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I hear that there is a court action being taken against the Loew's Cineplex because of their pre-film commercials. I have mixed feelings about this. Is it a deceitful practice? I don't think so. Your going to see the trailers any way. It's another matter when you take their view however. They say that you can see commercials at home. One of the comforting things about going to the theatre is that you don't have to sit through commercials. So as movie exhibitors, what are your thoughts?

What court action? I can't believe it personally. How about "product placement" in movies? Do "they" want those out too?

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Michael Hurley
Impresario

I hated it because i causes too much trouble with patrons.
I don't have a problem with slides just no attached coke or dodge or who ever with the trailers it. If I was buying a ticket i did not come to see commercials.

The lawsuit is being framed in the guise of a consumer protection 'fraud' action.

They are not complaining that there are commercials per se, but rather that the theatres are advertising the start times as when the film first starts rolling through the the projector, not when the feature actually starts, therefore forcing the unsuspecting consumers to watch up to 20 minutes of commercials, trailers etc. without being told they are included and otherwise being given the information so that they can skip them if they want to.

It is probably being set litigated this way as most consumer protection statutes provide for some sort of attorney fees and punitive damages.
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Last summer when I was at the new AMC complex in Times Square in NYC (before Men In Black 2) there was (by my watch) about 4 minutes of back-to-back commecials followed then by about 18 minutes of trailers plus another 2 to 3 minutes of policy trialers and logos telling me what a great company AMC was. It was a total of 25 minutes before the feature started from the time the projector started to roll. I can see how people might be getting somewhat fed up.

[This message has been edited by muviebuf (edited April 21, 2003).]

[This message has been edited by muviebuf (edited April 21, 2003).]

On page 51 of the May issue of Boxoffice magazine you can read the article.

I will not run any ad, other than trailers, in my upcoming project. I may use something in the lobby but never on the screen. This is just one of the things that make the movie theatre experience different than TV.

My thought is that if a theatre can't be run profitably without resorting to selling screen ads (which will eventually kill off business) then whoever is responsible (whether corporate brass or indie owner) needs to get into another line of business.

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Bob Allen
The Old Showman

I personally think we will soon see the end to the rolling stock ads that preceed movies. With the coming of digital projection, I think all of the SLIDE advertising and the ROLLING STOCK will all be combined, for a good show( source of revenue) before the movie starts. Then no one will have anything to complain about.

"Commercial screen advertising has no place in any showhouse".

I found this quote in every theatre management book and manual that I have, that was published prior to 1970.

Ahhh... but times have changed. The thinking before the 70s was that we are in the business of entertainment. That people come to relax and get away from the cares of the day. Theatres were designed and programed with that thought in mind. Everything was done so the patron would forget about what was outside beyond the walls of the theatre. They were inside a land of make believe... a fantasyland where the real world no longer existed or mattered. The newsreel was run first as it was the only association with the real world. After that nothing was presented to break the trance of movie magic. Advertising was not only considered improper to be presented to a paying public but was also seen as a bridge to the outside world. One that would ruin the atmosphere of indulged fantasy.

Some change is for the good. Sometimes when you see change that you find offensive you need to think about how it might in fact be helpful. I find screen advertising, both rolling stock and slides unacceptable. However, I think that there inclusion in the programing in modern cinemas may very well have a positive effect on business... for those theatres that don't run them. The time is coming when I, and other theatres that refuse to run advertisng will actually advertise that fact. It may have as much positive effect to place in printed ads "NO SCREEN ADVERTISING HERE" or "AD FREE PRESENTATION" as it is to tout "DOLBY DIGITAL STEREO" or "STADIUM SEATING".

Only time will tell, of course. I do hear a lot of complaints from people about the ads at other theatres, and therefore will never put them on my screen. There are many other ways to bring extra income into a theatre other then subjecting your patrons to screen ads. Any good showman knows what they are, or at least how to find them.

The legal action will go nowhere. It's a non issue. Movie theatres have had rolling stock advertising for years. Since rolling stock has played at theatres so long, I think the public has a reasonable expectation that advertising will happen.

A lot of people show up at my theatre 10-minutes late to avoid the advertising then complain because the movie has started and they can't find seats. As a theatre owner, I don't allow anybody to advertise here but me. We have no advertising here at the Rialto.

Yes, digital projection will allow rolling stock advertising to run during the interval, thus allowing it not to run during the pre-show. However as an advertiser, I would want my ad to run during the pre-show.

All of the newspaper ads here in the Nashville, TN paper for theatres now have a tag at the bottom of the ad in small print that reads:

"ALL LISTED SHOWTIMES INCLUDE PRE-FEATURE CONTENT"

Only two major players in the Nashville market: Carmike and Regal.

I need stinkin' screens ads to stay in business! But that's just me. Done tastefully and with a slant towards fun and even whimsey, they can work great. No one has EVER complained about them at our smalltown twin, but we closely control content by helping the advertiser design something appropriate.

French,

Are you talking about slides or rolling stock?

For those who use ads to enhance revenue, Kodak does provide a system and support:
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/digital/showWest03_cos.shtml

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Customer Technical Services
Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Telephone: 585-477-5325 Cell: 585-781-4036 Fax: 585-722-7243
E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

I am talking about slides only, We don't do, and wouldn't want(?) rolling stock ads.

Slides are great. Our guests normally have positive things to say about them. The most common thing said about our slides : "How do I advertise on your screens?" !!

We have no intention of ever running commercials, that is a horrible thing to consider. We show slides during intermission with some background music, and every so often the slides feature trivia questions. The trailers start at the advertised time, with 6 to 10 minutes of them, and then the film begins. We like to keep advertising to a minimum, but the slides have been well received and, while not the only thing keeping us from going bankrupt, definitely help offset some of our own advertising costs.

Slides are ok to me its those horrible rolling stock ads I dislike.