A leading film critic has accused the industry of abusing its customers with inflated showtimes, endless trailers and the 'inescapable' Nicole Kidman.
Film writer Richard Zoglin has demanded theaters reveal the actual start time of their films after routinely sitting through more than 30 minutes of ads, previews and filler.
He said the increasing number of promotions, combined with the self-indulgence of leading directors, has led to some moviegoers being left in their seats for four hours at some screenings.
And he has warned that the sector risks chasing away the customers it is still struggling to win back in the wake of the pandemic.
“I love going to the movies, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to justify going through that ordeal in the theater rather than waiting a few weeks for the movie to appear on Netflix or Amazon Prime,” he told the Washingtonpost.
Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio in Scorses' 206-minute Killers of the Flower Moon
The legendary director (left) reportedly vetoed an intermission in the year's longest film, prompting film critic Richard Zoglin to demand: “Fine, Marty, just tell us the best time to go to the bathroom.” to go'
And he reserves particular disdain for the now two-year-old AMC ad in which a hooded Kidman bursts into a movie theater and promises an “indescribable feeling.”
“My blood pressure rises every time I see those platform heels step through a puddle on the way to a movie theater,” he wrote.
'Watching a film on the big screen can be fascinating and even exciting. But it is not a religious experience.
'It has now become the gratingest commercial talk this side of the Kars4Kids jingle.'
He points out that the average running time of the highest-grossing films has increased by almost 30 minutes since 2020 to a challenging two hours and 23 minutes.
And he slams Martin Scorsese for vetoing an intermission in his three-hour, 26-minute “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
“Okay, Marty, tell us the best time to go to the bathroom,” he wrote.
“Movies used to be 90 minutes or less, and any preliminaries had added value – a Bugs Bunny or Tom and Jerry cartoon – not a commercial bombardment that both exhausts the audience and demeans the experience,” he added.
Oppenheimer with Benny Safdie and Cillian Murphy clocked in an atomic-shattering 181 minutes
Modern horror Beau Is Afraid had audiences shaking throughout its 179-minute runtime
And some will wander where the escape hatch was during the 173-minute Chinese thriller Wandering Earth
The Keanu Reeves killer film John Wick: Chapter 4 fired at viewers for 170 minutes
“On another trip to see Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon,' I counted a dozen commercials, for everything from Hyundai to M&M's, before the regal voice of God told us to turn off our cell phones and 'enjoy the show.' ,'
'This was followed by a whole series of advertisements for various Pepsi drinks, and six trailers for upcoming films. Thirty minutes in hard-sell captivity before the movie finally started.
“Put aside the $10 bags of popcorn and the confusing array of projection formats – Imax, 4DX, Dolby – that can drive the ticket price up to $25 or more.
“And I'm not complaining about audience members talking and scanning their cell phones during the movie; Complaints about unruly customers date back to the days when people read the title cards out loud in silent films.
“No, it's the inflated running times of so many current films and the ever-increasing pre-show mapol that have turned moviegoing into an endurance test.”
Behind Scorsese came Christopher Nolan's big hit Oppenheimer, which shattered an atom in 181 minutes.
Modern horror Beau Is Afraid had audiences shaking throughout its 179-minute runtime, while the Chinese showed no mercy with Wandering Earth at 173 minutes.
The Keanu Reeves killer flick John Wick: Chapter 4 blasted viewers for 170 minutes, while Kidman's former husband Tom Cruise tasked moviegoers with sitting through 164 minutes of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
Kidman's former husband Tom Cruise tasked moviegoers with sitting through 164 minutes of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Ridley Scott managed to tell the life of Napoleon in a relatively subdued 158 minutes
But Hunger Games fans had their hunger satisfied during the 157 minutes of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Ridley Scott managed to tell the life of Napoleon in a relatively subdued 158 minutes, while fans of the Hunger Games had to reach for the munchies during the 157 minutes of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
“For an industry trying to lure people from their home screens to the cinema, a little restraint might be in order,” Zoglin wrote.
“If there is no self-imposed limit on the number of pre-show ads and trailers, then at least full disclosure in the listings of the actual movie start time.
“To reiterate the obvious, we come to this place… for movies, after all.”