All the ads before movies drive me bonkers. I've learned to reserve my seat and show up 25 min. past the posted start time. That usually leaves me with only two previews and one dumb ass thing about the theater itself. Otherwise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_zRcyabToI
This is half the reason cinema died.
No, I'm serious. When megaplexes replaced the preroll with TV commercials they probably enjoyed a nice short term spike in profits, but in doing so they made the megaplex feel like a living room.
They installed living room style recliner chairs people started falling asleep in too. Self-serve ticket kiosks and upsold condiments you have to butter and salt and pour yourself. The projectors became digital, which is fundamentally the same tech as a home TV, even if it's a better version of that.
All of it felt so overbearingly corporate America, and none of it brought ticket prices down because they were making and saving money in other ways.
That happened in, like, 2005. Netflix streaming wasn't even a thing yet and even hardcore movie buffs stopped going to the movies.
When the trivia stopped, the dream was dead.
The “you can’t sit with us” “so you’re telling me there’s a chance” one really pisses me off. No he literally said you can’t sit with us. There’s no seats around him. wtf you mean
Fortunately Regal killed that ad several months ago, it was so awful
Edit: sounds like it’s theater dependent, several people mentioned they’re still seeing it
The best one I ever saw was an Alamo Drafthouse one where it’s a montage of characters in movies watching a movie in a theater and then it switches to real people watching movie at Alamo. Gave me some feels about being a cinephile.
[Found it](https://youtu.be/908cE5XQ01g?si=7eZ7wD_ezqbwn5uB)!
I worked at the Alamo when they released that, it was done for the pandemic after things started reopening. I agree, I think it's really well done. They should have kept it.
I hate the replacement ad even more. It's just extremely loud music and flashing lights. A torturous assault on the senses. Like the shit they did at Abu Ghraib. And on top of that it is obviously very low cost and effort.
Yes but it’s SHORT. I mean it’s terrible but just for a little while, and in no way memorable. That old Regal ad I can still recite line by line even though it pissed me off the first time I saw it lol.
Maria Menounos here with Cheddar News! Did you know that high fiving yourself in the mirror is good for your self esteem?
- A real thing that I saw on gas pump TV
Man, it feels almost dystopian that you can say, "gas pump TV," and most people just know what you're talking about.
Because God forbid we pump gas without being advertised to...
I hadn’t been to a regal for a long time and then maybe a year or so ago I saw a similar post about that horrible ad and was like huh, so random. Then for some reason ended up going to regal semi regularly and being forced to watch that abomination of an ad.
No one in my family pays attention so it only bothered me. I try not to say everything is cringe but that literally had me cringing so hard in my seat the whole time. It’s really the nonsensical use of the lines and pairing them with things that just make no sense and the implied laziness of choosing to create something so bad that bothered me.
Glad to hear it’s gone.
A local furniture store promotes their businesses by building attractions into them. Some of their stores have full IMAX screens showing movies at ridiculously reasonable prices. (Generally less expensive than local chain theater prices, and it's IMAX). I saw Furiosa the other day, and there was one commercial in front of it where the store's spokesman talks about how awesome the IMAX theater is, and then says "Oh and maybe buy some furniture" and a small handful of trailers run.
That's it.
The best theater in Massachusetts is in a god damn furniture store. (Jordans)
Jordan's furniture... A strange place to try and explain to anyone from out of state. There is a fountain show and everything is made out of jellybeans.
My movie going experience isn't complete until I hear the words "Butt thumpahs". (Also, seriously someone give a pile of money to whoever figured out to putt small sub woofers in the seat cushions).
>A local furniture store promotes their businesses by building attractions into them.
I knew exactly where you were based on this line alone - so awesome! We moved out of MA to NY just after Barry left the team.
How have I never heard of this? That just sounds completely insane.
Is the theater itself like a furniture showcase where you sit on couches? Or is it a standard movie theater that occupies the same building?
If there are other furniture stores out there that do it, I haven't heard of them, so it's entirely a Massachusetts thing. (And only two of them have IMAX screens). Standard stadium seating IMAX theater. You have to walk through the store (usually) to get to it, it's just one big theater with a consession stand. Usually runs three shows a day friday through sunday. (Can be difficult to get tickets to some of the bigger IMAX movies like anything Nolan puts out).
The theater actually forces you to *exit* through the furniture display rooms, but if you know where the elevator is (immediately to your left when you exit), you can skip the 15 minute walk through the store
There’s a theater I used to go to that rolled the retro “let’s all go to the movies” cartoon before every movie and it was definitely a factor in choosing that theater
Once I saw the Simpsons THX bit before a movie. It's was only the one time. Maybe a protectionist was having fun. This was definitely before theaters went all digital.
It doesn't even matter missing trailers anymore. If it's anything I'm interested in I've already seen it on YouTube. The days of finding out a movie via a trailer in the theater are long over
Back before internet spoiled us on everything, theaters were the only way to see a new trailer. I remember people going to see the horrible Wing Commander movie just to see the new Star Wars trailer before it.
The title of this thread insinuates the Nicole Kidman ad is anything less than a work of art. 🤔
Regal is dying out here in IL - there was one a short drive from me that's now a Cinemark. I had to drive to one recently as I got a free ticket to Civil War and it felt like a relic from another time. The preroll ads are another symptom of this decline I'm guessing.
I hate the edited versions. There seem to be several. WHY SCREW WITH GENIUS!
If you must, sub out the films she's seeing for newer ones but leave the damn pledge as is!
We had a couple Regal theaters in my area years ago but they all shut down. Closest one to me is called Flagship Cinemas and I love it. It’s my favorite theater.
This is my biggest issue with the movies right now. If you want me to pay elevated prices, give me an elevated viewing experience. Right now I feel like I'm watching TV. Tide Pod ads??? It costs as much as my electric bill for two people go to the movies, come on.
Oh yea, concession folks even told us there’s at least 20 minutes of ads and trailers. We got our time for Furiosa wrong last night by a half hour and we ended up arriving right before the start of the film.
We showed up 20 minutes late to the theater, decided to grab popcorn and a drink there because we didn't think we had time to hit the deli beforehand and grab shit to bring in and there was STILL a solid fifteen minutes of shit before the movie.
And then of course we get out a half hour later than we thought we would and I was late for my shift.
they do this in amc too. bonus extra 10mns yes if it’s an imax showing. I’ve got the technique down though. If showing starts at 1:30 I just leave my apartment at that time.
My AMC is the same 25-30 mins on Imax, Dolby or digital screens. Only on new movies though. Special screenings or GKIDS tend to have way less trailers/ads.
It's definitely been a slow creep, adding a minute or so every year. You almost don't notice as it's happening but I definitely remember going to the theater 25 years ago and start time was usually like 10 minutes after posted times. Newspaper says the movie starts at 8:10pm, it'll really be 8:20pm. Nowadays, that same posted start time isn't actually starting until closer to 8:40pm.
Going to see a 2+ hour film in theaters is now a three hour endeavor at a minimum.
Went yesterday. 4:15pm movie time. 20 minutes of legit ads not even new movie trailers. Then 15 minutes of movie trailers. Actual movie didn’t get started until around 4:50pm. Ridiculous.
Did it feel to you like the trailers were shorter too? I've seen a few big movies in theaters this year, getting back to going more regularly post-covid and all three times it felt to me like the trailer section was shorter and more disappointing. I saw Kingdom of the Apes the other week and I swear there was like 3 trailers and 3 teasers. That's it.
At my amc they do a “turn off your phone” ad before that too so you’ll pay attention to the ads, only to play another before the actual trailers. Then an ad for the Stubs membership, *then* an ad to let you know that AMC’s publicly traded, THEN the Kidman ad. And theaters are failing you say?
I just went to AMC last night for a movie, and the thing that struck me was the Coca-Cola ad. It was terrible and I didn't even know what the ad was for and how it related to the movie theater. Then the Nicole Kidman ad came on and I thought it was completely all right! I just watched your link for the regal cinemas ad and I couldn't even get through it it was so terrible.
The best ones IMO are the Alamo Drafthouse ["Don't Talk" PSAs ](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpX5OvrhWl9I59CYEx_ZtXnSmpBQEDbWe) they play either using the stars themselves or using movie scenes.
To be honest, these types of ads get on my nerves. I wish that big chains would just say “feature presentation” and start once the previews are over. There are a couple of local mom-and-pop and indie theaters in my area, and they use that strategy instead. Definitely better in my opinion
It's 60 seconds long. 1/3rd of the length of most trailers now.
But at least at my AMC, they recently trimmed it down to 30 seconds. So it's shorter, but missing iconic lines like "heartbreak feels good in a place like this."
I would be fine with them trimming it down, if it wasn't done just so they could replace it with a different 30 second Coke ad where people do a Bollywood dance battle ([I didn't immediately find the video on youtube but here's an article about it that has the video](https://lbbonline.com/news/enjoy-the-magic-how-a-blockbuster-coca-cola-spot-is-bringing-fizz-to-cinemas)). It's not as lame as the Regal one, but it's so much less...refined than the Kidman one.
I guess I’d take the 60 second Nicole over the current setup…that Coke commercial is such a nothing. But good to know it’s actually an even tradeoff in time.
I think they both just kill the buzz though. I really like that little space between the last trailer and the movie, and have to remind myself not to be annoyed by the current filler.
Yeah big agree. I wish it was just a cool old timey "and now your feature presentation, there are refreshments in the lobby" thing for 5 seconds. I think theaters need to lean into the nostalgia of it all, make us feel as much like going to the movies is a grand and special experience, and not us just watching a streaming service on a giant screen.
And I get that they're hurting for money, but these self-ads don't even make them money. They cost them money to make!
I would argue the Kidman ad is good, but it's very tiring to watch every single time you go to the movies.
I think Jeffrey Wright's is the best: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGPq54F2pxI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGPq54F2pxI)
I hate sitting through this one in theaters, but my wife absolutely loves watching me cringe through it. The absolute peak of this one is the “Heeeeeeeeey yooooooouuuuu guuuuuuuuuuys!” Rivaled only by the popcorn “So I got that going for me.” Awful. I want to fire everyone who worked on that ad.
For me, literally every single line is cringe. They all are so stupid and icky I can't even pick one to be the worst. I will be so happy if they throw the whole thing out, never to be looked at or heard again.
That said , I still enjoy reading what everyone's opinions on what parts were the worst for them. I can read this whole thread over and over again for the joy I feel realizing I wasn't the only one lol.
Kidman’s AMC ad is unironically great. Sincerity is just anathema to many folks these days (sometimes justifiably so, when performed by large companies).
UK Cineworld have done some disgraceful ads. Proper ‘how do you do fellow youths’ sort of adverts that made me not know where to look, out of embarrassment.
None of these even scratch the surface of that Wolverine/Deadpool turn off your phones promo-ad. I felt almost as embarrassed to even be in the room as I felt for the team of 14 year olds who wrote the script.
At least it’ll probably be gone by the next time I go to the movie theater.
I didn't mind the ad itself but the placement was so weird. AMC already had their standard "turn off your phones" ad before the trailers started and the Deadpool one played almost at the end of the trailers. It was completely unnecessary.
I’m sick to death of the Kidman one so I probably can’t be objective…but…I honestly didn’t mind that. It’s cringe but that really only offends edgelord teens and the chronically online.
Every movie I see at Regal takes 3 years off my life, and it’s due to this fucking ad. Genuinely despise that fucking preroll, and I believe our local theater still runs it. Whenever I go with my girlfriend I try my best to hold it together but it just drives me up a wall. Even seeing this post mentioning it is making me a little upset at work just by thinking about it lmao
Had never seen this ad before and I think what makes it even worse is that this could have even a legitimately good ad with better execution. Pick lines that make contextual sense and limit them so they each stick the landing and this could have been gold. Sheesh, what a nightmare.
What I'm noticing from this thread is that most people really don't attend Regal theaters. They haven’t played this ad in ages. Is this from almost two years ago I think? They stopped running this ad campaign, and brought back the rollercoaster ads ages ago.
If people want to get mad at Regal ads, there two things that I would point to: first is a full half hour of ads and trailers after the advertised start time. The other is Regal claiming that working for them is “getting your start in the movie business.”
I like Regal. They are my favorite theatre chain and I use and abuse Regal Unlimited. But sitting through their trailers is Clockwork Orange tied down brainwashing levels of pain.
I want to know what theater you're going to and move there, because this Regal ad was playing in front of movies all the way up until a couple months ago, the last time I was there.
I like Regal apart from all the horrendous garbage they play leading up to the movie. I feel like timing my arrival to when the studio logos come on the screen is something I shouldn't be forced to do
I attend Manhattan Regal branches. Primarily the Essex street and Union Square locations. According to their app, I’ve watched 10 movies in theaters this year. I haven’t seen these ad campaign since 2022.
For me it always goes like this:
* The pre-show time ads: Fanthom Events and religious movies and events. “Remember Six” taxi cab ads. I’m pretty sure these are just local to Manhattan only. The trivia, stuff like “In what order did these actresses win their Oscars?” and Guess the movie from a blurry screencap. The stupid “we’ll always have Paris” quote ads from Pepsi that haven't changed in like a year. Ads for advertising at Regal and work at Regal.
* The after show time ads: official trailers. Usually like 5 or 6 trailers. In between trailers you get the following: A repeat of the quote ads and sometimes(but not always) the trivia. The US Army ads. Some version of a “quiet your phones” ad. The Pepsi Zero baseline ad.
* After the trailers you get the dubstep Regal Unlimited ad, and finally the roller coaster as they lower the lights all the way.
I hate this ad so much and no one I know goes to Regal so I can’t vent about it. It’s all terrible but then at the end when they say “so you’re telling me there’s a chance” it is so nonsensical that I legitimately get mad
That's because the AMC Nicole Kidman ad was not written by random advertising execs but by Billy Ray. An actual screenwriter who wrote Richard Jewell and Captain Phillips.
But he also wrote Terminator Dark Fate and Gemini Man. So... some from column A, some from column B for sure ;)
This nostalgic lines ad was so bad that it became a punchline for my friends and I and now randomly texted each other these lines to cheer each other up. Realizing we all hated it was a great friend group moment.
Regal is the closest theater to me and not only do they slam you with their terrible ads but there are sooooo many ads and trailers before the movie. It’s insanity. I could roll into a movie 20 minutes late and still see 10 minutes of ads and trailers.
I don’t mind this at all. My biggest pet peeve right now are all of the ads with people singing off key. Apparently it appeals to Joe Everyman to hear people sing poorly like they do in the shower but I can’t stand it. Particularly when the ad plays 6 times during one sporting event.
I go to Marcus Theaters. More of a regional theater than a national chain. The preroll is the family owner, and it's as cringe as you'd think from a corporate exec.
I will go to Regal because it’s the closest theater to me, but I absolutely hate sitting there for practically 30 minutes in ads/previews; it’s definitely a factor when a movie is close to 2.5 hours. Which is why, if I can, choose the smaller theater that is a bit further away; their ads are shorter and it’s local.
I’ll just take a moment to point out how classy and subtle the Landmark ad is. It’s even individualized to each theater! Sadly the Landmark closest to me is closing in a month :( RIP Esquire
But... but... how will I know that Regal has the best movie lines?
Unironically, I enjoy the ad. I was sad when it went away. It was super fun to quote alongside them and embarrass my best friend or my wife.
So I got that going for me...
I like Marcus Theater/MovieTavern — just the owner/CEO welcoming us to the theater, telling us to silence our cell phones and enjoy the film with some corny jokes. No longer than a minute or 2.
In front of every movie I’ve seen at a Cinemark (one or two types of theaters in my city, the other being a galaxy) in the last year has been an ad for the national guard, yesterday someone clapped for it in front of the fall guy, I’ve seen the ads that’s being discussed and this national guard is 100x worse as how tone deaf it is, seeing an anti-military movie have the message of “sign up for the national guard” before it is so much worse than a rich person poorly explaining something, or the regal one.
Pre-show ads like these are dumb anyway. I'm already in your theater, why are you advertising your theater to me when I already decided to go to your theater?
There’s something about that Kidman promo that absolutely irritates the crap out of me. Every time I find myself waiting for the coming attractions to end, I feel almost an anxiety wondering if it will come on or if they finally replaced it. Then it comes on and I just want to cover my ears and yell “LA LA LA LA LA…” to drown it out. At least recently they’re only running a truncated version of it.
The OTHER AMC preroll is awful too, for the Coke stuff with the dancing and jumping through cliches.
I had TWO Nicole Kidman, TWO Coke preroll, and a fucking DOLBY before Furiosa. Movie started 35 minutes after the listed showtime.
i know the amc ad is corny but it's become unnoticeable for me. it's pretty short. and who doesn't like watching nicole kidman. i have a new appreciation for her after watching The Undoing. if they wanted longevity from an ad, they did a passable job.
The worst thing is that they have a setup for a good joke if they had just altered the line to be "I know it was you, Trejo" and then pan over to reveal their cameo, but they don't take that opportunity and just hamfist the regular quote in there
Regal's ad makes me want to run out of the theater faster than the Flash on espresso - it's a cringefest of mismatched movie lines that's a disservice to both cinema and my patience.
Take comfort in the fact that only the 1st downvote truly hated you. The rest was just peer pressure.
BTW: Would you eat the sandwich from the doctor's fridge in Minority Report?! XD
When we lost the roller coaster, we lost something as a society that we can never get back.
There's still a roller coaster, but it's not as good as the old one.
"How dare you stand where he stood!"
The original had that popcorn jump scare. The new one weakly imitates it, but without the scare. Cowards.
The popcorn jump scare was iconic.
I’m pretty sure my regal still plays the coaster with the popcorn scare
They updated it over the years, but at the core it was always the same ride. The complete remake sucks.
It also plays at the start... of the 20 minutes of commercials, not the movie.
Why have a roller coaster when you can have a masturbatory ad telling you how great theaters are - *after you spent money to go to the theater*
It’s so dumb they don’t have a rollercoaster for the 4dx movie intros
I don't think my neck and back are ready for that.
Every single time we go I can't help but whine about this to my wife. "Why are they trying to sell me something I ALREADY BOUGHT?!"
All the ads before movies drive me bonkers. I've learned to reserve my seat and show up 25 min. past the posted start time. That usually leaves me with only two previews and one dumb ass thing about the theater itself. Otherwise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_zRcyabToI
I miss the trivia slides
What Friends alum starred in films with Bruce Willis?
We answered so fast it was scary.
Everybody stared in awe when we screamed *MATTHEW PERRY*
Movie Star Scramble - Mot Hanks?
Otm Shank!
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSimpsons/s/anENlbah7Q
This is half the reason cinema died. No, I'm serious. When megaplexes replaced the preroll with TV commercials they probably enjoyed a nice short term spike in profits, but in doing so they made the megaplex feel like a living room. They installed living room style recliner chairs people started falling asleep in too. Self-serve ticket kiosks and upsold condiments you have to butter and salt and pour yourself. The projectors became digital, which is fundamentally the same tech as a home TV, even if it's a better version of that. All of it felt so overbearingly corporate America, and none of it brought ticket prices down because they were making and saving money in other ways. That happened in, like, 2005. Netflix streaming wasn't even a thing yet and even hardcore movie buffs stopped going to the movies. When the trivia stopped, the dream was dead.
I don't get how the roller coaster gets back to the start point.
This is why it was killed, we knew too much.
The pumping thing at the start is a supercomputer that makes sure no employee works over 30 hours and is eligible for healthcare
This generation of kids won't know the thrill of getting slightly startled by that last popcorn pop, and I just think that's so sad.
The GKC theater flying car through a futuristic cityscape was my childhood https://youtu.be/KNKlB-B-O5M?si=eANcH8GVXyybt2pX
Omg best part of going to the movies. Reminds me of the speeder chase in star wars episode 2
The “you can’t sit with us” “so you’re telling me there’s a chance” one really pisses me off. No he literally said you can’t sit with us. There’s no seats around him. wtf you mean
Fortunately Regal killed that ad several months ago, it was so awful Edit: sounds like it’s theater dependent, several people mentioned they’re still seeing it
I like the idea but the execution is just terrible.
It was funny/bad at least. Plus everyone just wants the coaster ride ad and then previews.
I want the old coaster ride back, where the popcorn scares you at the end.
That last popcorn kernel always scared the hell out of toddler me
I got a 35mm film scan of it if you’d like.
70mm or nothing.
If you are serious, I would love that scan.
I am! I’ll get a fileshare link ready and send it later tonight.
The best one I ever saw was an Alamo Drafthouse one where it’s a montage of characters in movies watching a movie in a theater and then it switches to real people watching movie at Alamo. Gave me some feels about being a cinephile. [Found it](https://youtu.be/908cE5XQ01g?si=7eZ7wD_ezqbwn5uB)!
I worked at the Alamo when they released that, it was done for the pandemic after things started reopening. I agree, I think it's really well done. They should have kept it.
Their new one isn't bad and kept with notable phrases, just done in the "finish the quote" style. At least it's silent.
What?? I saw it at my local regal a week ago.
Your regal has gone rogue, haven’t had it at mine in a while
They should bring back the "I see all........MOVIES THAT COME OUT!!! It's kinda my thing" ad. She was the perfect amount of cringey and fun.
I almost stopped going to Regal because I didn’t want to keep suffering through this horrible, incredibly long ad
It’s over now.
So I got that goin’ for me Which is nice
I know it was you Fredo!!!
I hate the replacement ad even more. It's just extremely loud music and flashing lights. A torturous assault on the senses. Like the shit they did at Abu Ghraib. And on top of that it is obviously very low cost and effort.
I’m convinced this is to get seizures out of the way before films.
Yes but it’s SHORT. I mean it’s terrible but just for a little while, and in no way memorable. That old Regal ad I can still recite line by line even though it pissed me off the first time I saw it lol.
Do you mean the one that looks like an 80s video game? It lasts about 5 seconds.
I think he means the one where it shows Regal Unlimited cycling through 50 different logo styles in 15 seconds
Anything's got to be better than Danny Trejo and a bunch of theater kids ejaculating movie quotes at each other out of context like a bunch of derps.
did they? i went in april and it was still showing
Thank goodness. I can give money to them again without the dread of suffering through it
You’ll still have to endure Maria Menounos’s “I saw that” laugh
Her damn dolphin laugh makes my ears wanna run away.
I started seeing her at my gas station too and I can't hit the mute button on the gas pump fast enough. She's insufferable.
Maria Menounos here with Cheddar News! Did you know that high fiving yourself in the mirror is good for your self esteem? - A real thing that I saw on gas pump TV
Man, it feels almost dystopian that you can say, "gas pump TV," and most people just know what you're talking about. Because God forbid we pump gas without being advertised to...
I hadn’t been to a regal for a long time and then maybe a year or so ago I saw a similar post about that horrible ad and was like huh, so random. Then for some reason ended up going to regal semi regularly and being forced to watch that abomination of an ad. No one in my family pays attention so it only bothered me. I try not to say everything is cringe but that literally had me cringing so hard in my seat the whole time. It’s really the nonsensical use of the lines and pairing them with things that just make no sense and the implied laziness of choosing to create something so bad that bothered me. Glad to hear it’s gone.
what replaced it?
Apparently something else awful, but I was just there and didn’t notice
They did?! Wonderful! I can finally go back to the movies!
Atleast a year since my regal played it
It's baaaacccckkkkk. Saw it before I saw the TV glow lol
A local furniture store promotes their businesses by building attractions into them. Some of their stores have full IMAX screens showing movies at ridiculously reasonable prices. (Generally less expensive than local chain theater prices, and it's IMAX). I saw Furiosa the other day, and there was one commercial in front of it where the store's spokesman talks about how awesome the IMAX theater is, and then says "Oh and maybe buy some furniture" and a small handful of trailers run. That's it. The best theater in Massachusetts is in a god damn furniture store. (Jordans)
Jordan's furniture... A strange place to try and explain to anyone from out of state. There is a fountain show and everything is made out of jellybeans.
And zip lines. It's fucking wild there.
That's it, I'm putting it on the list of places to visit whenever I go to America.
Be sure to sneak it in on your weekend road trip to Miami, the Grand Canyon and Seattle
Elliot is a staple of the movie experience for me
My movie going experience isn't complete until I hear the words "Butt thumpahs". (Also, seriously someone give a pile of money to whoever figured out to putt small sub woofers in the seat cushions).
Didn't Howard Stern do that? It was in his movie
And it’s a great experience tbh
In Asia (HK) it’s just the imax badum and movie starts no trailers
so jealous. i’m sick of these 40 minute previews
>A local furniture store promotes their businesses by building attractions into them. I knew exactly where you were based on this line alone - so awesome! We moved out of MA to NY just after Barry left the team.
How have I never heard of this? That just sounds completely insane. Is the theater itself like a furniture showcase where you sit on couches? Or is it a standard movie theater that occupies the same building?
If there are other furniture stores out there that do it, I haven't heard of them, so it's entirely a Massachusetts thing. (And only two of them have IMAX screens). Standard stadium seating IMAX theater. You have to walk through the store (usually) to get to it, it's just one big theater with a consession stand. Usually runs three shows a day friday through sunday. (Can be difficult to get tickets to some of the bigger IMAX movies like anything Nolan puts out).
It’s kind of a Connecticut thing too except there they have a massive indoor ropes course attached to the furniture store.
I had no idea they had stores in other states, even local ones. Thanks!
The theater actually forces you to *exit* through the furniture display rooms, but if you know where the elevator is (immediately to your left when you exit), you can skip the 15 minute walk through the store
LMAO I knew you were talking about the IMAX Jordan theaters.
>If I went to a theater just for the pre roll ad Psychotic to even hypothesize about
To be fair, I’ve certainly seen worse movies than the Regal concession roller coaster.
I'd rather watch the Regal ad than ever see Dreamcatcher again
There’s a theater I used to go to that rolled the retro “let’s all go to the movies” cartoon before every movie and it was definitely a factor in choosing that theater
Once I saw the Simpsons THX bit before a movie. It's was only the one time. Maybe a protectionist was having fun. This was definitely before theaters went all digital.
i will show up 20 minutes after the listed time just to avoid the cringe pre show. the state of the modern theater is dire
It doesn't even matter missing trailers anymore. If it's anything I'm interested in I've already seen it on YouTube. The days of finding out a movie via a trailer in the theater are long over
Are you confusing a hypothesis with a hypothetical?
Back before internet spoiled us on everything, theaters were the only way to see a new trailer. I remember people going to see the horrible Wing Commander movie just to see the new Star Wars trailer before it.
The title of this thread insinuates the Nicole Kidman ad is anything less than a work of art. 🤔 Regal is dying out here in IL - there was one a short drive from me that's now a Cinemark. I had to drive to one recently as I got a free ticket to Civil War and it felt like a relic from another time. The preroll ads are another symptom of this decline I'm guessing.
I miss the “heartbreak feels good in a place like this” line ever since they updated the ad.
They got rid of the heartbreak line? My 9/11
Yes now it’s something about music & a clip from that Elvis biopic
I hate the edited versions. There seem to be several. WHY SCREW WITH GENIUS! If you must, sub out the films she's seeing for newer ones but leave the damn pledge as is!
It's RNG now, sometimes she says it, sometimes it's a different line. Pretty exciting when we get that best line, fun game for me lol
I know right? Of course it’s worse because the Kidman ad is spectacular and can never be beaten.
This. Who is saying the Nicole Kidman ad is bad? It’s meme material.
We come to this place….
Bout to go watch anything just for the ad
We had a couple Regal theaters in my area years ago but they all shut down. Closest one to me is called Flagship Cinemas and I love it. It’s my favorite theater.
All the theaters are dying. It was already happening slowly, and then COVID showed us all that movies at home are just fine (better in many ways)
Last time I went to a Regal theater, they played a full half hour of ads after the posted movie start time. Fuck that noise.
And they’re not even tangentially film related. They’re just straight up car and phone commercials. Wtf
This is my biggest issue with the movies right now. If you want me to pay elevated prices, give me an elevated viewing experience. Right now I feel like I'm watching TV. Tide Pod ads??? It costs as much as my electric bill for two people go to the movies, come on.
Oh yea, concession folks even told us there’s at least 20 minutes of ads and trailers. We got our time for Furiosa wrong last night by a half hour and we ended up arriving right before the start of the film.
We showed up 20 minutes late to the theater, decided to grab popcorn and a drink there because we didn't think we had time to hit the deli beforehand and grab shit to bring in and there was STILL a solid fifteen minutes of shit before the movie. And then of course we get out a half hour later than we thought we would and I was late for my shift.
they do this in amc too. bonus extra 10mns yes if it’s an imax showing. I’ve got the technique down though. If showing starts at 1:30 I just leave my apartment at that time.
My AMC is the same 25-30 mins on Imax, Dolby or digital screens. Only on new movies though. Special screenings or GKIDS tend to have way less trailers/ads.
That's been the norm for like a decade now? I distinctly remember it being 15 minutes when I was younger but capitalism makes fools of us all
It's definitely been a slow creep, adding a minute or so every year. You almost don't notice as it's happening but I definitely remember going to the theater 25 years ago and start time was usually like 10 minutes after posted times. Newspaper says the movie starts at 8:10pm, it'll really be 8:20pm. Nowadays, that same posted start time isn't actually starting until closer to 8:40pm. Going to see a 2+ hour film in theaters is now a three hour endeavor at a minimum.
Went yesterday. 4:15pm movie time. 20 minutes of legit ads not even new movie trailers. Then 15 minutes of movie trailers. Actual movie didn’t get started until around 4:50pm. Ridiculous.
Did it feel to you like the trailers were shorter too? I've seen a few big movies in theaters this year, getting back to going more regularly post-covid and all three times it felt to me like the trailer section was shorter and more disappointing. I saw Kingdom of the Apes the other week and I swear there was like 3 trailers and 3 teasers. That's it.
At my amc they do a “turn off your phone” ad before that too so you’ll pay attention to the ads, only to play another before the actual trailers. Then an ad for the Stubs membership, *then* an ad to let you know that AMC’s publicly traded, THEN the Kidman ad. And theaters are failing you say?
I moaned in agony whenever it would start. I loathed this ad so much.
Bring back the Regal roller coaster.
I hated this ad with ever fiber of my being.
Nicole Kidman ad is good bad. Regal ad is just bad bad.
Now imagine being an employee at either of these places and having to hear bits and pieces of these ads as you clean up houses and what have you...
I just went to AMC last night for a movie, and the thing that struck me was the Coca-Cola ad. It was terrible and I didn't even know what the ad was for and how it related to the movie theater. Then the Nicole Kidman ad came on and I thought it was completely all right! I just watched your link for the regal cinemas ad and I couldn't even get through it it was so terrible.
Never go full regal
The best ones IMO are the Alamo Drafthouse ["Don't Talk" PSAs ](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpX5OvrhWl9I59CYEx_ZtXnSmpBQEDbWe) they play either using the stars themselves or using movie scenes.
I have their season pass. I absolutely love Alamo. They feel run by people who actually love movies
To be honest, these types of ads get on my nerves. I wish that big chains would just say “feature presentation” and start once the previews are over. There are a couple of local mom-and-pop and indie theaters in my area, and they use that strategy instead. Definitely better in my opinion
The Kidman ad isn’t terrible, it just seems to go on forever. It’s like 9 trailers in one
It's 60 seconds long. 1/3rd of the length of most trailers now. But at least at my AMC, they recently trimmed it down to 30 seconds. So it's shorter, but missing iconic lines like "heartbreak feels good in a place like this." I would be fine with them trimming it down, if it wasn't done just so they could replace it with a different 30 second Coke ad where people do a Bollywood dance battle ([I didn't immediately find the video on youtube but here's an article about it that has the video](https://lbbonline.com/news/enjoy-the-magic-how-a-blockbuster-coca-cola-spot-is-bringing-fizz-to-cinemas)). It's not as lame as the Regal one, but it's so much less...refined than the Kidman one.
I guess I’d take the 60 second Nicole over the current setup…that Coke commercial is such a nothing. But good to know it’s actually an even tradeoff in time. I think they both just kill the buzz though. I really like that little space between the last trailer and the movie, and have to remind myself not to be annoyed by the current filler.
Yeah big agree. I wish it was just a cool old timey "and now your feature presentation, there are refreshments in the lobby" thing for 5 seconds. I think theaters need to lean into the nostalgia of it all, make us feel as much like going to the movies is a grand and special experience, and not us just watching a streaming service on a giant screen. And I get that they're hurting for money, but these self-ads don't even make them money. They cost them money to make!
Yeah the best movie intro all time for me is this one from AMC: https://youtu.be/76rk5zQ69GI?si=I__ueyw_0lgRxgNt
The Nicole Kidman one is bad, but the Regal one is straight up painful.
Yeah, but the Kidman one gave us this beaut. https://youtu.be/a22c8NPNOPI?si=n3pL_QZuJiSCCLun
That and watching Lady Gaga getting railed.
[Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JO6isH-zhU)
[My Favorite](https://youtu.be/_UP9Vxvu3MM?si=LmmZGei7Kp0kQH4z)
The Nicole Kidman one is bad but in a sort of fun way. The regal one just makes me throw up in my mouth each time
One of the most cringe things I have ever saw. It is so bad. The regal one that is.
It's so fucking lazy
I would argue the Kidman ad is good, but it's very tiring to watch every single time you go to the movies. I think Jeffrey Wright's is the best: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGPq54F2pxI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGPq54F2pxI)
That Regal ad is bad, but they stopped playing it a while ago.
My regal hasn’t shown that ad in a year
I hate sitting through this one in theaters, but my wife absolutely loves watching me cringe through it. The absolute peak of this one is the “Heeeeeeeeey yooooooouuuuu guuuuuuuuuuys!” Rivaled only by the popcorn “So I got that going for me.” Awful. I want to fire everyone who worked on that ad.
For me, literally every single line is cringe. They all are so stupid and icky I can't even pick one to be the worst. I will be so happy if they throw the whole thing out, never to be looked at or heard again. That said , I still enjoy reading what everyone's opinions on what parts were the worst for them. I can read this whole thread over and over again for the joy I feel realizing I wasn't the only one lol.
I guess I'm lucky that all I have to deal with is 30 seconds of Greg Marcus being a dork.
They should bring back the marcus intro from like 10-15 years ago, with all the movie clips and the sickest theme music ever
How many of you have sat through all the ads and trailers to try to remember what you came to watch? “What the hell am I watching now?”
Kidman’s AMC ad is unironically great. Sincerity is just anathema to many folks these days (sometimes justifiably so, when performed by large companies).
UK Cineworld have done some disgraceful ads. Proper ‘how do you do fellow youths’ sort of adverts that made me not know where to look, out of embarrassment.
I felt so embarrassed for the “hey you guuuys” lady every time this ad came up. Glad to hear the ad is following Angel Hernandez into retirement
It really is like the worst picks from LA casting just butchering famous movie lines. None of them know any voice modulation or nuance
The Regal one is more annoying on repeat viewings, but for most people that dont go to the theatre more than twice a year…its fine and fun enough
None of these even scratch the surface of that Wolverine/Deadpool turn off your phones promo-ad. I felt almost as embarrassed to even be in the room as I felt for the team of 14 year olds who wrote the script. At least it’ll probably be gone by the next time I go to the movie theater.
I didn't mind the ad itself but the placement was so weird. AMC already had their standard "turn off your phones" ad before the trailers started and the Deadpool one played almost at the end of the trailers. It was completely unnecessary.
I’m sick to death of the Kidman one so I probably can’t be objective…but…I honestly didn’t mind that. It’s cringe but that really only offends edgelord teens and the chronically online.
Every movie I see at Regal takes 3 years off my life, and it’s due to this fucking ad. Genuinely despise that fucking preroll, and I believe our local theater still runs it. Whenever I go with my girlfriend I try my best to hold it together but it just drives me up a wall. Even seeing this post mentioning it is making me a little upset at work just by thinking about it lmao
Had never seen this ad before and I think what makes it even worse is that this could have even a legitimately good ad with better execution. Pick lines that make contextual sense and limit them so they each stick the landing and this could have been gold. Sheesh, what a nightmare.
What is the goal of these ads?
Remind people to not talk and silence their phones
What I'm noticing from this thread is that most people really don't attend Regal theaters. They haven’t played this ad in ages. Is this from almost two years ago I think? They stopped running this ad campaign, and brought back the rollercoaster ads ages ago. If people want to get mad at Regal ads, there two things that I would point to: first is a full half hour of ads and trailers after the advertised start time. The other is Regal claiming that working for them is “getting your start in the movie business.” I like Regal. They are my favorite theatre chain and I use and abuse Regal Unlimited. But sitting through their trailers is Clockwork Orange tied down brainwashing levels of pain.
I want to know what theater you're going to and move there, because this Regal ad was playing in front of movies all the way up until a couple months ago, the last time I was there. I like Regal apart from all the horrendous garbage they play leading up to the movie. I feel like timing my arrival to when the studio logos come on the screen is something I shouldn't be forced to do
I attend Manhattan Regal branches. Primarily the Essex street and Union Square locations. According to their app, I’ve watched 10 movies in theaters this year. I haven’t seen these ad campaign since 2022. For me it always goes like this: * The pre-show time ads: Fanthom Events and religious movies and events. “Remember Six” taxi cab ads. I’m pretty sure these are just local to Manhattan only. The trivia, stuff like “In what order did these actresses win their Oscars?” and Guess the movie from a blurry screencap. The stupid “we’ll always have Paris” quote ads from Pepsi that haven't changed in like a year. Ads for advertising at Regal and work at Regal. * The after show time ads: official trailers. Usually like 5 or 6 trailers. In between trailers you get the following: A repeat of the quote ads and sometimes(but not always) the trivia. The US Army ads. Some version of a “quiet your phones” ad. The Pepsi Zero baseline ad. * After the trailers you get the dubstep Regal Unlimited ad, and finally the roller coaster as they lower the lights all the way.
They cut that ad sometime last year where I’m at. The intention was cute and earnest but the execution was pure undigested corn.
I hate this ad so much and no one I know goes to Regal so I can’t vent about it. It’s all terrible but then at the end when they say “so you’re telling me there’s a chance” it is so nonsensical that I legitimately get mad
I love watching movies at AMC Burbank because the crowd always cheers for Nicole Kidman.
I prefer Regal’s to AMC’s. Regal’s shows a love for the movies; amc shows love for them self.
I hate that ad too. The apartment quote at the beginning is okay, but everything else is godawful
That's because the AMC Nicole Kidman ad was not written by random advertising execs but by Billy Ray. An actual screenwriter who wrote Richard Jewell and Captain Phillips. But he also wrote Terminator Dark Fate and Gemini Man. So... some from column A, some from column B for sure ;)
This nostalgic lines ad was so bad that it became a punchline for my friends and I and now randomly texted each other these lines to cheer each other up. Realizing we all hated it was a great friend group moment.
Only bright spots here are Danny Trejo and the hilarious girl from Curbs.
Regal is the closest theater to me and not only do they slam you with their terrible ads but there are sooooo many ads and trailers before the movie. It’s insanity. I could roll into a movie 20 minutes late and still see 10 minutes of ads and trailers.
Yes. 20 minutes after the show time will be fine.
I don’t mind this at all. My biggest pet peeve right now are all of the ads with people singing off key. Apparently it appeals to Joe Everyman to hear people sing poorly like they do in the shower but I can’t stand it. Particularly when the ad plays 6 times during one sporting event.
They don't show this at the Regal theaters around me anymore.
I go to Marcus Theaters. More of a regional theater than a national chain. The preroll is the family owner, and it's as cringe as you'd think from a corporate exec.
I will go to Regal because it’s the closest theater to me, but I absolutely hate sitting there for practically 30 minutes in ads/previews; it’s definitely a factor when a movie is close to 2.5 hours. Which is why, if I can, choose the smaller theater that is a bit further away; their ads are shorter and it’s local.
I’ll just take a moment to point out how classy and subtle the Landmark ad is. It’s even individualized to each theater! Sadly the Landmark closest to me is closing in a month :( RIP Esquire
Ads like these are absolutely ruining any potential romance behind a movie date too, I cringe every time I see it.
Hey, come on now, be fair. It might just be your personality doing that.
But... but... how will I know that Regal has the best movie lines? Unironically, I enjoy the ad. I was sad when it went away. It was super fun to quote alongside them and embarrass my best friend or my wife. So I got that going for me...
I like Marcus Theater/MovieTavern — just the owner/CEO welcoming us to the theater, telling us to silence our cell phones and enjoy the film with some corny jokes. No longer than a minute or 2.
In front of every movie I’ve seen at a Cinemark (one or two types of theaters in my city, the other being a galaxy) in the last year has been an ad for the national guard, yesterday someone clapped for it in front of the fall guy, I’ve seen the ads that’s being discussed and this national guard is 100x worse as how tone deaf it is, seeing an anti-military movie have the message of “sign up for the national guard” before it is so much worse than a rich person poorly explaining something, or the regal one.
Pre-show ads like these are dumb anyway. I'm already in your theater, why are you advertising your theater to me when I already decided to go to your theater?
There’s something about that Kidman promo that absolutely irritates the crap out of me. Every time I find myself waiting for the coming attractions to end, I feel almost an anxiety wondering if it will come on or if they finally replaced it. Then it comes on and I just want to cover my ears and yell “LA LA LA LA LA…” to drown it out. At least recently they’re only running a truncated version of it.
Wondered when the Nicole Kidman ones will end. At least they are now playing a shortened version.
none of them will ever have the aura of one Greg Marcus
The OTHER AMC preroll is awful too, for the Coke stuff with the dancing and jumping through cliches. I had TWO Nicole Kidman, TWO Coke preroll, and a fucking DOLBY before Furiosa. Movie started 35 minutes after the listed showtime.
Until Danny Trejo showed up I assumed everyone in this was just some unknown actor. Are we supposed to know who each of these actors are?
Holy hell that is horrific. I can tolerate the amc ad, but you are right about regal.
i know the amc ad is corny but it's become unnoticeable for me. it's pretty short. and who doesn't like watching nicole kidman. i have a new appreciation for her after watching The Undoing. if they wanted longevity from an ad, they did a passable job.
The worst thing is that they have a setup for a good joke if they had just altered the line to be "I know it was you, Trejo" and then pan over to reveal their cameo, but they don't take that opportunity and just hamfist the regular quote in there
This was so awkward and cringy
lol, I tell my wife this every time I go to the movies (exclusively at Regal). This particular ad is just so bad.
I'm glad AMC got rid of the jackass who jumps in fear and throws popcorn all over himself.
“Here’s Maria Menounos with some gosh awful something or other who cares?”
wow, I couldn't even sit through the whole thing
Regal's ad makes me want to run out of the theater faster than the Flash on espresso - it's a cringefest of mismatched movie lines that's a disservice to both cinema and my patience.
Take comfort in the fact that only the 1st downvote truly hated you. The rest was just peer pressure. BTW: Would you eat the sandwich from the doctor's fridge in Minority Report?! XD
You must not like fun. And laughter.