This Is Exactly How Long It Usually Takes For Trailers To End At A Movie Theater
By Nina Sterle
Movie previews are practically part of the in-theater experience these days. Gone are the days of showing up to your movie and having just five or ten minutes of previews to sit through; lately, it seems as though movie previews have just been getting longer and longer.
So, when you’re trying to figure out how much time you actually have to get to the theater (not to mention grab snacks before the film starts), you probably want to take into account that previews aren’t just ten minutes long anymore.
First of all, the length of previews does vary from theater to theater. Additionally, some preview times can even vary depending on how popular a movie is. If you’re watching a major blockbuster, chances are that the previews you face will be a lot longer than a movie that doesn’t have as much advertising behind it.
The general minimum length of time for previews stands at about 20 minutes. This is the amount of previews you can expect from most major chains. The “timer” for this 20 minutes starts at the time that your movie is scheduled to begin. This means that you technically have an extra 20 minutes to get to your seats.
Some theaters will run longer previews, but it’s not necessarily a safe bet. The general longest amount of preview times will be 35 minutes, which is admittedly quite a while. Some theaters will start previews a little earlier than the actual show time, especially if the film is popular — this allows them to play more previews without significantly delaying the start time of the film. Remember, theaters are on a schedule, too — they can’t play previews endlessly without limiting the amount of movie showings they can have in a day.
On the long end, most major theaters tend to cap themselves at 30 minutes. Anything after that, and you’re risking a lot of complaints from your audience (not that 30 minutes of previews isn’t already a lot to sit through).
Generally, you should try to treat previews as more of a buffer to help ensure that everyone gets what they need and makes it to their seats before the film actually begins. Feel free to arrive a little closer to the start time of your movie, then spend the time shortly after your film is scheduled to begin grabbing snacks, using the bathroom, and finding your seats.
It’s a good idea to be seated by 15 minutes after your movie is scheduled to start. Nobody can guarantee exactly how long a particular movie’s previews will last — remember, they can vary from film to film — and you could get lucky with an extra short preview run time. Getting there within 15 minutes will ensure you have a few minutes to settle in, and your film should usually start within another 5 minutes.
