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YSK: The average length of previews before a movie is 15-20 minutes. Next time you see a movie and are running a little behind, don’t stress out. You can show up 10 minutes after the time a movie ‘starts’ and be fine, as long as it isn’t a new release. Still show up early if you want good seats however.There are approximately 20 minutes of preshow material, including trailers, between the published showtime and the start of the feature film.They are usually between 30 to 60 seconds in length and are usually timed to be released right before and right after a film is set to be released. Often you’ll see several TV spot trailers produced to keep the hype alive up to a premiere.
Contents
How long do trailers play before a movie?
There are approximately 20 minutes of preshow material, including trailers, between the published showtime and the start of the feature film.
How long are movie trailers usually?
They are usually between 30 to 60 seconds in length and are usually timed to be released right before and right after a film is set to be released. Often you’ll see several TV spot trailers produced to keep the hype alive up to a premiere.
How long are the ads and trailers before a movie?
Ads and trailers normally last between 30-45 minutes before the actual film begins. We ask customers to collect their tickets at least 20 minutes before performance to make the most of their visit.
How many trailers play before a movie?
59% of respondents said 1 to 3 trailers was the right number to play before a feature length film. 21% said they are OK with four to six trailers. Just 2% said 10 or more trailers was best.
Can you show up late to a movie?
Yes. You can enter the theatre anytime. Inside the particular screen anytime during your show. But there are few shows marked ‘DND’ or Do Not Disturb , if your tickets are for one such show, you will not be allowed inside the screen after the movie starts playing.
Are movies done when trailers come out?
Across these films, the average time between first trailer and theatrical release was 126 days (i.e. around four months). Fourth-fifths of movies had their first trailer released within six months of their theatrical run. Only 4.5% of movies released their first trailer over a year before the movie appeared in cinemas.
How long should a short film trailer be?
About a minute and a half. You’ll want to keep your trailer short. There’s no set rule about how long your trailer should be, but limiting your trailer to a couple minutes is a good start. A shorter-form trailer, or teaser, usually clocks in at one minute, give or take.
Do Cinema Running time include trailers?
Cinemas will add the length of the trailers/adverts onto the films running time. The start time of the program means when the adverts start, not the film itself. They generally last around 15-20 minutes.
How long are Cineworld trailers?
On Cineworld’s website, it advises that adverts and trailers normally last between 20 to 30 minutes before the actual film begins. However, Odeon, says its adverts and trailers length are typically 15 to 25 minutes but notes that this varies with each performance.
How long are films in cinemas for?
Most mainstream movies stay in theaters for an average of four weeks. Some only last for about two weeks, and some run significantly longer. Theater run duration is not scheduled in advance (although theaters and movie executives can attempt an educated guess for planning purposes). Theaters only have so much space.
Why do trailers play before a movie?
Eventually, the National Screen Service exclusively developed movie trailers and did so for more than four decades. It was in the 1930s when it was decided too many audience members were leaving right after the film (see below for possible reason), so the movie theaters started to show trailers before the feature film.
Who picks movie trailers?
As many as six trailers play before features at major chains, like AMC and Regal. The studio releasing a given film typically has automatic rights to two of these slots, and theater executives (in consultation with higher-ups from various studios) select the remaining four.
Do movie running time include trailers?
As mentioned above, a movie’s advertised runtime includes the total time of the movie, from the first frame to the final frame. And as we have mentioned, the “final” frame is the last frame at the end of the credits. However, previews (“trailers”) are not included in this runtime.
Do Cinema Running time include trailers?
Cinemas will add the length of the trailers/adverts onto the films running time. The start time of the program means when the adverts start, not the film itself. They generally last around 15-20 minutes.
YSK: The average length of previews before a movie is 15-20 minutes. : YouShouldKnow
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How Long Does It Take To Make A Movie Trailer? Different Kinds Of Trailers Explained. 2022
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Why do movie trailers take so long (or little) to make
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What are the main criticisms of movie trailers
Why do some trailers disappoint audiences
How are movie trailers distributed moving forward
How do you create a movie trailer
When It Comes To Movie Trailers, Most Say Less Is More – Morning Consult
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How Long are Previews/Trailers Before a Movie? – Swift Moves
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Quick Answer How long are previews before a movie
Theater Differences – Variability & Caveats
So what time does the movie actually start Do previews start at movie time
Final thoughts
Recent Comparisons
How Long are Previews/Trailers Before a Movie? – Swift Moves
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Quick Answer How long are previews before a movie
Theater Differences – Variability & Caveats
So what time does the movie actually start Do previews start at movie time
Final thoughts
Recent Comparisons
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How Long Are Movie Previews In Theatres? – Forum Theatre | Accessible, affordable, and entertaining theater | DC metro area
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How Long Are The Previews In A Movie Theater
Why Are Movie Theater Previews So Long
How Long Are Movie Previews In Theaters
What Movie Previews Are Playing Now
How Long Do Previews Last At Regal
Why Are Cinema Ads So Long
Why Do Movies Take So Long To Start In Theaters
How Long Are The Trailers Before Movies
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Out of starting 15-20 minutes, consisting of preview…
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Do previews start at movie time
How long do trailers go for
How long are movie previews at Regal
How long are movie previews at AMC
How long are movie previews at Cinemark
Frequently asked questions
Conclusion
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Conclusion
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How Long Does It Take To Make A Movie Trailer? Different Kinds Of Trailers Explained. 2022
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If you don’t know, a movie trailer is the “marketing reel” for a film that uses the footage from the movie to tell a story that sells the audiences on the idea of the film.
So how long does it take to make a movie trailer: while movie trailers can be as short as 15 or 30 seconds and as long as two and a half minutes, the process to make a movie trailer can take as short as two weeks or as long as two years.
Movie trailers are one of the most important parts of the marketing campaign for a film.
They can be used to get audiences hyped on a property they are excited for, to build up a mystery that is slowly revealed over multiple campaigns, or quite literally tell the whole story in a minute and a half instead of an hour and a half.
Below I’ll explain why a movie trailer takes this long to make, and also explain in detail the different types of movie trailers that exist.
I’ve also included an example of each type of trailer from the 2012 alien-franchise prequel movie Prometheus so that you can see an example of each type of trailer and how they’re different from another.
Why do movie trailers take so long (or little) to make?
How long it takes to make a movie depends entirely on the marketing campaign of said film.
Sometimes a studio has a marketing campaign planned well in advance. Think about Disney’s Star Wars or Marvel Cinematic Universe and how each film or TV show is announced years ahead of schedule.
These companies likely have a strong plan for how and when they will release each trailer to build and maintain hype over multiple years leading up to the movie’s release.
Or, in the case of a film that is being shot over a long period of time, the studio may work with multiple trailer houses to edit a trailer with footage from the set while production is ongoing. A trailer house is an editing company focused solely on the editing of movie trailers.
This could be because studios want to release a preliminary trailer by a certain date, like say before a sporting event like the Superbowl, in time for a conference like Comic-Con, or as a trailer before another similar movie with a big opening audience.
These strategic deployments are savvy marketing moves to get a lot of eyeballs but could result in a short, two-week turnaround.
Other times, a studio may buy a completed film and then have to make a plan for how to market it. They will also screen test trailers in front of an audience to gauge their reaction.
This could lead to multiple rounds of edits to get it just right – according to one of the industry’s largest trailer houses, this could take as many as two hundred revisions.
The role of a trailer house in movie marketing explained
Trailer houses typically go through a pitching process where each company in consideration is given the footage and a budget of about $50,000 to create a spec trailer.
These companies then edit the trailer, write the copy for any voice-over or titles, and create the type and animation graphics.
The studio then picks the spec trailer they like the most and awards that company with the job and the full budget, which can range between hundreds of thousands of dollars if not a couple million depending on the size of the production.
The trailer house then makes changes to the spec trailer, completes the graphics, or throws it out altogether and re-edits a completely new trailer. A studio might do this because they like the creativity and the team but want to take the trailer in a new direction.
This process, from start to finish, can take a month to complete two trailers on the low end or multiple months on the higher end. For animated movies, the process begins very early and can take up to a year for the animations to be completed.
Trailer houses usually can’t get by on trailers alone so they will also do a lot of commercial work and TV spots.
If you’ve ever wondered about a movie’s cool title sequence, there are actually whole title sequence companies dedicated just to editing title sequences for films, and they follow a similar process.
What are the different types of movie trailers?
Since the average film takes 301 days to be released after post-production begins, a film’s marketing campaign will usually cover a years-long time span. Over the course of the campaign, multiple trailers are released. Here are the most common trailer types:
The Teaser Trailer
Peter Weyland’s 2023 TED Talk is the teaser trailer to the Alien-franchise prequel Prometheus (2012).
A teaser trailer is like the trailer to a trailer that teases the concept of the movie without giving away the major plot elements.
This is the first impression an audience has of what a film will look or feel like and are important to set the tone and feel of the movie.
Teaser trailers can be 30 to 90 seconds in length and can be released as early as a year before the film is released.
Teaser trailers are often saved for the biggest and most anticipated movies to help drum up even more excitement.
While highly anticipated big-budget movies (blockbusters)will create an impression in viewers with casting announcements, release schedules, or posters and billboards, the teaser trailer is the first piece of marketing that shows actual footage from the movie.
This isn’t always true. In fact, many teaser trailers are made to introduce a movie concept without using any footage from the movie itself.
Some animated sequels, for instance, will feature a main character from the movie in a skit that is animated solely to promote the upcoming film.
Some examples of this include the teaser trailers for the Ice Age and Despicable Me franchises:
Ice Age (2002) teaser trailer: the prehistoric squirrel trying to hide a nut in an iceberg is one of the most iconic teaser trailers of all time.
This isn’t limited to animated movies though, as live-action movies sometimes use the same trick to expand the universe (and marketing campaign) around an upcoming movie. Fx the Weyland 2023 TED Talk for the 2012 Alien prequel Prometheus presented above.
In fact, even commercials sometimes have teaser trailers these days. Here is the teaser trailer for the Lay’s commercial for the Super Bowl LVI 2022:
The Standard Movie Trailer
For comparison: here’s the official full trailer for Prometheus (2012)
The standard trailer is what we think of as a complete movie trailer because it often tells the entire story of the feature film in around two to three minutes.
The standard trailer introduces the characters, premise, and complications of the narrative story arc in a three-act structure.
Standard trailers often use voice-over narration and montage to splice together the storytelling so that the quick cuts and jumping around still make sense to audiences. Learn more about continuity editing in film here.
Sometimes you’ll see more trailers produced to keep the interest of the audience and sometimes the movie companies will produce different trailers for different countries.
TV spot movie trailers
For comparison: The first TV spot trailer for Prometheus (2012).
TV spot trailers are shortened versions of the standard trailer meant to be played in a short format venue on cable TV, as a Youtube video ad, or as an ad on a streaming service.
They are usually between 30 to 60 seconds in length and are usually timed to be released right before and right after a film is set to be released.
Often you’ll see several TV spot trailers produced to keep the hype alive up to a premiere.
Clip movie trailers
For comparison: The WonderCon exclusive clip trailer for Prometheus (2012).
A clip trailer takes an actual edited scene from the film that stands on its own with limited context and uses it to promote the film.
These are usually released at conferences like Comic-Con or in special press push where an actor or director (if big enough) will do a series of interviews to promote the film and share the clip with the media.
Featurette movie trailers
For comparison: A featurette for Prometheus (2012).
Another type of marketing trailer that is shared with the media in advance of a film’s release is a featurette trailer.
Featurettes show behind-the-scenes footage of the making of a film and use cast and crew interviews to share their experience of making the film in a documentary-style format.
Previously reserved for DVD special features, featurette trailers today are often shared directly online or with the media prior to a film’s release, or as part of a press push right after the film is released.
Streaming services have lately made it commonplace to share these clips as part of the film’s page on the service so viewers can watch more about the movie after they finish watching.
What are the main criticisms of movie trailers?
While movie trailers are one the most positively regarded forms of advertising, they sometimes do receive backlash from viewers.
They found that movie viewers complain the most about movie trailers when the trailer either:
spoils too much of the movie, showcase only the “spectacular parts” like the main set pieces or battles from the film, use deceptive editing to misrepresent the contents of the film, or use footage that’s not even in the movie.
On that last point, the CEO of movie trailer editing house Trailer Park, Matt Brubaker, explained that this isn’t always on purpose. Because trailer houses that make movie trailers often begin cutting a trailer while the production is shooting the movie, they will use whatever footage they have access to as it comes in.
This footage, taken directly from what’s shot on set, is called “dailies.” But the trailer editors themselves don’t have control over whether a shot used in the trailer will also appear in the movie. This is why some trailers feature footage that never ends up in the final cut of the film.
Why do some trailers disappoint audiences?
As the researchers Horváth and Gyenge found, studios don’t want to mislead audiences, but because they feel the need to use heavy persuasion and screen test the trailers to sell tickets, they can often shift and manipulate plot points to ratchet the tone of the film up or down depending on what they think will be most successful.
For instance, the researcher Kernan found in a 2004 paper that studios will spoil more of the movie if they are less certain it will be successful.
And because trailers are all available on Youtube, viewers can go back and compare what they saw in the trailer versus what they got in the movie, which can also increase dissatisfaction.
Here’s a breakdown by Vice News for more on how movie trailers manipulate you:
In the most extreme cases, moviegoers have stooped to suing films for using trailers to mislead them, either because they are marketed to appear as a different genre than what they are or because they use clips in the trailer that aren’t in the final movie.
The problem here is setting false expectations – which can be especially hard for fans of franchise movies who compare and judge each successive film against the first (or “best”) one to determine if the new film is “worthy” of the series.
As the researchers write, studios are in a difficult spot. They have to build expectations without building them so high that the resulting film can never reach them.
I’ve found personally that it’s important to measure your expectations for whatever movie you plan to see. Because of my formal training in screenwriting, I usually try to avoid movie trailers for films I already want to see because I don’t want to know the story before I go in.
Even though most films follow the same structure, I like to be surprised at the moment where and how events take place.
That said, watching movie trailers for films I know nothing about is also a passion of mine. It’s often the trailer that gets me excited to see an indie film from a new director I’ve never heard of, and so I believe they are incredibly important to the success or failure of a film’s release. However, I personally think the teaser trailer is the best form of trailer.
As digital advertising tools become more advanced, it would be cool to be given the option to decide how much of the movie you want to see in the trailer via customizable ad controls so viewers who are already primed to view a movie or TV show aren’t spoiled unnecessarily.
How are movie trailers distributed moving forward?
Since the success of Youtube and streaming video on the internet, most people see movie trailers on social media before they see them in theaters. This factors into a movie’s release plan and marketing campaign.
Previously, movie trailers were only released before the opening credits of other movies. Because most trailers are received best when seen in the theater, this was historically the best place to air movie trailers.
However, now that fewer viewers go to the movies and more stay at home and subscribe to streaming services, streamers often promote new shows or movies before their hit shows to drum up hype. HBO Max does this exceptionally well in order to keep viewers in the HBO ecosystem.
Netflix also features an autoplay trailer when a viewer hovers over any title on the service, which automatically plays either a custom teaser or standard trailer for the title in question or a clip trailer that features a key scene from the movie.
It would be interesting to see which type of trailer performs the best on Netflix based on their data, but in my own personal opinion, a teaser trailer that gives just enough to make you want to find out what happens next is the most ideal to get me to click.
How do you create a movie trailer?
For more on how to create a movie trailer, check out this feature from Vanity Fair with advice from creative director Jessica Fox that breaks down how filmmakers, studios, and creative agencies work together to decide what to show and what to tell to best promote a film.
When It Comes To Movie Trailers, Most Say Less Is More
Just 2% said 10 or more trailers was best.
21% said they are OK with four to six trailers.
Universal Pictures projects Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom logo for launch of first trailer on Dec. 7, 2017, in London, U.K. Most people in a recent Morning Consult/The Hollywood Reporter survey said they prefer one to three trailers before a movie. (Antony Jones/Getty Images for Universal Pictures )
If you’ve ever sat during movie trailers wondering when they would finally end, you’re not alone. Morning Consult polling finds that most people prefer to see only a few of them before a film, a contrast to the trailer-heavy preshows favored by most movie theaters. But despite audiences’ lack of interest in lengthy trailer shows, the classic marketing technique won’t be going anywhere, one analyst said. An Aug. 15-18 Morning Consult/The Hollywood Reporter poll found that most U.S. adults (59 percent) wanted to see only one to three movie trailers before a feature length film. Just over one-fifth (21 percent) of the 2,200 survey respondents were comfortable with four to six trailers. The poll’s margin of error is 2 percentage points.
While there is no official industry standard for how many trailers should play before a film, some theater chains offer their customers guidance on how long pre-film content will last: AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. states on its website that “approximately 20 minutes of preshow material, including trailers” will air between the showtime on the ticket and the beginning of the film. This doesn’t include the advertisements and other video content that plays before the showtime printed on the ticket. That 20 minutes could include between seven and 10 previews, depending on trailer length. Just 2 percent of survey respondents said seven to nine trailers was the best number before a film, while 1 percent said the same of 10-12. In 2014, after reportedly receiving complaints about the length of trailers and the amount of plot they reveal, per The Hollywood Reporter, the National Association of Theatre Owners updated its guidelines for in-theater marketing. The revised rules cut the maximum length of trailers from 2 minutes and 30 seconds to an even 2 minutes. Each distributor is offered two trailer exemptions each year, allowing for trailers of up to three minutes in length.
Even though audiences may not be interested in seeing large numbers of trailers before the start of the main event, Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst with Comscore Inc., noted that trailers are an essential component of in-theater marketing. Dergarabedian said that movie theaters present a “captive audience,” enabling studios to “get their wares or their product in front of an interested and clearly motivated” group. The number of trailers shown can vary from theater to theater — Dergarabedian said he has often seen four or five before a movie — but one thing is for certain: It’s unlikely that audiences will get their wish of seeing three trailers or fewer before their feature presentation.
How Long are Previews/Trailers Before a Movie?
We have all experienced the frustration of wondering exactly what time a movie starts.
Sure, the ticket might say 7:30 showtime. But if you show up early for good seats, not only do you have to wait until 7:30 for the programming to start, but then you are stuck watching previews and advertisements.
On the flip side, there are times when we try to outsmart the system by showing up late on purpose. Since we expect 15 minutes of previews, many of us also make the mistake of showing up for a 7:30 movie at 7:45, only to find that the previews were shorter than expected and we have now missed the opening scene(s) of the movie!
In this article, we will help you avoid these frustrations by answering a couple of age-old questions. First: How long are previews before a movie? And second: Does a movie actually start at the time shown on the ticket?
Quick Answer: How long are previews before a movie?
For anybody that wants to skim the article and find the quick answer, we will give you the short version here – 15 to 25 minutes of previews are typical before a movie.
These previews include trailers for upcoming movies, advertisements for snacks and sodas, and even advertisements for the theater that you are sitting in at that particular moment. And don’t forget the “Please remember to silence your phone” message that plays before showtime, as well.
Although 15-25 minutes is the most common length of previews, there is a tremendous amount of variation. So, this is only a rough estimate.
Continue reading to see the differences between theaters, time of year, and genres of movies.
Theater Differences – Variability & Caveats
Many users have noticed that different theater chains have different customary preview lengths. For example, AMC might show previews for more (or less) time than the Cinemark across the street. This is not exactly surprising.
The part that actually is surprising is that different theaters of the same company will also have different preview lengths. So, an AMC in Dallas might show 15 minutes of previews, while an AMC in New York shows 25 minutes of previews.
Because of this variation, it is hard to draw any solid conclusions. Unless you know the guy who actually pushes the “play” button at your local theater, there are no guarantees.
However, there are some trends that can be observed.
Large, national chains tend to have longer preview runtimes on average
Cinemark, Regal, and AMC generally spend more time playing previews than a small, regional movie theater does. This is probably just due to the fact that the large national chains have relationships in place with advertisers, so there is more demand (and money) for the large chains to show advertisements.
In other words, if Coca-Cola spends some money running Diet Coke ads before showtime, it is more likely that they will run these ads at a few thousand AMC or Regal locations rather than your locally-owned art house theater.
In fact, many independent movie theaters show 10 minutes or less of previews. At the independent theater in my hometown (which has since closed, of course), the only previews would be 2-3 trailers for upcoming indie films, followed by an advertisement for the local coffee shop which gave you half-price drinks if you brought in your ticket stub.
So, if you are attending a movie at a locally-owned, art house, or independent theater, you will want to show up right at showtime (or even a little earlier). At Regal or Cinemark, you can almost guarantee that there will be 10+ minutes of previews. At independent theaters, it is anybody’s guess. These smaller theaters are also often constructed in a way that makes it more disruptive for a late arrival to show up.
When a blockbuster film is playing, preview runtimes are typically longer
Again, there is no rule here that is set in stone. But thousands of anecdotal data points have helped to draw this conclusion.
If you are going to the sold-out opening night of the new Marvel superhero movie, you should be prepared for above-average preview lengths. Generally, this means that you will sit through 20+ minutes of previews (in some cases, this number will actually approach 30 minutes).
Ultimately, this all comes down to dollars and cents. Advertisers know that a $150 million opening weekend for a blockbuster film means lots and lots of eyeballs. That means more Coke commercials, more popcorn advertisements, and more advertisements about the premium cinema options at the theater you are attending.
During peak season, preview runtimes are typically longer
This goes hand-in-hand with the above point. July blockbusters will typically show more trailers and advertisements than you would see if you go to a smaller February release. Again, this is largely a financial decision. Remember also that even though summer is typically considered peak season, there are other times of year when moviegoing spikes, such as Christmas.
So, what time does the movie actually start? Do previews start at movie time?
By now, we have covered the fact that previews typically last 15-25 minutes, but some theaters show significantly more or less previews. In smaller, independently-owned theaters, you may see less than 10 minutes of previews. At larger theater chains, you may see 25+ minutes of previews, especially during peak season and with major releases.
But what does this actually mean for you, as a moviegoer? Well, to begin, you should know that the movie generally starts about 15-25 minutes after the time displayed on your ticket. So, if your ticket says 8:00, you probably won’t miss anything if you show up at 8:10 (or even 8:15).
If you plan to show up after the time shown on your ticket, remember that you should still be a good neighbor to others in the theater.
Be sure to remain silent upon entry, first of all. And don’t spend too much time finding your seat, or crowding others that are already seated.
And lastly, some people actually do enjoy watching trailers and previews – so don’t be disruptive or on your phone! Even if you consider the trailers to be “just advertisements,” they are actually an important part of the moviegoing experience for many of us.
Final thoughts
Although most theaters show 15-25 minutes of previews before a movie, there is too much variability to draw definite conclusions. This means that, if you are in a new or unfamiliar theater, it is still safest to be seated by the showtime listed on your ticket. This way you ensure that you won’t miss any of the action.
If you want to take a risk by showing up late, remember that previews tend to be 15+ minutes at national theater chains, during peak season, and during the release of major films.
With smaller, independent, or art house theaters, there is always a chance that your film will start right at the time shown on the ticket, so it is safest not to run late in that case. And even if the theater does show previews, there is a good chance that they will be significantly shorter, perhaps even 10 minutes or less.
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