The app that tells you the best time to run and pee during a movie without missing the best scenes.

100% free (donation supported) iPhone | Android

How much would you pay to skip movie trailers?

—

in ,
Dan Gardner Avatar
Dan Gardner
Please help promote the RunPee app by sharing our content.

movie-theater-people-asleep

There’s not much anyone can say that all Americans agree on these days, but if I had to wager, I’d bet all American movie-goers agree that there are too many trailers before movies. I’ve seen the trailers and theater adverts run up to 30 minutes while visiting NYC. That, my friends, is lunacy. How many people don’t go to the theater to see a movie just because they don’t want to spend 20+ minutes sitting through previews? It’s not zero, that’s for sure.

So what can we do about it? Theaters and production companies need to show trailers because they have a captive audience. Plus, they know the genre of the movie so they know pretty well what movies you’ll see in the future. In some cases the production company demands that certain trailers are shown before their movies. (I’m looking at you Disney.) And of course the theater can sell some of those spots to other production companies. Movie theaters run on thin margins. They can’t pass up the option to make money showing a 2 1/2-minute trailer.

——Content continues below——

The World’s Most Indispensable Movie App

The RunPee app tells you the best times to
run & pee during a movie
so you don't miss the best scenes.


As seen on

Download the RunPee app.
100% free (donation supported)

Get the RunPee app at the Google Play Store       Get the RunPee app at the Google Play Store

Read more about the RunPee app.



But what if they didn’t have to? How much does a movie theater actually make for showing trailers and couldn’t they just pass the cost on to the movie-goer? I’m not suggesting this for every movie. But wouldn’t it be nice to have the option to pay $2 extra for a ticket and get zero trailers or theater ads? Or maybe pay $1 extra and get less that 10 minutes of trailers. I think that would be the sweet spot. I often do want to see a few trailers. But not 25 minutes of them.

What do you think? Would you pay a few dollars extra to skip trailers? One of the big theater chains needs to experiment and see if this would work. Or, if they don’t they may be legally obligated to do so.

Let me know in the comments below: would you pay extra to skip the trailers? What would be the sweet spot for you between cost increase and trailers decrease?

Coming Soon: The Movie You Want To See. But First: 30 Minutes Of Trailers

Don’t miss your favorite movie moments because you have to pee or need a snack. Use the RunPee app (Android or iPhone) when you go to the movies. We have Peetimes for all wide release films every week, including Mickey 17, Captain America: Brave New World  and coming soon Novocaine, Snow White, A Working Man, A Minecraft Movie, The Accountant 2 and many others. We have literally thousands of Peetimes—from classic movies through today’s blockbusters. You can also keep up with movie news and reviews on our blog, or by following us on Twitter @RunPee, or Discord, BlueSky. If there’s a new film out there, we’ve got your bladder covered.
Please help promote the RunPee app by sharing our content.

Comments

23 responses to “How much would you pay to skip movie trailers?”

  1. Paul Schatzkin Avatar
    Paul Schatzkin

    how can I get this commentary outside of runpee so I can post it somewhere where other people can see it?

    Reply
  2. Dan Gardner Avatar
    Dan Gardner

    :facepalm:
    I can’t believe I forgot that. I disabled my social sharing buttons a while back and forgot to re-activate them. You should be able to share now. Thanks for pointing this out.

    Reply
  3. JJ Avatar
    JJ

    I wouldn’t pay a penny more to not have to sit through thetrailers.
    If the movie listing says the feature has a 1:15 PM start time, I add 20 minutes for the trailers and adjust my entrance to the theater so that I have time to get my popcorn and soda just as the trailers are ending.

    Reply
    1. Dan Gardner Avatar
      Dan Gardner

      That’s a good strategy. It’s probably why the “First Three Minute Synopsis” feature in the RunPee app is much more popular than I would have expected. I think a lot of people do that and sometimes they misjudge, or the trailers aren’t as long as expected.

      Do you usually see movies soon after releasing, or do you wait a few weeks? I’ve read that after a few weeks in the theater, the theater will reduce the number of trailers because there aren’t as many buyers interested in getting slots.

      Reply
  4. Rob Williams Avatar
    Rob Williams

    I’m not sure of the similarities or differences between UK and US pre-screening routines but at my local cinema there are always ten minutes of adverts followed by ten minutes of trailers. As JJ said, it’s quite easy to adjust your entry to avoid or watch depending on your fancy; personally I avoid the adverts but enjoy the trailers.

    Reply
  5. Bob Trezise Avatar
    Bob Trezise

    I would NEVER pay more for no trailers. Not because it would be great to time your arrival for showtime. But because you cannot trust capitalism. Eventually they’d either re-add the content and/or up the price on no-ads. I KNOW there is 20-30 minutes of ads and previews, so I pad my arrival time. Sometimes it bites me when there is a crowd, but most times it’s fine.

    Reply
  6. Ted Avatar
    Ted

    I’m in the minority. I enjoy the trailers. But I’m retired and have time. I’m always excited at the first of the month or when a highly anticipated movie comes out, you know there will be new ones. But you can plan to arrive 15-20 minutes after the “start” time and miss most of them.

    Reply
    1. Dan Gardner Avatar
      Dan Gardner

      I hear ya. I enjoy the trailers. Or at least a few of them. It’s after about the sixth trailer that I start to zone out. I actually use this time to hit the men’s room one more time because I know I have at least a trailer plus the AMC theater garbage.

      Reply
  7. Michael Fields Avatar
    Michael Fields

    For me its not the trailers I like seeing trailers on movies I might want to see and some are ones I have not seen yet, what gets me and I have timed it. In Las Vegas where I live, its around 12 minutes of trailers and 12 minutes of Commercials (M&M, insurance and more) now those should not be there. So what I know that movies start at the theater I go to all the time 22-24 minutes after the “start time” start time says 1pm it will start at 1:22pm, so I go in about 1:15pm, this way I still have time to get snacks and such (as the line is gone) and get to my seat before the movie starts

    Reply
    1. Dan Gardner Avatar
      Dan Gardner

      I think a lot of people feel that way. I don’t mind a commercial that’s worked into the “remember to turn off your phone” message. But I can’t stand those Coke ads and especially the ads that promote the theater that I’m already in. How many hours of my life have been wasted with Nicole Kidman talking about “why we go to movies”? When will the madness end? 🙂

      Reply
  8. Cori Avatar
    Cori

    I vote for a reduced trailer time, as I do enjoy them and sometimes learn of a movie I might have otherwise overlooked. However, as a Cinephile, I dislike seeing the same trailer over and over again at various movies. 10 minutes or so of previews, maybe ok.
    While I always reserve my seat well in advance (back 2 rows, dead center) I’m just neurotic enough to want to get there early enough to ‘claim my area’ and set myself up for success, so trailers and ads are inevitable.
    I’d like to see the addition of a public service ad, (similar to remember to turn off your phone) that explores people to be mindful of keeping the volume down when munching on popcorn (do we really need to noisily circle the bucket 5 times with our hands before retrieving a mouthful?) And, OMG! those crackling cellophane wrappers that some insist on opening and accessing during sensitive scenes in the movie…that drives me nuts! Lol
    As you might guess, the bulk of my movie tickets are for matinee shows, on the one weekday I have off. But even then, big premieres or weekend matinees are still on my calendar, and woe is me, I must live through trailers, ads, and self-absorbed audience members to hit all the movies I want to see.
    Because…it’s all about the movies, right?!

    Reply
    1. Dan Gardner Avatar
      Dan Gardner

      You are so right. How in the world do theaters sell candies that are wrapped in noisy plastic. Talk about epic fail!

      Reply
  9. John Avatar
    John

    I would not pay more for no trailers.I WOULD pay more for no advertising. I LIKE CHECKING OUT NEW MOVIES, BUT JUST NOT ALL THE GARBAGE FILLER ADVERTISING.

    Reply
    1. Dan Gardner Avatar
      Dan Gardner

      LOL, I HEAR YOU! 🙂

      I think my sweet spot would be $1/extra for no more than 10-minutes of trailers and ZERO commercials.

      Reply
  10. PAULA SWEAT Avatar
    PAULA SWEAT

    I like the trailers – gives time to get situated and divvy up the popcorn. Plus if you need to do another pee time do it upfront during trailers. lol

    Reply
  11. Robin Neal Avatar
    Robin Neal

    I am not a fan of trailers mostly because they show too much and usually the best parts of the movie. So when you see it there isn’t the best parts left. I love your site been with you since the beginning. I would be willing to pay $1 more for less trailers.

    Reply
    1. Dan Gardner Avatar
      Dan Gardner

      That’s my biggest grip about trailers. Sometimes you can tell that they only showed a tease, other times you know they just gave away the entire plot.

      Reply
  12. Morgan Avatar
    Morgan

    Now if it was ads as opposed to movie trailers, maybe. But I love watching movie trailers. If I didn’t go to the movies as often as I do, I would pay to sit in a theater and watch an hour of just trailers. As it is, I get mad at my boyfriend when he want to “run late” just to miss them.

    Reply
  13. Tammy Avatar
    Tammy

    I go to the movies very often so sitting through 20 minute of trailers and ads can feel like alot sometimes. Mind you I do get excited about some new trailers. I think 10 minutes is enough for me. The other thing is I end up seeing the same trailers multiple times. I dont need tv and other ads. Im not willing to pay extra money to skip trailers. Luckily there is a work around. The theatres by me ( In Canada) have reserved seating when you buy your ticket which saves me so much time. I wait for the trailers and ads to start and I use that time for a washroom break and to grab popcorn.

    Reply
  14. Jason Avatar
    Jason

    None. I have amc a list ($22.50/month for up to 3 movies a week, resetting Friday 4 am) and just time my arrival 20 – 25 minutes after showtime. What I might pay $1 is not having to wait 10 minutes for Easter eggs after credits (waiting 10-15 minutes) via Run Pee IF they described exactly what the Easter egg was.

    Reply
    1. Dan Gardner Avatar
      Dan Gardner

      About the extras: we generally don’t include any specific details about the “Easter eggs”. We just let you know when it/they are shown and for how long. But, I think in the future I’ll add a “synopsis” link to the extras so that we can describe the details there in case you don’t want to wait. While not spoiling the details for those who want to see it themselves.

      Reply
  15. Alan Avatar
    Alan

    I enjoy the trailers, but HATE the commercials. One short Coke commercial I would tolerate, but the long lead in video of the theater (amc in my case) is very aggravating! And then the “We make movies better!” pitch is also irritating.
    I pay for the AMC Premier so I really can’t stand the ad for AMC, nor the shout out to the stock holders. Who cares!
    End of rant.

    Reply
    1. Dan Gardner Avatar
      Dan Gardner

      Rant received and approved! I feel the same way. 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

RunPee