We saw The Fantastic Mr Fox a few weeks ago. It was a thoroughly entertaining movie and I highly recommend it. But this is not a movie review. Instead I am thinking about movie previews and why we all subject ourselves to sitting through 10-plus minutes of previews.
The movie is scheduled to start at the top of the hour, but we all know that what really starts at the top of the hour are the previews and they will last around 10 minutes at least. Why don’t we all save ourselves 10 minutes of time and show up 10 minutes late?
Maybe you like to watch previews but I don’t and in any case I can always watch them online if I really want to. I will assume that most people would prefer to see fewer previews than they do.
One answer is that the theater will optimally randomize the length of previews so that we cannot predict precisely the true starting time of the movie. To guarantee that we don’t miss any of the film we will have to take the chance of seeing some previews. But my guess is that this doesn’t go very far as an explanation and anyway the variation in preview lenghts is probably small.
In fact, even if the theater publicized the true start time we would still come early. The reason is that we are playing an all-pay auction bidding with our time for the best seats in the theater. Each of us decides at home how early to arrive trading off the cost of our time versus the probability of getting stuck in the front row. The “winner” of the auction is the person who arrives earliest, the prize is the best seat in the theater, and your bid is how early to arrive. It is “all pay” because even the loser pays his bid (if you come early but not early enough you get a bad seat and waste your time.)
In an all pay auction bidders have to randomize their bids. Because if you knew how everyone else was bidding you would arrive just before them and win. But then they would want to come earlier too, etc. The randomizations are calibrated so that you cannot know for sure when to arrive if you want to get a good seat and the tradeoffs between coming earlier and later are exactly balanced.
As a result most people arrive early, sit and wait. Now the previews come in. Since we are all going to be there anyway, the theater might as well show us previews. Indeed, even people like me would rather watch previews than sit in an empty theater, so the theater is doing us a favor.
And this even explains why theater tickets are always general admission. Let’s compare the alternative. The theater knows we are “buying” our seats with our time. The theater could try to monetize that by charging higher prices for better seats. But it’s a basic principle of advertising that the amount we are willing to pay to avoid being advertised at is smaller than the amount advertisers are willing to pay to advertise to us. (That is why pay TV is practically non-existent.) So there is less money to be made selling us preferred seats than having us pay with our time and eyeballs.
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January 13, 2010 at 12:58 am
IPE@UNC
I disagree with all assumptions:
1. Many people do enjoy previews, and some people even enjoy the silly “trivia” games that come on before the previews. It is not uncommon for people to report that they watch the Super Bowl for the commercials, and I rarely hear anyone complain about previews. If people really despised them so much, then they would not be included on DVDs, since viewers could skip them at no cost.
2. Not all patrons prefer the same seats. I generally like seats about 3/4 back, but friends of mind prefer seats 1/4 back and others prefer the back couple of rows. Usually no one’s preference is strong enough to force the whole group to arrive early enough to guarantee any particular spot, but our collective preference (ie to not be stuck in the first row) allows us to meet collectively 10 minutes before the starting time.
3. For most showings other than those for blockbusters on opening weekends, competition for seats is not strong, and if you show up 10 minutes early you can literally have your pick of the theater. Does this indicate that people randomize their strategies? If so, then why are weekend showings so much more popular than weekday showings?
4. Going to the movies is a social experience, but one in which opportunities for social interaction are scarce except immediately before and after the film. Previews allow groups of people to watch a minute or so of film and then turn and comment on it without fear of recrimination. Intermissions serve the same purpose, but interrupt the continuity of the experience. (This is related to #1.)
In sum, I suspect that most people are mostly indifferent when it comes to their seats, casually enjoy previews and the experience of settling into a film before it starts, and would rather “be safe than sorry” and so would rather be 10 minutes early than late.
January 13, 2010 at 1:33 am
Chris
Nice post, unfortunately wrong: I know movie theaters (in Holland and Germany) where you buy a seat-numbered ticket. You can even book the ticket and choose the seat (even online!) in advance. Nevertheless, people are there for the previews.
January 15, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Bethany
There are theaters in Salt Lake City, UT where you can (in fact, must!) choose your seat. I like knowing where I’ll be sitting, but it makes it difficult to go as a group because we must all use the kiosks at the same time to sit together, and inevitably someone is late.
January 13, 2010 at 3:02 am
Patrick
I agree with with IPE’s point 1, but not point 2.
On point 1, if you are able to watch a preview online with the same utility as in a cinema, why are you in the cinema at all and not watching on DVD?
On point 2, surely risk aversion is the key here – even if people’s preferences for seating arrangements are random, any individual attanding doesn;t know what those preferences are, so cannot be sure they are different.
And, yes some cinemas in London allow specific seats to be booked (no premium for the “best” seats).
January 13, 2010 at 8:31 am
Charlie
One of the nice things about my local theater (aside from its proximaty to my house and the small popcorn/small drink combo for $1.50) is that the movies actually start at the advertized time. The first time I arrived a few minutes late thinking it was OK, and missed the opening credits of Ratatouille.
Additionally, when I lived in the UK there were a several Odeon theaters that had premium seats for about 2 GBP that were larger, had more leg room, and about 3/4 of the way back. Sadly, the theater had ushers escort people to those seats, and they always seemed to keep track of who should(n’t) be sitting there.
January 13, 2010 at 10:55 am
jonathandtaylor
I agree with commenters suggesting that the interest in watching previews is understated. Unlike TV ads, you have a self-selected audience of people likely interested in the product – people who go to the cinema to watch movies. And these ads really are free samples of the very thing (entertainment) that they’re for.
January 13, 2010 at 11:10 am
Alicia
I disagree with your premiss.
1. The ability to arrive at a precise time is not possible. ( traffic, parking, social pressure not to be the person your friends are waiting for, ticket line time,variations between clocks, ect)
2. It is much worse to arrive 1 min late then 10 min early( missing movie plot vs watching previews)
Thus the moviegoer has to ask not what woudl be the ideal time to arrive but what is the risk reward ratio. If a 7pm movie really starts at 7:10. The ideal time to arrive is 7:10. However aiming for 710 has a 50/50 chance of good outcome( no wait) vs very bad outcome(miss part of movie). If arrive at 7pm you have a high likelhood of mildly bad outcome ( watching bad previews) with a very unlikely chance of really bad outcome (miss part of movie. Thus is is a question of minimizing the bad and determining the optimum time for least bad seems to be around 10 min early.
January 13, 2010 at 11:52 am
Virgule
I would also have to disagree. In Norway when you buy a movie ticket you book a specific seat. However, people still show up early and watch the previews. I think it’s a combination of what alicia said and the fact that a lot of people do enjoy the previews, me included.
January 13, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Laserlight
If the theater owner has any brains, she’ll be showing previews for movies similar to what you’re there to watch. I went to Sherlock Holmes and got a preview of the next Iron Man movie (which has the same star)–that was fine. If I went to, say, Avatar, but got previews for slasher pics, I’d be motivated to avoid the previews (or go to another theater entirely).
January 13, 2010 at 12:43 pm
D. Watson
Your comments also imagine that the theater is full. I find this a very strange assumption because there is only one time in my life I was in a full theater. I plan to go when there are very few other patrons so my wife can talk to me during it without disturbing anyone, the tickets are cheaper, and we get the best seat in the house almost every time, all while missing half the ads for movies I have almost no interest in.
Clearly, all this means I am strange compared to the average, but the model still fails utterly to explain my rational behavior.
January 13, 2010 at 12:50 pm
rich
I agree mostly with the comments. The major theater chain in Salt Lake Valley, Utah (Megaplex) allows online reservation of tickets for reserved seats. I show up early to watch the previews. I find it much better to watch the previews on the big screen than my computer much like I prefer seeing a movie in the theater compared to my TV.
January 13, 2010 at 12:59 pm
Jason
I would point to the Arclight Theatre in Hollywood. They have more expensive tickets but the seats are assigned and there is no advertising before the film.
January 13, 2010 at 1:27 pm
lemmy caution
Chris and others make sense. People like watching previews.
I use fandango to buy a seat before I leave and usually show up in the middle of the previews. This isn’t a problem because I am looking for a single seat but it would be a problem if I were looking for multiple seats.
January 13, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Jeff
All of the comments written so far have disagreed with the article.
I liked the article. When I consider going to a movie, the biggest reason I want to go early is to get a good seat.
Assumptions are not made to predict the preferences of all people, but to create a thought experiment and examine behavior based on a simple model of preferences. The model assists in analyzing and explaining general trends.
January 13, 2010 at 2:20 pm
jeff
Thanks. And Insightful readers will know that if I was going to shill my own support I would not make up somebody with the same name as me. That would be too obvious. 🙂
January 13, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Glen
In response to Jason’s comment about the Arclight in Hollywood (and there’s another Arclight in Sherman Oaks): while the Arclight has no slide-show ads before showtime, they do have the standard 8-10 minutes of movie trailers. Since the Arclight has assigned seating, this counts against the post’s hypothesis.
January 13, 2010 at 2:20 pm
bronxilla
Read Colin McGinn’s The Power of Movies. One of his main points is that movies are very similar to dreams. Previews are in some ways the early stages of sleep, before we drift into deeper REM sleep. It would be startling to walk into a movie theater and have the movie start immediately, without any opportunity to settle/snuggle in, and maybe get some popcorn/use the bathroom, before watching the feature/REM sleep.
January 13, 2010 at 2:41 pm
SB
It’s also the case that some people enjoy previews because they can help one pick future movies they might want to see. I would wager it’s no accident that previews for action movies precede action movies, and previews for romantic comedies precede the same. Personally, I’m happy that pre-packaged advertising comes my way in the form of previews, because I don’t want to have to put in the work of scouring the internet in hopes of chancing across a preview for a movie I might like to see. Plus, having a preview of a similar-genre movie before the “main attraction” helps you get in the right frame of mind…a slow transition into the movie you’re about to watch.
January 13, 2010 at 3:06 pm
rvman
Theory: People arrive “on time” because it is quite a bit easier to find a seat, or a block of seats for a group, before the lights are turned off.
January 13, 2010 at 4:21 pm
mae
reasons to want to see previews:
1) For second-rate movies the previews usually contain all of the best gags or chase scenes in the whole movie. After watching a lot of previews you can usually figure this out and save yourself from going to the movie itself.
2) If you don’t go to very many movies, seeing the preview makes you feel less left out of the conversation when people talk about the actual movie.
3) You get to know what a lot of actors look like without having to see the movies, and again, you aren’t so alienated from people who really go to a lot of movies.
4) If the movie is sort of appealing you know to wait for the DVD, but you’ve still experienced some of it in the larger than TV format (maybe the best, see point 1).
January 13, 2010 at 5:02 pm
Mesbah
Theaters dim the lights when the movie trailers commence. Makes it harder to find seats. Nobody wants to fumble over seats and bodies in the dark. Hence, we arrive early.
June 7, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Movie Entertainment
agree with you..
January 13, 2010 at 6:18 pm
A new AP
This might be of interest: http://econpapers.repec.org/article/oupecinqu/v_3a15_3ay_3a1977_3ai_3a4_3ap_3a513-22.htm
January 13, 2010 at 6:20 pm
A new AP
And this as well: http://www.jstor.org/pss/1830293
January 13, 2010 at 8:14 pm
ben
Theater tickets are not always general admission. I know at least one theater where you select your seat when you buy your ticket.
January 13, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Belial
As many commenters above have noted, reserved seats are not uncommon in Europe. But also, my experience in several European countries (particularly in France) is that the theater advertises two starting times, that of the movie and that of the previews. Despite thereby knowing the “real” time to arrive, most people get there in time for the previews; suggesting that that kind of advertising, in context, is an attraction rather than an annoyance.
January 13, 2010 at 10:42 pm
mulp
I go to the early shows to get the lowest price, which lately seems to be the single show that starts before noon – it was before 6pm, then before 4pm. These shows have the longest prevues, as long as 15-20 minutes. The shows after six have fewer previews, with the last show usually having almost none – just the pictures of food and the pleas to turn off cell phones and stop talking and maybe the what to do if a fire.
Personally, I don’t mind the prevues the first time, but when I’m on vacation and catching one movie a day….
No way will I pay $19.95 or $29.95 for a reserved seat with lots of space – I’ll pay $5 and arrive early an get a good seat without having to climb over people.
January 13, 2010 at 11:31 pm
val
Great article and good comments. I think which more accurately describes theater-goers’ behavior depends on the location. While I was in college and going to the dollar theater, I showed up early for exactly the reason you describe. (And was frustrated by people who showed up even earlier to save the best seats for their twenty friends, who would show up right as the movie started.)
Now that we have a little more money and don’t have to go to the dollar theater, we go to a theater with reserved seating. We still go in time for the previews because, like the other commenters, we don’t want to risk being late, and we especially don’t want to have to look for our seats in the dark, climbing over strangers and interrupting the movie for them.
January 13, 2010 at 11:36 pm
EF
I fit into your model. I am no longer 12; I don’t like the front row. I go early to get a good seat.
I also like the previews. I would rather get 2hrs 10mins of movie plus previews than 2hrs of movie only. I like movies and previews stimulate me into watching more.
That said, previews are unessential. When someone says, “we’re going to miss the beginning!” I like that the 10 minutes of previews helps us relax. Previews also make the movie less stressful even when we miss them.
Why does the IMAX theater have one or zero previews? I wish they had more.
Regarding pay tv: it is true that nearly every channels runs advertising. Yet some of the best TV shows are on HBO and Showtime. I think this is because there is a more direct relationship between what people like and what they will buy.
Most TV shows need only to sell ads. More eyeballs on a show sells more advertising, but people who may be unwilling to buy an affordably produced show (hello, reality TV!) may nonetheless refrain from changing the channel or tuning out.
Thanks for the post!
August 26, 2010 at 1:03 pm
MovieJim
Good points…that’s why I prefer the comfort of my own home and watch movies on my PC with Watch Movies> Thanks.
January 14, 2010 at 2:06 am
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January 18, 2010 at 9:04 am
Alicia
EF- Imax movies are unlikely to have previews as in order to have it on an imax screen the preview needs to be filmed in imax technology and unless the film will be imax that is not cost effective for the movie company. In a normal movie preview they just use film already filmed for the movie spliced together.
November 23, 2010 at 3:02 pm
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