Advertising in movie theater before movie. Are you guys as mad as me? (1 Viewer)

[Nick]

When I went to see "Transformers" a month ago. They must have shown almost 10 commercial before the movie starts. I was like what the heck ! I don't need to pay 10 dollars for these. Several poeple around me were like what is this. I guess they're just as annoy about it as I am.
I don't mind the preview of the new movies but not the commercial that's being shown over and over on TV at home. I'm already picky of what movie I want to go see due the high price of admission ticket. Now it's gonna make me want to go less and less. It's like watching HBO with commercial.

 

[DaveF]

You'll enjoy this thread: Ads before the films.

 

[drobbins]

No, I am not mad. I do not go to theaters much any more. I think only 2 times in the past year. Too expensive and my theater has much better picture and sound.

 

[Jason Seaver]

It's annoying, especially since the local AMC theaters always seem to have to push it with just one or two more past the point where I'm starting to fidget.

Angry, though? Not really. It's not like the trailers and the push to go out to the lobby and get ourselves a treat weren't ads anyway.

 

[Jason_V]

I've noticed my local AMC has all but stopped running ads. There is still Screenvision, but no cell phone/car/fanta ads anymore. Very happy about it.

 

[DaveF]

Do your ads run before or after the movie show-time?

Here, pretty much all the ads are part of the pre-show video. At show time, previews begin. Now, in the link I gave, previews were considered "ads" which is strictly correct but philosophically not how most people think of them.

 

[Malcolm R]

I just read somewhere that a recent survey of moviegoers said that most "don't mind" the ads.

 

[Bryan X]

The ads don't bother me as long as they don't push the movie start-time back. They're no worse than those inane trivia questions some theaters run before a film.

 

[Joe S.]

Same with me, they can do whatever they like on the screen before the lights go down. Once it's showtime though and the lights are dimmed, I want previews, maybe a smattering of their cellphone/don't litter ads, and a feature.

That seems to be the way they do it, so I'm fine with it.

 

[Bob Graz]

Bryan X makes a good point. I hate the fact that all the ads/trailers push the movie back 20 mins. If they wanted to run the ads/trailers before the movie start time that would be ok.

 

[TravisR]

Most likely the theaters charge more money for ads that begin at the 'start' time of the movie. That way, they can say that the most people possible will view the ad.

 

[Shane Martin]

A theater here starts the film(and previews) at the stated time but commercials are prior ot that time. It's one of the reason I like to go there.

 

[Todd H]

Can't stand the ads before movies because they always seem to push back the start time.

Another type of advertising I hate is in-movie product placement. I swear Transformers felt like a loud, flashy, two hour ad for General Motors.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Where have you been the last five years? If anything, the number of commercials has gone DOWN recently. It's one of those horrible facts of life that most of us have just put up with in the new millenium.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Same here. I just ignore them. The only thing that gets to me is the Jimmy Fund ad they sometimes run before the features here in Boston. It tells the story of the steel workers who built the addition on the Dana Farber Cancer Research building in Boston. Every day the sick kids would gather at the windows of the hospital and hold up signs saying "Hello" and "My name is..." to the construction guys. The workers would wave back and do everything they could to help cheer them up. The guys ended up having a close relationship with the kids, even painting each of their names on the steel girders of the building. They watched each other closely over a few months, some of the guys taking it hard when they would notice a face not appearing anymore. It showed a scene of the men passing a hardhat from floor to floor, each construction worker giving what he could to the fund. Anyone who cannot be moved to tears by that scene is not human. I first saw it just after my dad died from cancer and it always gets me to reach into my pocket, which is a good thing.

 

[Jason Seaver]

I haven't seen that one in a while, but it's a pretty well-produced one.

Digression: Not many theaters seem to have the ushers actually going up and down the aisles with cans for donations any more, like we did when I worked at Showcase Cinemas; I'm not sure whether it's because it annoyed people or because a 20-plex just doesn't have enough staff to do it. Anyway, there was one guy at the place I worked who had his head shaved because he was on a swim team; the people in the audience, of course, thought he was going through chemo and while we were getting whatever loose change people had from the box office and concession stand, he was having folks stuff tens and twenties into his donation can.

 

[L. Anton Dencklau]

..

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Most theaters either have a special donation food combo (which is a good way to do it) or try to hit you up when you buy your ticket. Sometimes I used to kick in the extra dollar when tickets were $9 and under. Since they've crossed the $10 though, I don't. If they want to donate to all of these charities, the studios and theater chains can work something out to donate a buck of THEIR money off each ticket price.

 

[Malcolm R]

I hate those. They're generally full of typos, bad grammar, and the answers are sometimes flat out wrong.

Not to mention there's always a group of morons sitting nearby who have to read EVERY-SINGLE-SLIDE out loud.

 

[Dave Hahn]

Nope, not true at all. I don't have to put up with paying good money to watch commercials or any other crap. Like Drobbins I now watch 95% of all new films at home, I'll either rent or buy the dvd. There are no commercials, no cell phones ringing, no laser pointers, no idiots talking during the film, no idiots loudly explaining the film to their idiot spouse. There are no babies crying or teenagers throwing stuff. The picture is better; it is in focus and at the proper illumination. The sound isn't blowing out my ear drums, and I can pause it any time I want more snacks, which, by the way, don't cost $10 each.