New York – If you’re a moviegoer who hates sitting through the Fandango sack puppets, coming attractions and Inconsiderate Cell Phone Man, here’s some good news.
Loews Cineplex Entertainment will begin advertising movie showtimes with a note saying most movies actually start 10 to 15 minutes later because of all those commercials, public service announcements and previews.
The note will start appearing in newspaper and Internet listings for the theater chain beginning next month, said John McCauley, Loews’ senior vice president for marketing.
Loews owns 200 theaters nationwide, but none in Colorado.
Regal Entertainment, owned by Philip Anschutz, said it does not plan to alter its published start times, said spokesman Dick Westerling.
Regal, with 558 theaters and more than 6,200 screens, is the world’s largest movie theater chain. It operates 12 theaters and 112 screens in Colorado.
Westerling said the company typically starts its movies five to 15 minutes after the posted time.
“Our patrons are knowledgeable about this,” Westerling said. He said the company does not receive a significant number of complaints about the practice. “At this time we do not see a reason to change,” he said.
McCauley said the change at Loews was a response to complaints from moviegoers. Yet McCauley said he thinks few people will arrive later because of the notice.
Denver Post staff writer Will Shanley contributed to this report.
