AMC Forced to Cut Back Long Preshows After Studio Complaints

AMC Theatres is working on cutting down its long preshow content after studios complained that the ads were driving moviegoers to skip trailers.

The chain was adding more advertising through a deal with National CineMedia Inc. as of July 1. This partnership included a platinum ad spot before showtime.

Regal and Cinemark were already using these spots, so AMC didn’t see it as a risk. But the move triggered backlash from major Hollywood studios.

Executives were angry that long preshows were causing people to miss trailers. One internal studio study found that during a recent opening weekend in Southern California, AMC and other chains were running preshows that lasted between 24 and 28 minutes. Another study showed that only 80% of the audience was seated four minutes before the movie started.

AMC made the situation worse by posting a notice that said, “Please allow 25 to 30 extra minutes for trailers and additional content before the movie starts.”

Studio insiders took that as AMC telling customers to skip the beginning of the theater experience entirely.

Studios view trailers as critical marketing, especially since people often decide what to see next based on what they watch in theaters. That’s why they pushed back.

AMC has not released an exact plan yet, but the goal is to cut the preshow by the end of the year.