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What is the rule of thumb for showing your trailers. I'm getting bewildered here. So many have been showing up with features now. If I don't show a few of them am I supposed to feel guilty? Some don't seem that they fit with the feature. Is there any rule you can use or is it more or less go with what you feel is right?

I play no more than four trailers. ALL of them must have a snowballs chance of me showing that film. I'm an art cinema, so if oyu send me a "Glittler" trailer, it ain't gonna see the screen.
i stack them in probability of me showing them/how soon I'm showing them closest to teh feature. I try to start rolling the "less likey" trailers before published show times so people who are just seating (on time) aren't missing much.
If they don't fit the feature, I don't show them. I'm not going to run a trailer of "Hedwig" with the feature "Songcatcher." Wouldn't run a "Hegwig" trailer with "Toco-Lips Now" as a feature, either.
If they are attched to the movie, I show them. I once got a "Spy Kids" trailer attched to an art film (I forget the title) and I removed it and reattched it before shipping out. But, I did run the LOTR trailer with "Rush Hour 2."
Trailers are advertising -- plain and simple. If it isn't advertising for your advantage, why feel guilty? Ck you contracts and make sure when you book a film you're not required to run an attached trialer. Otherwise, figure what's in it for you.

Trailers...this seems to be an interesting topic for all theatre people. I used to like seeing the trailers but in the last few years this trailer placement that is requested by studios and corporate offices has become a pain. I do not put over 3 trailers on a print 4 if one is attached. I think that 4 is pushing it. I was at a movie a few months ago and there were 6 trailers on the film and 2 Screenvision ads. Thats almsot 20 minutes. I was not the only person that was upset.

We max it at 10 minutes of policy including any amount of trailers. We aim for 4 trailers as the rule is simply this: the single best potential customer is one who is already sitting in your theatre!

As far as attached trailers? We have another rule: Dear attached trailers: if you enter our booth you belong to us and will be pressed into slavery for The Colonial's evil plans. Yours truly; the projectioneers.

And yes....this trailer trash is a recurring theme.. but we like repetition; it's comforting.

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Mike Hurley
www.bigscreenbiz.com

After reading this post and coming to the conclusion that theatres get a lot of trailers with their movies; I can't help but wondering why when I go to see some movies and see the same trailer attached to different movies over and over again. Why is that?

Actually we don't get a lot of trailers. Some companies send out only one or two for each given film title. Then there are other film companies that will send you a trailer for every screen in hopes that you will place it on every screen and you will if you have nothing else to show.

Thanks Large, I guess you've answered my question about seeing the same trailers over again.

How many trailers do they make for each movie and what determines the number. I ask this question because I have seen I think about three or four different trailers for "Lord of the Rings." Just curious to the info on this.

The number of different versions of a trailer for a feature depends upon the marketing plan of the studio and the picture. Only one trailer is made for some pictures, whereas a picture like "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones" already has a 30-second "teaser" ("Breathing") and its first regular trailer on screens. I'm sure several others are likely to follow in the next half year until release.

The number of copies of each trailer likewise depends on the marketing plans. An obscure art film may have less than a hundred trailers made, whereas a major studio release might have tens of thousands. And most trailers will have a "flat" and "scope" version.

Trailers are excellent advertising because they are so focused --- you are directly reaching people who go to the movies. If a trailer helps sell just ten extra tickets, it's worth its' cost.

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I have heard some people groan when the 4th rating logo shows up indicating a 4th trailer. In most parts of the world when it says 7:00 for the movie to start that is when it starts: the trailers start 10-15-20 minutes early and people come and go, lights are sometimes down low but not off. And you know what? They eat snails there too!@

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Mike Hurley
www.bigscreenbiz.com

Trailers have always been a necessary evil. While the length and quantity may be found objectionable by some moviegoers and staffers alike, remember.... it's YOUR target audience in the most captivated of settings. Personally I love them. I watch between 75 and 125 each week with at least a 4th of them being repeats. It does get a bit hard to watch them over and over. But consider this, your average customer only shows up once a week. Is once a week (at most) to often to show them what you'll be playing in the very near future?
I agree more than 4 is a bit much. But remember, the more trailers you program, the more use that money making machine gets.... your concession stand. We all know how fast the line thins out when a picture starts!
Lastly, any film company that encloses more than 2 of it's own trailers in it's latest release is asking for trouble!

I was seeing a movie in Charlottesville, VA over Thanksgiving and they showed 7 trailers, plus 2 commercials and their own theater trailer! The grand total was 30 minutes of things I didn't really want to see.