Time is precious, and that’s especially true for one lawmaker in Connecticut.
According to a report in the Register Citizen in Connecticut, a state lawmaker is proposing a bill that would require movie theaters to post the actual start time of a movie — after all the trailers, advertisements, and other promos that typically run first. (We’re looking at you, Nicole Kidman!)
Senator Martin Looney of New Haven, Connecticut proposed the bill on January 21, and it specifically aims to “require that each movie advertisement or listing include, and separately list, the scheduled start time for (1) the movie trailers and advertisements that precede the advertised or listed movie, and (2) the advertised or listed movie.”
“It seems to be an abuse of people’s time,” Looney told the Register Citizen. “If they want to get there early and watch the promos, they can. But if they just want to see the feature, they ought to be able to get there just in time for that.”
Must not be a whole lot going on in Connecticut, huh Martin? But hey, we can sympathize. Babysitters come by the hour — and no one wants to rush their dinner reservation just for Noovie. (Sorry, Maria Menounos.)
When buying tickets on the AMC website or its app, a small question mark you can mouse over next to a movie’s listed run time says to “please allow approximately 20 extra minutes for pre-shows and trailers before the show starts.” AMC is the world’s largest movie exhibitor, but it is by no means the only one with such a warning.
The Register Citizen spoke to a few mom-and-pop theater owners who said the proposal could be bad for small businesses like theirs. And as we wrote in May 2023: Running a Movie Theater Is More Expensive Than You Can Possibly Imagine.
“Announcing the start time of the actual movie would definitely disincentivize our business partners’ video messaging which would have a direct negative impact on our financial stability in an already so challenging environment,” Peter H. Gistelinck, executive director at the Avon Theatre in Stamford, CT told the Citizen.