Angry That Ads Play Between Trailers at AMC Theaters? So Are Movie Execs

I’m a guy who likes to get to the movie theater early. No rushing. No worrying. I want to be seated as Maria Menounos finishes telling the audience about all the exciting things coming to theaters and television screens. At that point, I’ll have already purchased a snack (probably nachos) and refilled my Taylor Swift Eras Tour AMC collectible cup, which I can refill at the 42nd Street. AMC without pushback. Then, I wait until there’s a trailer I’ve already seen, and run to the bathroom to pee (or try to pee, as my body has become convinced I must do this twice before every movie, even if my bladder is empty). So, lengthy trailer times have never been an issue for me.

I get why they are for others. You show up expecting to watch a movie, and instead are bombarded with almost half an hour of trailers. That should be no surprise at this point, but when the slate of coming attractions only contains a couple of movies you’re interested in, the process can feel punishingly long. However, that process has gotten much worse in the last month. AMC theaters have decided to take part in a new program that inserts ads between trailers during the pre-show, and it is excruciating.

On the one hand, I’m always open to a new opportunity to run to a stall to pee (no urinal, shy bladder). On the other hand, the ad I’ve seen the most during this process is some dumb Google AI nonsense that shows some dumb guy who looks and acts like a serial killer, listens to James Blunt, and can’t do anything on his own. He asks Google AI for tips on going out and ends up at a James Blunt concert while a Tal Bachman song plays. There, he meets a young woman, presumably his next victim, and the ad mercifully comes to an end.

According to Deadline, AMC’s decision to start airing ads during its pre-shows has angered movie executives, who expect audiences to only be subjected to the same trailer they’ve seen for the last month. They’re also angered that AMC has begun adding copy to its website that tells audiences the movie won’t start until 25-30 minutes after showtime. While I understand the anger at giving people a way to skip the pre-show (which seems counterproductive if you’re selling ad space), I’m more mad that the first time I saw that, I took it to heart, was rushing from a concert, and missed the first 30 seconds of Superman because the pre-show lasted 20 minutes max.

There is no perfect way to do this process, but, according to Deadline’s sources, AMC will be shortening its pre-show by the end of the year. That could mean fewer trailers and ads, or both. Perhaps pre-shows will become an even mix of coming attractions and creepy serial killer AI stuff. The details are still scarce, but movie theaters need more money, and studios still rely on theaters for word of mouth (I actually love that you could only see the Avatar 3 trailer in theaters first).

Still, if it becomes mostly ads, I know I’ll be less likely to show up early. I like to be seated because I’ve accidentally trained my body to force urine through my urethra multiple times before start time, but also because I love watching trailers. I’m all for getting excited about new movies. I f***ing love going to the movies and that’s part of it. That doesn’t mean I also want to see ads for people who can’t do anything for themselves made by people who don’t know the difference between James Blunt and Tal Bachman.