[Weekly Update] Movie Theater Commercials

Writing this in the movie theater becaue... I forgot I didn't write an update this week.

Sorry, my brain is so scrambled lately.

CHANNEL UPDATE

Next Video:
Our next video is nearing completion and will be published later this week, I think. What began as a simple bad movie world tour about a silly Ghanaian movie has turned into a full essay about why we should make fun of Nazis, with only loose ties to the original film in discussion. Still, I'm happy I managed to put my thoughts into words. And they are words I feel the need to speak right now.

April Video:
I'm a little late to the party, but while we are waiting for Ne Zha 2 to come to home media, I decided to just make a video talking about the traditional story of Ne Zha, and how the character has changed over the centuries.

The idea came to me after watching Saberspark's video, in which he seems unsure which part of the story is Chinese folk tale and which part is cartoon reinvention. Indeed, Ne Zha 2 more or less assumes you are familiar with the original tale, and adapts it for a new generation. Having some familiarity with the source materials will help you enjoy the film much more. Work on the script has begun.

Ne Zha 2:
As for the proper Ne Zha 2 video: In all honesty, I don't have a whole lot to say about it. It's a well made action epic with great fight scenes, but it's otherwise a popcorn flick, as worthy of discussion as an Avengers movie. Instead of going with an in-depth review, I'll likely bundle it with other recent Chinese animated films in a movie recommendation video.

But hey, if you have a topic about Ne Zha 2 you'd like to know, leave a suggestion!

MEDIA TALK

Since I'm in a movie theater right now, let's talk about the commercials.

As weird as it sounds, I used to enjoy movie pre-shows. At one point in time, pre-show in Cineplex (a Canadian theater chain) contained trivia games you can participate with your phone, segments with dedicated host, and exclusive behind the scene look at upcoming movies. It was great at setting the mood.

That, however, is no longer how it works. These days, about half of the commercials are about the theater chain itself, trying to sell you snacks, D-box tickets, or the IMAX experience. All of that is intercut with monotonous movie ads with bits of actor interview.

Worse yet, the same insurance ad would play like 3 times in the span of 10 minutes, sandwiched by various car commercials. It's always the car commercials, too. I find myself turning my brain off the moment the commercials come on.

I supposed this reflects the dire state of cinema here in North America. In competition with streaming services, theater chains no longer has the budget to produce their own content, and are just accepting whatever commercial deals they can get, while trying to upsell you to boost (or salvage) revenue.

It's a sign that the movie theater, as a business, is not in a healthy state. Theater chains are barely staying alive, with little ability to provide a good experience. Unfortunately, a good experience is what sets theaters apart from watching a movie at home. It's a losing battle, one which movie theaters can do little about.

So, what is the future of cinema? I do wonder. Theater commercials in China isn't particularly great either. Many of them are just TV commercials played on the big screen, sometimes without any adjustment, resulting in extremely loud playback. And yet, movie theaters are doing very well in China. So clearly, bad commercial experiences isn't always the deathly sign.

So, what's your opinion on movie theater commercials? Is theater commercials just as bad in your country?

In any case, I'll see you in our new video!