You're About to See Even More Ads at AMC Theaters

Between the ads, the trailers, and Nicole Kidman's schtick, it can be nearly a half-hour from when the lights dim at the movie theater to when the featured film is finally shown. Get ready for a few minutes more to be tacked on, at least if you're watching your movie of choice in an AMC theater: CNN reports that, starting Tuesday, even more ads will pop up on the big screen, thanks to a recent deal between AMC Entertainment and ad platform National CineMedia. AMC theaters will now show those ads in the coveted "platinum spot" right before the movie begins, with the theater chain receiving part of the ad sales, Bloomberg reported last month.

Bloomberg notes that AMC was the "lone holdout" six years ago when National CineMedia signed deals with competitors Regal Cinemas and Cinemark Theatres, with AMC claiming at the time that "US moviegoers would react quite negatively" to even more ads. The company has since come around to the concept, conceding in an email last month that "while AMC was initially reluctant to bring this to our theaters, our competitors have fully participated for more than five years without any direct impact to their attendance." CNN notes that AMC is still trying to bounce back, as other chains in the industry are, after the pandemic and the recent actors' and writers' strikes.

Just because AMC has acquiesced to National CineMedia's cajoling, however, doesn't mean everyone's on board. "Horrible mistake," writes Shane Vassar for Collider. "Movie theaters have always provided an escape for people," he notes. "They are an inviting place for folks to come to and, at least for roughly two hours, completely remove themselves from the outside world and any potential hardships plaguing their own lives. ... That is precisely why they are not a place for commercials, especially in today's age when advertising feels like a dominant and inescapable pox on every aspect of our society." More from Vassar here.