Studios Want Fewer Commercials, But Theaters Need More Movies

Studios are upset about the increasing length of the pre-show reel of trailers and ads. Conversely, theaters would probably like a few of those streaming biggies to play in multiplexes first.

For the record, I, along with others, have complained about the 25–30 minute gap between the listed showtime for a given movie and when that film starts. The fact that studios are beginning to get irritable about it, timed to the news that AMC will be adding one or two more ads to the preshow presentation, isn’t surprising. However, the outcry occurred over the July 4 weekend, which I frankly found bitterly ironic. The holiday frame saw about as many high-profile movies released straight to streaming as were offered to theaters for July. When distributors only give theaters six wide releases over what is supposed to be a prime summer month, is it any wonder that theaters feel the need to increase the revenue for each showing of what few movies they can get?