By Gavin Boyle
After announcing it would be extending its pre-show ads in June, AMC received extreme backlash and has now changed course, revealing will reduce the number of pre-show ads.
“Our competitors have fully participated [in showing non-movie related ads] for more than five years without any direct impact to their audience,” AMC said in June. “The new deal between AMC and National CineMedia allows both companies to drive new revenues to offset the impact of being hit by the shutdown of cinemas due to the COVID pandemic followed by an at times faltering Hollywood industry recovery since the reopening of theaters and advertising being affected by macro-economic headwinds.”
Shortly after, AMC added a notice to its website that informed those booking tickets that their movie could start up to 30 minutes after the given time due to advertisements and previews.
“The listed showtime is when trailers and additional content begin,” AMC’s website said, per The Verge. “The movie will start 25-30 minutes after the listed showtime.”
However, AMC is now working to reverse this action and reduce the time viewers need to wait before the movie begins. This decision largely comes after studio executives complained that their pre-show previews were not reaching as many viewers. Previous studies found that not even half of the audience is in their seats when the first trailers show, and even four minutes before a movie started, only 80% of the audience were in the theater.
Related: Why AMC Movies Will Actually Start 30 Minutes After Their Showtime
While studio executives were upset that AMC clued its viewers into the fact that the movie starts more than 20 minutes after the given start time, some lawmakers are considering making this a requirement so they don’t waste consumers’ time. In January, Connecticut state senator Martin Looney even proposed a bill that would require theaters to list exactly when a movie will start.
“It seems to be an abuse of people’s time,” Looney told The Register Citizen while discussing the ads shown before movies. “If [audiences] want to get there early and watch the promos, they can. But if they just want to see the feature, they ought to be able to get there just in time for that.”
When the bill was proposed, local theaters explained this would ruin their relationship with advertisers and studios – as AMC found out the hard way.
“Announcing the start time of the actual movie would definitely disincentivize our business partners’ video messaging which would have a direct negative impact on our financial stability in an already so challenging environment,” said Peter H. Gistenlinck, executive director at the Avon Theatre in Stamford, Connecticut.
Though AMC will work to course correct and make studios, viewers and investors happy, it will not be easy to change this decision without ruffling somebody’s feathers.
Read Next: You’re Gonna Need That Popcorn—Movies Are Getting More Commercials
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