Sick of going to the movies and they supposed to start and yet its twenty minutes of freaking ads.
Growing up in Sweden, ads were not allowed in TV. So only time you got to see ads was at the movie. So ads felt special and fun to watch.
Movies not starting when they are scheduled.
Submitted 1 day ago by Fredselfish@lemmy.world to mildlyinfuriating@lemmy.world
Comments
MilitantAtheist@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
realitista@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
Just show up late. That’s what I do.
payhn@sopuli.xyz 1 day ago
You can ask the workers when the movie actually starts and they will tell you. There’s a schedule they have printed every day or a digital one they can reference usually. They will also tell you the exact time the credits end for better scheduling
MyBrainHurts@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
Oh heck, I never thought of just asking! (Admittedly, I’m usually high as balls and socially awkward at a movie but still!)
bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 1 day ago
So are the workers
Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 hours ago
Not for our chain.
They tell you when the screening starts and the runtime of the movie.
Which obviously includes credits
ech@lemm.ee 1 day ago
Just go in 20 minutes later? Been doing it for years at this point.
CaptDust@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Worth pointing out this wasn’t really a possibility before theaters switched to reserved spots. I remember having to be ass in seat before the lights even went down if you wanted a good spot on a premiere weekend. Sucked an hour suffering through preshow trivia, ads, and trailers.
scarabic@lemmy.world 7 hours ago
I love reserved seating. And they seem to have given up on selling lots of tickets. The chairs in my theater are huge and widely spaced.
ech@lemm.ee 1 day ago
I do this at un-reserved theaters too. Just gotta be more flexible with your seating. Unless the theater’s absolutely packed and you get stuck at the very front, most of the seats are going to give you a good experience. It’s what the theater’s designed for.
scytale@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
I’m lucky that my city has a true IMAX theater and unlucky that it doesn’t have reserved seating, in this day and age. So I have to arrive an hour early just so I can stand in line and get a good seat.
Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Is it always 20 minutes? Or is it sometimes 15 minutes and sometimes 25 minutes?
ech@lemm.ee 1 day ago
It can vary. I haven’t been to many movies lately, but 25 minutes of ads was pretty standard at the chain cinemas with the popular movies. Smaller theaters and/or smaller movies could be as low as 10 minutes sometimes. Just gotta keep in mind the context and plan accordingly.
Proprietary_Blend@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Seems pretty simple to me. Some folks just need to be mad at their own lack of cognitive faculty.
Gullible@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
We retreat into smug self satisfaction not because we’re happy with a situation, but because we feel powerless against it, and yet still need to feel as though we’ve conquered it. alternatively
dogs0n@sh.itjust.works 13 hours ago
It’s fun to try guessing what brand the ad is for (up to a point). I hate when they tease me as if the movie is about to start and then start playing more ads instead.
Movie trailers are good though. Have seen some that I’d never have watched without seeing a trailer there.
Fredselfish@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
Yeah that pisses me. They say now enjoy your movie and get another 10 minutes of ads.
Donebrach@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Are you posting from 2007?
Zenith@lemm.ee 1 day ago
Must be spill over from the meme groups posting ancient stale memes
TachyonTele@lemm.ee 1 day ago
You’ll figure it out some day.
shalafi@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Got a laugh! OP, it’s been like this since I was a teenager, in the 80s.
Fredselfish@lemmy.world 1 day ago
No wasn’t like that where I watched movies in the 80’s and 90’s. Hell even in the early part of the 2000’s it wasn’t. You had your trailers sure, but we loved that. Now its freaking ad, after ad. Or the stupid movie trivia.
hogmomma@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Since you get to pick your seat when you buy your ticket, I’ve been showing up 20 minutes after the start time. I catch the tail end of the endless trailers and haven’t missed any of the movie yet.
I don’t think they thought this through…
spankmonkey@lemmy.world 1 day ago
They did think it through.
The money they make from advertising is the same whether you show up on time or not. I’m pretty sure reserved seating nets them more concession stand income as people know they have ‘extra’ time to buy something and still get the seat they wanted.
The really frustrating thing back when the ads were first being shoved in was not having a consistent amount of ad time, so guessing the real start time was a pain.
hogmomma@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I can agree that as revenue hasn’t changed much, but it would be interesting to see how many hits they get, which can be determined by what time a person redeems their ticket. If anything, I’d guess that fewer people see the ads, based solely on my own experience. And also based solely on my own experience, I don’t think concession sales have changed, either.
Toga65@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
I love the ads lol, new movies. Dope as hell.
Cracks_InTheWalls@sh.itjust.works 12 hours ago
Love trailers, fucking hate ads for cars and stupid bullshit played before or after trailers.
Toga65@lemmy.world 8 hours ago
Oh absolutely.
Idk where I am I don’t see many non movie ads
altima_neo@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
Oh yeah? I went to go see Dogma last week. The movie started right on time. I missed out the buddy christ bit because we were busy getting snacks and hitting the bathroom thinking weve got plenty of time.
realitista@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
You’ve got to know the policy of the theatre you’re going to.
Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 hours ago
Lol get rekt.
Buddy of mine suggested going to a theatre in anotger city. He said there will be no ads and so we hurried instead of going slow and chill.
Turns out there were the usual 20min of ads and we had plenty of time.
So not even the theatre has only one policy.
MiyamotoKnows@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
I like to see the ads so I know what to get excited to see. I also like it as late protection where if we are late we know the movie still hasn’t started. Add 15 mins for the “real” start time.
Strider@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Well, one of the symptoms how stuff gets rid of itself. Also prices and other things.
It’s a luxury issue really and cinemas and in part the entertainment industry can cry me a river.
Today@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Turns a 2 hour movies into two and a half almost. My ass starts to hurt halfway through.
Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
That’s why I only watch movies at home… I need comfort.
iamdefinitelyoverthirteen@lemmy.world 1 day ago
And subtitles, and the ability to pause, and home cooked meals, and and and
Tylerdurdon@lemmy.world 1 day ago
This is why I haven’t gone to the movies in many years. Add in the people who just can’t keep off their phones for 2 whole hours (or put them on silent) and that convinced me to invest in higher quality home entertainment.
Fredselfish@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Don’t forget the talkers. Two old ladies in front of me wouldn’t shut up.
insaneinthemembrane@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Plus films are getting longer and my bladder is not getting bigger.
memfree@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
They just announced they were upping the ad content. You are seeing it in real time.
ArsonButCute@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
I leave for the theater when its scheduled to start. I’m in my seat with usually a few minutes to spare. Its super nice living so close to the theater.
grue@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I was going to mention that this was one of the reasons I like going to the last remaining drive-in theater in my area, since it doesn’t do that. Then I realized that it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen a movie there, and decided to check what’s playing. 3 of the 4 “now playing” movies and 13 out of 15 “coming soon” movies are sequels or reboots. And now I’m mildly infuriated, too.
Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Go 20 min later if you’re going to something like an AMC theater. AMC is particularly bad.
But better that, support locally owned theaters or smaller companies in general. They generally plug the snack bar, tell you to turn off your phone, then cut to trailers.
Fredselfish@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Dude my local theater does this too. I have 3 choices. B&B, AMC, or Cinemark. All three do this. Its 30 minutes of fucking ads. Movie supposed start at 10.55. Its freaking 11.25 when it started. Including trailers. Which in age of YouTube there not needed. Because I seen them all.
Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I should’ve clarified. Locally owned independent theaters.
That said, not everyone has those. They tend to exist in big urban areas, or very small communities. If you’re in the middle, you get the chains.
Omegamanthethird@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I like the movie trailers. But one of the theaters i used to go to started showing 5 minutes of ads, like the premovie soda and popcorn, cars, etc. I dont go to that one anymore.
csm10495@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
There used to be a scary logo animation for National Amusements that used to scare me as a child. It gives me the creeps now still.
It was all neon and then there would be a creepy screen to show you where the exits were.
albert180@piefed.social 1 day ago
I don't know in my cinema it's usually max. 5-10 Minutes. Sometimes even no commercials at all.
It's an independent one though.
Fredselfish@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Nope Life Of Chuck. 30 minutes after movie start time did it actually start. This is at a Cinimax.
W3dd1e@lemmy.zip 2 hours ago
I have been timing movie previews since August 2022. I was posting the data weekly on Twitter but I stopped using Twitter when the sale to Elon was finalized.
My Qualifications
I have a monthly pass that allows me to go up to 4 times a week. I also worked at a theater for 4 years, with part of that time being as a manager and projectionist. I have selected and put ad rolls on the film myself.
I go every Sunday morning. I started timing ads and previews before the movie started and logging them in a chart, but I am not a data analyst. I am just an annoyed theater patron.
Movie Previews and Ad Roll Lengths
Note: Most of my data is from seeing movies at AMC. I can’t guarantee every theater will be this way but theaters that use digital film distribution instead of physical film.
Ads ranged from 17 min to 31 min. Timing start at the scheduled showtime and start the moment the last ad stops and the film credits start.
If you go to AMC, the Nicole Kidman ad is always the last one. I stop counting as soon as she says “AMC Theaters, we make movies better.”
TLDR: I tracked movie ad times for years and recommend showing up 15 minutes late.