If you're focusing all your attention on watching a movie, I don't see how subtitles are remotely distracting. Both the words and everything on the screen should fall well within the range of your vision--and dialog tends to reduce during action scenes anyway.
I have no problem watching subs and vastly prefer them to dubs on most occasions. For one things, subs can be (but aren't necessarily) closer to the original script. Dubs need to be adapted for lip syncing. For another, delivery changes. Lots of people bring up anime. Well, Japanese sounds very different than English. What sounds good in Japanese might not necessarily sound good in my native language, which leads to awkward exclamations, etc. Different languages express ideas differently, and good shows and movies are all about ideas. If I can hear an idea expressed as originally intended, it does a great deal to connect me to the characters, story, and world.
Also, if I'm watching a movie or show that takes place in a different country with a different language, why on earth would I want to hear it in English? I wasn't too fond of The Passion of the Christ, but listening to Aramaic, a language I rarely get to hear, was fascinating and, along with the timely sets and visuals, was a highlight of the movie. Apocalypto is one of my favorite action films, in part because, however fictional its universe, it feels authentic. Again, language played into that. I wish more studios would take Mel Gibson's lead and actually film movies in native languages, even when they don't have to.
There are exceptions. I'll admit I've actively chosen dubs over subs several times because I like multitasking. I'll often watch movies or shows while playing video games, and that's much harder to do when you have to deal with reading something on-screen. It's the reason I might put off watching foreign films I really want to see.
I also prefer the 4kids dub of the early seasons of Pokemon because, even though it's arguably worse than Japanese version, it's what I grew up with. It's almost an entirely different show for it, which would probably explain why I like it. I also prefer the dub of Cowboy Bebop--it's better, though I can't explain why.
These are exceptions, though, and I submit that as a rule, subs are generally better because they allow translated material to adhere more closely to the original product. This doesn't always happen. In fact, I would go so far as to say that many translations, dub or sub, can end up so different from the source material that they're another product entirely, an adaptation (this is the case with early seasons of Pokemon). Adaptations are rarely as good as the original work of art, for which the creators invested more resources and time. In my experience, this happens less with subs, and the simple fact that I am able to hear the original delivery makes for one less barrier between myself and the source material.
TLDR: Subs are probably better than dubs as a whole, circumstantial personal preference be damned.
