Why Are You Seeing That Trailer Before This Movie?

Posted on April 21, 2010 at 3:59 pm

I often hear complaints from movie-goers who think that the trailers run before the movies they bought tickets to see are inappropriate. This has become even more important now that the MPAA has made the rules about content in trailers even more opaque, Slate explains how trailers are assigned to films. For the chains, it works according to

The “quadrant” system. As many as six trailers play before features at major chains, like AMC and Regal. The studio releasing a given film typically has automatic rights to two of these slots, and theater executives (in consultation with higher-ups from various studios) select the remaining four. Though theoretically studios and theaters could attach any trailer to any movie, they usually decide which releases to promote by using the “quadrant” system, which divides potential audiences into four different categories: men under 25, women under 25, men over 25, and women over 25.

This does not apply to independent theaters, which select trailers for films they will be showing.

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Opening this Week: ‘The Back-Up Plan’ and ‘The Losers’

Posted on April 20, 2010 at 2:40 pm

It’s Mars and Venus time this week with a romantic comedy that brings Jennifer Lopez back to the screen for the first time since “Bordertown” and “El Cantante” in 2006 with “The Back-Up Plan” and the first big guns and explosions movie of the year, “The Losers,” based on a revitalized comic book franchise starting in 2003. In honor of Earth Day, “Oceans” is being released on Thursday as well. It looks spectacular!

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Opening This Week
List: Spiritual Movie Families

List: Spiritual Movie Families

Posted on March 25, 2010 at 2:02 pm

Beliefnet’s “How Spiritual is Your Family” quiz made me think of these movie families, among the very few on screen who are unabashedly spiritual.

1. The Blind Side Based on a true story, this movie makes it clear that a wealthy white family’s decision to adopt a homeless black teenager was not an impulse but was strongly grounded in a deep religious conviction.

2. The Friendly Persuasion is a rare movie that grapples with a loving family’s challenges in applying religious principles to difficult and complicated circumstances but with a supportive community. It is an even rarer movie that shows a character praying for guidance.

3. The Sound of Music a postulate brings not just music and warmth to a motherless family, but also the strength of her faith.

4. Fiddler on the Roof We see the family’s connection to their Jewish traditions and faith and to each other in the way they work to apply God’s laws and in their Sabbath rituals.

5. Not Easily Broken A young couple finds that it takes three to make their marriage work — the husband, the wife, and God.

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