teenage boy and has the power to match. At the second, he’s being led across the courtyard of a cinema in East London by one among his homeowners, Luisa Fulcher, to stroll off his jitters and permit for one final toilet break earlier than he and a handful of different canine settle in for one thing uncommon: their first moviegoing expertise.

Last weekend, Curzon Cinemas, a series with 16 places in Britain, started permitting canine to attend choose film screenings with their homeowners, beginning with “Strays,” an expletive-laden, live-action comedy that follows a bunch of canine (voiced by actors together with Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx) that unite to hunt revenge on an proprietor.

London is a paradise for pooches, that are often discovered on the ft of their homeowners at eating places, pubs, on trains and in lots of different public locations. Movie theaters could also be subsequent to welcome canine, thanks partially to the pandemic.

In Britain, which has a inhabitants of about 67 million individuals, there are an estimated 11 million pet canine, in response to a report this yr by the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, a veterinary charity. Pet possession surged through the pandemic, and now that staff are being inspired to return to the workplace, some pets and their homeowners are fighting the transition.

“A lot of people got dogs during the pandemic, and they want to come and see a film with their dog,” mentioned Jake Garriock, the pinnacle of publicity at Curzon. He mentioned the brand new screenings had been half of a bigger program designed to let clients watch movies in ways in which greatest go well with them, similar to screenings for infants that function lowered quantity and elevated lighting.

For now, Curzon is permitting canine of any breed at just one screening every week, at solely one of many chain’s London places, mentioned Mr. Garriock. (And no, separate tickets should not required for canine.) They’re not allowed on the seats, and their homeowners should clear up any accidents.

Curzon just isn’t alone in welcoming canine. Picturehouse Cinemas, one other British chain, has supplied pup-friendly screenings since 2015, and there are quite a few impartial film theaters in Britain that achieve this. (Most cinemas, nevertheless, permit solely service canine.)

Back exterior the theater, Ms. Fulcher mentioned she had introduced a bone for Kab, who was now whimpering for consideration and playfully leaping on this reporter.

“I think that it’s a great idea because nowadays pets are part of the family,” she mentioned of the theater’s new screenings. “They are not just pets anymore. It’s like your little baby.”

For different canine homeowners, the screenings present a brand new freedom. Ziad Dajani mentioned he and his associate had not been to the films collectively in 4 years due to Tarçin, their 8-year-old Australian Labradoodle, who suffers from separation anxiousness. “We’re his hostages, basically,” Mr. Dajani mentioned. “So we can’t leave him alone for a minute. Someone has to be with him all the time.”

Standing in line to buy snacks for the screening had been just a few different canine homeowners, together with Rebecca Minty and her daughter. With them was Lottie, who was mendacity on the ground and never notably bothered by something or anybody. Ms. Minty mentioned Lottie, a 7-year-old working cocker spaniel who doesn’t work, was taken on a long term earlier than coming to the theater in an effort to maintain her calm.

Inside, the screening was like another, apart from the rustling of collars and the occasional bark. The film’s sound stage was additionally dialed again.

“It’s vital that cinemas reduce the sound at dog-friendly screenings, otherwise the volume could cause them distress and even pain,” Dr. Katherine Polak, a veterinarian and a vp at Humane Society International, mentioned in a press release. “In principle, it’s similar to cinemas that offer baby-friendly screenings that also reduce sound and accept that some level of disruption is likely.”

Paget Fulcher, Kab’s different proprietor, mentioned after the screening that Kab had behaved nicely regardless of the challenges. “Most of the time, he was laying down on the ground, playing with a toy that we brought for him,” he mentioned. “It was all good. Nothing bad happened. I think we’re very happy with how it went.”

A canine’s conduct at dwelling affords clues as to how the animal may deal with a film screening, in response to Graeme Hall, a British canine coach often known as “The Dogfather” who hosts the Netflix present “Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly.”

“Some dogs seem to like watching the television, and some dogs don’t notice,” mentioned Mr. Hall, who suggested monitoring a canine for indicators of stress, together with making sounds, yawning, licking their lips and pinning again their ears.

He additionally mentioned canine take their cues from their homeowners. “We know for a fact that dogs are constantly looking at our facial expressions and body language, the little sounds we make, even our breathing patterns,” he mentioned. “If you’re having a good time, there’s a very good chance that your dog will pick up on that.”

Mr. Garriock acknowledged that not everybody may get pleasure from going to a film with canine within the viewers.

“Obviously, there’s plenty of screenings where they won’t be interrupted by dogs,” he mentioned. “If you like cats, then you can head to one of the other screenings.”