Overview

• AMC expanded its preshows from about 20 to 30 minutes starting July 1 through a deal with National CineMedia to run premium “platinum spot” ads.
• Major studios complained that longer ad blocks drove audience drop-off, citing internal studies showing only 80% of patrons seated for trailers four minutes before showtime.
• Moviegoers voiced frustration on social media and began arriving late to avoid excessive preshow content, prompting concern over reduced trailer viewership.
• The drive to add more ads followed AMC’s weakest first-quarter earnings since 1996 (excluding pandemic years) and the closure of 169 locations since 2019.
• AMC plans to roll back preshow lengths by the end of the year, though precise cutbacks and implementation details are still being finalized.