Audiences Capitulate to Movie Ads
By Craig Kennedy - June 15th, 2008; 10:45 pm
The troubling part of this Variety report about increased movie theater advertising revenue is the third paragraph that basically says that the ads are working and that people don’t mind them anymore.
I suppose it’s not that big of a deal, but I’m tired of being sold something everywhere I turn. I’ll go out of my way and pay extra to sit in a theater that doesn’t run ads. Am I the only one?
Filed under: Opinion
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I mind them!
What kind of world to we live in where I get to see about 10 {not exaggerating at all} adverts before a film and about 2 or 3 trailers? Something ain’t right, and I mind.
In addition, if they want to play their stupid ads before the films, ticket prices should go down - they should pay ME for having to watch the SAME ads over and over and over again. For the most part, the ads are from groups of investment companies trying to outdo one another and create the most impressive ads, that or the ads are for like pizzas or whatever.
Seriously, I have honestly had e-nough of it already.
To quote Steve McQueen: Bullshit.
Don’t get me started.
I no longer go to movie theaters. In-theater advertising is a big reason why. You’re preaching to the choir on your website Craig, but in terms of regular Americans, I doubt the validity of these polls.
I thought TiVo proved that viewers want to control how they consume their entertainment. In-theater advertising is a giant box controlling what you see and what you hear for 15 minutes, on a forty foot screen and surround sound no less.
I predict film studios and exhibitors as we’ve known them won’t exist in 20 years. This is #52 on the list of reasons why.
I caught the HULK this weekend and sat through 10-12 minutes of ads (most of them for cell phones) before getting to the previews and then, how novel, the fucking movie. I was legitmately mad by the time the picture rolled around, as Nick said, I thought PAYING for something negated the point of ads. Corporate greed will eventually price itself out-well, sadly, that’s probably not true.
I don’t like the ads, but either I am talking to who ever I went with, or I’m on my laptop checking out the something on-line. All in all the ads are not driving me from the theatre. The damb people who talk during the film. Now there is something I can hate. A special kind of hell is reserved for those!
I have to agree with Joe Valdez and the others who doubt the validity of these polls. The media lies like a rug when it suits them to do so.
While I’ll admit to being numb to the horrible advertising by this point (and I still think it’s wrong), my real issue is with talkers. And, since I generally try to take my seat as late as possible as to avoid trailers, I often don’t see the ads.
Interesting idea, Nick: ads to offset ticket price increases. Doubt it will ever happen.
We’re all screwed. Soon there will be in-screen advertising scrolling along the bottom or popping up in between scenes.
Joe’s right about the sketchy validity of these industry polls reported on by an industry trade magazine, but whenever I go to the suburban multiplex, I catch people laughing and enjoying the commercials.
Of course, this is why I only go to the suburban multiplex for sneak-ins. Theaters with no commercials are bliss.
Eh, I used to hate them, but I’ve learned to ignore them the way I ignore TV comercials. I typically get to a film 15-20 minutes early and just space out blissfully until the movie starts. With that in mind, and the fact that I love seeing films on the big screen, I hope the theater chains to whatever they can to make as much money as possible, because few things frighten me more than the thought of theaters becoming obsolete in my lifetime.
I highly doubt it too Danny, but it would be awesome.
I have found the ads to be less irritating at the Regal chain here in Portland since I moved from Seattle (most theaters there are AMC) but that’s like saying that the new drill my dentist uses is quieter than the old one. The pain, the discomfort, the frustration…still there.
Alynch, I’m all for theaters doing whatever they can to stay in business, and if this Variety article is to be believed, most people would rather have ads than higher ticket prices. I understand that, but as I said, I will willingly pay more (and I do) for a theater that doesn’t have ads.
What I hate more than the literal ads actually is the loud, pre-screening info-tainment. Difficult to tune out.
Nader actually had a lawsuit to force theaters to list actual start times, not the ad times. I’m down for that. One reason we go to theaters is to escape the fucking commercials. And when I hear audiences laugh at them, I think IDIOCRACY. I like to talk out loud during movie commercials. I mean, those Fandango ads…
I’m not sure what’s more annoying, Christian: seeing the same ridiculous Fandango ad 20-30 times over a 6 month period or the idiot laughing at it on my 25 viewing of said ad. Always disappointing to see that bad advertising sells.
There’s a “premium,” privately-run theater in Vancouver that does high-end food and beverage service in the theater and has specially designed “living room” theaters. They charge a premium for all that and I liked the fact that they don’t have any ads other than previews, but when we went there for Iron Man they ran an awful 3 minute ad for their own movie theater. It was kind of surreal watching an ad for the theater I’m already sitting in, and what was worse was that it fairly cheaply produced.
Just the thought of something that annoying precludes me from wanting to go back there.
But I admit I kinda like the old-school slide shows some of our second run theaters do, with poorly-made ads for local businesses. There’s something charming about how lo-fi that is and with no audio, it’s easily ignored.
Laemmle does the cheesy slide show and I have no beef with that, particularly because they’re a locally owned art-house chain. They also have irritating ads for the local public radio station and for the LA times, but I’m more than willing to forgive. Landmark does the same, plus they have ads for Stella Artois beer which at least make an effort to be clever.
Both chains are tolerable. AMC…not so much, but I only go there when I’m seeing a handful of movies so I deserve what I get.
I’m always going on about Arclight, so I won’t bore you, but they’re my idea of movie heaven and well worth the extra couple of dollars for tickets.
Last time I was in a Landmark (about a year ago in Seattle for Once), they had the Stella Artois ad plus an IFC ad but no slide show. Wonder if the slide show is new?
The Stella Artois ads are less irritating than the rampant Coca Cola ads or Fandango, but it’s still disappointing that Landmark has ANY ads.
I still miss the weird intro ad they used to run, which I quoted incessantly, with the faux-Brit accent girl saying, “Landmark theaters. Your year round film festival.”
I was misleading. No slideshow for Landmark…your year round film festival.