This drives me totally insane. About 8 months ago I wrote an article entitles “Why Commercials Before Movies Is Worse Than Piracy“. The basic argument was this:
– When you take my money for popcorn, at least I’m getting a tasty treat
– When you take my cash at the box office, I’m getting to come in to watch the movie
– When you take my time for commercials on TV, I’m getting a “free” TV show out of it
But what are we getting for our time with commercials in movie theaters? When the ad says “Movie starts at 7pm” and I’m in my seat (that I paid admission for) at 7pm, it’s time for you to start giving me what I paid you for… the movie. If you want to show me commercials, fine… give me the movie for free then. The theater industry is pulling in RECORD amounts of income from those commercials, and unlike TV (where we get a free show), WE GET NOTHING IN RETURN FOR OUR TIME SITTING THERE WHEN THE MOVIE IS SUPPOSED TO START.
Movie theaters have in essence found the PERFECT advertising. Ads that take to audiences time, without giving them anything in return. I don’t mind theaters making money off me when I get a product, service or entertainment in return… but commercials playing at 7pm when you told me the movie would be starting is doing nothing but STEALING my time. You are taking from me without giving anything in return. HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM ONLINE MOVIE PIRACY!?!?
One of the things I’ve really been enjoying about staying in Los Angeles recently is that the theater I like going to (The Arclight theater in Hollywood is one of the best I’ve ever been in) refuses to show commercials before movies. I LOVE THAT! But I got spoiled with it, because since coming back to Canada and seeing those damn annoying ads again, it’s made me even more furious.
Anyway… all that money that theaters are making off of OUR TIME… time that we are sitting in the theater when the movie is supposed to start… a movie WE F’ING PAID TO GET IN TO SEE… well.. that money just got 20% bigger in 1 year. The folks at Variety give us this:
New figures just released by the Cinema Advertising Council, a trade org repping 82% of U.S. screens, show a hefty 18.5% gain in revenue to just shy of $540 million in 2007, up from $455.7 million a year earlier.
You know… I really need to come up with a way to charge people money to come into my house… and then make them work for me for free in such a way that earns me more money. That’s a great racket. They made over $85 MILLION more than the year before… and the funny thing is… I didn’t see my movie ticket get any cheaper. Let me check…. ummmm… nope, not any cheaper.
I am so pissed off.
