Do you remember the last time you were lied to? I certainly do. I was tricked by the North Finchley Vue, which sold me and my boyfriend tickets to a 7.15pm showing of The Odyssey. Guess what was playing at 7.15pm? A car advert. Ten minutes later, it was a trailer for the horror film Werwulf. Then there was an advert for Vue – as if I wasn’t already there. The film was half an hour late to its own showing when it finally started at 7.45pm.
I am sick and tired of cinemas getting away with such treachery. I don’t want to follow in the footsteps of my friend, who knows that the ads at her local run for 22 minutes so slinks in at just the right time. I shouldn’t have to do mental maths because I am being lied to by cinemas. We are all the victims of their predatory time-wasting system.
If you went to see a play and the ticket said the show started at 7.30pm, you’d rightly be annoyed if after 20 minutes the performance still hadn’t started. Yet when it comes to watching movies, we’ve collectively accepted that it’s fine for them to start later than advertised. Which also means we all put up with people coming in late, shining their phone torches and bumping into you because they tried to show up when the film actually starts.
Now that almost a third of wide releases run over two hours and pre-show advertising and trailers last for 20-30 minutes, something’s gotta give. I say films should start on time. I know a better moviegoing experience is possible. I grew up in Canada, where our cinemas played their films at the ticketed time and the ads started earlier. When my family showed up 10 minutes late to The Fellowship of the Ring, we missed the entire opening sequence explaining the history of the rings of power. We deserved that!
A brave senator in Connecticut tried to tackle this injustice in 2025 with a bill that would “require the disclosure of accurate movie start times in advertisements and listings”. However, it was watered down to a mere “working group” after pushback from cinema operators. They warned they’d lose vital revenue if advertisers pulled back because people started skipping the pre-show entirely. Erin Brockovich wouldn’t have given in so easily.
How can we succeed where the Connecticut senator failed? Simple: we also get rid of assigned seating. Say goodbye to paying £26 for an Ultra Lux recliner if you want the best view. It’s a flat fee no matter where you sit. Welcome to the Hunger Games of cinema seating.
If you want a “good” seat for a film, you have to earn it by showing up early. Exactly like when I was young, the ads and trailers will play before the start time so the film can begin promptly. Arrive on time, after the trailers, and you might be stuck in the front row, but that’s on you for avoiding the ads.
I’m just a cinephile, standing in front of a movie theatre, asking it to respect me and my time. Why is that so hard?
