I am a big stickler for silence in the movie theater, but in my book the crapflood of bullshit ads are exempt from the “whispers only,” rule. Feel free to talk loudly about anything you want during the ad; you will recieve bonus points if you make loud derisive remarks about the ads themselves or the products advertised.
Well, that gives you a free half hour to see if you-know-what ensues! 
I don’t like pre-movie ads either, but given how most theaters are getting screwed by the studios for hot new movies, I tolerate 'em as part of supporting my local stadium-seating, ultra-comfy, cinematic-experiencing cinema.
And yeah, I buy the overpriced sodas and popcorn, too. But that I do gladly. 
I would love to hear this if it actually existed.
I used to do this until I realized that some theaters (mostly smaller, independent ones) actually start the movie (almost) on time and I missed the first 5 minutes of The Constant Gardener (not to mention annoyed everyone by walking in late). 
So, I’ve developed a new rule: fuck big chain movie theaters, I’ll watch everything at the smaller theaters from now on, or catch it on DVD.
Yes, the Twenty! Bloody smarmy pablum that’s attempting to be interesting and cool…ooo a “sneak preview” of a star telling me how great his next movie is going to be. Horse-balls. I’m an insider 'cause I watch the Twenty! It’s like that stupid radio commercial where “regular people” sit around and discuss the great new shows on TV. BLEAH!
This is slightly off-topic, but it’s still a movie theater rant and is tangentially related.
The last movie I saw in the theaters (and it’ll be the last one ever at that theater), they turned on the house lights as soon as the credits started rolling, and 30 seconds later were in there with fucking brooms.
I asked the first guy to turn the house lights off, please, and he said he needed to clean. I told him I didn’t care, but to go please turn the lights off until the movie was completely over. I had to talk to two other people.
Afterwards, I complained to the manager, and his only excuse was “Well, we’re on a pretty tight schedule…”
Fuck you and your schedule. If they didn’t show ads for 20 minutes, they’d have plenty of time to run the credits so I can actually see who played that black detective.
Personally I HATE the ads that are shown before movies. Another part of me keeps waiting for the Looney Toons cartoons to kick in. I feel a weird sense of awe everytime I watch Bugs Bunny, Popeye and the like and I know that in the beginning…they were the filler and the advertisements for the adults at the theater.
Show me an AD…fine!..then show me something original.
Well I work at a movie theater, admittedly in New Zealand so I’m not sure exactly how similar it is to the US but here goes anyhow. We schedule 15min of ad’s and trailers on each movie. Normally it runs to about 10min though. Sneakily we put the ads after the first trailer such that those intent on seeing all the trailers have to watch the ads any how.
As to the lights thing the house lights come on as the credits roll to allow those that don’t want to watch the credits (most people) to leave in relative safety. Cleaning lights and brooms etc won’t appear until the last customer has left the cinema.
That said I’d like to send out a personal fuck you to people that not only watch the credits but sit around talking after the projector has stopped. Yes I have every right to kick you out and I will do so.
Hasn’t a law been proposed in NYS that would require movie theatres to advertise the time the movie actually starts?