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I just went and saw Project Hail Mary last week and I was all worried I'd be late after navigating the parking situation, arriving at 7:35 for a 7:30 show. My worry was needless as after the ads and previews the actual show didn't start until 8:15! I could have even stopped and gotten popcorn instead of rushing in afraid I'd missed the beginning of the film.
Even better: allow theaters to charge different prices to different movies. It's ridiculous that a big budget action movie with A-list cast costs the same to watch as a cheap indie film.

Smaller movies could get a huge boost if they cost less to see than the big franchise releases, and the difference in filled vs empty seats would really add up.

Just checked how much a movie costs near me, apparently it's $30 for a single ticket during the day where no one with a day job can go to anyway. Plus they insult your time with 30 minutes of pre-movie ads and overpriced snacks.

I'll just wait six months or more until the movie comes out to streaming. At least I can pause it while I go to the bathroom. Little wonder that people would rather talk about TV series that provide slower, more refined plot development and character arcs over a few months instead of a highly compressed two hour movie.

Glad we have q little indie theatre nearby, it’s very close to the old school egalitarian moviegoing experience of my youth
What % of the ticket revenue does Sony take? Some light searching says it's just over half. Are they willing to help the problem by taking less money? I thought so.
Yeah I mean they're only providing the multimillion dollar product people came to the theater to see, who do they think they are wanting to get paid half the ticket price. I bet if movie tickets just cost $10 instead of $20 people would come to the theater and watch ads for 3 hours while gorging overpriced popcorn and sugary snacks.
There used to be a time where the studios didn't have their hand in the till and simply rented the film to theatres. If their budgets are out of control, perhaps that's another place to economize.
It was the late 90s when I first had my cinema-going experience cheapened by commercials. Television commercials on the silver screen. Like a steakhouse with plastic cutlery. That was my first conscious encounter with enshittification. The ticket cost the same but the experience got worse. Penny-wise pound foolish, it was a demand destroying play because it had the effect of making me want to go to the movies less.

The local retro/indy/arthouse has been revived by Gen-Z film-goers who appreciate that having a community of people going to movies each week matters more than the specific film being watched. Which is to say the medium is the message. Many cities now have not-for profits operating in historic theatres, and they're great places to see a movie.

could they also ask United to stop showing me ads after the safety video? thanks.