Tom Rothman came to the desert with a message for movie theater owners: “Stay away from advertising crack.”
At CinemaCon, the annual exhibition industry conference in Las Vegas this week, Mr. Rothman bluntly told movie theater operators in the audience at Caesars Palace that they needed to cut back on trailers and commercials, which last about 30 minutes before the opening credits roll.
“We will eliminate endless advertising and significantly shorten long pre-shows,” Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Group, said onstage at the Colosseum, teasing the studio’s future plans.
He noted that frequent movie-goers are now showing up 30 minutes late to avoid all the spots (now easier than ever, thanks to reserved seating). Rothman said that means many people “don’t even watch the trailer” and as a result “the temptation is wasted.”
Rothman predicted a strong rebound in box office revenue in 2026, already benefiting from hits such as “Super Mario Galaxy Movie” and “Project Hail Mary.” But he acknowledged that attendance remains below pre-pandemic levels.
Mr. Rothman has been a vocal advocate of the big screen, urging studios to adopt longer runtimes so that films can run longer in theaters. It’s a theme Rothman revisited at CinemaCon, urging exhibitors to agree not to show films that will soon be released on streaming services or on-demand platforms.
“It forces a longer period of time,” Rothman said. “Yes, even if it means you can’t play all the movies.”
Not only is Rothman struggling to prepare for the exhibition, he is effectively begging Hollywood to invest in a new story along with the full franchise fee. For example, in a recent New York Times op-ed, Rothman, the longest-serving studio chief, wrote, “Originality is essential to movies if they are to succeed with existing intellectual property. Neither movie theaters nor the art form itself can survive without at least some originality. After all, you can’t make a sequel out of nothing.”
Sony’s slate includes sequels to “Spider-Man” and “Jumanji,” as well as originals such as the family comedy “The Breadwinner” and literary works “Clara and the Sun” and “The Nightingale.”
Rothman noted Monday that despite the success of premium formats like Imax that charge high prices, consumers are dealing with costs that have made them more sensitive to price increases.
“Affordability is by far the No. 1 economic issue for the majority of Americans who go to the movies,” Rothman said, urging movie theaters to find ways to offer cheaper alternatives for audiences worried about paying their bills.
