Sony CEO Urges Cinemas to Cut Pre-Show Ad Blocks

Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group CEO Tom Rothman has publicly called on cinema operators to reduce pre-show advertising, warning that lengthy ad blocks before films are pushing audiences away from theaters.

Rothman made the remarks at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, urging exhibitors to "get rid of the endless advertising" ahead of feature films.

Rothman Flags Audience Behavior Shift Driven by Reserved Seating

The current pre-show block runs approximately 30 minutes on average, combining trailers and commercials before the main feature begins.

Rothman noted that frequent moviegoers now deliberately arrive late to screenings to skip the pre-show entirely. Reserved seating systems, introduced to improve the moviegoing experience, have made this behavior easy. Audiences can secure their seats in advance and simply walk in when the film starts.

This pattern undermines a core assumption behind cinema advertising: that the audience is captive and present. When regular attendees systematically skip the pre-show, the reach that advertisers are paying for becomes harder to guarantee.

Cinema Competes With Streaming for Both Audiences and Ad Budgets

The pre-show debate sits within a broader competitive shift. Netflix's advertising market share stood at 3.7% at the end of 2025 and is projected to reach 9.2% by 2027. Streaming platforms offer brands short, skippable, targeted ad formats ranging from 15 seconds to two minutes, with personalization capabilities that cinema currently cannot match.

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Cinema advertising generates an estimated US$2.5 billion annually and helps theater operators offset operational costs. However, AlixPartners has predicted advertising budgets will continue shifting toward digital, streaming, and retail media channels.

The global cinema market was valued at US$89.3 billion at the end of 2025 and is projected to reach US$127.9 billion by 2033, growing at a 4.6% annual rate. Asia-Pacific markets, particularly China and India, are significant contributors to that growth trajectory.

Industry Pilots Ad-Free Options While Box Office Shows Recovery Signs

Alamo Drafthouse is piloting premium ad-free ticket options as one proposed response to pre-show overload, testing whether audiences will pay more to skip advertising entirely.

Rothman also used CinemaCon to project confidence in the 2026 box office, citing recent successes and Sony's upcoming slate of both franchise sequels and original titles. He reiterated Sony's support for longer theatrical windows, encouraging exhibitors to prioritize films that commit to extended cinema runs before moving to streaming platforms.

Despite the pre-show friction, cinema attendance data shows some resilience. Screenvision reported consistent 76% population participation in cinema since 2019, with 6% year-over-year ticket growth in 2025. Gen Z cinema attendance rose 25% year-over-year, though this demographic is also the most accustomed to skippable, personalized digital advertising formats.

U.S. attendance overall remains 14% to 38% below 2019 levels, reflecting the ongoing recovery challenge facing the industry.

Rothman also pointed to affordability as a factor, noting that rising living costs have made audiences more price-sensitive and suggesting lower-cost viewing options could help bring moviegoers back to theaters.