Clearly, there isn’t a place left in this world where we can be free from advertising.
Even a dark, windowless room that you’ve already paid money to sit in is no haven these days.
The buzz about commercials for stuff such as Coca-Cola and Dove soap that play on the big screen before the movie starts at your local theater has been going for a while now, but I’m sick of it.If you aren’t familiar with the practice – either because you don’t go to movies or because you’re the one always showing up late and bumping and squeezing through in the dark for the only empty seats left in the middle of the row – this is the deal:
The listings say a movie will start at 8:15 p.m., so that’s when you get there.
Typically, you’d expect to see some trailers for upcoming films. Those have long been a part of the deal and if you’re at the theater for one movie, it stands to reason that you’d be interested in seeing what else will be playing soon.
The trouble is that when the lights go down at the scheduled movie start time, you often have to sit through several minutes worth of commercials – not unlike the ones you’d see on TV at home.
But at the theater you don’t have a remote control and you don’t have dozens or hundreds of other channels to choose from.
You don’t even have a refrigerator to run to for a quick snack – save for the concession stand, where you’ll have to take out a small loan for some popcorn and a drink.
I know I’m not alone in my longing to see the curtain close on these ads.
A survey last month by InsightExpress, a Connecticut-based market research firm, said 53 percent of American moviegoers think movie theaters should stop playing the commercials.
Some 27 percent of them said they would go to fewer movies because of the ads.
They make people feel like they’re being used. We’ve already paid for a ticket, yet we can’t get away from these commercials.
Of course, there’s a quandary. Pop culture buffs actually like good commercials.
Many people watch the Super Bowl just for the commercials, and Web sites abound featuring people’s favorite ads.
To that end, the survey also found that 56 percent of moviegoers wouldn’t find the ads so intolerable if they were funny – which most aren’t.
About one-third of folks said the ads would be better if they were “Super-Bowl quality,” unlike anything already seen on TV or introducing a new product.
But a one-minute spot showing a bunch of idiots dancing around with Coke bottles in their hands doesn’t quite cut it.
Unfortunately for us, the attack of the killer commercials doesn’t seem to be stopping or slowing down anytime soon.
Movie theater chains already whine about not making enough money – despite the fact that tickets are getting more and more expensive – and the ads are a big cash cow.
Theaters nationwide pulled in $356 million in on-screen and lobby advertising last year, according to Variety.
For that kind of green, it looks like we’ll have to adjust our schedules accordingly.
So, do me a favor: Try to pull your knees out of the way while I’m shoving past you in the dark on my way to that open seat in the middle of the row.
Columnist Victor Balta: 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
