Sony film boss: Cinemas finally have to reduce advertising

At the CinemaCon industry trade fair in Las Vegas, Tom Rothman, head of the film division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, urged cinema operators to significantly reduce excessive advertising before film screenings.

Half an hour of advertising is too much

The manager criticized the fact that viewers currently often have to endure up to 30 minutes of trailers and spots before a film begins. This condition significantly affects the cinema experience, he explained, according to a report in US magazine Variety. And that’s for the cinemas, who are finding it increasingly difficult anyway. Attracting customers is ultimately counterproductive.

Rothman advocated significantly shortening the so-called “pre-shows.” Many regular cinemagoers now deliberately arrive late to the cinemas in order to avoid the flood of advertising. This behavior has become easier thanks to fixed seat reservations. The result: trailers increasingly fail to have an impact because part of the audience no longer even sees them.

Despite this criticism, Rothman was optimistic about the economic development of the industry. The cinema year 2026 has already benefited from successful productions such as “Super Mario Galaxy Movie” and “Project Hail Mary” and could bring a significant recovery overall. However, the number of visitors is still below the level before the corona pandemic.

Another key point in Rothman’s speech was the defense of the classic cinema window. He called on the industry to show films exclusively in cinemas for longer and not to get involved in productions that were already available on streaming platforms shortly after their launch. “Longer evaluation periods must be consistently enforced,” he emphasized, even if this means not including every film in the program.

More diversity please

At the same time, Rothman called for more creative diversity in Hollywood. In addition to established brands and sequels, new, original material is essential for the future of cinema. Without innovation, neither the medium nor cinema culture can survive in the long term.

Sony’s current range of films reflects this approach: In addition to sequels to well-known series such as “Spider-Man” and “Jumanji”, the studio is also focusing on new projects and literary adaptations. Finally, Rothman pointed out rising costs for moviegoers. In view of increasing financial burdens, many people have become more price sensitive. Cinemas would therefore have to increasingly develop cheaper offers in order not to lose their audience.