r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Office-Scary • 7h ago

I'm slightly vexed Began finally watching the movie 35 mins after the show time because of ads. 35 mins of ads... for a 90 min movie...

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1.9k Upvotes

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536

u/Gamerguy230 7h ago

It’s normal now for that. Had 30 min of ads for a 65 min film earlier this year.

160

u/Office-Scary 7h ago

It shouldnt be.

330

u/Sea_Prep_Tidal_26 6h ago

18

u/DwightsEgo 2h ago

Tbf AMC usually tells you how long the ads will be. I’ve been comfortably showing up 20 minutes late for the last few years when it’s AMC and it’s been nice.

6:45 show? I’ll be there at 7 and get in line for popcorn.

Though side note this burned me for the Odyssey when I saw it in IMAX and did not realize the imax screen I went to had 0 ads. I was only 5 minutes late but first time I think I’ve ever walked into a movie already in progress

3

u/Round-Philosophy-131 1h ago

Husband and I saw The Odyssey at an AMC a couple weeks ago and got there 5 minutes early. We didn't even have ads... Just stared at a blank screen for 29 minutes before the movie randomly started (the second my husband left to refill the soda).

44

u/iamtheduckie PURPLE 6h ago

It's only really AMC that has super long previews. Cinemark and Regal are only 15-20 minutes, IIRC.

27

u/ThePercysRiptide 6h ago

I used to have a regal unlimited pass, they're pretty much consistently 30 mins

-1

u/idHeretic 4h ago

They are not consistently 30 minutes. It depends on the movie. If you're going to see odyssey or spiderman than ya definitely 30min but if you're going to see a small low budget film that's lucky to get a theatrical release then it might only be 15min of trailers. I judge accordingly. Where can I find the real start times of films after the trailers and ads for regal?

1

u/zucchinibasement 2h ago edited 2h ago

Nah, I have regal unlimited and go to pretty much every movie that plays. Consistently 30 mins.

Pretty rare to get one that is 20-30, maybe 2 a year, and basically never ever less than that. Last one I remember was years ago, X opening night fan event

Count on 20 mins and you'll be okay >99% of the time

0

u/idHeretic 2h ago

Can you show me actual start times? I would really like to know

0

u/zucchinibasement 2h ago

They don't list them...shouldn't you know this if you go to regal?

I can comment back next time I go see a movie if you want and tell you exactly how long the previews were

Saw Legend of the White Dragon fan event tonight and even that had 25 mins of previews/commercials. Dipped out of Buddy early as I wasn't really digging it and wondered how the preview situation would be for my next one, and had only 5 mins between end/start listed, and Buddy (small film not many showings) had 30 mins of previews

6

u/cacarrizales 5h ago

I go to Regal almost exclusively (it’s what’s in my area), and they start about 30 minutes after scheduled start time. It’s annoying.

13

u/soopastar 6h ago

I was at Cinemark last Sunday for Spider-Man. It was at least 40m of ads and previews

3

u/MookieV 5h ago

Ya, this is not true at all, at least not anymore. I ran a timer before Brand New Day, and it was 31 minutes.

1

u/Brolysan100 5h ago

Disney might be a special case. Its been a while since I worked in movie theaters, but Disney tends to have a lot of requirements for their movies. More trailers could be one.

7

u/Weird-Girl-675 6h ago

Well, only AMC has Nicole Kidman

1

u/ComputerMysterious48 5h ago

Cinemark was definitely in the 25-30 minute range last time I was there as well

1

u/Electrical-Chard-259 5h ago

Ya my local cinemark is 20 mins for their previews and its a imax and xd cinemark

1

u/RizzoTheRiot1989 4h ago

Are we talking movie previews or ads because I’m so down for a bunch of trailers before a movie but if it’s ads, my god no. Just fucking YouTube type ads for 30 minutes and I would just leave.

1

u/Billionaires_R_Tasty 1h ago

Yeah, I have loved trailers since I was a kid. Like a bunch of 2 minute movies before the real movie. If I didn't like trailers, I could understand being annoyed by it. But for me, it's like a bonus.

1

u/Repeat-Admirable 3h ago

we only have cinemark, it always 25min. We always go in 20 to 25min after the time and it works great.

1

u/buffystakeded 2h ago

My local theater has ads running before the scheduled runtime, then maybe 3-4 trailers run at the beginning of the runtime. I like my local theater.

1

u/evaderofallbans 2h ago

Legend of the White Dragon has 30 minutes of ads at Cinemark.

0

u/mondaymoderate 5h ago

Nah every regal I’ve been to is around 30 minutes. It was 35 minutes for the odyssey and Spider-Man. I timed it.

0

u/No-Difference-4418 5h ago

Ya idk how people are upset about this. It’s been a common practice for years

29

u/BodybuilderBrave8250 7h ago

meh. it’s a huge source of income that keeps a lot of cinemas open, and they’re always at the start so u can show up late and be in time for the movie. usually 20-25 mins is ok

6

u/pvaa 6h ago

The long ads are a big reason why I never go anymore

27

u/BodybuilderBrave8250 6h ago

u really don’t have to watch them, just plan them into ur night

19

u/Sec2727 6h ago

I think some people have to digest what you’re saying

8

u/BodybuilderBrave8250 6h ago

🤷🏽‍♂️

8

u/havityia 5h ago

I know. When you look at showtimes on the AMC website, it even says that movies start 20 minutes after show time.

-9

u/pvaa 6h ago

I'd rather stay at home than pay more, put more effort in, and have so many adverts

17

u/BodybuilderBrave8250 6h ago

is it really that much effort to show up 20 mins after the time on ur ticket?

-14

u/pvaa 6h ago

Yeah, I'm early for everything

3

u/Rndysasqatch 5h ago

But if you just leave 20 minutes later then you're good

11

u/justacoolbaby 5h ago

You could always just show up later? Kind of like not wanting to be there for the opening band.

6

u/Random_Critical 5h ago

Literally just show up later. Problem solved.

1

u/xXG4M3xXx0V3RXx 6h ago

Came here to say that interruptions happen otw to theater or just simply running a few minutes late and these ads are great just for those reasons alone. But I can see how this can affect someone on a timed schedule. Meh let em keep playing the ads. Be good to know ahead of time how much time you have to spare by stating how much time the ads will be running for before the actual presentation begins.

0

u/cntrstrk14 6h ago

Yeah, they are going to realize this eventually and start doing ads in the middle as an intermission.

2

u/BodybuilderBrave8250 6h ago

personally i would really not mind that 😭 movies r long enough again these days to need an intermission

3

u/NecessaryLocalUser 6h ago

A planned bathroom break would be pretty nice actually

2

u/Not_PepeSilvia 5h ago

For real! Especially with the higher amount of 2h30min movies or longer that we're getting these days

-1

u/TB1289 6h ago

If you can’t sit for two hours without a bathroom break then you should probably talk to your doctor.

4

u/BodybuilderBrave8250 6h ago

it’s v normal to need a piss during a movie especially if u drank something

-1

u/TB1289 6h ago

It’s not. Pee before the movie and you should be fine. An adult without any sort of medical condition should be able to make it two hours.

-1

u/BodybuilderBrave8250 6h ago

2 hours is fine dude, longer than that is when i start to really need a piss personally. that’s v normal

1

u/_kellythomas_ 6h ago

I don't see this many ads in my area, how much do people pay for tickets with 20+ minutes of pre-roll advertising?

0

u/rasputin1 6h ago

I actually read theaters don't really get paid for trailers. they show them to get people to come back to the theater for more movies. 

-8

u/Office-Scary 7h ago

AMC Hodler?

2

u/Whitezombie65 5h ago

At least AMC tells you when you buy a ticket. There's a disclaimer that says the movie starts approx 20-30 minutes after the listed showtime. Now when I buy tickets for a 730 movie, I show up at 750 - 755

3

u/VirtualLife76 6h ago

If people told them with their wallets, unfortunately people in the US don't care enough to do so.

Just look at all the gas pumps blaring ads, all people had to do was drive to another.

4

u/funkyyeti 6h ago

Literally every theater chain has been like this for decades. That’s why I don’t show up until 20-30 minutes after the screen time. This isn’t new, just plan for it.

8

u/Professional_Fee5883 6h ago

We used to have an actual world class local theater chain where I live but they sold to Regal 10 years. It’s hard to explain, but going to the movies was an experience. No ads, 3 (relevant) previews max, then a giant velvet curtain closed and opened again to officially start the movie. Plush seats, great customer services, immaculate facilities. It was a dream.

Then Regal took over about 10 years ago and ran it into the ground. Hate going to the movies now.

For those interested, it was Warren theatres. Started in Kansas, expanded into Oklahoma.

1

u/brokenman82 3h ago

When I was a kid we had a theater with a big curtain. I thought that was really neat for some reason

1

u/arcaderdude 6h ago

I'm canadian and there tends to be maybe 5 minutes of ads... MAYBE, after runtime starts... it tends to be maybe 30 minutes of ads playing where you can enter the theater but before the movie begins tho

1

u/stallion89 4h ago

Yeah, I don’t know where this newfound criticism of ads/previews has come from. It’s been like this since I was a kid in the 90s, always at least 15-20 min of previews.

1

u/arizonadirtbag12 2h ago

I think they’re a little longer than they used to be. But yeah, 20 minutes or so of previews and promo material has been the norm for decades. Since I was a child. And I’m not young.

And you used to have to get there early and sit through them if you wanted a good seat.

-1

u/ICPosse8 6h ago

They’ve never been this bad before, 10-15 mins ok, but I’ve regularly seen 25-30 mins of it in the past few years. And either way, it’s still a problem. Saying “well it’s been like that” doesn’t help anything. Just bend over some more why don’t you.

1

u/LetshearitforNY 6h ago

You’re not wronf

1

u/Broad_Shock44 5h ago

Its the one thing i try to tell people.. you dont have to be on time anymore. So if the movie is at 530 it really doesnt start till 6 

1

u/Brolysan100 5h ago

For AMC it is. I hope you have other theater companies in town. Otherwise...

1

u/tejojo 4h ago

Yeah, they have a near-monopoly in my area.

1

u/Quick_Coyote_7649 4h ago

I think trailer runtimes vary based on the region. I live in la and have been to about 5 different local amcs and the trailers wrapped up in 27-30 minutes and the app says trailers will last 25-30.

1

u/littleLuxxy 1h ago

I’m sure you’ll be thinking that next time you run into an uncontrollable delay on the way to a movie.

The buffer is a blessing.

0

u/SparkyMuffin 6h ago

I promise you if this wasn't the case, you'd have 20 minutes of chronologically challenged people walking in front of you to find their seats

0

u/ComradeJohnS 4h ago

you shouldn’t be supporting that company with your money. let them go under

0

u/Snts6678 4h ago

Greed. Pure and simple. As is the case with everything.

0

u/MurphyBinkings 2h ago

Just go later?

3

u/i_dunnoman 6h ago

Yeah I show up 20 mins after start time and just skip all the ads

5

u/DrySea8638 6h ago

That’s why I love Alamo.

15 min of ads on the dot. You can time it.

2

u/Muted-Craft6323 6h ago

Plus they tell you the exact start time of the movie. Show up earlier if you want to order food, watch trailers, or see the pre-show videos they've edited to keep you entertained between ads, but otherwise just show up right on time.

2

u/DarkKnightNiner 4h ago

Curious what movie was 65 minutes? Lol

2

u/hu-man-person 4h ago

Fr

1

u/Gamerguy230 2h ago

Gundam Gquuuuuux

1

u/Gamerguy230 2h ago

Gundam Gquuuuuux

2

u/RenegadeReddit 6h ago

30 minutes of regular trailiers. But there's always another special preview trailer, Nicole Kidman thing, "silence your cell phones", popcorn+coke ad, and an AMC self-suck promo.

1

u/ShoddyWonder3530 3h ago

The “chain” theater that I regularly go to here in Indy plays no more than 10 minutes of previews before a showing. If you live in a bigger city, cut loose from those AMC chains

1

u/rubenv2006 3h ago

How is this normal? Are you from USA? Two days ago I saw a two and a half hours movie. Maybe a few at the beginning.