Connecticut Bill Requires Movie Theaters To Reveal How Long Those 'Coming Soon' Trailers Really Are (registercitizen.com) 92
Connecticut's highest-ranking state legislator has proposed a bill requiring movie theaters to disclose both preview and feature film start times, setting up a clash with theater operators who say the measure threatens their advertising revenue.
Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney's proposal aims to prevent moviegoers from sitting through up to 30 minutes of advertisements and trailers before features begin. The Democrat cited complaints from constituents about lengthy pre-show delays. Theater owners are pushing back, local outlet RegisterCitizen reports, with Avon Theatre's executive director Peter Gistelinck warning the measure could undermine their financial stability.
Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney's proposal aims to prevent moviegoers from sitting through up to 30 minutes of advertisements and trailers before features begin. The Democrat cited complaints from constituents about lengthy pre-show delays. Theater owners are pushing back, local outlet RegisterCitizen reports, with Avon Theatre's executive director Peter Gistelinck warning the measure could undermine their financial stability.
People still go to movie theaters? (Score:5, Insightful)
I haven't been to a movie theater in over a decade at this point. The popcorn tastes nasty anymore, the seats aren't comfortable, and the volume isn't right. The movies aren't interesting to see early.
That said, 30 minutes of previews before a movie is just asking for people to show up late or, you know, not show up at all. If they're pissed off enough to spur talk of legislation/regulation, they're pissed off enough to stop coming. Let's see how your profit does with empty seats.
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In my area the seats are usually comfortable.
But yeah, i literally wear ear plugs so that my ears aren't ringing after the movie.
Though yeah, i also rarely go. But going with friends and talking about it afterwards can still be kinda fun.
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In my area the seats are usually comfortable.
But yeah, i literally wear ear plugs so that my ears aren't ringing after the movie.
Though yeah, i also rarely go. But going with friends and talking about it afterwards can still be kinda fun.
Going to the movie theater is sort of like going to a live showing event, a concert, a play, or even a park. A nice home theater system has better visuals and audio, more comfortable seats, better food, better bathrooms, ability to pause, etc. But going out, especially with friends, is different because going out itself is different.
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Going to the movie theater is sort of like going to a live showing event, a concert, a play, or even a park. A nice home theater system has better visuals and audio, more comfortable seats, better food, better bathrooms, ability to pause, etc. But going out, especially with friends, is different because going out itself is different.
I don't go t those other places to be around people. Why would I go to a movie with friends when I can't talk to them during the movie? I realize this is popular, but still don't get it.
Re: People still go to movie theaters? (Score:2)
Because you don't *just* go to the movie with friends, you have a meal before, you go out for drinks afterward, or if you work with your friends you either talk about it at work leading up to the movie or the next day afterward...
Re: People still go to movie theaters? (Score:1)
I love going to the movies!
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I haven't been to a movie theater in over a decade at this point. The popcorn tastes nasty anymore, the seats aren't comfortable, and the volume isn't right. The movies aren't interesting to see early.
I love going to the movies!
...But an old cranky boomer doesn't. You can no longer go to the movies, sorry.
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...But an old cranky boomer doesn't. You can no longer go to the movies, sorry.
I am an old cranky boomer. The reason I don't go to the theater much these days isn't because of the trailers, or because of the theater experience, it's because the nearly all movies suck throbbing purple donkey dick. (And the trailers are an excellent way to determine which future releases might be worth the bother.)
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I'm not willing to sit through ads for a movie, because the popcorn gets cold. If I've already eaten all the popcorn so it doesn't get cold by the time the movie starts, something's wrong here.
How many previews are logically enough? Two. How many pre-show ads? The point of pre-show is for people who arrive to the theatre early so they don't strike up loud conversations. But I'll compromise here. Give me the exact start time of the last preview. I'll go outside when the previews start, get my popcorn and ret
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I'm not willing to sit through ads for a movie, because the popcorn gets cold.
Popcorn would still get cold almost instantly even if the movie was being shown in hell. I'm really surprised someone hasn't done crowdfunding for some sort of portable heated popcorn bucket. Pretty sure with a backpack full of li-ion batteries you could pull it off.
Re:People still go to movie theaters? (Score:4, Interesting)
They have, to be fair, really improved the seats lately. All the chain cinemas around here have full, large, reclining seats. Huge improvement on the crappy padded chairs they used to use.
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And loads of grease where the last occupant wiped their hands after munching that popcorn.
Between that and the likelihood of some asshat using their phone or providing running commentary throughout the movie, I'd rather wait and watch it at home.
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My experience has been substantially more positive. I don't recall any seats I've been in that were disgusting. Maybe the theaters I go to are better in that regard.
I don't doubt there are good reasons to watch at home, but "seats" is not a reason. My reasons would be: nobody crunching popcorn behind you, being able to pee without missing anything, and of course price. Also I'm about 99% sure my tinnitus was caused by some cinema audio system malfunctioning a few years ago and blasting white noise into the
Re: People still go to movie theaters? (Score:2)
Plus, you've got to get out of the house and deal with annoying pricks in the theater. You know the kind - rustling, talking, moving.
Good TV, dark room, sofa and pyjamas is all you need.
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guess you dont have any Movie Taverns where you live. Electric reclining loungers, food, popcorn, candy, beer, wine, etc delivered right to your seat. You pick your seat so its not first come / first serve its assigned seating. The downside is that since covid the prices seemed to have more than doubled..
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Re: People still go to movie theaters? (Score:2)
Is there any problem that is too small to merit government intervention?
They want to pass a law about the length of movie previews in movie theaters? Why? Can't people just understand that they will have trailers before the movie starts? Is this really a serious problem? Can't we just let the market handle this? If the trailers keep you out of the theater, don't go to the theater - it's not really that hard...
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Like the old saying, when all you have is a hammer, every problem starts looking like a nail... In this case, no, there's not really any problem too small to merit government intervention in their minds.
Keep in mind that I also proposed the alternative of not going to movie theaters if the amount of ads pisses you off.
It's for their own good (Score:2)
I don't go to movies because of the ads and because there is nothing good. It's way to commercial. I wish more people would vote with there feet to stop the degredaton of everything. Now you can't even watch TV shows without seeing ads.
Maybe more people would come to the theaters if it wasn't such a bad experience. The least they could do is tell you when to show up.
Excuse me?!? (Score:5, Insightful)
You're making me pay to watch commercials, while you're receiving revenue from those same commercials, and you're bitching about this being a hit on your "financial stability".
Fuck you!
Fuck. You.
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I'm beginning to think I should sue you for the time I wasted reading the link in your sig.
Go ahead, I triple dog dare you! [youtube.com]
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Haven't you heard? Making people pay to watch commercials is the new hotness. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Peacock...
(They can all fuck themselves, especially if they charge an exorbitant amount to remove the ads - if you're ad funded, you're providing shows for advertisers, not subscribers.)
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I can understand and tolerate having non/paid tiers, and even different ad-supported lower tiers; I don't necessarily agree with them, but at least there's the options. And I've found Netflix to be worth the ad-free tier price (but to a limit).
But when the only choice is to pay an exorbitant price, and being forced to sit through brain-cell killing ads, while execs cry like fucking 6 year old girls about the idea of not forcing me into that, then I call B.S.
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I'm happy with free with ads. I'm happy with paid without ads. What I don't tolerate is paid + ads. You're basically subsidizing advertising and the wishes of advertisers at that point - the advertisers still get a massive, outsized, say in what the content is, but for some reason you're still expected to pay for it.
They can all shit or get off the pot. Either make it free, or get rid of the advertising. This "We hate ordinary people, we'll take their money but fuck them" shit needs to stop.
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Yup. I have zero paid for streaming services because they keep shoveling ads in on the paid tiers, then whining about lack of profits. I'll watch Tubi or Youtube free, but that's it. I'm baffled by paid tiers that still have ads. If I'm paying you, that should be your profit source. If you're shoveling ads at me faster than the obvious bumper spots inserted in the episodes every ten to twelve minutes, you don't need to be paid by me to support your platform. Fuck off and die, k thnx.
I swear some of these fu
Re:Excuse me?!? (Score:5, Insightful)
"Your flooding me with advertisements after I've paid for your content is what's undermining your financial stability."
I'd say they need to take responsibility for the results of their own actions, but I think we all know they understand perfectly what's going on here and it's just another ploy to maximize their profits. They do it because it works, and it's LEGAL. And they're going to fight tooth-and-nail to try to keep it legal.
What I don't understand is this technique of "our customers are leaving because they don't like us doing XYZ - we need to recoup our lost profits by doing MORE of XYZ!" Why has it become so popular everywhere? Rent goes up, tenants leave, so they raise the rent again to make up for lost tenants. WHY? is this really working for anyone?
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"Your flooding me with advertisements after I've paid for your content is what's undermining your financial stability."
I'd say they need to take responsibility for the results of their own actions, but I think we all know they understand perfectly what's going on here and it's just another ploy to maximize their profits. They do it because it works, and it's LEGAL. And they're going to fight tooth-and-nail to try to keep it legal.
What I don't understand is this technique of "our customers are leaving because they don't like us doing XYZ - we need to recoup our lost profits by doing MORE of XYZ!" Why has it become so popular everywhere? Rent goes up, tenants leave, so they raise the rent again to make up for lost tenants. WHY? is this really working for anyone?
It doesn't make sense from a logic perspective, but you have to remember that the business world doesn't work on logic. It works on profit. That's the only form of thought they understand. Anything they need to do to raise profits, or "shareholder value" (i.e. make Wall Street masturbate like spider monkeys) is a positive, even if it loses them market share. The fantasy that they seem completely addicted to is that increased short-term profits are *ALWAYS* a good sign, no matter what it does long-term. "The
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You're making me pay to watch commercials, while you're receiving revenue from those same commercials, and you're bitching about this being a hit on your "financial stability".
Fuck you!
Fuck. You.
I can't blame the cinemas, they get the square root of fuck all from ticket sales. All of that goes to the film distributors (copyright holders) for the privilege of showing the film and it still doesn't break even for the cinema, they depend on you buying the overpriced popcorn and drink to make any money at all.
I dislike ads as well, but if you want to curse someone, curse the copyrights mafia... I'm sure cinemas would love to stop playing ads.
Last time I went to a cinema here in the UK, I assumed t
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I can't blame the cinemas, they get the square root of fuck all from ticket sales. [...] I dislike ads as well, but if you want to curse someone, curse the copyrights mafia... I'm sure cinemas would love to stop playing ads.
I can somewhat sympathize, but in the end, really, it's really not my fucking problem they're getting shafted. They chose to get shafted. If they don't like it, they can form the equivalent of a 'union' (an 'association' I guess, just like the MaPhiAA) and get some leverage in negotiations and remind the movie industry that without them, there's nobody to watch their movies (since movie producers can't also have their own cinema racket, as the government took care of dismantling back in the 50s/60s)
Re: Excuse me?!? (Score:2)
Last time I went to a cinema here in the UK, I assumed there would be ads and previews so I walked in 5 mins late only to find I'd missed the first 5 mins of the movie.
Which cinema was that? Sounds good.
I am beginning to see a use for the trailers/adverts though: thereâ(TM)s less chance of latecomers disturbing people during the first ten minutes of the film. That said, I purposely wait until a couple of weeks after a film has been released - on the very rare occasion I go at all - and then choose a daytime showing just to avoid other patrons altogether.
Re: Excuse me?!? (Score:2)
You're making me pay to watch commercials, while you're receiving revenue from those same commercials
Has anyone expkained to you about cable TV?
You pay for cable service, which in turn pays channels to rebroadcast their channel, and the channel is paid to run the commercials the channels run!
I don't think theaters are directly paid to run trailers for forthcoming movies, I think the issue is promoting the new movies.
Link: https://entertainment.howstuff... [howstuffworks.com]
Now some theater CHAINS may negotiate payments from major studios for annual agreements, but smaller theaters not so much.
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Has anyone expkained to you about cable TV?
You pay for cable service
LoL Joke's on you. I personally have never paid for cable TV, or any service that serves ads. Because why the fuck would I pay to get ads??
Now free air-wave radio: perfectly reasonable for them to have ads - besides the cost to acquire and operate a radio, I have nothing else to pay to use (listen) it.
If the radio station needs more revenue, they tell their advertisers "our antenna is this big and reaches this many million people, etc". They want more? They get a bigger antenna. I don't need to pay anythi
It's not the theatres its the studios (Score:5, Interesting)
The system is ridiculous. The theatres have to pile on the ads and charge an arm and a leg for concessions because the movie fees from the studios are so high. Why? Sure, location shoots, high-end CGI, practical effects, costumes, etc. But when the directors and lead actors are all making multiple millions, that's ridiculous.
There is a lot more than just a handful of people out there with talent, and how often are we bitching on social media because someone got lucky once and then seems to be given leeway to screw up again and again with big paydays each time?
Cut the damn movie budgets, and forget the 'big name' directors and stars unless they're willing to take pay cuts to make it work. Let the theatres keep more of the box office receipts, and add more tiers of ticket - you should pay a premium to subsidize those blockbuster action movies that are so expensive to produce.
It's epic greed from top to bottom.
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I agree with Baron Yam. I actually groan when I see the same handful of actors again and again in movies over and over. Seeing Dave Bautista in the first scene of Bladerunner 2048 was really disappointing for example, and I think he's a fine actor, I've just seen him in way, way too much stuff.
I know my position isn't a popular one, people have always gotten attached to celebs. But its boring to have the same actors in every movie and makes movies insanely expensive while adding nothing to their quality.
let the theaters keep at least 30% of the gate min (Score:2)
let the theaters keep at least 30% of the gate min not as low as 0%
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There are a lot of people with some talent, but not a lot of people with a lot of talent. Then there's skill. Then there's the fact that to make something great, you need many people with talent and skill plus a lot of luck.
But yes, the studios and theaters have enshitified the experience. Remember though that theaters have been barely hanging on since COVID, and things were somewhat rough before that with the move to streaming films.
Then just show up at the theater 20 minutes after the start time. You'
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If you're Disney, talent is rather optional on every level of production.
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Certainly it's no longer rewarded, but Disney is profitable, so they're doing something "right".
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Certainly it's no longer rewarded, but Disney is profitable, so they're doing something "right".
Cashing in on your past reputation while simultaneously wrecking it for the future is not what I would consider doing something "right".
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It's not (necessarily) the total, it's the allocation. The theatres should get more of a share.
And why should a handful of people get percentages when so many people get a temporary wage and then are shown the door? Everyone from the set security guards on up should get residuals proportionate to their wage, salary, or investment in the production.
Instead it's done by who can get away with it.
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And as I recall, the theaters pay the studio for the right to show the movie, but I may be wrong.
Re:It's not the theatres its the studios (Score:4)
If the movie makes hundreds of millions of dollars, why shouldn't the people who made it earn millions of dollars
Yes, this is capitalism. It also means if your movie loses hundreds of millions of dollars, then the people who made it should lose millions of dollars.
But I don't think this is an argument about capitalism - it's about consumer rights and consumer protections. If I'm paying to attend a movie, shouldn't I, as a consumer, have a reasonable expectation that I will be, you know, shown that movie and not force-fed a bunch of crap that I did not agree to? If I buy a PC with the expectation that I am going to use it to check email and watch videos and edit photos, should I have to spend hours and hours declining "offers" for Webroot, and Office 365, and Copilot subscriptions, and on and on and on? If I buy a car to provide me with safe transportation, shouldn't I be able to expect the features I purchased will work, and I will not have my personal driving habits and data sold so that WeatherTech can sell me upgraded floormats?
Capitalism without regulations that protect consumer rights is an exploitative nightmare, and the movie theater experience is becoming exploitative of consumers.
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This is one of the reasons I stopped going to the movies, along with the ridiculous prices being charged for drinks and food.
I bring in drinks and food regardless. I just wear a big coat and have a couple cans of a favored soft drink, and perhaps a bag of candies to munch on. I'm a sucker for movie theater popcorn so at times I'll give in to my urges and buy popcorn to munch on.
I've been to a movie theater well before the show starts before and there's adverts on the screen while the house lights are up. It's usually pretty tame stuff compared to the loud and bright movie trailers but it's still selling stuff and can be entert
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I went to one last year that had been out for a while and they seriously showed 15 minutes of ads after the theoretical show time. And then a bunch of trailers. I haven't been that angry in a really long time.
I want to see the trailers (Score:1)
I don't go to the movies that often these days, but when I do I usually make a point to get there in time to see the trailers. It's advertising, yes, but it's actually useful advertising - it targets people who genuinely might not know about something and genuinely might be interested in purchasing it. I actually want to know what's coming soon.
Re: I want to see the trailers (Score:1)
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For me the trailers spoil the movies. They tend to include the major plot twists and best lines so instead of having the impactful moment in the movie, you get a lot of meh.
I'm confused (Score:2)
I thought most Millennials and Gen Zers just played with their phones until the flick started (and some of 'em don't even put their phones away for that)? You'd assume this would've been a bigger annoyance back in the day when everyone didn't carry around a portable entertainment device in their pockets.
Re:I'm confused (Score:4, Interesting)
I thought most Millennials and Gen Zers just played with their phones until the flick started (and some of 'em don't even put their phones away for that)? You'd assume this would've been a bigger annoyance back in the day when everyone didn't carry around a portable entertainment device in their pockets.
Pretty much this. Good chance they are watching somebody else's ads instead.
We have more important issues to think about in CT (Score:2)
But I will say, good riddance to half an hour of ads. I've been to a theater post-COVID, and it's worse than ever. I'd rather sit at home with a beer, freshly-made dinner, and sweatpants, with something on streaming or the latest thing gotten from that... probably can't say it out loud... the cove of marauders' ships? Good for Sen. Looney for bringing this up. It doesn't do jack about housing prices or inflation, but this also pisses me off, so hey, gun for some theater legislation.
Or, theaters can get
do they even work? (Score:1)
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On aggregate, ads do work otherwise you wouldn't have entire industries revolving around them. Even the obnoxiously annoying ones can be successful in creating brand recognition, like those Appliance Direct ads we have here in Orlando. I've never shopped there, but here I am mentioning their brand because, dear God, those TV ads were so annoying.
Re: do they even work? (Score:2)
"Ads don't work on me" is my favorite I'm-14-and-this-is-smart flex.
Hi. You can see and hear? Ads work on you.
Finally (Score:3)
Glad they're tackling the important issues.
Reminds me of the Oregon State Senator who tried to ban eating popcorn because it personally irked him: https://historianandrew.medium... [medium.com]
Keep up the good work, boys.
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Re: Finally (Score:2)
Finally (Score:2)
Image they made laws that help people instead (Score:3)
Image they made laws that help people instead. If it does go through they should really include amusement park ride wait times, that slow cashier that is super friendly but talks everyones ear off..
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Haven't seen a film in a theater in almost 10 yrs (Score:1)
Used to, though. Often. Honestly not missing it. Dirt cheap big screen TVs starting around 15 years ago killed it for me.
Don't Lawmakers Have Anything Better To Do?? (Score:1)
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Its regular ads, not movie trailers (Score:2)
Cinemas are good for: (Score:2)
Amazing special effects: 'Life of Pie' in 3D was something else, and '2001' remastered recently showed it still works...
Concerts rebroadcasts: 'Dave Gilmour at Pompeii' was wonderful
Sadly this isn't going to keep a dying industry alive. The business model also assumes the herd instinct of the population in wanting to experience things together. Maybe that will keep it going a bit longer.
Bitten by the Law of Unintended Consequences? (Score:2)
But if everybody knows preview-time is 7:00 and movie-time is 7:20, idiots will hang out in the lobby until 7:18, then try to find an auditorium seat in the dark, after the movie sta
Deception (Score:2)
If they say the movie starts at 6 and it starts at 6:30 that's fraud.
Fraud is a state crime so it makes some sense.
I know theaters have been destroyed by Hollyweird and Lockdowns but fraud vitiates everything.
I would more like to see a Time Limit for ads (Score:1)
Movies: Advertise all you like, but keep it under 15 minutes.
TV: 6 minutes per half hour. (Why most TV shows where 24 minutes long in the before time.)
Streaming: Same as TV, but fractional based on the 24 minute / episode of the before internet TV shows.
Congress Critters and Senate Sloths: Two Consecutive Term Limit
Ok, make them put fine print on the ticket (Score:2)
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I agree. (Score:2)
So, yeah. Tell me when the actual movie starts. Don't make me pay to sit in a theater watching the same commercials I see on TV every day.
move starts? (Score:1)
End times (Score:2)
Isn't "Just Say No" working? (Score:2)
People have been bitching about the ads for years, but they've been doing more than that: they really have been not going. Look at all the I-don't-go comments and look at the theater closures. I think the market is working. Why bother using government force to make it not-suck, when people have already found an even better, most-possibly-effective method of making it not-suck, by abstaining?
I took a decade or so off from theaters but am now trying going once or twice a year (at least it adds a little divers
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No, I'm not saying I'm surprised. I'm saying that's what I see happen.
Do you think I'm the only lazy ass willing to take off in the middle of working hours? If you do, I've got .. uh, I'm going to sell you a .. damn, I'm too lazy to finish this joke.
Legislator actions (Score:1)
typical CT nonsense (Score:2)
This has been pushed several times over the last 30 years...and it always fails. As a former serf to that state, I can say that nothing surprises me...and that this feels more like a west hartford initiative, rather than one for good ol' gun wavin' New Haven.
You need a regulation for this? (Score:3)
Or, you know, you just show up after start. My local AMC movie theater has a reliable 20 minutes of previews. This includes a trailer of Nicole Kidman telling us how awesome movies are. They even leave the seating lights on until the show starts because people just show up late. The liability of someone falling in your theater is more powerful than some regulation.
So, in the non nanny-state world, you sit through 30 minutes of previews exactly once. Then you learn. Or at least you should.
The only people "winning" with this regulation are the lawyers. Regulating for "stupid" is unhelpful to anyone but them.
More government needed? Nope (Score:1)
Perverse business model (Score:1)
When your business model depends upon lying to potential customers, sounds like you have a problem with your model.
Why not advertise, "Honest start times - Movie starts at listed times. Show up early to allow time for refreshments, etc."
buggy whips (Score:2)
More regulation of buggy whips. Important work.
Who sponsors this? (Score:2)
moviegoers will be able to avoid all the preliminaries
and arrive just in time for the film. "
This must be satire.