I knew it was inevitable but I hate it...

Rick Meyer

Rick Meyer

Veteran
A couple of years ago, while sitting in a movie theater, my jaw dropped when a commercial came up on the movie screen.

However, I haven't really felt overwhelmed by commercials at the movie theater since (I live in upstate New York. Perhaps you are being bombarded at a THEATER NEAR YOU?).

The other day, I went and saw Casino Royale. My girlfriend and I got to the theater 20+ minutes early. For a FULL 20 minutes, we sat through commercial after commercial. I get impatient when the commercial break runs on for 3 or more minutes. But 20??? Gimme a friggin' break. I was so annoyed I almost wanted to ask for my money back. Just to send a mini message. But, boycotting the movie theater experience....I'd only be hurting myself. Is this what it has come too?

Yes, I recognize that I could arrive 5 minutes before the movie but thats not the point. I am paying for the movie. I am not paying 30+ bucks for movies and popcorn to sit through car commercials.

Tonight, we are going to see the new Will Smith Movie. It starts at 7:30. I plan to get there at 7:29:59. Unfriggin' believable...
 
I wait for HD-DVD/Blu-Ray now, because i know it will actually be a better experience and visably better picture than the theatre.
 
I'm glad you brought up this topic. It's the same here and it bugs the crap out of me! But the commercials start when the movie time starts, so that means you have to come 15 minutes late if you don't want to see the commercials. Crazy.

Most of us remember when there used to be no commercials and somewhat expensive tickets ($3.50). Then ticket prices started going up and they started to slowly introduce commercials. Starting with just one commercial (a Coke short film) and then maybe a Ford commercial. Now it's 15 minutes of commercials and $10 for a ticket. Just in our short lifetime. That's crazy! Studios are making a fortune but the consumer is still struggling.

As you said, we all need to ban together and sign a petition or boycot. We need to show them who is really the boss. If we don't then they will continue to have their way with us and the problem will just get worse. If a car salesman screws you out of money you go back and demand your money back, right? So why don't we do that with the theaters? Tell them, "I didn't pay $10 to watch commercials! I can stay at home and watch commercials ...for free! I'll just wait for the $10 commercial-free DVD!" If we pay to sit in those chairs and watch commercials then we're idiots! (Even if you enjoy the commercials.) Because they make money from us and from the commercials. Greedy bastards! It's like paying to wear clothes that say Nike on them. WHAT? We pay money to advertise another business. They should pay us!

ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA!


That felt good.
 
PK Gillock It's like paying to wear clothes that say Nike on them. WHAT? We pay money to advertise another business. They should pay us!That felt good.[/quote said:
Funny you should say that... My girlfriend and I have talked many times about the type of fashion that would require the wearer to have a sweatshirt on, adorning the name of the manufacturer. I hate that. I don't work for The Gap. I don't want to advertise for them by wearing a sweatshirt with their name on it. So, I know how you feel....
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My wife and I used to go to 2 or 3 movies a week.

Over the last few years the "theater experience" has come to mean; dirty theaters, people talking on cell phones, poor sound, dim projection, small screens, and high prices.

In the past 2 years, I have seen less than a dozen movies in the theater. We just rent everything now.

I do miss the old big screen experience, but I don't think it really exists the same way anymore. :(

Chris
 
The theaters at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood make a big noisy deal about how they don't have any adverts in the theaters...but lo and behold, last year we go to a movie, and what's the first thing on-screen, but an ADVERT for network tv coverage of the soon-to-air Academy Awards show.

So after the movie I went and chased down the manager and raised some hell about their sticking a commercial in front of the movie (false advertising, on the theater's part), and for about five minutes he desperately tried to argue that it wasn't an "advertisement," but a "service" for the benefit of audience members who are really into movies, and would "appreciate" being updated on when the big movie awards show would air.

I offered him a choice; refund our tickets, or I'd just call my bank and have the charge reversed.

I got my refund.
 
It's a Catch-22...if you show up late to the movie, sure you get to miss out on all of the commercials. But, you also have to sit in the front row cuz all the saps that DID show up on time have the good seats.
 
Down here, they tend to throw in some movie trivia amongst the really lame commercials. I mean, these aren't even cable company quality. Some intern could have shot a better commercial using a web cam.
 
Mike McNeese said:
It's a Catch-22...if you show up late to the movie, sure you get to miss out on all of the commercials. But, you also have to sit in the front row cuz all the saps that DID show up on time have the good seats.
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I read that some people have printed up these placeholder signs that say something like "This Seat Occupied; I Have Chosen to Skip the Ads" which they walk in, place on the seat they want, and then walk out and wait for the ads to be over, before they come back in.
 
Sad Max said:
I read that some people have printed up these placeholder signs that say something like "This Seat Occupied; I Have Chosen to Skip the Ads" which they walk in, place on the seat they want, and then walk out and wait for the ads to be over, before they come back in.
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Ha ha, I would love to see someone try this in Bklyn, and come back to see their sign crumpled up on the floor...:)

But I was in an art house in NYC once when the crowd booed the ads so loudly, they stopped them and started the movie.
 
I've never seen this first-hand, and in fact if the sign was on a seat that I wanted myself, I'd probably take it (hey, I'm paying for it by suffering through the damned ads...) but I understand where they are coming from. I think it's intended more as a message for the theater owners (we're not here to watch your f*cking ads) than anything else.
 
I honestly thought I might be called a whiner for being so upset about a bunch of commericals. I don't know what I love more...the fact that I am not alone or the fact that Sad Max got his money back!
 
you know, where I come from you have assigned seating. you buy the tix in advance and just come 5 minutes before to sit in your excellent centre row seats.

the american way is just stupid

mor10
 
We have that in some theaters here, too - like the Pacific Theaters that also promise 'no advertising.'

Thank you for your critique of American standard practice. The bombers are on their way.
 
I stopped going to theaters regularly several years ago because of the 20 minute commercial crap. In fact, I almost started a website petition because I was so disgusted.

Now, if there is a movie I just have to see, I wait a week or two and usually have no problem coming into the theater a few minutes before the movie rolls and finding any seat I want.

What bugs me is there are so many people who put up with it and have to go to a movie on opening weekend.

The last movie I saw in the theater was SUPERMAN RETURNS.
 
If i have to see something like The Departed for example, then i go to the "rat trap", what we call our local Century 10, which is always deserted.
 
I go to the theater on Sunday night at at the 10:00 - 10:30 shows. There's usually very few people there, so I can get whatever seat I want. And I can show up right before the film, and skip the ads.
 
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