A few weeks ago, my wife and I went to the movies, something we don’t do very often. (Arrival, which I highly recommend, just like the short story it is derived from.)
We arrived at the theatre, one of those multi-screen megaplexes, about 15 to 20 minutes before the advertised start time for the feature. Of course, while waiting, we were exposed to the various advertisements shown before the start of the film. At the advertised start time, there were some previews for other movies, pretty much as we had come to expect. They also interspersed the previews with more advertisements unrelated to any other movies. This went on for a full additional 30 minutes. I couldn’t believe it.
A week later, we went to see another film, this time at a much smaller theatre in a restored historical building in a small town nearby. (Fantastic Beasts … Very entertaining.) At the advertised viewing time there were a few previews shown. Then on to the feature. A much more satisfactory experience.
So now I know that when we go to one of the large multiplexes, we can arrive late and not miss any of the interesting stuff rather that wasting half an hour being forced to watch more advertising. Downside? Well, it’s a lot darker when trying to find a seat, but that’s all I can think of.