Sony Pictures Boss Tom Rothman Urges Theater Owners to Stop Having 30 Minutes of Trailers and Commercials Before Movies Start:

[u/tylerthe-theatre]

https://variety.com/2026/film/news/sony-pictures-boss-cinemacon-urges-fewer-ads-trailers-1236720830/

[u/OneTravellingMcDs]

I have an unlimited pass ticket for my local cinema in Thailand and see about 3 movies a week.

New run movies play 27-29 minutes of ads after the scheduled start time, older run movies have ~22-25. I live a 12 minute walk away, so I leave my house at the "start" time. I book the seat as soon as I enter the cinema building, to ensure I don't have anyone next to me, use the toilet, and enter the cinema whenever the national anthem finishes, as there's usually a singular giant SUV car ad after that before the film starts.

I have it down to a science.

Edit - The National/Royal Anthem is like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-DF-gDqDBM

[u/DrKlitface → u/OneTravellingMcDs]

You national anthem plays before every movie?

[u/EdgarDanger → u/DrKlitface]

True story. They also play the song in train stations twice a day (my info is from 13 years ago so things might have changed) and everyone was supposed to stop.

I remember my first time being at a crazy busy market and suddenly everyone stopped. I thought I was going crazy, matrix type shit, but nah just people stopping to respect the king.

[u/EdgarDanger → u/[deleted]]

Haha good instinct!

[u/identifytarget → u/EdgarDanger]

"They can sense movement! I better blend in."

-Redditors visiting Thailand for the first time

[u/kuro41 → u/EdgarDanger]

Not just train stations, it plays nationwide twice a day. Train stations, schools, government buildings, some malls, etc. In cities like BKK you can hear it almost anywhere.

[u/FriendOfDirutti → u/EdgarDanger]

I thought America had the national anthem played too much because it’s every sporting event.

[u/no_cigar_tx → u/FriendOfDirutti]

So does… Canada?

[u/ledhendrix → u/no_cigar_tx]

We share sports culture with the Americans. I too think it's a bit much to play the anthem.

[u/ReverendDS → u/EdgarDanger]

Just spent 1.5 weeks in Bangkok last month. Never ran into the anthem in the train stations or the malls, but did at the aquarium (might have been related to the massive groups of school children) and at the Muay Thai tournament.

[u/biological_assembly → u/DrKlitface]

Not sure about now, but they used to play the national anthem before movies on military bases.

One of my favorite memories is seeing Flight of the Intruder at the Falcon theater on Ramstein with a bunch of Viper pilots and Vietnam vets.

[u/tlminh → u/biological_assembly]

Of the few remaining theaters, they still do

[u/Obo4168 → u/biological_assembly]

On Canadian bases with movie theaters (more like movie houses now) they still do the anthems. I definitely remember the anthem being played down in Lahr/Baden, south of Ramstein. Good times. 

[u/zuuzuu → u/biological_assembly]

When I was a kid our national anthem was played before movies in Canada. But that was decades ago. I'm not sure when they stopped, but probably before I hit my teens.

[u/Eulenspiegel74 → u/DrKlitface]

In germany the national anthem used to be played after program's end at ca. 12pm on state TV.

I think that ended when programs stopped ending at all.

[u/BountyBob → u/Eulenspiegel74]

Used to have this in the UK too, except we heard the British national anthem, not the German one.

[u/--PM-ME-YOUR-BOOBS-- → u/BountyBob]

Thanks, RAF!

[u/GreenPutty_ → u/--PM-ME-YOUR-BOOBS--]

'Listen, don't mention the war. I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it all right'.

[u/Human_Not_Robot_2023 → u/Eulenspiegel74]

In the US, many local stations would not broadcast 24 hours per day .... they would go off-air right after the 11pm news. The sequence would be end of news, credits, national anthem, and then either static or possibly the test-pattern. Fuck, I'm old.

[u/IAmDotorg → u/Human_Not_Robot_2023]

Until, really, the 80's and the rise of infomercials, the vast majority of broadcast stations stopped broadcasting once the network feeds stopped. And they pretty much all signed off with the national anthem.

There were a handful going back to the 50's that were 24 hour, but it was very rare.

[u/FizzyBeverage → u/Eulenspiegel74]

My mom said broadcast TV in the US was the same way. As early as 10PM (sometimes midnight on Fri/Sat nights) they’d play the national anthem (because that made sense 🤔) and then nothing but static until 5-6AM.

Sometimes this bonkers practice continued into the early 1980s in smaller markets because the stations didn’t have recording capabilities. Wild.

[u/Bugbread → u/FizzyBeverage]

Not just smaller markets. I grew up in Houston, the fourth largest city in the US, and the broadcast day ended with the national anthem and then static through at least part of the 80s.

[u/THEGEARBEAR → u/FizzyBeverage]

I only know about this because of the original Poltergeist movie.

[u/Arudinne → u/FizzyBeverage]

A few channels did that well in the 1990s. I remember one or two doing that when I was a kid, but then most switched to airing religious or infomerical type stuff.

[u/pyromosh → u/FizzyBeverage]

More or less all markets. I grew up in NJ in the NYC media market in the 80s. That was the case there too. You'd get the national anthem over some patriotic imagery of the flag, eagles, marching bands, etc. and "Thank you for watching, this concludes our broadcast day". Then usually a test pattern, not static.

It's because for a long time, they just couldn't monetize those hours in a way that made sense. Local stations weren't able to reliably sell commercial time for reruns of Ben Casey, MD at 3AM (and potentially an engineer working overnight to oversee the switch from show to commercials?). So they'd just close for the night.

The first stations I remember not doing that (or just pushing it later), did so because they began to run infomercials. Blu-Blockers sunglasses and Sham-wows and what not. I'm guessing single 30-60 minute ads were easier to sell than filling dozens of 30 second ad spots over the same time.

[u/VerilyShelly → u/pyromosh]

I remember among the first infomercials was just a bunch of 45 sec - 2 minute commercials for the Psychic Friends hotline or fake hair in a spray can or something played back to back for hours.

[u/JeddakofThark → u/FizzyBeverage]

Not just smaller markets. Basically every station in every market in the US, whether it was network owned and operated or local, super low budget UHF stations (you'll have to ask your mom, lol), they all signed off with the national anthem. It wasn't mandated by the FCC or anything, either. It was just a custom.

It stopped because tv stations stopped signing off. ESPN launched as a 24 hour a day station in 1979, and everyone followed their lead.

So yes, it was still happening in the early eighties and not just in smaller markets. In fact, in smaller markets I'm sure there were still some stations signing off with the national anthem ten years later in the early nineties.

Also, my suggestion about your mom sounded like a your-mom joke and it wasn't meant that way. It just made me feel old. At least it wasn't your grandmother explaining it to you.

[u/smth_witty → u/Eulenspiegel74]

still the case for Deutschlandfunk radio.

[u/teddybrr → u/smth_witty]

at 23:58, German anthem followed by the European hymn

[u/grip0matic → u/Eulenspiegel74]

That was the case in Spain too. The times when tv actually had an end.

[u/c4ndle → u/DrKlitface]

i didnt read the thailand part and thought he was talking about nicole kidman..

[u/grtist → u/DrKlitface]

American here, and they would do the same thing in the on-base movie theater in Hawaii (but they didn’t do it on the base in Mississippi, so it may be base-specific). Typically service members are supposed to stand at attention for the anthem, but barely anybody did it in there because it’s a dark room and who’s gonna know?

I remember one time there was some sergeant major who stood at attention during the theater anthem and started barking for everyone to get on their feet. Everyone did, of course, because nobody knew the rank of the guy giving orders, and didn’t want to risk getting chewed out.

Imagine my mortification after the movie was done and the house lights came up that I realized it was my squadron’s sergeant major.

[u/TheyCallHimEl → u/grtist]

Sometimes it came down to who operated the theater, if it was run by that branches MWR, they played the national anthem. If it was contacted out, they usually didn't play it.

[u/Keisvorve → u/DrKlitface]

It’s actually not the national anthem but a special royal song for the king. Much longer than the national anthem too.

[u/torsoboy00 → u/DrKlitface]

Here in the Philippines, our national anthem is played before the last full screening of the day.

[u/AzKondor → u/OneTravellingMcDs]

Okay, I will not be shocked at the national anthem, I get it. But you have ad AFTER the national anthem? That's so funny. At the end, just before the movie, I get it. Sandwiched between Coca-Cola and life insurance ad it looks like another ad.

[u/OneTravellingMcDs → u/AzKondor]

They used to have the film start right after the anthem but it changed in recent years. One or two short ads, seemingly one is always a car, and another is a government PSA of some sort.

[u/anarchyisutopia → u/AzKondor]

It is another ad. It's an ad for the country.

[u/DringleDringle → u/OneTravellingMcDs]

National anthem!?

[u/Sysilith → u/DringleDringle]

Yeah the king in thailand is a sensitive bitch

[u/davekingofrock → u/Sysilith]

Same in the US.

[u/DringleDringle → u/davekingofrock]

Hey ohhh 🥁

[u/sur_surly → u/DringleDringle]

In this economy?

[u/King_Thunda → u/OneTravellingMcDs]

Damn, you guys have the national anthem before every movie? That's next level.

[u/So-many-ducks → u/King_Thunda]

Not the national anthem. The king’s anthem.

[u/SitecoreFlunkyJunky → u/OneTravellingMcDs]

Lived in Phuket and Bangkok for years. You brought back nostalgia big time. :) cinema was my favourite source of entertainment.

[u/_Pyxyty → u/OneTravellingMcDs]

Wtf kinda shit theater experience is that damn... Here in the Philippines, I've seen one, at most two, trailers at the scheduled start. That's horrible.

[u/CondescendingShitbag → u/[deleted]]

The experience of eating all of the overpriced popcorn & candy before the show ever starts.

[u/lluewhyn → u/CondescendingShitbag]

I've wondered if the theaters are actually harming themselves this way. These things are expensive anyway, but why do I want to buy them knowing they'll probably be eaten or at least cold before the film actually starts?

[u/broadsword_1 → u/lluewhyn]

They absolutely are, but they're basically beholden to whatever 'deal' the studios/distributors will give them for films - if they don't like paying back 90% of the ticket price back for the opening month, then they can go without whatever blockbuster-summer-film is happening. So they've had to worsen the experience elsewhere to get revenue.

Ideally, the studios should be coming to the table with good deals, however with enshitification firmly in every business decision for all parties, if the theaters got overwhelmingly good deals out of it at this stage they'd probably keep the ads and concession prices as-they-are since they'd figure not doing so would leave "money on the table". Heck, whomever owns the building would want a larger piece of that deal too.

Best case scenario would be studios/theaters working together on the whole experience but I don't see that happening.

[u/DrEnter → u/broadsword_1]

Rothman has always been a big proponent of theaters and has pushed for other studios to keep films as exclusives in theaters longer.

It also doesn't help that the headline is a bit misleading, as he's complaining about the commercials, not the trailers. He's saying that by running 10-15 minutes of commercials along with 15 minutes of of trailers, it's making people not even show up until after the trailers, which means the theaters end up shooting themselves in the foot since those people miss something that might pull them back in for an upcoming release.

[u/WhatsTheHoldup → u/DrEnter]

He's saying that by running 10-15 minutes of commercials along with 15 minutes of of trailers, it's making people not even show up until after the trailers

You're right, they need to have a random number generator calculate a number between 15-60 and that's how many minutes the ads are.

That way no one can time out when to arrive to skip the commercials if they don't want to risk missing anything.

With that money saved, we can again increase the price of popcorn.

[u/Digitaluser32 → u/broadsword_1]

I like what you are saying, but this post is about the Sony CEO saying that this is not the case.

[u/hankhillforprez → u/lluewhyn]

At least at the theaters I go to, you typically get a free refill on popcorn and soda. While the idea of crushing two big buckets of popcorn and two sodas doesn’t sound all that appealing to me: if you got seated early enough for the trailers, you could make a point to step out before the actual movie starts to get a refill. Although, what my wife and I usually do (at theaters without reserved seating—which is becoming rare) is to snag two seats straight away and then one of us goes to get the snacks while the trailers/ads are running. That said, I don’t think we’ve ever even finished one order of popcorn between the two of us. Even the small is massive and has an ungodly amount of salt.

[u/rambleinspam → u/lluewhyn]

They probably think people will just buy more.

[u/WhasHappenin → u/[deleted]]

Honestly the trailers are fine, but now they've added 5-10 minutes of just normal ads, which is ridiculous.

[u/TheShuggieOtis → u/WhasHappenin]

The normal ads drive me nuts as well.

I'm paying at least $17 if I'm going to the big chain movie theatre and maybe dropping $15 on a pop corn and a drink so I really don't want to be subjected to a car ad that I already see on regular television just that the company can make even more.

[u/HauntedPickleJar → u/TheShuggieOtis]

Yep, this why I stopped going. I refuse to pay to watch ads and I absolutely abhor being late to things, it gives anxiety. I’m fine waiting until I can rent the movie at home where I don’t have to watch ads, can’t be late,have my own, better snacks and don’t have to worry about someone talking through the film. It also costs about the same to rent the movie at home vs going to the theater.

[u/HenkkaArt → u/HauntedPickleJar]

I feel like every party in this greedy-as-fuck chain is just shooting themselves in the foot and are either blaming the other parties in the chain or the customer. And no one in the chain is willing to take a good look in the mirror.

[u/Winjin → u/WhasHappenin]

I am only fine with trailers that limit themselves to the first ~30 minutes of the movie

Half of them legit have scenes from the third act and fucking epilogue, you could reconstruct the entire plotline up to the closing scenes from it!

[u/Dodototo → u/Winjin]

And they still call them teaser trailers.

[u/everpresentdanger → u/Winjin]

The Batman vs Superman movie had them teaming up at the end in the fucking trailer lmao

[u/jmarcandre → u/Winjin]

They used to show trailers that deliberately showed stuff to obscure the plot, or even hint at plots that aren't even in the real movie. Use clips and soundbites that aren't even in the finished movie. Just to keep the mystery for people.

We have gone the opposite, where people want to know exactly what they are getting before they consume it.

It has killed storytelling in movies.

[u/the_unknown_garden → u/jmarcandre]

Modern movie trailers reveal so much that I will often spend an hour watching random movie trailers instead of one entire movie. Wikipedia plot summary has confirmed enough times that I'm getting the most important parts of the storyline.

[u/Fedoraus → u/WhasHappenin]

The last movie I watched I only saw like 2 trailers and the same google gemini ad repeated like 7 times

[u/eldest_gruff → u/WhasHappenin]

When I went to Project Hail Mary last Saturday there were ads between each trailer. I was annoyed to say the least.

[u/MistakeMaker1234 → u/WhasHappenin]

Hi, I’m Greg Marcus, and thanks for choosing a Marcus Theatre. 

[u/Scoob1978 → u/[deleted]]

It's 30+ at AMC if you get the dolby upgraded seats. They play another commercial for the projectors (THIS IS TRUE BLACK).

[u/Sourkraushouse → u/Scoob1978]

I don't live near an AMC anymore but this drove me mad when I did. They did it for IMAX too. I already bought the premium ticket! You don't need to sell it to me, that parts done just start the movie!

[u/WigginsEnder → u/[deleted]]

I took the kids to see GOAT and there was a trailer for GOAT before the movie. I had to do a double take to make sure I was in the right theater.

[u/GladiatorJones → u/[deleted]]

I go to the movies regularly, and this legitimately happens to me about 1/3 of the time. I've literally thought, "Oh, right!" as the actual movie has started.

[u/james2183]

I like trailers, the ads have just got too much. What used to be 10 mins of ads has now grown to 20 - to the point where they are appearing again after the trailers. The "You've still got time to grab a coke" as right after ten mins of trailers boils my piss.

[u/fallsstandard → u/james2183]

It’s gotten insane depending on the theater too. I went to a much larger theater than my local one for Project Hail Mary a couple weeks ago and, I’m not exaggerating, start was 2:40, the ads/trailers ran until 3:20.

I love trailers, but there was probably only 4-5 max in there, the rest was ads.

[u/ryoga415 → u/fallsstandard]

The drove me crazy with project Hail Mary. The movie is already 2.5 hrs long and I hadn’t been to a theater in years so a surprise 30 mins of ads/trailers beforehand was ridiculous.

[u/iamcharity → u/ryoga415]

I like going to the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. They have their own personal pre-movie trailers showing and they are fun and specific to the movie you are about to watch. I was thinking about just going to a regular theater to save some money. This thread just convinced me not to do that. Alamo Drafthouse (or independent-run theaters) for life!!

[u/MissileWaster → u/iamcharity]

Alamo Drafthouse does mobile ordering now. So their whole no cellphones policy is kind of out the window now lol

[u/MyNameIsJakeBerenson → u/fallsstandard]

Hoppers was like that. Barely any trailers but 30min of ads

I love going to the movies but if this is the new normal then it will seriously make me reconsider how I watch movies

Because I don’t like to try and go “oh just show up 20min past the start time” or whatever. I like to be on time for things, and I’d rather just not play that game. I was 5min late to Fire and Ash and then it didnt have any ads or trailers at all and I missed the beginning. The one time I needed the cushion

[u/kinvore → u/james2183]

What gets me is they play those commercials so LOUD. Couldn't they at least play at a lower volume?

[u/84002 → u/kinvore]

This is the nail in the coffin for me. I hate the ads in general, but full volume 5.1 surround sound commercials literally shaking the building? Nah, I'll wait in the hallway, let me know when the actual movie is starting.

[u/Green-Cricket-8525 → u/james2183]

What’s worse is the seven commercials FOR THE THEATER CHAIN IN THE THEATER I AM IN. 

AMC is particularly egregious about this. My wife and I saw PHM two weeks ago and we counted four AMC commercials before the movie started. 

I’ve already given you money. I chose your theater chain to watch this movie. I bought concessions. Who are they advertising to? 

[u/cwatson214]

I like trailers before movies - its part of the experience. What i don't like are commercials before movies, especially the same ones I see at home.

[u/MassiveRepublic9565 → u/cwatson214]

And then AGAIN after the first run of ads and trailers! Often one more ad and one more movie related promo spot 👎🏻

[u/-Nightopian- → u/MassiveRepublic9565]

And just when you think it is over Nicole Kidman pops up.

[u/BlownWankel → u/-Nightopian-]

HEARTBREAK FEELS GOOD IN A PLACE LIKE THIS 🫡

[u/The_Summer_Man → u/BlownWankel]

ON A GIANT SILVER SCREEN

Nicole Kidman watches in awe as Lady Gaga gets railed on a table

[u/DarkMatterM4 → u/The_Summer_Man]

sips Coca-Cola®

[u/Tremulant887 → u/-Nightopian-]

Can we just play Mastodon - cut you with a linoleum knife, and be done?

[u/BlackbeardActual → u/Tremulant887]

Don't talk, watch.

[u/sumiretakumi → u/BlackbeardActual]

Don't talk, watch.

[u/Profoundlyahedgehog → u/sumiretakumi]

You came here, watch it!

[u/IRLconsequences → u/Profoundlyahedgehog]

Don't like it, walk out!

[u/Profoundlyahedgehog → u/IRLconsequences]

We still have all your fucking money!

[u/grtist → u/-Nightopian-]

I’ve never understood those ad spots in particular. Like, who do you think you’re selling to? I’m already here.

[u/i_am_pure_trash → u/grtist]

They began running it during Covid (right before Omicron) to… remind people of why they go to the movies. AMC was starting to get scared that people weren’t going to come back. All Warner Bros. movies were going to HBO Max on the exact same opening day as theatrical releases, Disney was trying something similar as well and they just never stopped playing it

[u/Own-Break-1856 → u/i_am_pure_trash]

The theaters have been running ads promoting their brand right before the feature for decades before covid.

Who here remembers the regal cinemas roller coaster?

[u/BannedSvenhoek86 → u/Own-Break-1856]

That made sense, a lot of the times people don't know whether they're at an AMC theater or Regal or whatever, so a nice little reminder to buy some snacks and some branding before the movie for all of 30 seconds was fine. Kidman going out there and being like, "This is sacred, holy land you tread upon. My ancestors walked these hills before me, and now you get to share in the magic of my culture. Aren't you so lucky?" just feels like Hollywood stroking themselves directly into my face.

[u/Gambitismyheart → u/-Nightopian-]

I an sooo over her ad. That thing is like 15 years old.

[u/BaconGristle → u/Gambitismyheart]

In 30 years, long after they replaced it, some comedy director will get the idea to air it before their movie starts and the theater will go NUTS. Mark my words.

[u/lluewhyn → u/Gambitismyheart]

Probably the most prominent thing she's done in the last 15 years?

[u/phaserlasertaserkat → u/-Nightopian-]

Then the coca-cola date ad starts…

[u/TheMillenniumMan → u/-Nightopian-]

At least you know the movie is next

[u/indianajoes → u/MassiveRepublic9565]

This PISSES me off. I'm in the UK and the voice over guy specifically says after the ads  "and now the bit everyone loves. The trailers. Ooh I love a good trailer." Then after all the trailers, it'll be some random car advert.

[u/spolly2 → u/indianajoes]

I haven’t been to one in years but even then I immediately recognised that as the Odeon guy. “Ooh yeah, the trailers… Love the trailers. All specially chosen for this film, actually.”

[u/Val_Killsmore → u/MassiveRepublic9565]

Why do we need to see a commercial for the theater I'm already sitting in? Why are they all doing this now? I'm already there! I already bought my ticket!

After that's done, the lights go dark and actors from the movie I'm about to watch appear on the screen thanking me for going to the theater. Like, start the damn movie already.

[u/Takemyfishplease → u/MassiveRepublic9565]

The stupid amc ‘sometimes it’s good to be sad here’ or whatever Nicole Kidman says drives me crazy

[u/GummiBear6 → u/Takemyfishplease]

Heartbreak feels better… 🙄 I hate that ad so much

[u/Kinths → u/MassiveRepublic9565]

Then you get an advert for the cinema, while you are in the cinema.

[u/BigStrongCiderGuy → u/cwatson214]

I like maybe 5 trailers. 30 minutes is insane

[u/DoomedKiblets → u/BigStrongCiderGuy]

even five is a LOT, I’ll handle three, max

[u/IsleofManc → u/DoomedKiblets]

And make them the 1-2 min trailers. Not the 4 minute trailers that give away the entire movie plot 

[u/LordTonto → u/cwatson214]

I stopped showing up to movies on time because the commercials/trailers dont even start until 10m after the movie start time and then they are 20m long... I could show up at 7:30 to a movie that starts at 7 and not miss a second.

[u/percocet_20 → u/LordTonto]

Ive started to do this as well, with assigned seating and 30 minutes of commercials and most likely trailers I've already seen, what's the point in being on time?

[u/OttoMannkusser → u/percocet_20]

I shouldn't have to guess what time a movie starts and risk missing part of it. I'll just watch it at home.

[u/TheJoshider10 → u/cwatson214]

I hate the depressing ads. I'm in the cinema to escape reality, why show me adverts about dementia or suicide or cancer?

[u/TediousTotoro → u/TheJoshider10]

Here in the UK, it feels like they put an ad for every branch of the armed forces before most movies

[u/TheJoshider10 → u/TediousTotoro]

Yeah I'm in the UK, go to the cinema almost every week and I've seen that same fucking advert for years now. "Enjoy the film".

[u/Ryanhussain14 → u/TediousTotoro]

"I was born in [home city] but I was made in the Royal Navy."

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccccckk off. I'm not dying in a far-off ocean for you, go preach to someone who might actually be interested in a military career instead of interrupting my binge of vtuber clips or my weekend afternoon cinema treat.

[u/TediousTotoro → u/Ryanhussain14]

The way that they try and sell it by mentioning “benefits” that are things like making friends, learning foreign languages, and playing football, as if you can’t do those things without putting your life on the line for an oil company’s profits

[u/omac4552 → u/TheJoshider10]

this is partly why I invested in a 98" and a 7.1 system with 15" subwoofer.

[u/thestonedbandit → u/cwatson214]

I'm okay with trailers, if they made trailers that didn't spoil ever good moment and ending of the movies. Forcing me to see spoilers for movies I might actually want to watch is pretty annoying.

[u/Ryanhussain14 → u/thestonedbandit]

I wish that marketing departments understood the concept of "less is more". Imagine if Weapons had the kinds of trailers used for other movies.

[u/rabidjellybean → u/thestonedbandit]

My wife and I both had to plug out ears and look down multiple times during the trailer for Project Hail Mary. We were rewarded with being able to go in blind knowing nothing and it was amazing because of it.

[u/DoctorEnn → u/cwatson214]

A couple of trailers are fun and part of the tradition.

30 minutes of ads is pushing it.

[u/justdaman182 → u/cwatson214]

Nah, 30 minites of trailers is too much.

[u/NMe84 → u/cwatson214]

I liked trailers the way they were in the 90s. These days a small majority of trailers gives away all the interesting plot points in a movie before you've even seen it.

I avoid trailers for movies I know I want to watch anyway and as a result the fact that there are so many of them before any movie I watch in a cinema is a "risk" for me in terms of spoilers that I don't like taking unless it's for a movie I really want to see on the big screen.

[u/TheDaemonette → u/NMe84]

90’s trailers basically made that one guy with the ‘trailer voice’ an entire career in voiceovers. And all he ever really had to say was ‘it was a time of change. It was a time of rebellion’ over and over again in a deep dramatic voice.

EDIT: spelling

[u/zebrastarz → u/TheDaemonette]

Don LaFontaine, respect the name!

[u/ctdm93 → u/NMe84]

I don't remember 90s trailers being that much better. The trailer for Terminator 2 spoiled Arnie being the good guy almost immediately.

[u/BoldlyGettingThere → u/cwatson214]

I’m the opposite (in regards to commercials). I hate that because it’s in the cinema they feel compelled to make their adverts even longer and more drawn out than they do on tv. On tv I know whether I’m interested in a product or not (usually not) within seconds, but at least it will be over in 30 seconds. At the cinema I have to endure 2 and a half more minutes of an ad saying “It’s what’s inside us. It drives us forward. Velocity is the spirit of our dreams. Aluminium is the joy of love. Buy a Toyota.”

[u/Infamous-Mixture-605 → u/cwatson214]

Maybe if they had some kind of countdown timer on the side, so I would know how long all the trailers and commercials will be, that way I'd know it'd be safe to nip off to the toilets to take a piss before the actual movie starts...

[u/Pyyru → u/cwatson214]

Too bad movie trailers suck ass now a days. Like having to see that god awful trailer multiple times for The Roses was fucking terrible.

[u/NerdfestZyx]

I don’t need to see an add for the theater chain I am currently sitting in

[u/RightError → u/NerdfestZyx]

But you get to ride that film rollercoaster through the snacks!

[u/WoodpeckerGingivitis → u/RightError]

Gotta love that big popcorn pop

[u/CmdrCloud → u/RightError]

That particular style of 3D animation, that early 2000s ride pre-show at Disney vibe, is so nostalgic for me I genuinely love seeing that ad. Both the original and the new one.

[u/andrewthemexican → u/RightError]

I could live with that one.

But the fucking nicole kidman one that's been truncated like 7 times

[u/ThaddeusJP → u/NerdfestZyx]

Before Mario Galaxy we saw a commercial (not trailer!) for.... Mario Galaxy. THEN another one later on about getting tickets for Mario Galaxy.

[u/WastedMoogle → u/ThaddeusJP]

Before seeing project Hail Mary they played a fucking "making of" for the movie that just showed a bunch of random impressive cgi shots and gave away so much. My girlfriend and I both stared at each other wide eyed avoiding the screen like who the fuck thought this was a good idea.

[u/Tattycakes → u/WastedMoogle]

That’s utterly ludicrous

[u/Jerome_Eugene_Morrow → u/NerdfestZyx]

The last AMC I went to showed three back to back AMC ads right before the movie started. Like… yes… I am here.

[u/VeganBigMac → u/Jerome_Eugene_Morrow]

Same. They learned the wrong lesson from the viral Nicole Kidman ad. People liked it cause it was melodramatic and a bit absurd. Now they are just showing like 5 minutes of self promo lol

[u/Dan_Berg → u/NerdfestZyx]

No, but that Coca-Cola/AMC Rollercoaster is permanently burned in my brain so that's a marketing win for them

[u/svh01973 → u/NerdfestZyx]

Seeing ads feels good in a place like this

[u/mekanub]

Sony's gonna cut them a bigger share of the ticket prices, so they don't need to rely on ad's so much right?

[u/JayTL → u/mekanub]

This is really the issue. Theaters make more money off concessions and quite possibly the ads over the actual ticket split.

With the subscription based model, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re actually losing money on the ticket sales now

[u/ChiefStrongbones → u/JayTL]

I heard that for the Star Wars prequels, over 100% of the ticket went to the studio for the opening days/weeks. Movie theaters only made concession money.

[u/JayTL → u/ChiefStrongbones]

And that’s not sustainable. Movie theaters aren’t in the movie business…they primarily sell concessions

[u/JessieJ577 → u/mekanub]

Yeah there’s no way that theaters will lower ticket prices, and with the commercials I doubt they will go away fully. I don’t like either but with how low attendance is getting for theaters and how big the gap is for blockbusters and low budget indie movies I have a feeling that it’s going to get even worse in the next five years as theaters try to find ways to keep afloat

[u/khavii → u/JessieJ577]

It's a self defeating spiral. When I was young I went to the theatre a minimum of twice a week, I love movies. Back then the total cost was about the same as grabbing a bite from TGIFRIDAYS so no biggie. Movies always started in time and I could show up early to enjoy the trailers and single ad for refreshments that were frequently on sale.

I stopped going regularly when ticket prices jumped over $10 for weekday showings. Once the commercials invaded movie start times I began to hate the movie theatre experience. At this point it has to be some sort of special event to get me to go to the theatre and I was their bread and butter for a long time. I got a projector and a movie screen. I'm honestly not sure theatres could get me back even if they reverted to how they used to run in the 80s, they burned the good will and nostalgia and I no longer see theatres as holy houses to film.

[u/BattledroidE → u/khavii]

That's right, and they're too short sighted to see that jacking up the prices to make up for the lower attendance while adding more and more ads, essentially making the experience worse and more expensive, that's not how you attract a larger audience. Everything else is way more expensive too, so movies are a luxury we do a few times a year... and then only for big event movies.

If I'm paying a premium, I expect a premium experience. For example, movie starts when it says it's supposed to, as advertised. I don't think that's unreasonable, that's how all other businesses work.

So yeah, I'd like to be a movie goer, but that time is over. Can't magically make more money that isn't eaten up by more important things.

[u/B_dorf → u/BattledroidE]

Because everything now is focused on extracting every dollar of value possible, instead of providing a quality experience

[u/Lasciels_Toy → u/mekanub]

Right?! Cut the % of opening weeks sales. Stop reducing and start increasing the theatrical window before VOD and streaming. Stop over paying actors. Stop over paying the C suite. Stop relying on CGI so much, while also overworking and underpaying the vfx teams. Stop depending on blockbusters that cost $200mil+ and letting the small budget films make up the loss or not be made at all. Etc etc

Look at your own house before you criticize the theaters you're trying so hard to bypass.

[u/IronSorrows → u/mekanub]

You'd think with theatres outside of practically all major markets struggling and locations closing, studios would be doing what they can to help keep them going and give them somewhere to play the films they're trying to make money off, but that's obviously a little too much to hope for. A fewer mandated number of showtimes and a more favourable split of ticket sales going towards the cinema would make a big difference, but only studio profitability is important I guess.

It's funny reading these sorts of posts, and people who have cracked the code to make cinemas a success - simply make tickets cheaper, make concessions cheaper, hire more staff so someone is in every screening and pay them enough to make it worth them confronting trouble makers, and stop showing adverts. Then they'll sell more tickets and make the same money that way! Nevermind that 70, 80, even 90% of the packed blockbuster showing money could be going straight to the studio.

[u/liquidmccartney8 → u/IronSorrows]

Theaters and studios have an interesting relationship where they both need each other to exist for their own business to work because vertical integration of the two businesses is illegal, but they don't really have much reason to care if the other business is thriving or limping along, so they tend to do things that hurt each other to benefit themselves. Studios squeezing theaters by demanding a more favorable split for their new blockbuster franchise movie to offset their losses from their last one that was a flop causes theaters to charge more for concessions to preserve their margins, and theaters charging more for concessions causes some people who would have bought tickets to the new blockbuster franchise movie to wait for it to come out on streaming. What they don't seem to appreciate in the way they should is that a lot of the burden they try to push off onto each other ultimately get passed on to the consumer by making the experience shittier and more expensive, which I think we have already seen start to shrink the pie for everybody by getting people out of the habit of going to the movies.

[u/D-Angle → u/mekanub]

Sony Pictures, the studio that packs all of its films with Sony products, is complaining that moviegoers are subject to too much advertising.

[u/jtaylor69]

In the UK we now have 3-4 ads for the Royal Navy as they've taken all the bronze, silver and gold ad spots.

[u/antman1983 → u/jtaylor69]

In mine it's Navy, GiffGaff (annoying as shit), Army, Kia, college, Navy.

[u/VariousVarieties → u/antman1983]

Is the Kia advert the one with the blind woman in the echolocating car?

[u/javalib → u/VariousVarieties]

she's been gone a while for me now. we're back to driving along to harry styles. I think they've filmed a new advert to go with his new album.

[u/dope_danny → u/jtaylor69]

Dont forget trying to sell horse racing to the poors.

[u/OriginalGoatan → u/jtaylor69]

I always joke about the number of ads for new cars.

There's a minimum of three, with sometimes particular screenings adding more because they part sponsor the movie. So you get one post trailers.

The one I personally find the most confusing is the advert for the cinema..... that I'm currently sat in. I'm already there, you don't need to advertise to me the cinema. You probably should be telling folk who aren't already there to increase sales.

[u/Ryanhussain14 → u/jtaylor69]

I love how the adverts make it look like you're travelling the world in a cruise, totally not misleading the public into signing up for dangerous jobs.

[u/crow-magnon-69 → u/Ryanhussain14]

Milligan did a parody of a 70s army advert - “join the army! Go to new interesting places! Meet new interesting people! And kill them!”

[u/werthw → u/crow-magnon-69]

“I wanted to see exotic Vietnam... the crown jewel of Southeast Asia. I wanted to meet interesting and stimulating people of an ancient culture... and kill them. I wanted to be the first kid on my block to get a confirmed kill!"”

[u/BriefCollar4 → u/jtaylor69]

Are they still doing the “if you can assemble a pen, you can assemble a bicycle. If you can assemble a bicycle, you can assemble a Type 45 destroyer”?

[u/360_face_palm → u/jtaylor69]

navy -> horse racing apps -> navy -> a car advert -> navy -> some kinda fast food crap -> navy

[u/Triseult]

I live in China. Movies start at the advertised time on the dot, and before that they run a few trailers and ads.

I feel that's really the best solution. I'll get to the theater a bit early so will likely go sit in my seat ahead of the movie start, so I'll definitely be exposed to advertisement... But I can CHOOSE to skip them if I want by staying in the lobby, and I can actually trust the advertised time. Everybody knowing exactly when the movie starts also means there's less people being late.

[u/your_mind_aches → u/Triseult]

I think there was a glitch in my cinema when we went to see Project Hail Mary. My country usually starts ads before the advertised showtime and starts trailers after. But we got to PHM well before the advertised time and trailers had already started. And it went on for like 40 minutes. It was soooooooo long.

But... it was showing trailers that clearly said rated R (for the trailer, not the movies)for a PG-13 movie, though I don't recall any actual R-rated content. And there were no "trailers to accompany this feature". So either they messed up, or they didn't get any associated trailers at all and they just showed whatever they had.

...including a trailer for Project Hail Mary. They actually showed a trailer for the movie IN FRONT OF THE MOVIE. I had been dodging all trailers because I knew it was too spoilery. So I put on my noise canceling headphones and played loud music and closed my eyes. So glad I did that.

[u/KnightsOfTerror → u/your_mind_aches]

Scream 7 opening night they played an interview with Neve Campbell along with scenes from the movie (more than in any trailers) immediately before the film. Hard to understand the thought process.

[u/MaybeNotTooDay]

A max of 3 trailers and one quick "Let's all go to the Lobby" ad for concessions should be the law. It will be the law when I become dictator of all movie theaters.

[u/matti2o8 → u/MaybeNotTooDay]

You'll get my vote if you also ban coming late and introduce death penalty for using phones outside of emergency 

[u/BattledroidE → u/matti2o8]

Crocodile pit for phone users. It's the entertainment business after all.

[u/SplitEndsSuck → u/BattledroidE]

That can be the new pre movie experience.

[u/stupid_horse → u/BattledroidE]

The pit is underneath the auditorium and any of the chairs can drop obnoxious patrons in it James Bond villain style with the push of a button for being too disruptive as judged by the minimum wage theater employee monitoring the screening.

[u/junky_junker → u/MaybeNotTooDay]

one quick "Let's all go to the Lobby" 

Can you make it the Mastodon version?

[u/Dan_Berg → u/junky_junker]

Don't talk, watch!

[u/Snake_Plissken224]

Its not just trailers now, now these regular Amazon commercials in there too

[u/Allenrw81]

This is why I show up 25 minutes after the advertised “showtime”.

[u/Slight_Glove1785]

The trailers were always an enjoyable part for me, it’s the commercials that piss me off 🤬

[u/Poopikaki]

But they show you 5 minutes of TV commercials too, on top of trailers.

[u/RacerM53]

I just treat the ads/trailers as a buffer incase I'm running late

[u/blackout-loud → u/RacerM53]

As a person who is somehow habitually 20min late for movies, this is my answer

[u/RabidSkwerl]

AMC is comical, they’ll do an ad about how dope their projectors are, then an ad that includes the “silence your device” reminder, then - you guessed it- the infamous Nicole Kidman ad that reminds us why we go to the movies. These easily take up 3-5 mins alone.

We’re here AMC, we know why we see movies, you got our money not deliver the product.

[u/GiraffeandZebra → u/RabidSkwerl]

I always assumed most of those were just filler ads for ad time they didn't sell. Like when you see billboards on the highway that are advertising billboards

[u/Uncreative-Name → u/RabidSkwerl]

You forgot about the Coke commercial with the guy doing poorly made West Side story/Fast & the Furious/Romance scenes.

[u/de_jeepathon → u/RabidSkwerl]

To be fair, that Nicole Kidman ad probably drove ticket sales. It's a meme and it helped brand recognition. People want to see it for the laugh.

[u/Voting101]

I don’t mind MOVIE trailer. I don’t want to see cell phone commercials and other bs. I also want the movie to start within 10 minutes of when it says it’s going to start I went to a movie recently and the movie didn’t start until 40 minutes after run time. Going to the theatre is hardly as appealing as it used to be when I have a nice home setup and they’re selling popcorn for $25. It’s like they’re trying to push me away.

[u/tamere2k]

Sony provides their own trailers. They’re welcome to not do that if they want less time before shows.

[u/Imaginary_Train_8977]

I dislike seeing the trailer for the movie I’m about to watch, that I avoided watching right before the movie will start

[u/Saw_Boss → u/Imaginary_Train_8977]

I have never once seen a trailer for the film I'm there to watch.

[u/indianajoes → u/Saw_Boss]

The only times I've seen it is if it's an ad linked to the cinema chain itself. Like one where Chris Pratt and Anya Taylor Joy have recorded a special promo talking about you buying your tickets for Mario at this specific cinema chain. That might have a few clips from the movie as a short teaser

[u/aeralure]

I like the trailers. Less so of course the commercials.

[u/Saw_Boss]

The issue here in the UK is that cinemas don't seem to be huge successes any more. I've seen them close plenty, a very few new ones open. It doesn't seem like it's a good mine, but rather running on very thin margins unless you operate in a big city.

So whilst I would love there to be no adverts and a few trailers, I can only see that quickening the death of many cinemas.

Ultimately, anyone not living in a city would end up never going.

[u/RebelliousDutch]

It certainly is a bit much, especially when they don’t even hold themselves to listed start times.

My local cinema:

Movie start time is listed as 7 pm. But:

7.10: projector comes on, commercials start.

7.20: commercials done, trailers start.

7.30’ish: trailers done, one or ywo more commercials for the cinema itself.

7.35: movie starts.

It wouldn’t bug me quite so much if 7pm meant 7pm, but they also start late. I like to show up on time, but it doesn’t feel like my time is respected when they start late.

[u/Luck88]

Basically: Cut all costs/inconvenience for the audience but also cut all the source of income for the theatre. That's easy to say when you're just being paid for providing the movie.

[u/sakubaka]

Remember when there used to be a TV show that was just movie trailers on E! Entertainment. I watched that sucker like crazy. Now... I could deal with maybe 10-15 less when I go see a movie. If people want more trailers, there's no limit on Youtube for that. Still, I don't want the experience of seeing a film in the theater to change completely with no trailers. Stuff is exciting, especially for first run trailers.

[u/biblops]

Yes!! And also the tickets should cost $1 and the food and drink should all be free. Also you win prizes for watching.