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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 05-13-2003, 05:00 PM:
 
Original Story Here

Study Finds Moviegoers Don't Mind Theater Ads

By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A study released on Tuesday showed two-thirds of moviegoers do not mind watching advertisements before a film begins, a statistic that should buttress efforts to put more ads in theaters.

Among younger movie fans aged 12 to 24, the percentage who do not mind seeing the ads rose to 70 percent, according to the study conducted by Arbitron Inc.

Arbitron also found that audiences find theater ads more interesting than TV ads and more acceptable than pop-up or other ads on the Internet.

"Our initial thought was that there would be some consumer anger. But contrary to that, the more people go to the movies, the more they don't mind the ads," said Pierre Vouvard, president of new ventures for the New York-based research firm.

Showing product advertisements -- not movie promotions, or "trailers," as they are called in Hollywood -- ahead of movies has been common for years in Europe.

In theaters, advertisers have a captive and highly targeted audience. Audiences at a Disney animated movie, for instance, are likely to be families and children.

U.S. theater owners, however, have limited pre-movie ads mostly to local merchants and theater concessions and the ads in many instances are little more than slide shows.

Theater owners have been concerned that film audiences want to escape the commercialism of TV with its heavy advertising.

That notion is changing quickly, however, as owners look to boost per-theater revenues. New digital projection systems are also allowing advertisers to place one ad in theaters across the country, and the systems allow ads to transcend slide show status and become more like movies themselves.

"The interesting thing about this study is, it confirms what our own studies are telling us ... overwhelmingly most of our patrons tell us they enjoy it (advertisements)," said Cliff Marks, president marketing and sales for Regal Cinemedia.

Regal Cinemedia, a division of No. 1 U.S. theater chain Regal Entertainment Group, is in the vanguard of installing new digital systems to boost revenues through in-theater advertising and to show special events.

In 20-minute segments before movie trailers begin, their theaters might show music videos and/or a behind-the-scenes look at filmmaking, along with product ads.
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 05-13-2003, 05:40 PM:
 

 

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Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 05-13-2003, 08:00 PM:
 
No, we don't mind the ads. Show all the ads you want. Make it non-stop ads! We won't mind...we'll just STOP COMING!

Its easier to stay home than to go out! I'd love to take my wife to see DOWN WITH LOVE this weekend, but there is NO WAY I'm getting stuck in the MATRIX crowds. I'll wait a week or two. OR, maybe I'll just wait 4-5 months for the DVD.

It's MUCH cheaper for me to stay home than to go out:
Example...

3 people seeing a matinee of a current feature...4-5 commercials (I liked the one for the power drink...don't remember the product, though) then 4-5 trailers. THEN, the movie.
Cost -- $18.00

3 people seeing DVD release of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN.
No commercials. No trailers. Homemade pizza. Letterboxed picture with 5.1 DTS sound.
Cost -- $14.99 (+ I got a free bag of Snickers treats.)

Sure the grosses are up BUT SO ARE THE TICKET PRICES.

I know that I'm seeing fewer films in the theatres and more at home.
 

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Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 05-13-2003, 10:30 PM:
 
With the advertisers paying theater owners all that money to play all those ads, shouldn't snack bar and ticket prices be going DOWN????
 

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Posted by Matt Hale (Member # 1518) on 05-13-2003, 11:09 PM:
 
Who paid for this survey? A good marketing research group can produce survey results supporting whatever position the people who hired them want. A good clue to that is the fact they only quote the statistic for 12-24 year-olds, i.e. people who have never been to a movie without commercials. What was the percentage of support in other demographics? How about the population in general? Where did they do this survey? In the lineup for X2? Of course most of the people there dont mind the ads, those who do dont show up.

No, this is not science, this is just another bogus pile of , and a pox on the journalists who thought it newsworthy...

And in case you're wondering, I'm in that 12-24 demographic (for a few more months, anyway)
 

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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 05-13-2003, 11:25 PM:
 
As I have stated many times, as long as the ads are not on during "my time" or the advertised show time of the movie I paid to watch, I have no problenms with ads. Consolidated Theatres does run them and it starts five minutes before show time and ends exactly on schedule on the hour or quarter/half hour when the actual show is scheduled to start. The show at this time starts with the policy trailer and is followed by four or five trailers than the feature starts.

-Claude
 

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Posted by Tom Wienholt (Member # 1510) on 05-13-2003, 11:47 PM:
 
For someone to say that they will not go the the movies anymore beacause of advertisements is ridiculous. What is the big deal? Is there really a need to rush right into the movie? What is the big deal if 5 or 10 minutes of ads are shown before a movie. I don't understand. I think that everyone is just being a bunch of babies. I don't know about you all, but i go to the movies to have a good time and to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. Why would you wanna stay home to watch every movie just because you dont feel like watching a couple ads or dealing with a crowd. GET OVER IT.
 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 05-14-2003, 12:34 AM:
 
Jack--you forgot



I don't like slides, but I can deal with them. Movie Tunes and film ads for non-movie-related products have no place in commercial cinemas.
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 05-14-2003, 03:20 AM:
 
people who come 10-15 minutes early to beat the crowd should be rewarded, not subjected to bullshit ads. that's book-reading, crossword-solving, or eye-resting time.

pre-show ads just drive away the regulars. maybe the more hardened patrons can stomach seeing these ads once or twice. but time after time it must be maddening. as often as i see films, i usually have to close my eyes during the trailers. i stay the hell away from pre-show ads. (and movie tunes.)

carl
 

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Posted by Dan Lyons (Member # 1454) on 05-14-2003, 03:24 AM:
 
What a lie! I hate ads!
I try my best to avoid going to theatres that show ads.

Stick to theatres that have curtains!
A theatre that has and uses curtains is a theatre that doesn't use slides or "movietune" crap, in most cases.

Danny
 

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Posted by Daniel Fuentz (Member # 1684) on 05-14-2003, 04:29 AM:
 
I don't know where they found those people! I am in that 12-25 age group and I DESPISE ads at the theater. I paid $8.50 to get in -- I could see ads at home for free... These research people are probably the same ones who told TV executives that people "like" huge ugly logos and smashed up, unreadable credits on TV shows!
 

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Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 05-14-2003, 06:27 AM:
 
Yes, the story is absolutely accurate. You must accept that this is your future.

Now, I have this bridge in lower Manhattan that is for sale. It crosses over the East River into Brooklyn.

Who would like to buy it?
 

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Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 05-14-2003, 06:36 AM:
 
Bob,
I'll buy it only if I get the Toll Rights!
KEN
 

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Posted by Daniel Fuentz (Member # 1684) on 05-14-2003, 06:50 AM:
 
Movietunes= ??? Kris Erik Stevens is the BOMB! (Well, he was quite the guy back when he was on 93/KHJ in L.A. but those days are gone forever, I should just let them go...) For me, I can tune out movietunes just as easily as I can tune out the Muzak they play in Vons. Those ads are a different matter. As I stated in another thread, the Edwards theater here starts the ADS at the advertised feature start time, which pisses me off. The UA complex I go to sometimes starts the trailers at the advertised start time, which I can live with. (Since those are part of the same chain I guess it's the manager of the Edwards telling them to start the ads at that time.) IMO, trailers are a different thing than the ads. I usually decide which films I'm going to see in future based on the trailer, but I already know all about how great the dramas on NBC are and how tasty Vanilla Coke is, so I don't need to go to the movies to find that out...
 

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Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 05-14-2003, 06:52 AM:
 
A response to Tom Weinholt:

Tom, I'm paying money for the film, not the commercials. I pay for HBO, and, believe me, I would be VERY upset if they interrupted SIX FEET UNDER for a deodorant ad.

There is no great advantage to getting out. I can stay home and run things on my schedule. If someone has to leave the room, I can stop things. I am in control, and I like that. I can replay the parts that aren't clear, or I can pull up infomation on my computer while the picture is running.

Would I stop going to film because of commercials? Probably not. BUT, HAVE I stopped going as often because I have access to so much at home...ABSOLUTELY.
 

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Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 05-14-2003, 09:27 AM:
 
Reminds me of the old quote:

"Some people use statistics like a drunk uses a lamp post, for support rather than illumination"

If you start a study with the result already decided, it is easy to find a test group to support it.

/Mitchell
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 05-14-2003, 11:11 AM:
 
If exhibitors are going to run ads, they should at least demand that the production values of the ads are up to "cinema standards". Some of the ads that are blown up from video look really dreadful. If you can't afford to put a good-looking and sounding ad on the screen, you shouldn't bother at all.
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 05-14-2003, 11:49 AM:
 
Here's the study I want to see:

Out of 100 people who exit ANY RANDOM MOVIE that has advertisements before the feature, how many people even remember what products were being advertised?

I'll bet you dimes to donuts that 90% of the people can't remember more than 1 or 2 of the products being advertised out of the half dozen (or more) of the ads shown!

In other words, if it can be shown that companies are pouring money down a dry hole I GUARANTEE the ads will go away!
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 05-14-2003, 12:01 PM:
 
I can't quote the exact source. Maybe it was a Regal Cinemedia press release. But they claimed to have studied this and found that the "recognition factor" for cinema ads was much higher among viewers than it is for, say, TV commercials. As much as I hate these ads myself, I have to admit that I can usually remember at least some of them afterwards, much more so than TV commercials. Must be something about the large image & good sound? I dunno...
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 05-14-2003, 12:39 PM:
 
I agree that cinema ads need to have high production/entertainment values and presentation quality that set them apart from ads you might see on television. One ad I'd love to see on a large screen is the recent Honda "COG" ad:

Honda COG mirror site

Honda COG 100K

Honda COG 300K

Daily Telegraph Article

Daily Record Article

Oregonian Article

Slate Article
 

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Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 05-14-2003, 01:50 PM:
 
"Stick to theatres that have curtains! A theatre that has and uses curtains is a theatre that doesn't use slides or "movietune" crap, in most cases."

I worked for a single-screen theatre that had curtains, but they added slides and kept the curtains open all the time for them, as well as keeping the stage lights off (I still had the curtains close and stage lights up at the end of the last show of the day though)- very depressing. They added MovieTunes later too. The theatre eventually closed a few years afterwards, I like to think it was the slides that drove people away.
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 05-14-2003, 03:11 PM:
 

quote:

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In theaters, advertisers have a captive and highly targeted audience. Audiences at a Disney animated movie, for instance, are likely to be families and children.

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quote:

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from Scott Norwood:
Jack--you forgot

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Yah... I was afraid of running afoul of the per-post smiley limit.

quote:

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I don't like slides, but I can deal with them. Movie Tunes and film ads for non-movie-related products have no place in commercial cinemas.

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quote:

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Arbitron also found that audiences find theater ads more interesting than TV ads and more acceptable than pop-up or other ads on the Internet.

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Okay, now who the hell finds the ads that play in theaters "MORE INTERESTING" than those on TV when 90% of the time THEY ARE THE SAME ADS!!!

Also, did they make it clear when they were surveying that they were talking about rolling stock and not trailers?? I've heard all sorts of people call trailers "commercials" and refer to the rolling stock as, "commercial commercials"

=TMP=

P.S. Yes, people say they don't mind the commercials, but hate the commercial commercials.
 

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Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 05-15-2003, 01:47 PM:
 
I saw an ad in the paper yesterday from Century Theatres that said "No TV Commercials- It's All About The Movie!" They just earned a lot of my respect!
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 05-18-2003, 11:04 AM:
 
"No TV Commercials" gives them some wiggle room although presumably they do indeed mean no commercials at all other than trailers and the usual gift certificate and internet ticketing promotions.
 

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Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 05-18-2003, 01:23 PM:
 
Well, I just checked Century website and saw their big circle and red x through the TV commercial phrase. "Come experience your movies commercial free."

Here is the actual press release from Century:

With over 900 screens in 11 states, Century remains true to the adage:
"It's all about the movies!"

Recently, moviegoers have taken their "Anger" to the courts by suing a number of movie theater chains for showing commercials after the advertised start of the show.

"We've been showing movies, and only movies, to the public since 1941 when our father started the business", said Raymond W. Syufy, CEO of Century Theatres and CinéArts, the company's circuit dedicated to showing art and independent fare. "We feel that movie going is unique - an exciting experience that should have no relationship to sitting at home watching television. We want you to sit back, relax and enjoy the show".

Joseph Syufy, the company President stated, "Movie going has always been a magical experience. Our guests come to escape and be entertained. Hollywood provides the movies and our job is to provide a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere".

Century and CinéArts continues the tradition of offering first run motion pictures to the public with the finest presentation possible. The state-of-the art locations offer stadium seating, love seats and rockers, all digital stereo, Lucasfilm THX Certification and Café Cinemas, featuring gourmet desserts and coffees in a café setting that invites the moviegoer to relax and enjoy the distinctive environment.

Century (http://www.centurytheatres.com) is a successful and strong motion picture exhibitor, in the midst of a major expansion program adding 250 screens over the next three years. Century Theatres/CinéArts owns and operates over 900 movie screens in 11 states, including 25 locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Century Theatres' patrons purchase advance tickets through Fandango's web site, www.fandango.com and through Fandango's voice-recognition service at 1-800-555-TELL and simply saying "movies" which enables moviegoers to buy their tickets and print them at home, eliminating the need to wait in line at the theater box office.

Will this be a competitive factor in increasing audience size? (Regal has other ideas, I guess. The back marquee of the Edwards in Bakersfield has only ONE thing listed. "Don't forget to ask about our free cookie dough". YEP! That's going to pull ME in! At least it's no longer free sour patch kids!


 

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Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 05-18-2003, 04:26 PM:
 
Well it is a little ironic there's a link to the left of that article for "on-screen advertising"! Century was the first company I saw introduce slide ads, which I've always thought are ugly and insulting. Still, this is a good move on their part though.
 

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Posted by Matt Close (Member # 996) on 05-21-2003, 02:22 AM:
 
I'm all for whatever makes the theatre money ...
both as

A) A patron who would 'like' to believe that the money they make from selling ad time helps to keep ticket prices and food costs from going up just that little bit more....

And as

B) A projectionist who wants his theatre to do well enough in these tough times to pay a decent rate and offer long term, secure employment.

IMHO I can't understand why some projectionists would actually be against something that helps them keep their jobs .... and as for the "I'll just wait for the DVD" argument.... people still like the big screen experience the cinema offers, and I think people also like to 'go out'. You can't 'have a night out' in your own loungroom ......
 

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Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 05-21-2003, 09:08 PM:
 
Because the ads are a very short sighted way of keeping one's job. If the theatre is only solvent due to the ads, then it isn't far from death anyway.

Theatre people never think long-term nowadays.

The perception of going out is not one of actually paying to see ads. For the most part, the ads take away from the show (you've heard about how curtains have been lost for slides and other advertisement). As theatre's chip away at the actual show, they are chipping away at their long-term success.

If you theatre doesn't have/use curtains, then your show isn't worth paying for.

Steve
 

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Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 05-22-2003, 09:22 AM:
 

quote:

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If you theatre doesn't have/use curtains, then your show isn't worth paying for.

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I wouldn't go that far. Most of the theatre audiences now have never seen a movie theatre that has used curtains that open when the show starts and close when it is finished. Back in 2000, when the Gateway 4 (a second run theatre run by Regal) closed, I was talking to the manager and she told me about many occasions when customers would come out before the show started and ask about the curtains being closed. The curtains confused many customers who have never seen anything but theatres with none. The Gateway was the last theatre in the area to use curtains. I guarantee if pre/post-show screen-covering curtains were installed in any modern multiplex, a lot of customers would be confused by them and come out and ask things like (real life examples):

(1)

CUSTOMER: "You are going to show a movie in there, right?"
MANAGER: "Yes."
CUSTOMER: "Well, the curtains are closed."
MANAGER: "Yes, when the show starts, the curtains will OPEN."

(2)

CUSTOMER: "There's no screen in there."

(3)

CUSTOMER: "Am I in the right one? How are you going to show a movie without a screen?"

I'm not kidding. Customers nowadays are used to going into the auditorium and seeing the exposed screen. Some customers actually prefer the slides and music because it gives them something to look at and listen to while they're waiting for the show to start. I'm not saying any of this is good, but it's just the way it is. Do something a certain way long enough and people will consider it part of the "normal experience".

Remember, the average moviegoer is very young. The youngsters aren't old enough to remember how things "used to be". No multiplex in Huntsville built since 1980 (or maybe several years before!) have not had curtains. A 15-year old in 1980 would be 38 now. A 25-year old now would have been 2 then! Slide projectors have been used before shows since at least 1997 or before here. A 25-year old now was 19 then, so most of the moviegoers now haven't seen anything but the current no curtain with pre-show slides configuration.
 

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Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 05-22-2003, 10:26 AM:
 
Nah, I don't buy it...I've worked too many theatres with curtains (even today) without EVER having one of those comments...not that I don't think people are so dumb that it could happen...certainly not the reason to nix curtains.

As to curtains and ads...one does not eliminate the other. However, there is the misperception that ads prevent the use of curtains. If ads are tastefully done, and properly presented (masked, focused, leveled with enough light) then I have no problem with them prior to show time...I do have a problem with any advertising after the published showtime, with the exception of previews.

I repeat and standby my statement that without a functioning grand drape (curtain) your theatre is, at best, 2nd rate.

Steve
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-22-2003, 01:33 PM:
 
We have curtain LIGHTS, does that qualify? They fade out very nicely when the movie begins. On the occasion when I have to change lenses on the fly, they come on during the lens change too.

Actually I have always thought it was kind of dumb to have the image appear on the curtain, and then the curtain open. That's equivalent to having the actors in a play run out in front of the stage curtain before it opens. In my own perfect world, I'd have a curtain that was synchronized with a "coming attractions" trailer that started black and had its image "open" along with the curtains. Yes, when I win the lottery, that will be my first order of business.
 

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Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 05-22-2003, 01:48 PM:
 
I actually didn't like curtains for a while, because a long time ago the theatre near me would usually close the curtains during the end credits, making them impossible to read! They're nice when used properly though.
 

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Posted by Geoffrey Weiss (Member # 882) on 05-22-2003, 02:03 PM:
 
I love curtains, and can't help but think of "Man on the Moon."

"Show Business "
Show Business "
"Without the Business, there's no Show."

However, I also think that the lack of showmanship in the chains, especially, is going to hurt the business. My sig.oth. and I went to see A Mighty Wind last night at our 1926-vintage art cinema and, having been tutored by me in the proper operation of curtains, she remarked upon it when the curtains opened precisely on time as the picture hit the screen.

I won't go to a chain for a movie unless I absolutely cannot avoid it because of A: thoughtless yaboos with cell phones and loud voices B: commercials C: crappy presentation. I WANT the magic of cinema, Dammit!
 

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Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 05-22-2003, 02:46 PM:
 
Back in 1999, I had a second run house that had one auditorium with an operable curtain. I had it closed JUST ONCE, and a guy came out not ten minutes before showtime and said to me...

"Yo, the screen is like, broken".

People are stupid.

Dave
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 05-22-2003, 03:23 PM:
 
my main problem with not having curtains is simply that that normally implies slides and other ad bullshit. if there are no slides then i'd just as soon be able to see the blank screen so i can seat myself accordingly. that is, assuming there's no format change after trailers. on the other hand, if they help keep the screen clean, then curtains are good. what i don't like is curtains that open late or close early, obscuring the film image, and that includes "title curtains". really, we're not going to turn to stone if we glimpse a blank screen for 2 seconds.

carl
 

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Posted by William Leland III (Member # 1400) on 05-22-2003, 03:45 PM:
 
That article is crap. Every time I watch a movie and commercials pop up on screen, people get outraged.

My friend and I watched X-Men 2 and she was mad that they had 4 ads before the first trailer.

Whoever wrote that article was lying. His statistics where off.
 

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Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 05-22-2003, 05:47 PM:
 
I can't stand seeing a naked screen. And yes, curtained theatres have their screens last longer and in better condition.

As to where to sit...every seat should be a good seat, if the theatre is well designed.

You'd hate my show...I'll run previews in 1.85:1...close the curtain as the last preview ends (open the masking behind the curtain) and go in to the scope feature with yet a larger picture, as if by magic!

Steve
 

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Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 05-22-2003, 07:27 PM:
 
Magic scares me! So do mimes!

Ads suck... as do theatres that run them.

And while I'm at it... anything in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio sucks!
 

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Posted by Tom Wienholt (Member # 1510) on 05-23-2003, 01:26 AM:
 
I think that customers would rather have something to look at when waiting for the movie to start rather then look at a curtain. I don't think it is fair to say that theatres without a curtain are 2nd rate. Maybe a curtain was a fixure in all theatres 20 years ago but movie theatres are completely different now, and so are the movies. I think that music, slide shows, and advertisements before the movie ad to the overall entertainment factor of moviegoing. I think that looking at a curtain or blank screen waiting for a movie to start is extremely boring. I would much rather watch a slide show or other pre-show entertainment.
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 05-23-2003, 01:40 AM:
 
That's fairly personal position, Tom. We have quite a lot of customers that don't like the distraction, and have told us so. It actually gives them the opportunity to pay more attention to whomever they've come to the theatre with. I've not had a single customer ask if we'd be adding slides or "video entertainment" to the screen before the show.

I'd love to have the old waterfall curtains in my auditoriums. I thought they added some class to the presentation.
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 05-23-2003, 08:22 AM:
 
Many moviegoers are too young to remember when curtains were an integral part of "showmanship" and the movie-going experience. Wish they could all go to a theatre that still has "Curtains Done Right" like Steve's Uptown in Washington DC, or the El Capitan in Hollywood CA.
 

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Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 05-23-2003, 09:37 AM:
 
The biggest difference about theatres today is that they don't do as well as they did yesteryear. And throwing adds and junk up on the screen isn't going to change that. Sure the trades love to boast about boxoffice records but they never show actual attendance as compared to actual population (the true test of how well you are doing)

Anyone that thinks that the show, which includes curtains don't play a big part in the movie business, yesterday or today is flat out wrong. Your are at best 2nd rate if you don't have a functioning grand drape. It is that simple.

As I said before, having a grand drape does not preclude preshow material at all. Infact, the curtains can ad some dignity to them. Ads can run on the main screen or even have their own screen(s) (roll down). Come "showtime" close the curtains, kill the ads and begin the light show that begins what the customers really came for...the movie magic. And if you are a real class act, you will have two curtains.

Steve
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 05-23-2003, 06:24 PM:
 
Tell that to the staff at the Ziegfeld in NYC. It's a 1,000-seat single-screen with drapes and all, yet it dropped X2 after only two weeks.

As for adverts? I hate to admit it, but they're now commonplace, get used to it.
 

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Posted by Darren Solomon (Member # 1120) on 06-01-2003, 09:37 PM:
 
Well, for those who pay for Basic Cable, I feel as I've partially paid for commercials on TV. If it was NTSC (Rabbit ear) TV, then I could safely say I'm not paying for anything I see on the TV. At my theatre, its ad crazy. More pre-show ads each summer. It makes revenue for the Theatre Circuit. I've already heard we got customers complaining about the ads and the movies start times with ads starting at the movies advertised show time. I think someone already tried to sue Fandango about the advertised show time of a certain movie, so maybe we had to change something in our start times of the movies now.
We now start 4 minutes before actual showtime, but our pre-shows have two sets of ads, the 2nd set people will see on the acutal movie showtime.. SO go figure. Ads are here to stay. IMO.
 

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Posted by Matt Hale (Member # 1518) on 06-01-2003, 11:32 PM:
 
kinda makes you wonder if we arent heading back to the concept of continuous showing, except instead of trailer, trailer, newsreel, trailer, cartoon, trailer, feature 1, trailer, trailer, feature 2, etc...

it will just be ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, trailer, trailer, feature, ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, ad, etc... and not bother to to tell anybody when the film actually starts - just show up whenever and maybe you will get lucky. In fact, why not just call it a "mystery showing" and not tell people what they're going to see at all - then you could show nothing but ads. I betcha somebody will try it.

btw the last movie I ever saw that was a continuous showing was Return of the Jedi. I will never forget because I walked in right at the point where the Emperor was shooting electricity out of his hands. Totally freaked me out (I was quite young)
 

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