Empire Theatres: Making you hate going to the movies

I haven't seen a movie at the mall theatres since Christmas until I saw Batman Begins last night, so I had no idea just how much more annoying the moviegoing experience could have gotten, but it's pretty easy to say that Empire Theatres has blown past my worst expectations.

Now even before the listed start time (already about 15 minutes before the movie really starts) they just play ads over and over on the screen with the theatre lights on. Interspersed with the ads are little Entertainment Tonight-style clips with the usual vapourous interviews with movie stars that make me hate them before I get to see them actually in the movie I've paid to go see.

If the MPAA wants people to not pirate movies the theatres are making it harder and harder to have a good time when you actually do pay 2/3rs of the price of a DVD to go and see a film in the theatre.

Since I don't watch TV it's probably even worse to have that feeling of being stuck in your chair without the ability to change the channel or mute the noise and lies cominng at you. They've also upped the number of product ads before the movie ads most people generously call 'previews'. There were ads for pop, beer and cars before they even got to the movie ads last night.

Finally I got out the iPod and said "Screw this, time to go hide in podworld for a while, punch me when the movie starts please."

Apparently Loews Theaters in the US have now instituted a 'truth in start times' policy where they at least tell you when the movie you're buying a ticket for will really start, even if they do still assault their customers with ads beforehand.

At least I've still got City Cinema.