Cinema owners want spoiler-free movie trailers

Have you ever watched a trailer for a movie and thought, “That just gave the whole movie away”?

Being spoiled by movie trailers is an increasingly common problem for moviegoers, and it’s an issue that only seems to be getting worse as film budgets get bigger. Studios rely on trailers to put butts in seats for a film’s all-important first weekend, which means that a flashy, $20 million visual effects shot is definitely going to end up in the trailer, even if it should have been saved for opening night.

That could change very soon, though.

Apparently frustrated by constant audience complaints, the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is calling on Hollywood to make their movie trailers shorter and less spoiler-filled. NATO’s executive board created the new rules in an effort to give film exhibitors more control over how movies are marketed in cinemas, and to supposedly protect their customers from spoilers.

The guidelines also specify that a trailer cannot be shown more than five months before the release of the movie it is advertising, and that marketing materials (posters, standees, etc.) cannot be displayed inside of a theatre more than four months before the release of a film.

Does that mean we won't have to sit through 20 minutes of movie trailers anymore? In theory, these NATO rules will cut down the number of trailers audiences are subjected to before a movie -- however, fewer, shorter trailers could actually mean an uptick in non-movie advertising. Car commercials, smartphone ads, and other forms of advertising have become an important (and very profitable) to many cinema chains. NATO is quick to point out that these rules are voluntary, but some studios worry that exhibitors would refuse to play trailers longer than the two minute limit.

So, what do these American rules mean for Canadian cinemas?

According to Nuria Bronfman, Executive Director of the Motion Picture Theatre Associations of Canada (MPTAC), many Canadian cinemas are likely follow the American example.

“The NATO guidelines were designed for the broader industry, but what's important to note is that every exhibitor has their own relationship with distribution,” Bronfman told Yahoo! Movies Canada on Tuesday, stressing that the guidelines are voluntary and are simply “designed to add a little bit of structure around marketing.”

The new guidelines certainly appear to be good news for audiences and theatre owners, but it remains to be seen whether Hollywood studios will pick a fight over efforts to limit how they advertise movies.

Do you want movie trailers to have less spoilers? Do you think Hollywood is too aggressive with its marketing? Or do you just think this is all just an excuse for theatres to show more advertising? Let us know in the comments.