Sony Boss Urges Theaters To Stop 30 Minutes of Trailers and Ads Before Movies (variety.com)
- Reference: 0181711680
- News link: https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/26/04/14/2045226/sony-boss-urges-theaters-to-stop-30-minutes-of-trailers-and-ads-before-movies
- Source link: https://variety.com/2026/film/news/sony-pictures-boss-cinemacon-urges-fewer-ads-trailers-1236720830/
> He noted that frequent moviegoers now show up a half hour late to avoid all the spots (something that reserved seating has made easier than ever before). Rothman said that means many people "don't even see the trailers," which results in "enticements gone to waste." Rothman predicted that the 2026 box office, which has already benefitted from hits like "Super Mario Galaxy Movie" and "Project Hail Mary," will rebound in a big way. But he acknowledged that attendance still trails pre-pandemic levels.
>
> Rothman has been a vociferous defender of the big screen, pushing studios to embrace longer windows so that movies will stay in cinemas longer. That was a theme that Rothman returned to at CinemaCon, pressing exhibitors to hold strong and agree not to show movies that quickly appear on streaming services or on-demand platforms. "Enforce longer windows," Rothman said. "Yes, even if that means you cannot play every film."
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> In addition to stumping for exhibition, Rothman has practically begged Hollywood to invest in new stories along with all the franchise fare. In a recent New York Times op-ed, for instance, Rothman, the longest-serving studio chief, wrote, "For all the success of films driven by existing intellectual property, originality is essential to movies. Neither movie theaters nor the art form itself can survive without at least some originality. After all, you can't make a sequel to nothing."
[1] https://variety.com/2026/film/news/sony-pictures-boss-cinemacon-urges-fewer-ads-trailers-1236720830/
You can't make a sequel to nothing (Score:3)
Maybe not ...
But you can sure as hell die trying!
Re:You can't make a sequel to nothing (Score:4, Informative)
dBASE II was a sequel to nothing.
(Well, it was a re-release of Cecil Wayne Ratliff's Vulcan database for CP/M when Aston-Tate bought a license to that, but there never was a "dBASE I".)
Re: (Score:3)
dBASE 0, return of the AI, is in the works i think by disney
The volume of ads (Score:5, Insightful)
And turn down the volume of the ads. Last time I went to the cinema I damn near walked out because the ads were downright deafening - louder that the movie soundtrack. Paying to see a movie is one thing but I strongly object to having to pay to watch a bunch of adverts.
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... ads were deafening ...
I have sensitive ears. That is why I always put those wax plugs in my ears at movies and concerts. And, actually, I don't mind the trailers, I usually find them informative and entertaining.
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Lots of people like the trailers. But ads aren't trailers, they're ads. The ones they run before the official start time, no problem. Most people are talking to their date/kids/whatever and ignoring them anyway. But once the lights go down, there should be no ads.
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Agree, I like the trailers. If they had a showing of JUST trailers, I'd probably go!
The problem with ads is that they're repetitive, and hence boring.
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> And turn down the volume of the ads. Last time I went to the cinema I damn near walked out because the ads were downright deafening - louder that the movie soundtrack. Paying to see a movie is one thing but I strongly object to having to pay to watch a bunch of adverts.
Maybe they can make up for it by dramatically raising prices both of the movie and concessions. /s
Re: (Score:2)
Raising the price of ticket really only benefits the studio, who get most of the box office.
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Yes, that’s the /s
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> Maybe they can make up for it by dramatically raising prices both of the movie and concessions. /s
Yes, please make the candy bars $10 with a medium drink for $8.99. And can you also make the floor sticky?
Turn down the movie too, and compress the audio (Score:2)
I have to wear earplugs to see movies because they are so loud. I think it's because the dynamic range is too broad. The very loud things are so much louder than the very quiet things you're supposed to hear. You can hear the quiet things fine but then the loud things are way too loud.
If they compressed the audio they wouldn't need to crank it up so high and you could hear both the quiet and loud things at a volume that is pleasing, with no need for painful excess loudness.
Product placement (Score:2)
Hey Sony / Apple, how about getting rid of your adverts inside movies?
people still go to theaters? (Score:4, Insightful)
why?
Re: people still go to theaters? (Score:2)
4DX. Also, the ones that bring a meal to your seat are fun.
Re: (Score:1)
No idea. I haven't been to a theater in years. Not only has it gotten crazy expensive, but there just hasn't been anything worth seeing. How many retreads, sequels, prequels, and hours of nonstop explosions does someone need?
A few years ago, I invested in a nice home theater system and haven't looked back. Occasionally I stream something that the media says is "good" and have been consistently disappointed with the dreck being excreted by the movie industry.
No thanks.
Re: (Score:1)
That is the real problem. There are to many movies. There is just so much low quality stuff cranked out. The movies have outside of a few big legacy francises lost their social aspect.
30 years ago EVERYONE saw the same movies, talked about them got excited about them. There were always tons of marketing tie-ins, every kid went to MCDs and got a batman toy. Now it is all to scattered and silo-ed. Even if you do go the movies none of the guys at work saw it too. There is no social incentive anymore.
Add to
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UK person here - so excuse any local reference... I remember reading Empire magazine a few years ago: its cover was the "summer of sequels". Superheroes, etc.
But... this was 1989. Franchises aren't new: it might feel like they squeeze everything else out - and for many cinemas that might be sadly true - but there are always enough non-generic films to go to. E.g. "H is for Hawk" was lovely, "Marty Supreme" was great, "Sinners" was stunning. Relatively recently there was "Civil War" (although possibly lookin
Re: (Score:2)
> why?
There are some films for which a true 70mm IMAX screen cannot be equaled (Nolan is a fanatic about filming for 70mm IMAX). Sure, there are only (about) three dozen of those theaters in the world (I happen to live close enough to one of them), but watching some films in them can be a really enjoyable experience. For a lot of films, watching them on a 6" phone screen is more than sufficient (nothing to see there anyway).
Re: people still go to theaters? (Score:1)
A tiny minority of movies like the Dune and Avengers films are worth paying to see on a big screen. But I have no idea why people pay that much money and sit through the advertising just to watch a derivative summer comedy.
Re: (Score:2)
to disconnect from social media?
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> But I have no idea why people pay that much money and sit through the advertising just to watch a derivative summer comedy.
....to veg out and enjoy someone else's air conditioning during the extreme heat of the summer....?
IMAX GT (Score:2)
I only go on 1.43:1 giant IMAX presentations. I am fortunate to have one near me (Manchester UK) that can play both 70mm and the full 1.43:1 format with their dual laser on a huge screen. Other cinemas (including all but very select IMAX) - except maybe 4DX - don't offer a better experience than home IMHO...
Re: (Score:2)
Do you not do the classic date night: dinner and a movie? I guess this just shows my age more than anything else.
I guess these days all activities must be contained within the walls of suburban McMansions, according to some people.
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> Do you not do the classic date night: dinner and a movie?
Sure...
But these days its getting harder and harder to get out on a date without the wife finding out...
Interstitials (Score:2)
If they won't play ads before the movie, then that means they will play them DURING the movie, and nobody wants that.
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Bring back the intermission.
Those of us who filled up on cola can swap theories at the urinal of how the second half of the movie will end up while those with stronger bladders watch the ads.
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If they stop the movie halfway through to run ads, I'll burn down the fucking theater.
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How would you tell the difference?
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Remember when that Man of Steel movie had like three showdown fights in Sears parking lots?
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They need to make money somehow I guess. You can only get so far with $20 small popcorn and 6$ soda.
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> and nobody wants that.
Not true at all. Advertisers want that (of course, you might be classifying them as "nobody," and I won't quibble over that).
They also don't see that as an "or" choice. Why not both?
Re: Interstitials (Score:1)
Hear me out: more Americans would watch those cool 210+ minute Bollywood movies if they were screened with an intermission. Just run ads during the gap.
Advertising (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't use companies that try to monetise my use of them, especially if I'm paying for their service.
On that note...
Why the fuck am I seeing huge ads on Slashdot now for "bolt.new" and other shite when I paid many years ago to "Disable Advertising"?
Re: (Score:2)
> when I paid many years ago to "Disable Advertising"?
I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further.
Sounds like a job for small claims court.
RIP Slashdot subscriptions (Score:2)
> Why the fuck am I seeing huge ads on Slashdot now for "bolt.new" and other shite when I paid many years ago to "Disable Advertising"?
I seem to remember that Slashdot subscriptions lasted a specific number of page views before expiring. Slashdot stopped offering them a couple acquisitions ago. Yours probably expired.
Re: (Score:2)
Nope. No such thing when I paid to have that button first time around.
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> Why the fuck am I seeing huge ads on Slashdot now for "bolt.new" and other shite when I paid many years ago to "Disable Advertising"?
Crypto grifters DGAF about keeping promises or the law, and grifters gonna grift.
Re: (Score:3)
There are ads on Slashdot?
I think I saw one years ago. I used to have a checkbox that was labeled "disable advertising" up under my username, but that seems to have disappeared, never saw any ads either way.
Time to switch adblockers if you're seeing them.
Re: Advertising (Score:2)
The ads on slashdot break the Safari version of Adblock.
It will never change (Score:2)
The who ad industry is a big house of cards, built on lies and statistics. It's a circlejerk of one MBA gobbling down the lies of another. But in the end, there seems to be money piling up somewhere. So, nothing will ever change.
If we're lucky, the ad industry will drift completely into the virtual world, were AI bots serving ads that other AI bots klick and consume, so humans don't have to be part of the game anymore.
I'd really be interested in how many "interactions" with ads are real humans conciously
Re: (Score:2)
In an unhelpful sense we know that advertising works by how much is spent on it. What we do not know is whether advertisers justify their cost by influencing consumer behavior as they allege they do; or whether they are exceptionally effective at targeting the people who set ad budgets. Or potentially a mix of the two. Someone is definitely having their behavior influenced in a big way though.
In other news, (Score:3)
Theatres tell Sony to lower their licensing fees so they can afford to run their operations without having to have 30 minutes of ads.
Easy to say for him (Score:2, Insightful)
Don't movie studios take almost all money from tickets making theaters depend on overpriced food&drinks and those crazy long ad segments as primary sources of income?
Re:Easy to say for him (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes. This is a pretty straightforward "Guy demands that sellers of complimentary goods accept smaller margins in way that sounds like he cares about user experience".
It may be true that studios and theatres have fallen into a counterproductive trap: there's an obviously self defeating race to the bottom if theatres keep getting squeezed and responding by making the theatre experience worse which then reduces ticket sales and makes their fixed costs even less supportable so they make the experience yet worse; but the studios hold far more of the cards than the theatres do here.
What have you done for me lately? (Score:2)
If I were one of these theaters, I would ask Sony what they are prepared to do to replace that revenue....
downward spiral (Score:4, Insightful)
it's a classic downward spiral. Like when the local mall is losing stores, instead of enticing new stores with lower rent, they raise rent to make up for their income loss, which drives out more stores.
But here they're getting lower attendance so instead of doing something to entice people to come to the theaters, they're raising ticket prices and piling long ads at the start of the movie, which drives away more patrons.
Are they stupid? With the malls, it's usually a case of the anchor stores having left, which triggers contract clauses that are going to kill the mall in a few years, so it's just a (somewhat) understandable last-minute cash grab before the doors close. But I don't know of any silimar issue with the theaters that would encourage them to press the self-destruct button? Anyone have any good ideas?
Re: (Score:1)
> Are they stupid?
Yes. Remember that these are the same kind of people who push shit like Starfleet Academy (aka Kurtzman Trek) and wonder why it bombs.
ads (Score:2)
I buy my tickets online. I have a guaranteed seat, I have no interest in seeing Maria Menounos do little mini interviews and tell me to enjoy the show then set through 30 minutes of adds. I just show up late and be there when the show I paid for is ready.
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I decided long ago that I can wait until the movies hit streaming and avoid the poor theater experience altogether.
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But you can never be sure when the movie actually starts.
The stated time should be when the movie actually begins. If I feel like watching previews and ads, I'll arrive early.
Percentage (Score:2)
Does Sony demand 100% of ticket sales for the first two weeks like LucasFilm was reported to do? Harry Potter via WB too IIRC and other big properties?
Without asking why these ads run and why a popcorn and soda is $11, nothing will change and more theaters will go under.
I just learned that my local theater now has free refills on both popcorn and soda . This is a good idea as the goal is to get the $11 and if materials cost is $0.50 or $2 that doesn't really matter vs. no sale.
FWIW that theater ran two tra
Let's go out to the lobby... (Score:2)
....and have ourselves a snack.
Intermissions used to be a thing. Being able to take a leak and grab another snack/drink halfway through the film used to be a thing.
Hell. For longer films like Titanic or Lord of the Rings, that would be a blessing. Even the "cheap" theater in my hometown is all-digital now so it's not even a matter of splicing more film in. Maybe concession prices could even be lowered since volume would go up?
I'd still probably sneak snacks in, though... as if I even went to theaters anymor
Re: (Score:2)
Intermissions are still a thing in concerts, plays, theater, musicals, and in many types of Indian cinema.
The break lets the audience stretch, visit a toilet, talk about what they've seen, and buy the high-priced concessions. Run for about an hour, have a break, finish it up. Or a 3-act, with two breaks.
It makes a change for the writers, with a one-act movie there is a continuous momentum from beginning to end, with breaks the writing can be more episodic. Neither is really going to be right or wrong, jus
3 trailers should be the limit. (Score:2)
I saw Project Hail Mary at smaller movie theater chain. 3 trailers and then the movie started. It was great.
Movies (Score:1, Informative)
They have a cut per second, unrelatable characters, clashes between acting and directing, lectures about how my sex and race are evil, terrible fight scenes where blows never land, poorly mixed audio, hundred pound women punching out 200 pound men, and very little originality. If the studios would make decent movies, there would be enough seats filled.
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> lectures about how my sex and race are evil
You heard "white people did bad things" and decided they were saying you're evil because you want to do those same things.
Re: (Score:1)
I would break it down for you how and why that's an evil thing to believe, but frankly I'm having a hard time believing someone who would spew that even wants to be good.
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> I would break it down for you how and why that's an evil thing to believe, but
...it's not and you're making shit up
> I'm having a hard time believing someone who would spew that even wants to be good.
Right back at you, white and fragile snowflake.
Re: (Score:2)
You love to throw the word "evil" around, don't you? Maybe you should spend some time introspecting on your blindness to nuance.
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Perhaps you should consider being a bit more selective about the films you choose to see? When my wife and I go to the cinema, the ratio of previews is about 10:1, films I wouldn't want to see vs films that look interesting. Not at all interested in the latest Marvel/DC/comic book retread, which by itself eliminates a lot of unwatchable trash. That means we don't go often, but than in itself makes it more of a treat.
Theatres need to lean into the experience (Score:2)
It is not rocket science
- Reduce prices on weeknights to get people in the door.
- When things feel over-priced, it greatly harms the experience and results in less return visits. Reduce margins on snacks. The prices are insane right now and literally out of reach for many families. Two parents and their kids with basic popcorn are looking at like $150+ to see a movie right now in some markets it is INSANE. If prices were more reasonable, then a lot more people would go and you'd make it up on volume, more i
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> If prices were more reasonable, then a lot more people would go and you'd make it up on volume, more importantly they would leave with a POSITIVE experience.
They'd also have to kick out phone fuckers and people who won't shut the fuck up ("why did he do that?") and also actually adjust the volume to avoid both distortion and blowing out people's eardrums. The last couple times I went to movies in normal theaters they failed at both things.
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One does not make money by kicking out paying customers.
If I'm going to watch a movie, I want it in an environment where I control the lighting, the food, the temperature, and the sound level, and I can hit pause if I want to grab a fresh drink. So I'm probably never going to a movie theater again. The "phone fuckers" (whatever that means) and people who have no interest in you wanting them to shut up are their paying customers now.
Let it go, watch movies at home.
Re: (Score:2)
> One does not make money by kicking out paying customers.
False. Kicking out the shitty minority in order to attract more paying customers means making more money.
> The "phone fuckers" (whatever that means)
You really can't figure that out?
> and people who have no interest in you wanting them to shut up are their paying customers now
They are dying for lack of customers.
> Let it go, watch movies at home.
I did and I do. The theaters can all die. They take up a lot of space in exchange for producing a few paltry minimum wage jobs and don't give a fuck about making the experience enjoyable for people who like to concentrate on things.
Copyright Duration (Score:2)
Reduce copyright to 10 years. Maybe we will be spared the low-effort sequels, spin-offs and remakes. I mean, how much can you squeeze out of Star Wars, Marvel and Oceans nn?
Be afraid, be very afraid (Score:2)
James Bond is alive and kicking as a franchise; the zombies you mention seem unlikely to end soon.
Much ado about nothing. (Score:2)
Let them show ads to empty theaters and those who haven’t figured out the game. The theater basically charge you $3-$5 per ticket in fees to pick your seat before the show. Which you are pretty much forced to pay these if don’t want to sit on the edges or are with a group and don’t want to make two trips to the theater. If I’m going to be social engineered into paying extra “ convenience” fees, then I’m not going to step into the theater until the show is about to s
Not a chance (Score:3)
If Sony wants fewer ads they're going to have to pay the theaters for fewer ads. And if consumers want fewer ads they're going to have to stay home because it's very very profitable to sell those ads. We see that same behavior with cheap TVs where most of the profit these days are coming from deals made by the TV manufacturers.
As a consumer though honestly you're just going to show up 20 minutes late for showing and browse on your phone until the ads stop.
But you are still the closest to an old school captive audience and AD man can get. That's the real problem with television ratings dropping traditional advertising is looking for a place they can just kind of force people to watch their ads for a bit. Internet ads just don't work unless it's a influencer pretending to be your friend.
Tom Rothman is behind the times though. (Score:2)
30 Minutes of ads and moviegoers showing up late? That was something I started about 20 years ago. Then theaters stopped selling tickets as soon as show times (with ads) started, so now you either watch the ads or wander the theatre lobby. I'd like a little more light during the ads so I can write down the movie titles I might like to see since I'm not going to remember any of the ads after the movie completes.
Ads are only part of the problem... (Score:2)
There are so many other problems that theaters have:
Overpriced tickets.
Overpriced snacks (for the same price as a bucket of popcorn I can feed my family for a week).
Employees that are basically children.
Don't deal with rowdy patrons.
Often situated in areas that used to be safe but have changed into locations I don't want to be alone at night.
At this point it has to be a really big movie for me to go see it in a theater, otherwise it is just way better to wait a few weeks and rent it or stream it to watch a
Re: (Score:2)
> Overpriced snacks
Just [1]sneak [ifunny.co] your own candy into the theater.
[1] https://ifunny.co/picture/how-to-sneak-candy-into-an-american-movie-theater-VHhkr8w57
I like the trailers (Score:2)
I just want the trailers to be consistent in total length. Thirty years ago, when I was living in Europe, movie theaters listed two times for every showing. The time the lights went down, and the time the feature started showing. Iâ(TM)ve wanted that in the US ever since but never seen it.
When I went to see Hail Mary the biggest surprise was the feature starting 12 minutes after the scheduled time instead of the usual 25 to 28 minutes. If Iâ(TM)d been expecting the longer time I might have missed
Re: I like the trailers (Score:2)
I see more movies than most people I know, and have been disappointed that thereâ(TM)s been nothing Iâ(TM)m interested in seeing released since Hail Mary, so itâ(TM)s been several weeks since Iâ(TM)ve been in a theater.
Go for originality while pointing at... (Score:2)
The Super Mario movie as a cornerstone or revival.
And I wonder, how many of the movies in the 30 minute ad block are Sony movies?
Fuck off with your product placement then, Sony (Score:2)
Full disclosure, I am a former Sony Pictures employee. I took a brief contract shortly after graduating to write logistics software for them. I thought it was a dream come true as a movie fan. It was a fucking nightmare, easily the worst-run place I've seen or even heard of. I've worked for the federal gov. state gov, academia, big banks, big corporations, and the software industry. For all the shit people give academia and the gov, they can't hold a candle to movie studio dysfunction. In fairness, it
When I saw the re-releases of Dogma and Holy Grail (Score:2)
Both ran without preceding ads. At both, just before the films started, I was thinking the theaters were awfully empty. Then, about 20 minutes in, people started coming in.
29 minutes ougtta be (Score:1)
...enough for anyone!
- Sony Gates
Fuck off Sony (Score:2)
You've made exactly two good movies since 2010 and are one of the main reasons theaters need ads to survive on top of already being the most expensive way to watch a movie.
Hilarious (Score:2)
I laughed...I haven't been to a movie theater in a decade or more and I have zero intention to ever go to one again.
It's too expensive, too crowded, too many people yelling and jabbering non-stop, and it'll cost me at least $5 just to drive there and back.
No thanks, I'll pass.
paying the bills (Score:3, Insightful)
Well they probably could get off the Ad crack if companies like Sony stopped arse raping them on prices for their movies.
Re: (Score:2)
Do theaters still get 0% of the box office and rely solely on ad revenue and dwindling sales of overpriced concessions for all their income? If so, it's easy for this kind of greedy idiot to complain about it, but ultimately meaningless.