posted 01-10-2006 03:00 AM                       

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Among moviegoers interviewed in Manhattan last weekend, a frequent gripe was the abundance of advertising and other preshow matter. Ro Barrows, a construction worker from Harlem who with his wife was trying to decide what to see at the Loews Cineplex on 34th Street, said the length of new films like "Munich" did not bother him, but "commercials before the movie, they can do away with that."

This has led to the occasional onsumer-complaint brush fire, like the Web site _didntialreadypayforthismovie.com_
http://didntialreadypayforthismovie.com/
which calls for boycotts of in-theater advertisers. In May the Loews chain said that in response to complaints, it would note in listings that "the feature presentation starts 10 to 15 minutes after the posted showtime."

Negotiating one's arrival time to get the best seat or to avoid the commercials can be its own dilemma. "If I get there too early I'm stuck watching the stupid '2wenty,' " Mr. Solish, the planning student, said, referring to the preshow programming at the Regal theater chain. "But if I'm too late I have to sit in front and can't sit with my friends."

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posted 01-10-2006 01:35 PM                   

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Negotiating one's arrival time to get the best seat or to avoid the commercials can be its own dilemma. "If I get there too early I'm stuck watching the stupid '2wenty,' " Mr. Solish, the planning student, said, referring to the preshow programming at the Regal theater chain. "But if I'm too late I have to sit in front and can't sit with my friends."

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Negotiating one's arrival time? Are we on an airplane from LA to DC? Is there a train leaving Cleveland at 2:30PM and it's traveling at 55mph? OK, I know how to solve all this. Let's do what HBO and Showtime does. If your movie "stated" show time is at 7:00PM, your movie starts at 7:00PM....Then you’re paying for only from 7:00PM on till the end of your movie. Get in line Folks, there's a movie starting in 5 minutes. First come, first serve. You all walk in a single line, and you start in the front and fill the seats till you're in the back. It's the lucky lotto who gets the middle seats with the best view, unless your the one's who want "suffer" through the "2wenty". You get to go in first. The people who do these websites are also the one's who probably picket Starbucks because "they think" they support terrorism. Remember, every shot of cappuccino you have, is a shot fired in terrorism in Iraq....Yes, I think we should blame terrorist for the Preshow...With the lost revenue of people afraid of going into public, and getting your phone tapped when your getting your fandango tickets....Who would want to go watch Traveling Pants of the Sisterhood when the government would know what your watching? (I still don't know how that one chick fit into that pair of pants, I am sure they were stretchy pants?) But, back onto subject. People are going to complain about the prices of Soda and Popcorn. Yes, the reason why theaters started to take credit cards at the registers were the credit application was taking too long to get 2 popcorns, 2 drinks, and a "free bag of skittles" for $49.95. I guess I might be biased because I don’t let the preshow bother me. I know how it helps some theaters with extra revenue. Believe me, with the crap movies that were put out this past year, I am happy I still am employed. Let’s all remember the good old days when theater’s were packed and Star Wars was playing on the big screen for almost a year, and there were no DVD’s or Plasma TV’s. Now you can sit in the comfy space of your own home, plop your DVD in, and wait for it to load. Wait, what’s this? My DVD has commercials? I can’t go forward to the next trailer? NOOOOOO! I have to watch trailers for “special deals”? Ahhhh, that’s all over, now my movie is on. Let’s turn it up because I like it loud! “ding dong” Hmmm, who can this be? Ohhh, my neighbor telling me to turn that down. She can hear it through the walls. Oh well, I am sure I can have my own theater experience at home….When I live in the middle of Alaska and there is no one within 500 miles.

posted 03-23-2006 11:55 PM                   

quote: James Westbrook

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Customers staring at a bottle of Diet Coke with bubbles coming out of it on screen...one minute...two minutes...

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quote: James Westbrook

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Then they look up at the port windows, wondering if we know what we are doing.

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Do they? Do they really?

WOW.....

From my experience with National Cinemedia, there are sometimes a few set up issues that get quickly resolved. But, I guess there are those "special" theaters that need to be held more and told that everything is gonna be ok.

quote: James Westbrook

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If anymore mass roll-outs of any new technology occurs, one bit of advice: Troubleshooting guides for the local yahoos like me.

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quote: James Westbrook

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The NOC has been professional and helpful, but I suspect their phone support people probably have to hit the bars HARD after their shifts. More testing of equipment before rollout would be nice, too.

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quote: Pravin Ratnam

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I was a verfier for the Twenty. We had to note the lighting conditions and opening graphics picture quality. Then we had to monitor the promotional materials in the lobby. Paid 20 bucks and free tickets for the showing. Pretty lame. Then they discontinued the program late last year.
I hated the 20 as a verifier and a viewer. Very annoying sound and terrible pic quality. I would prefer the slides. The 20 didnt always start on time.

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LAME?

$20 bucks to watch the 2wenty, and you got to see the movie for free? I wish I could find that deal. I am sure there are worse jobs than being a checker? Crime Scene Clean Up Crew, Taco Bell Drive-Through Cashier, or a movie theater usher/bathroom checker.

I agree, lets bring slides back! That way when the slide gets stuck you can watch the same slide over and over and over and.....or, the slide projector freaks out and goes one slide, two slides, three, four, five, six slide, then upside down slide. Slide Projectors ROCK!