iStockphoto / AMC
People who show up to a movie theater at the time listed on their ticket probably don’t value their own time very much when you consider you’re almost always going to endure a lengthy wait until the main attraction gets underway. However, one visionary lawmaker in Connecticut is hoping to make that guessing game a thing of the past.
Movie theaters have been preempting the films they show with promos and previews for the bulk of the existence of cinema as we know it, but anyone who’s attended showings on a fairly regular basis for at least a couple of decades is likely very aware things have gotten increasingly out of control.
AMC’s website lets moviegoers know they’ll usually be subjected to around 20 minutes of “preshow material” before the lights come down to usher in the arrival of the feature film, but it tends to be a bit of a crapshoot thanks in no small part to the number of theaters who’ve started to stack up ads before the previews to drum up revenue as the industry continues to fall short of pre-pandemic levels.
According to The Stamford Advocate, cinephiles in the state of Connecticut may be able to benefit from a new bill that’s been proposed by Martin Looney, a Democratic state senator (and current president pro tempore) who’s represented the New Haven area since 1993.
Looney is hoping to address the start time mystery with S.B. No. 797, a straightforward proposal that would “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.”
There aren’t many things that people on both sides of the aisle can rally around in this day and age, but if there’s any issue capable of bringing virtually everyone together, it’s this one.