Why do we have to watch commercials in movie theaters?

Does anyone know if there is any legal ground to file a complaint regarding the advertisements for AT&T and FOX playing right before a movie starts?

I mean, they are already ripping us off when it comes to $10 ticket prices—sometimes charging upwards of $12—only to force us to sit through fifteen minutes of commercials for AT&T or FOX just before the film begins. Look, I get the basic principle: if you aren't paying, you're watching ads, which is how FOX operates. But to blast advertisements on something I actually paid a premium for? That is a truly non-standard way to conduct business.

I would honestly sue them; it is the absolute height of insolence...

I remember being at a theater in Washington, D.C. watching The Matrix Reloaded, and right in the middle of the movie, they hit us with a ten-minute break that was just a non-stop barrage of commercials.
I mean, you'd almost think they scheduled the intermission specifically for people who needed a bathroom break. 😬

I’ve been reading quite a bit online lately, and it seems like advertising before movies in the States has reached some pretty ridiculous levels—honestly, it's the kind of over-the-top stuff only Americans could pull off.

Now, moviegoers here basically have to sit through about twenty minutes of ads before the actual film even starts.

I just sat down to watch Riddick and his chronicles today, and man, I swear those commercials lasted longer than fifteen minutes. It wasn't even that they were promoting a ton of upcoming movies, but rather those endless breaks between segments that really got under my skin—it felt like I was spending more time staring at ads than actually watching the movie itself.

Here is the crux of the matter: we are talking about a form of harassment that you actually fund. You pay up, acting like a decent citizen, shelling out massive amounts of money for a premium subscription, only to be bombarded with advertisements in spaces where you practically have no way to escape them.

It essentially amounts to extortion, since they are forcing your hand to sit through those commercials.

It is frankly appalling. When you watch free commercial networks, you can simply look away or change the channel, but here—on a service you are paying specifically to enjoy—you are trapped!

In my view, this constitutes grounds for a lawsuit based on harassment, extortion, and coercion.

Richard Howard2 said:It feels like there’s enough ground there for a lawsuit, you know, based on things like harassment, extortion, and coercion.

Honestly, you really ought to run something like that by a lawyer to see if it holds any water.

My only real concern is whether it would actually lead to anything tangible, because it feels a lot like a digital version of spam, and we all know how much of an uphill battle it is to actually win against those kinds of nuisances.🙄

Honestly, I really think it’s high time some consumer advocacy groups stepped up and actually dealt with this issue.

Richard Hernandez13 said:Consumer protection agencies really ought to step up and handle this.

That might be the only way to actually see some progress. Honestly, being ripped off at a movie theater is child's play compared to the exploitation within the American legal system; there, you pay your fees just to wait five years for a hearing instead of fifteen minutes.

Until then, my only advice is to follow my lead: grab seats near the exit and slip into the theater about ten or fifteen minutes after the "showtime" has passed.

Took my wife to the movies last night—had to sit through fifteen minutes of non-stop ads for new Fords and Halo ice cream sandwiches before anything actually started... Honestly, screw that. From now on, I’m just showing up late to the screenings because this is getting ridiculous. It’s straight-up disrespectful. 👎

And then they have the nerve to tell you not to rip movies or share them online... honestly, long live file sharing!😁
I'm currently downloading a true American classic and Bridget Jones; once I've got them, I'll be passing them along immediately.🙂👍

On one hand, we complain about being disrespectful toward legitimate companies selling movies and music, yet on the other, they hit us with this kind of blatant rudeness. It creates this frustrating dynamic where they’re actually in the right, and we aren't.

Who exactly decided we live in a democratic society anyway? 🤔

But this isn't what Blackadder would call spam. Spam is "free," in the sense that it lands in your lap and tries to annoy you, but you can just ignore it if you want.

This is different: this cannot be ignored, and you have to pay for it!

It is quite clearly a violation of basic ethical and moral principles regarding the individual—an issue for which, it seems, there is no specific law to regulate it.

As long as democracy isn't truly in charge, corporations rule, and they are the ones deciding which things get regulated by law and which don't.

Have you heard that story about how the U.S. Congress once considered banning advertising for companies selling junk food—like McDonald's (which, let's face it, ends up being worse for you than cigarettes!)—only for, get this, high-profile corporate lobbyists to storm into the halls of power and prevent the government from making the decision entirely!

If we aren't living under a totalitarian regime, then what exactly are we living in?

Well, there’s actually a bit of good news on the horizon.

After several years of legal tug-of-war, the French government finally passed a law allowing for cell phone jamming in movie theaters, theaters, and concert halls.

It took them a little while to get this one through the legislative process, mostly because they were trying to figure out how to calibrate the strength of the jamming devices so they wouldn't accidentally kill the signal for anyone just standing outside the venue.

Samuel Lewis3 said:Took my wife to the movies last night—had to sit through 15 minutes of ads for new Fords and Ben & Jerry's ice cream... Seriously, screw that! From now on, I'm showing up late just to skip the crap. Totally disrespectful... 👎

Better take her to a Broadway show instead! 😉😁

Richard Howard2 said:But that’s not quite what Blackadder means by spam; true spam comes "for free," meaning it just shows up trying to get in your way, but you can easily just tune it out.

Well, if that's the case, then feel free to just ignore those commercials that are bothering you so much! It's honestly the exact same thing. When you're downloading emails to your computer, you end up pulling in spam too, or at the very least, you have to spend time deleting it before you can even look at your actual messages. Either way, you're wasting precious time and energy that you could be using for something much more productive or fun!

The one nice perk about going to the movie theater is that you can casually show up 10 or 15 minutes late to skip the ads, though that isn't exactly a blast either if the theater is packed and you have to squeeze through a crowd to find your seat.

It's the same deal with all that junk mail cluttering up your mailbox—you never asked for it, yet they force it on everyone. I often get this sudden urge to just grab the whole stack and toss it straight into the trash, but I can't because there might be an important utility bill hidden in there somewhere!

Frank Moore77 said:Well then, by all means, feel free to just ignore the ads that bother you so much. It’s fundamentally the same principle. When you download emails to your computer, you inevitably pull in spam too—or, at the very least, you have to delete the junk before you even start reading your actual messages. Either way, you're wasting precious time and energy that could be spent on something more productive or, frankly, more enjoyable.

The one decent thing about going to the movie theater is that you can lazily show up ten or fifteen minutes late to dodge the previews, though even that isn't particularly fun if the theater is packed and you find yourself stuck right in the middle of a crowd.

It’s the exact same issue with those flyers cluttering up American mailboxes—you didn't ask for them, yet they force them upon everyone. I often feel an intense urge to just grab the whole lot and toss it straight into the trash, but I hesitate because there might be an actual utility bill buried in there somewhere.

Look, I'm not making a point about the general existence of spam. Unfortunately, the reality of our modern era is that spam surrounds us wherever we look. However, if you are actually paying for a service, it is nothing short of rude to bombard you with ads. For instance, Yahoo offers an email client without advertisements if you pay for it, which is perfectly reasonable; if a service is free, it's funded by advertising, but when a service is paid for out of a user's own pocket, it shouldn't require advertising. At that point, it simply becomes an affront that one ought to resist.

I don't go to the cinema anymore. I'll just buy myself a home theater setup with a projector and watch pirated movies instead; let them run their ads there for all I care...

I’m with you on that. I don't even step foot inside an AMC Theatres anymore.

Just plain old highway robbery— $3.25. Honestly, I won't even glance toward the concession stands. It was bad enough paying $25 just to sit through two tickets worth of commercials...

At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if they started shoving ads right into the middle of the movie itself!

It is absolute, unmitigated gall, and for no reason at all.

Eh... doesn't really bother me since I’m usually running late anyway, even for movie nights 😬

Given where we live and how insane the ad bombardment is getting (anyone remember Paris?), and knowing it's only going to get worse, I honestly think we should just be glad the commercials are limited to right before the film starts...

Unfortunately, Broadway is starting to follow right in the footsteps of AMC Theatres. It’s nothing but commercials for AT&T and other mindless nonsense, and now the ticket price has climbed to $9.75!

The issue is how they handle all these ads... It's not quite as bad here in Cleveland, but it’s still incredibly annoying. They seriously need to step in and pass some laws to limit this stuff.

Classic movie theaters are tanking because ticket prices don't even touch the basic overhead anymore. Going to the movies just isn't the go-to move for a night out like it used to be. Why bother when you can get way more comfortable watching everything from your own couch?

They thought they could fix it with endless commercials, but honestly? It’s backfiring. Now they're driving away the few regulars they actually have, and it’s just a downward spiral... straight toward closing time.

Simone said:Traditional movie houses are dying because ticket sales don't even cover the overhead.

I suppose I could agree if we were discussing those struggling little neighborhood theaters. But let’s be clear—we are talking about those incredibly brazen multiplexes overseas. They waste money on hundreds of digital displays just to show their schedule, then they have the audacity to charge $3.25 for a bottle of water and price a bag of popcorn like it's a full dinner at a steakhouse. You pay enough for one ticket to equal two tickets at a local indie cinema, all while being swarmed by the heavy-handed sponsorship of some obnoxious multinational corporation...

... pathetic, really... 🙄