How long are the ads before a movie in theaters?

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A Connecticut State Representative is calling for movie theatres to publish …

If you're like me, you're always torn between showing up for a movie early, and getting the best seat possible, or showing up 15 minutes after start time, and skipping the commercials. Some theatres are worse than others when it comes to actually showing movies "on time." My local "megaplex" is eerily timed to start movies 17-20 minutes after their start time. If it's not a new release, and it's a matinee, I'll show up at 4:20 for that 4:05 film, and have plenty of time to find a seat and maybe catch the last preview.

When I was a kid, I saw maybe two trailers, a commercial for concessions, and then *boom* the movie starts. Now there are ads running 30 minutes before the show starts, and there are even 15 minutes of ads after the lights are dimmed. You get all of the trailers, of course, but then there's advertisements for local business, some kind of soda drink, online ticketing, a charity or two, and then a long and boring reminder not to smoke, throw your trash on the floor, and shut up.

Now a Connecticut State Representative has said "enough's enough," and is proposing legislation that would require movie theatres in the state to post the actual starting time of a movie. Saying that the incessant advertising has "robbed us of our freedom of choice because we're not told when the actual movie will begin," Rep. Andrew Fleischmann believes that movie-goers have the right to know when a movie will actually start, since they are paying to see it. The complaint comes at a time when movie theatres are tapping into the lucrative captive audience advertising format. The Cinema Advertising Council reports that on-screen advertising grew from an already impressive US $191 million in 2002 to $315 million in 2003, up 45%. You can expect the theatres to respond to such proposals with a now-familiar rejoinder: publishing movie starting times will reduce people watching ads, which means that the theaters "will have to" raise ticket and food prices.

To me, it's yet another reason why I'd love to see movies simultaneously released on Pay-Per-View and DVD.

• How effective is cinema advertising?
• Do you need to sign a contract? And how long are contracts?
• How many people are likely to see our ad?
• How much does the cinema ad production cost?
• Can we choose which movies our ad plays before?
• How many times will my ad play per week?
• When do our ads commence on screen?
• Who creates my cinema ad? And how long does it take?
• Do we get to keep the ad once it’s produced?
• How long are the ads? And can we supply our own ads?
• Can we change our ad anytime during the contract period?
• Do you have samples of the ads you produce?

Got a question? Ask Us!

How effective is cinema advertising?

Cinema advertising had proven to be more than eight times more effective at making your brand stand out from the crowd than television advertising. Every time your ad screens, it plays to a totally captive audience of locals.

Our happy clients are our biggest success story and the best proof of local cinema advertising effectiveness. Many of simply don’t come off screen – they keep renewing their contracts year after year. Often it is the only form of advertising they use for their business.

Have a read of our testimonials and we think you’ll get a good idea of the impact cinema advertising can have for your business.

Do you need to sign a contract? And how long are contracts?

Yes you will need to sign a contract for the length in which you’d like your advertising to be on screen. Our contract lengths are flexible to your needs and budget. They range from 1, 3, 6 and 12 month contracts.

The longer you’re on screen, the cheaper and better value it is. Most clients choose a 12 month contract as the longer it’s onscreen, the more the locals see it.

How many people are likely to see our ad?

The amount of people that see your ad depends on the cinema location where you advertise. Our cinemas are very popular with annual attendance numbers ranging from 110,000 per year right up to 1 million! Now that’s great exposure!

How much does the cinema ad production cost?

Our cinema ads cost around $1500 plus GST for a fully filmed and produced 30 second ad which is shot on your site of business. It takes about 2-3 hours and we feature your staff and friends as the talent and actors. You have the option of using professional actors in your ad and we can quote for them in addition to the production cost.

You can choose to supply your own HD footage which we can make an ad out of for you. You supply the footage and we do all the rest. This is quotable on a per job basis.

We also offer ads made up of stills (photos) and graphics for $750 plus GST. These require high quality and professional-standard images supplied by you and we add graphics and voice overs.

We’re in the business of making you look great and strive for the best quality advertising on our screens.

Can we choose which movies our ad plays before?

Unfortunately, it is not logistically viable for cinemas to change out the advertising for specific movies. Your ad will appear on all movies showing during the particular advertising period you’ve nominated in your contract. If there is a particular movie you really want your ad featured with, you can let us know and we will do our best to make it possible.

How many times will my ad play per week?

On average, your ad will be seen a whopping 140 to 280 times per week.

When do our ads commence on screen?

Programming for the cinemas is usually changed over on a Wednesday night with new shows commencing on a Thursday – which is when your ad will commence on screen as well. Generally, within one week of us completing your cinema ad, you’ll be on screen.

Who creates my cinema ad? And how long does it take?

Cinema Advertising Australia is an all in one production, marketing and distribution service. You don’t need a marketing team or an ad agency, we do it all for you. We write the script, do all the filming and editing, add the voice over and music and create the file for cinema delivery. Typically, from script to screen the whole process takes three weeks.

Do we get to keep the ad once it’s produced?

Once the ad is produced, it’s yours to own and use wherever you wish. On your website, social media, even on TV. We are more than happy to make cut-down edits of the ad for you for a small fee to maximise the ways you can share the ad across your chosen media.

How long are the ads?

The cinema ads we produce are 30 seconds in length as a general rule. If you supply your own ad and it meets our production standards, we simply charge a small conversion fee to cinema specifications.

Can we change our ad anytime during the contract period?

You can change your cinema ad at any stage during your contract term – in fact we encourage you to do so. It helps keep your message fresh and allows you to add any new offers or promotions. The cost to change your ad if it’s just voice over and graphics is minimal. Some clients prefer to produce an entirely new filmed version regularly, at the full production fee amount.