Support NeoGAF

[ManaByte]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050503/nytu207.html?.v=5

Loews Cineplex to Publicize the Start Times of Feature Presentations
Tuesday May 3, 12:17 pm ET
Movie Listings To Note That All Feature Presentations Will Begin 10-15 Minutes After Published Showtime

NEW YORK, May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Loews Cineplex today announced that it will begin publicizing the start times of feature presentations. Beginning with the Company's locations in Connecticut on May 13, Loews movie listings will note that the feature presentation will start 10 to 15 minutes after the published showtime. The Company expects to begin including this added information in all markets nationwide over the next month. Loews anticipates that patrons will continue to arrive prior to showtime to visit the concession stand and select their seats.

Travis Reid, President and CEO of Loews Cineplex, said, "It has been a long-standing tradition to show coming attractions and advertising before the feature, and we believe most of our customers understand this practice. Recently, however, some of our customers have suggested that we also publicize the start time of the movie. In response to those requests, we are pleased to communicate the start time of the overall show, as well as the approximate start time of the feature."

Hey Lowes, how about instead of showing a shitload of annoying commercials before the trailer, why not do what the Arclight does and charge an extra $1 per ticket (assigned seats would be cool too) and NOT show a bunch of stupid commercials.

I remember seeing a movie at the Metreon (which is Loews since it's Sony) a couple years ago and there were so many commercials before the trailers some people walked out and left.

 

[rc213]

Pisses the hell out of me whenever i go to a theater. I never buy food before I go in because it can be up to 15minutes before the actual movie starts. =(

 

[Scyn]

One thing I would hate about this, people who would try to show up for the actual start time and miss it, then they make lots of annoying sounds, bump into you, get in the way of the screen and all this while the actual movie was playing...Yes, I'm one of those people who hates missing even a second of the movie, I hate movie talkers cause that's a line of the movie i miss!

At least when it says 7, but starts 7:15 people would show up at 7 cause they didn't know what time the actual movie started and if they were late, not too big of a deal cause it's just previews...now they'll show up late during the actual movie!

 

[cybamerc]

Sounds like an awful idea for the reason mentioned in the reply above mine.

 

[MC Safety]

"Travis Reid, President and CEO of Loews Cineplex, said, 'It has been a long-standing tradition to show coming attractions and advertising before the feature, and we believe most of our customers understand this practice.'"

Oh, so it's a tradition to be innundated with advertising before the start of a movie.

Bull.

Is it not enough that movie houses charge $10 (give or take) for entry and then charge exorbitant prices for snacks that cost perhaps pennies if purchased in the real world. Doesn't the two-cent popcorn tub cost more than the popcorn that fills it? Isn't Coke produced for cents on the gallon?

Well, I guess it's time for a new tradition -- barging in to the theater 10-15 minutes after "show time" with my overpriced snacks so I don't have to watch commercials before a movie that probably has a lot of commercials inside it.

 

[Culex]

Yay, maybe the Danbury Lowe's will be worth going to now.

 

[DarienA]

...there are people bitching about trailers that are shown before movies? You have GOT to be f'n kidding me...

 

[MC Safety]

...there are people bitching about trailers that are shown before movies? You have GOT to be f'n kidding me...

Trailers are advertisements. Frankly, it's tiresome to sit through ads and then more ads, regardless of how well or interestingly they're packaged.

I would have no trouble sitting through 10 minutes of coming attractions. But more and more those attractions are tacked on after 10 or more minutes' worth of commercials.

 

[Culex]

...there are people bitching about trailers that are shown before movies? You have GOT to be f'n kidding me...

YOU have got to be kidding ME! You're telling me that you actually enjoy sitting, watching ads for 15 to 30 minutes, wondering when the damn movie you just forked over 12 bucks for starts?

This forum has sunk to a new low, people! :lol

 

[tetsuoxb]

Trailers good.

Bullshit coke ads. Bullshit car ads. Bullshit ads for anything bad.

Close the thread.

 

[DarienA]

You people will bitch about anything.

No I've never had a problem with movie trailers... what I do hate are those stupid commercials that are now starting to find their way in as well....

...and of all the things to worry about I'm certainly not worried about how much money I spent at the movie theater.... I thought it was common knowledge that movies started approx 10 min after the posted time...

 

[JackFrost2012]

ads are terrible, but trailers are my favorite part of the movie. if I don't get at least 4-5 trailers I feel ripped off and complain!!

more trailers, less shitty fanta ads!

 

[aoi tsuki]

i'd pay an extra buck if it meant armed security guards escorting people on cellphones, or parents with screaming kids. But they'd have to be armed.

 

[galeninjapan]

I think its a great idea to advertise the real starting time. But wont that de-value the ad time, thus advertisers wont be paying as much?

 

[karasu]

...there are people bitching about trailers that are shown before movies? You have GOT to be f'n kidding me...

Hey Lowes, how about instead of showing a shitload of annoying commercials before the trailer,

trailers aren't the problem, commerials are.

 

[FortNinety]

Like JackFrost said, trailers are my fave parts, though it depends on what film you're seeing. The truth is, most mainstream Hollywood trailers suck, but if you look at the ones that are produced overseas, like in Japan, Korea, or HK, most are simply awesome, simply because they often get the film's director involved.

I also completely agree with what rc213 said.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Trailers are great. Ads are not. There are now A LOT of ads being shown in theaters. It's fucking ridiculous. If they need to jack up prices to get rid of them, so be it. I just won't go to the movies anymore. I don't go that much these days anyway since $10 is a criminal amount of money for a movie. I can rent three vids for that price. Once I get an HDTV, or a phat projector, I will only to the movies a 2 or 3 times a year, b/c there are really only a few movies each year that demand a hug screen. Like Episode 3, I hate Star Wars, but I must see that in the theater to get the full effect. Theaters are pricing me out of the market. PEACE.

 

[Shig]

One thing I would hate about this, people who would try to show up for the actual start time and miss it, then they make lots of annoying sounds, bump into you, get in the way of the screen and all this while the actual movie was playing...Yes, I'm one of those people who hates missing even a second of the movie, I hate movie talkers cause that's a line of the movie i miss!

At least when it says 7, but starts 7:15 people would show up at 7 cause they didn't know what time the actual movie started and if they were late, not too big of a deal cause it's just previews...now they'll show up late during the actual movie!

Yep, I agree with this. The commercials are the time for people arriving late to come in, for people to get their stuff from the snack bar and be back in time for the movie. And even with that, a lot of people are coming in when the movie's on.

Give them a reason to plan to come in later, it'll be even more of a problem. Commercials > morons looking for seats during the feature.

 

[tetsuoxb]

Trailers are great. Ads are not. There are now A LOT of ads being shown in theaters. It's fucking ridiculous. If they need to jack up prices to get rid of them, so be it. I just won't go to the movies anymore. I don't go that much these days anyway since $10 is a criminal amount of money for a movie. I can rent three vids for that price. Once I get an HDTV, or a phat projector, I will only to the movies a 2 or 3 times a year, b/c there are really only a few movies each year that demand a hug screen. Like Episode 3, I hate Star Wars, but I must see that in the theater to get the full effect. Theaters are pricing me out of the market. PEACE.

For christs sake Pimpwerx.... normally you are on my "why the fuck does he have to say peace at the end of every post" BS detector... but this is off the charts.

Why?

YOU LIVE IN THE LAND OF MUVICO.

If you cant stand to pay 9 bucks (not 10 dollars) for a movie at a chain of movie theaters that pretty much destroys everything except the megaplexes that copy the muvico formula, you are indeed batshit insane.

The screens are huge, the sound is ridiculous, and the seats are soft enough to screw on (take it from me). There is no excuse to not be a raving cinephile with a muvico nearby.

 

[radios shipping overview]

Fucking finally. I swear, every time I see a movie in the mega-mall-cineplex-orgasm they've tacked on another commercial before the beginning. I'm just glad the arthouse theatres around here don't show commercials, and show trailers for movies I'd actually want to see.

 

[Pimpwerx]

For christs sake Pimpwerx.... normally you are on my "why the fuck does he have to say peace at the end of every post" BS detector... but this is off the charts.

Why?

YOU LIVE IN THE LAND OF MUVICO.

If you cant stand to pay 9 bucks (not 10 dollars) for a movie at a chain of movie theaters that pretty much destroys everything except the megaplexes that copy the muvico formula, you are indeed batshit insane.

The screens are huge, the sound is ridiculous, and the seats are soft enough to screw on (take it from me). There is no excuse to not be a raving cinephile with a muvico nearby.

Nah man, I didn't mind spending $5-7 to see a movie back in the day b/c it seemed reasonable. But they've just been jacking up the prices while movies have no gotten better. Normally you expect the product to improve with the price, but it's not. Still lots of shitty movies, still lots of obnoxious people, etc.... I don't buy theater food, I usually make a pitstop at a CVS and grab some snacks and a drink, and stuff them in my pocket. Ticket rippers don't have a right to search my person last I checked, so fuck 'em. For the most part, I only see matinees too. Even that's getting crazy, with $6 matinees lately. Luckily there's a place I frequent that not only have an awsome $4.50 matinee, but is also empty half the time we go there. Old-school cushioned seats and a HUGE screen with decent sound. And again...less than $5. Unmatched IMO.

Maybe if I was in NYC, I'd regard the asking price for a Hoyts ticket to be reasonable, and I wouldn't mind so much, but AFAIC, I will not pay a $10 unless it's one of the few per year that's worth it. Until the movie-going experience actually improves, I can't justify the gouging. PEACE.

 

[tetsuoxb]

Listen, as far as a theater goes, you cant get a nicer movie going experience than muvico.

Your complaint is with shit cinema....

 

[borghe]

I usually hit the stands for my food around 3-5 minutes before the movie starts. With the typical line I'll usually get in right as the last commercial is wrapping up.... to that degree, I really don't care about commercials.

I would never arrive though after the movie start time.. NEVER. Hell, I usually never arrive any later than 5-10 minutes early.. taking an extra 10-20 minutes out of my time is worth it to not have to be forced to sit in the back row with the family who decided to bring their 16 misbehaving children to the theater as well.

 

[Pedigree Chum]

I personally don't mind ads before movies, helps me get settled in. Plus my friends and I make fun of them as many of them are fucking retarded. Same goes for many trailers.

 

[ManaByte]

I think Loews (Sony) is really the worst when it comes to ads before trailers. On a Friday night, they slap 15-20 minutes of ads before the first trailer (which is why people walk out).

Mann's theaters doesn't do that. They run the ads in the twenty minutes before the start time (while people are getting their seats) so it goes directly to the trailers.

Regal/Edwards does that "The 20" thing before the actual start time.

Arclight Cinemas doesn't show ANY ads. Just trailers, but they charge $11 for a ticket (but you also get to select your assigned seat).

 

[olimario]

At Cinemark we start playing the commercials and trailers 7 minutes before the feature time.

 

[rc213]

I <3 <3 <3 Arclight Cinemas...

 

[Macam]

I tend to stick to the arthouse theaters about these parts, so really, I never have to worry much about seating or obnoxious people for the most part -- not to mention I only pay $6 for tickets thanks to being a perpetual student. The commercials may be annoying, but I just ignore them and I'm generally grateful for not having to deal with obnoxious people in any case.

But really, you people actually eat the shit they have at theaters?

 

[Pochacco]

Trailers are cool.
Corny commericals tailored for theater audiences are cool.
Normal commericals, the ones you see at home on TV, that find their way into theaters are not as cool.
DO NOT PIRATE MOVIE ads are hilarious.

I've NEVER complained about the 15 minutes worth of ads before a movie.
You guys are too uptight. Like someone said, it helps you get settled in. Plus, some of the trailers/ads are cool. I remember the Toyota Matrix ad they used to show - that was cool. Are you guys like in a huge rush when you see a movie? I usually just talk to friends during the ads.

 

[rc213]

Well, what bothers me specifically is that as the ad's shown before a movie continue to grow the ticket/snack prices are growing along with them. I mean WHAT THE HELL! More ad revenue should mean lower ticket/snack prices but that isnt happening.

 

[Azih]

But they'd have to be armed.

Armed with silencers...

And they wouldn't be escorting anyone out.

 

[borghe]

that's kind of my thing about it also. if seeing more ads means that my ticket prices don't go up, then fine. but ticket prices here have gone up almost a dollar in just 3ish years or so... and about $3.50 in the last 9 years. Shit.. I remember seeing Twister at an evening showing (for the fourth time.. shut it) for like $5.75.. at a major chain. now that won't even get me a matinee ticket.

 

[Diablos]

The amount of previews before a movie is fucking ridiculous.

 

[Marty Chinn]

I stopped seeing ads at movies long ago but maybe I'm lucky. I don't go to theaters that show tons of ads which means no AMC theaters for me. There aren't any Sony Loews theaters nearby to make it worth while so I don't go to those. around here there are quite a few Century Theaters and they are the best in the area. I know they aren't plentiful everywhere in the US, but in CA, there's no reason not to go to one. Can't say about the theater quality in LA since I'm sure they've got crazy good theaters there, but up here htey simply are among the best theaters which I would imagine they would hold up pretty well even though they aren't the best down south. Despite being a good quality theater, they point out that we know you hate ads, so we don't show them. They only show trailers and then you're on to the movie. It's a major chain, so go there instead if you can and hate commercials.

 

[MC Safety]

Trailers are cool.
Corny commericals tailored for theater audiences are cool.
Normal commericals, the ones you see at home on TV, that find their way into theaters are not as cool.
DO NOT PIRATE MOVIE ads are hilarious.

I've NEVER complained about the 15 minutes worth of ads before a movie.
You guys are too uptight. Like someone said, it helps you get settled in. Plus, some of the trailers/ads are cool. I remember the Toyota Matrix ad they used to show - that was cool. Are you guys like in a huge rush when you see a movie? I usually just talk to friends during the ads.

Too uptight.

How about you've become so addle-brained you think it's acceptable for movie theaters to charge an exorbitant amount of money and then an absurd amount of money on top of that for snacks for the privilege of watching 10-20 minutes' worth of commercials? They feed you lie upon lie about keeping ticket prices down by charging for ads and you greedily choke it down, never really getting angry when ticket prices keep going up and more and more time before showtime (and additional time after the show is supposed to start) is taken up by commercials.

All people want -- and it's not too much to ask -- is to know exactly when a film will start. That way, we can arrive at a decent time, buy our popcorn, and plop down after the near-endless advertisements and trailers.

Oh, and please complain if I make a ruckus sitting down after the ads. Maybe then the heartless theater conglomerates will take notice and, I don't know, raise the house lights for a few minutes to let the people who just want to see a movie sit down in peace.

 

[CajoleJuice]

What the fuck is MUVICO?

 

[SuperPac]

Regal/Edwards does that "The 20" thing before the actual start time.

Oh man, I *hate* "the 20." They've got the sound up so loud that you can't hope to hold any kind of conversation with friends or a date before the movie if you arrive early. It's ridiculous. Unfortunately, the two theaters closest to me are both Edwards, so unless I want to do some extra driving I have to sit through it or just make sure I get there right at start time.

 

[xsarien]

Trailers are fine. Hell, Inconsiderate Cell Phone Man is also pretty good. But everything else needs to go.

 

[Tommie Hu$tle]

I think it's great because that will insure I'll get better seats.

 

[Azure Dream]

Isn't Coke produced for cents on the gallon?

From what I've learned from at least one major theater in my area, they don't even PAY for the Coke. (Some sort of arrangement worked out, probably has to do with advertising.) They only have to pay for the cups, and the standard (non-promotion) cups cost about $0.09 each. (They were upset, in fact, because they contractually had to purchase a quantity of Star Wars III cups that cost them close to $0.50 apiece.)

The mark-up is just incredible.

 

[Mike Works]

I don't mind previews before movies, that's part of the movie going experience. I also don't mind commercials, SO LONG as they start BEFORE the fucking movie start time. Personally, I think it should go like this;

Sin City - 7:30pm

7:00 - 7:15 = Trivia Facts / Local Static Ads / Etc
7:15 - 7:30 = Commercials
7:30 - 7:40 = Previews
7:40 - 9:30 = Sin City

 

[The Faceless Master]

i like trailers, i love the 'turn your fucking cellphone off' message, but damn, i hate all those bullshit ads for car insurance, clothing, wine and whatever the fuck else they can come up with...