To The Theater Business,
Growing up, there were few family events more special than our trips to the movie theater. Seeing new worlds open up on the big screen was an experience like no other. It wasn’t the same as playing a video game and renting a Blockbuster movie didn’t even come close. Yes, I’m old enough to remember renting from Blockbuster, but mostly DVD’s if that tells you anything. The point is that the movies were a different thing altogether. The big screen and mega speakers wrapped you in their embrace and said “Everything is going to be fine. Forget about the world and let your mind run free.” I loved going to the theater as a kid and I still do. But there is something new and terrible happening at the cinema these days.
Rachel and I are doing date nights at the theater again now that the pandemic restrictions are lifted. She’s a big movie fan too which is one of the reasons I love her. Within the last few weeks, we’ve noticed something new and terrible going on. We go through the usual motions. Get the popcorn, get seats, watch the commercials before the previews… Then, the lights go down and the previews roll. Oh yes, the glorious previews. The gateway to the movie experience. Once the previews are over, the movie should start, right? That’s what you’d expect anyways, but not anymore.
There are now regular ol’ ads running AFTER the previews. AND they are not even theater-themed ads. I saw an iced tea commercial about being a “front porch person” which shows a bunch of unbelievably jovial neighbors hanging out in the front of their houses drinking iced tea (label out of course). Not only is this level of neighborliness completely unbelievable, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MOVIES. This alone is enough to bring my piss to a boil, but wait… It gets worse.
To add to the insanity, these commercials run right after a heartfelt message about how we should all stop looking at our phones for a few hours and go to the movies. So after the previews and before the commercials, there is another bit of messaging. Look, I’m not really against this little content-insert especially because it is contextually relevant to the experience. Regal does a roller coaster animation right after their previews and it’s cool. I’m even cool with a little nudge to hit concessions. Show me some 10-foot tall exploding popcorn? We’re good. What is NOT OK, is taking complete advantage of my undivided attention to hit me with some totally irrelevant ad. It’s absolute laziness by the advertising team to not use a contextually relevant piece of content. Above all else, it takes us out of the experience of being at the movies. Oh, and that little message you made about putting our phones down and going to the movies? Well, guess what everyone just did when you ran that shitty ad…
Here’s what I am trying to say to you #Cinepolis, #Regal, #Marcus, #AMC, and all theater companies around the world… The theater is a sacred place where we can let our imaginations run wild and escape regular life. Don’t F that up! You are running a business, we get it. Overcharge us for popcorn if you want. You can even run ads in the theater. But please, for the love of the cinema, be thoughtful about your ads. Stop running shitty, contextually irrelevant commercials after the previews. Actually, just don’t run ads after the previews - get right into the movie.
To the marketing companies designing these ads, have some class! Think about who your audience is and what state of mind they are in.
Alright, I feel better now. Think I’ll go drink an iced tea and hang out on my porch.