Movie theaters: "Why are movie theaters dying?"
(Also Movie theaters)
This isn't new at all
In the 90's they were like 10 mins, 20 tops, and most of that was trailers for upcoming movies. It was great pre-internet.
Now they can go fuck themselves with their ads, right in the dickhole.
I remember being a kid and a movie at 8:35pm would have 2-3 trailers and the movie would start.
A decade ago, I noticed it was 10 minutes of trailers. And a few ads for random products showed up.
30 minutes of this? This is new to me.
30 minutes has been common for probably 10 years. Dunno what to tell ya. When I first started going to movies in the late 90s, I remember 15 min of trailers then so I dunno.
Their website literally said a movie started at 7 pm tonight so we get there at 7. Unfortunately it was a mistake and the movie started at 6:30.
We got to our seats with 3 trailers to spare.
Back before covid I went to the cinema almost every week to watch some 3D movie, always late past the trailers/ads and with a sub hidden in my backpack. Fool me once.
I won't sit through an ad, at home, in my underwear. I most certainly am not putting on pants, leaving the house, and paying admission to see ads.
The bar to get me to put pants on keeps rising.
I didn't think there was anything worth watching before. I'm certain now. All ads are insults to your time and intelligence.
Most didn't even notice the 12 mins of every hour taken for ads on TV (old stat; could even be worse now). And if you brought it to their attention, something about doing chores during them or somehow accepting them as the only way in which you'd receive your entertainment was what you heard. Any moment of most ads is an insult to your mental as far as I'm concerned. And others just don't want to protect themselves.
In the late 80’s the Simpsons ran 22 minute episodes which I think was normal. That would be 16 minutes of ads an hour.
Back in the late 50s/early 60s, a tv season season ran 39 weeks long, and an hour-long show ran for 54 minutes.
I don't mind previews much, but ads? No.
I think the saddest of all is when they roll ads for themselves. I'm already in your shitty theater, why are you advertising how "magical" your experience is? Just reeks of desperation and won't convince me to visit more frequently, there are many reasons why I very rarely go to AMC theaters and wasting my time advertising yourselves while I'm already there won't change my mind.
It's been ~25 minutes of trailers since 2010. All that's new here is the transparency.
It been 30 mins for ads and trailers for as long as I can remember and I am in my 40's.
The last two years have been a hard 35 mins of ads. Not just expected blockbusters as before.
The ad industry is destroying every form of entertainment or data access available. Even within the entertainment itself we get product placement for cars, foods, etc.
To all those people saying “well I’ll just show up late”, wait till they start denying entry if you are past a certain point with no refund, forcing people to sit through the ads.
Pop in earbuds, pull out phone, and find something else to do for (hypothetical required minutes prior to main feature).
Eject me due to using phone during compulsory ad viewing time? I’m never coming back to the theater again.
If the sentiment in this thread is representative of the population, it seems like theaters no longer have a value proposition. Home theaters are good enough, we have streaming, and we have budget limitations.
There's an independent cinema near me which is doing it right.
The venue is a heritage building which has been refurbished to a high standard, and they have reasonably priced food and drink, including beers.
They participate in film festivals and show a lot of niche and foreign movies that would be impossible to find otherwise, so it's actually worth going to see something different or interesting.
To support accessibility they have child-friendly showings with zero ads or trailers, autism-friendly showings also with no ads, brighter light and less volume, and even pay-as-you-can tickets that go down all the way in price to completely free if you ask for it, so everyone can see a movie, even people who have nothing.
To me, making the cinema experience actually appealing again like that, and an actual part of the community, is the only way for cinema to thrive going forward.
Of course, the big chains can't possibly adapt to that, but as far as the big chains go, then fuck 'em.
That sounds amazing!
Tvs are gigantic, projectors aren't all that expensive anymore, people are sometimes obnoxious in public, and it's a lot of fun to piece together a good sound system. Fuck theaters.
And since I don't have to drive anywhere if I'm already home, drinks are back on the menu.
Can also pause when I have to take a piss in the middle of a 3-hour movie.
Sail the high seas.
I haven't gone to see a movie in years. If I paid to see a movie in a theater and they started showing me fucking ads, I'd walk out and get my money back.
The last movie I saw in a theater was Iron Man 2. That movie felt like an ad by itself, I'd be pissed if I had to sit through an additional half hour of more ads
I haven't gone to see a movie in years
I think that's the case for most people in this comment section. Coming in 30min after the supposed start time and not missing anything has been the standard for years. It's not like they interrupt the movie for ads, just come in later and skip them.
It’s not like they interrupt the movie for ads
Oh man, could you imagine? I'd actually never go to a movie again if that became a thing. That'd be such bullshit.
This comment section seems to think this is news. 15 minutes of trailers is probably the least I've ever seen in my life at a chain at least. 25 minutes has been pretty standard for years. Doubt it's increased very much over the past ten years.
I now warn AMC to expect more yarr 🏴☠️
Well they're already doing it so at least they're being open about it now I guess.
"Oh boy, here I go [pirating] again"
Movies used to be fun
Same "logic" that expects me to watch ads for a streaming service I pay for at home.
I can get ads for free, capitalists. You're not even playing your own game anymore. You're playing some bullshit home version and hoping we don't see the difference.
A reason not to go to theaters and stream or rent dvds instead.
AMC has been in hard times but now theyve totally lost the plot and make times way worse.
Just solidifies my hatred of theaters even more lol
Guess I'm never going to their theaters again.
Theaters are really testing the limits of the bullshit its viewers will sit through.
Actually went to an AMC a few days ago to see that new Wes Anderson film. There were A LOT of previews (trailers), like what i would consider an excessive amount, with some ads sprinkled in. Reminded me why I don't go to the movies 😒
The movie was great BTW, 10/10 enjoyed.
Lol what? I guess I haven't been to the movies in longer than I thought, it was like 10 minutes max before. Well, no reason to go back now I guess.
this is why my family gets to the theater like 20 minutes late
Finally! Free movies for the masses paid for by ads. That's def a move in the right direction. Lots of people will be going back to the theaters now I bet. /s
Arrive 25-30 minutes later
Soon they'll add an "intermission" to make sure you can't miss all the ads.
When I was a teenager we would regularly go to a smaller local movie theater instead of the more fancy large chains. The vibe was better, but they also had an intermission during the movies and I loved that. During the intermission you could stretch your legs, use the bathroom and get some fresh drinks and snacks. The theater was also really good at scheduling so only one movie had an intermission at one time, so it was pretty quiet at the bathrooms and bar. The intermission was only for 10-15 mins or so. Of course prices back then were normal, so I didn't mind buying more. There also weren't any ads, they just played some music and had an intermission screen up with a countdown.
I'm going to warn AMC that I will be watching my movies somewhere else.
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