Subversion, Desperation and Captivity: Pre-film Advertising in American Film Exhibition Since 1977

Pre-film advertising generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for the film industry despite being considered a nuisance by many film-goers, studio executives and filmmakers. Although its history dates to the mid 1890s, pre-film advertising did not become a permanent part of the American film-going experience until the mid-1970s. This essay positions its return within the context of a conflict within the ranks of exhibition that saw independent and small town theatre owners desperate to survive in a rapidly changing entertainment marketplace and willing to subvert existing business relationships in order to accomplish that. It concludes with a consideration of how pre-film advertising relies on a concept of the captive audience, developed during the television era, which may no longer be appropriate.