One lawmaker in Connecticut is sick of the trailers and long pre-movie shows. He does not come to the movies for magic, sorry Nicole Kidman, I still love you and your AMC ad. On January 21, a state senator proposed a bill that would mandate cinemas to include the actual start time of a film in addition to the usual time that includes the pre-movie trailers, according to a report in The Register Citizen.
It should be noted that at least on the AMC app, it tells you to “please allow approximately 20 extra minutes for pre-shows and trailers before the show starts.” So, personally, I already operate with the idea that I have a couple extra minutes to make my way to the theatre.
“It seems to be an abuse of people’s time. If they want to get there early and watch the promos, they can. But if they just want to see the feature, they ought to be able to get there just in time for that,” State Sen. Martin Looney told The Register Citizen. “I got a couple of calls from constituents who said that they went to the theater a few times and the feature did not start for a considerable period of time after the advertised starting time. It does seem to me that people are, in effect, a sort of captive audience watching the advertising before they get to see the feature they came to see.”
I understand Senator Looney’s frustration, but it is not that deceiving, especially when everyone already knows what going to see a movie at the theatre entails. Frankly, it would be more strange to watch a movie without all the adverts, trailers, and pre-shows. It’s a package deal and how theatres make money.
I know everyone hates ads, but that’s what pays businesses to keep them open. If everyone just skipped them, then the advertisers and distributors would have no incentive to pay theatres to run them. The Register Citizen talked to local theatre owners about how this bill would negatively impact their cinemas. Anyway, remember to support your local theatres!