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Ads in front of movies..... (MERGED THREAD) (1 Viewer)

Adam Lenhardt

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Grrrr! Glad I don't go to Loewes. Atleast at Regal, the previews start at the printed time. Having to actively sit through commericals during the time that my ticket says I should be receiving promised content is riddiculous.
 

Lew Crippen

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The simple solution is to ask when the feature starts.

I have found this to work well--except in the occasional multiplex where the staff knows nothing about movies.
 

Ken Chan

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Few Protests Over Theater Ads, Say Movie ChainsI don't see this so much as question of "phase", but rather "piss off".

To be fair, I have only complained a few times, because realistically, I doubt it will have much effect. But now I think I'll make a good faith effort to bitch&moan to the manager every time, just on principle.
 

ThomasC

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As long as the trailers start playing pretty close to the advertised showtime, I don't mind ads. I usually enter the theater 15 minutes before showtime, and there's not much else to do since I almost always go to the movies alone. If they show a barrage of ads starting at the advertised showtime, then that's another issue.
 

JohnMor

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Before the recent screening of War of the Worlds I went to in Culver City, they showed 7 commercials (SEVEN!), including the omnipresent LA Times one. I don't even count that as a commercial anymore usually. BMW, Fanta, a wireless service, internet provider, can't remember the others. It's beyond insulting to pay anywhere from $10 to $16 for a ticket (LA prices) and have to sit through commercials.

Last year I saw exactly one film in the theater, and so far this year, I've seen two. I just don't go anymore. God bless home theaters and DVD!
 

ThomasC

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Not that often, except during the summer. I frequent three movie theaters, though. Two in my hometown and one that I go to while I'm at college. If memory serves correctly, one of my hometown theaters doesn't play ads at all (Arena Grand in Columbus), and the other one is an AMC theater (Lennox 24), and it plays the most out of the three. The one I go to while I'm at college (Springdale 18 Cinema de Lux) plays a few ads, usually starting a few minutes before showtime.
 

David Galindo

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I really love Century Theaters. They have a huge poster that says, "Wanna watch commercials? Stay at home. Century is commercial free."

Woo!
 

Malcolm R

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Fortuntately, all the theaters around here are independently owned and commercial-free.

Back when Hoyts operated a couple of them, they would show a couple of commercials before the trailers.
 

Jon_Gregory

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Our theaters actually start the commercials at the scheduled movie time. This can delay the start of the movie by up to 15 minutes sometimes. This really pisses me off.
 

Jesse Skeen

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But that's only out of 600,000 that HAVEN'T already stopped going because of the ads. Same reason why not many people complain about bad presentation- those who care have already given up.

True that Century doesn't show commercials, but they come dangerously close with their "Powerpoint" style pre-show which includes animated computer-generated ads. They brought those in a few months ago to replace the slide shows- they were one of the first companies to use slides which is what started this whole mess in the first place. The other companies have just gotten so much worse that they're now making Century look good!
 

Ken Chan

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Have you ever complained? Apparently they're keeping track to justify it. You might try finding the manager and say something like, "I dunno if the main office is keeping track of this, but in case they are, I would like to formally complain about the commercials before the movie. If I wanted to see commercials, I'd stay home and watch TV. In fact, I will make it a point to boycott every single product that had the gall to ruin my movie-going experience." Be polite, but loud enough so that other people can overhear and join in :)
 

Peter Apruzzese

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It would take *tons* of complaints/boycotts to get theatres to even *think* about dropping the ads considering how much income it means. At the average per-screen rate they pay it can mean tens of thousands of dollars a month to the theatre companies, nothing to sneeze at with the current downturn.
 

Sam Favate

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Theater chains could make a marketing push to get people back in theaters by advertising that their theaters are now commercial free. With all the talk of declining theater attendance, it could be the shot in the arm that is needed.

I loathe commercials in front of movies, and yes, I have complained (politely of course). I have even stopped going to the theaters that are the worst offenders. I think commercials in front of films shows contempt for your audience.
 

Pete-D

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On one hand though, having the commercials lets people settle into their seats, open their noisy candy wrappers and what not, so by the time the previews are over, things are good to go.

So I actually don't mind the commercials so much as long as they don't get any longer than they are now. It's more annoying when people are still filtering in or trying to get seats as the movie is starting or even during a trailer that you want to see.

The theater owners are walking a fine line though. If they continue to increase the time devoted to commercials, I think complaints will become more common. Any more than 5 minutes for commercials is really pushing it.
 

Shad R

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It's the greedy studios! I live in a small town now, and work at a local (1 screen I might add) theater that only costs $5 to get in. We were showing Madagascar on opening weekend. The manager decided to show commercials because Dreamworks was going to charge them like 70% plus a few hundred for the film!!! For a small town theater, that kills. So, we know show commercials. Thanks, Dreamworks, for being greedy and ruining my movies!
 

Johnny Angell

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At our theater the commercials start about 15 minutes before the scheduled movie time. It takes about another 30 minutes before the commercials and previews are done and the feature starts. It feels like an ordeal just to get to the movie.

BTW, the commercials make me less interested in watching the previews. Why do previews have to show the whole movie?

Maybe the theaters have to do this. For their sake, the younger crowd had better tolerate this better than I do. I'm now going only to the "big" movies that I've just got to see on the big screen. My wife and I aren't going to spend over $20 bucks (tickets and soda/popcorn) to sit through a half hour ordeal before the movie starts, that often. I think we will be going to the theater a max of 3-6 times a year from now on.

The situations makes me think of a business that finds its business falling off, so they cut corners to cut costs and put out an inferior product which causes business to fall off more so they cut corners to cut costs and...yada yada yada.
 

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