Feels like they can be both less important than the feature film (i.e., you wouldn’t pay $9 just to see the trailers) yet still important enough that you don’t want to be distracted by conversations and phone light.
But my point was that no matter how much you like the trailers, you should be able to separate, in your mind, what people do during the trailers from what they do during the movie itself. He seemed to be muddying the waters by complaining:
I agree with him on those points, but I didn’t want anyone thinking that’s what this poll and discussion is about.
I’m also a bit questionable on “talking quietly” during them, but I also acknowledge that previews aren’t what people are there to see, and they’re most likely available elsewhere. There’s nothing wrong with arriving during them, as that is why they are placed before the movie, to give people time to show up. As such, they’re already disruptive, so I can’t see any reason why using your phone would be a big problem. You’re not there to “get the experience” of the ads, just that of the movie. I would doubt the 4-D places give you all that engrossing stuff for the ads.
So I’d probably say you can talk. I’d say it needs to be whispers, though, because of the enclosed space and high density of people would amplify normal speaking too much.
I personally don’t really care even during the movie, as long as I can hear what’s going on and see what’s going on. If the movie is engrossing, I’m not going to notice any distractions that aren’t louder or brighter than the movie. I also prefer theaters where they don’t go completely pitch dark, and have enough light to see to get out, so low lights on your phone don’t even stand out to me. I find watching in complete darkness to be disorienting.
But I realize this isn’t true for everyone, and compromise by agreeing with no talking during the movie–which is part of why I watch movies at home if the point is to be social. No talking at all during the ads seems overkill.
I’d rather hear 15 minutes of commercials and trailers than even five minutes of some jackass trying to be clever whispering sarcastically ABOUT the commercials and trailers. I don’t care for commercials, but I REALLY don’t want to hear you. And, no, Sparky, you’re not nearly as quiet as you think you are. Nor half as clever. What kind of toddler-esque attention span do you have that you can’t just sit in your seat and wait for the commercials and trailers to be over?
I have gone into movies and thought to myself “I thought they’d never get the feature film started”. I’ve left a theater saying “I could do without the ten minutes of Toyota commercials before the show”. I have never once said or thought “Boy, that guy behind me had absolutely amazing commentary to share. I could barely hear him, though.”
Previews are adverts, and I don’t see anything wrong with arriving to the theater during them. Where I live they’ve started alternating between movie trailers and product adverts, so there’s no clear line where adverts stop and previews start. Expecting everyone to arrive 20+ minutes before the movie starts is not reasonable. Avoiding loud conversations during previews is common courtesy, but I don’t have a problem with people looking at their phones until the movie starts. Lights are on during previews anyway, so it’s not nearly as noticeable as during the movie with lights off.
This.
First, previews are a scam and a waste of time. If you enjoy them, god help your soul. If you really want to know what a movie is going to be like, every single preview ever made is on YouTube for free. You don’t need to see them in Dolby surround sound.
Second, everything up until the actual movie starts is fair game for general social behavior. Talk, laugh, check your phone, I don’t care.
Third, the only showtime theaters give you is the preview start time, for a non-sold-out movie people can’t even plan very well when they actually need to enter and sit down. We’re all slaves to the advertising execs, cut us some slack if we want to fart around on Facebook looking at a completely different set of ads.
First: How are previews “a scam and a waste of time”? Who is being scammed, and how? The only one who can decide what is and is not a waste of their time is the individual. Also not your decision whether I “need” to so them in Dolby surround sound. When I go the movies, I’m doing exactly what is intended - watching a film, with the bonus of getting a peek at other movies that I might want to see. It may not be your bag, but you(collective “you”) are the one deviating from the intended protocol.
Second: Your opinion.
Third: Again with the talk of being slaves to the advertising execs 
Is there some conspiracy theory going around that I missed? Going to a movie theater to fart around on Facebook (talk about useless activities) makes no sense to me.
There is a thing called dont be a jerk. That means that if you know some people enjoy watching previews then fold your hands in your lap and close your mouth. Common courtesy isnt hard.
Yeah, this thread is a whole lot of “They’re not important to me so piss off and you’re stupid if you care” despite it being obvious that a fair number of people actually are interested in seeing them (at the theater as part of the overall movie experience). This is why we can’t have nice things.
Basically, what I’m getting from this thread is: “Since I personally don’t enjoy trailers, I feel perfectly justified in ruining it for those who do”.
ETA: Ninja’d
Moviegoers. You pays your money AND you have to watch ads? Nobody stands for this when Hulu does it.
Woosh?
Well up until this thread I had no idea that not talking and not playing on your phone during the previews was considered common courtesy during ads. I’m not standing up in the theater talking on my cell phone like '80s man, and I never considered it disrespectful or jerkish to talk to my seat partners during the previews. Live and learn.
I’m still right tho 
It’s just confusing, like I thought trailers were universally derided. This thread is like finding out that some people like talking to telemarketers.
But how much control over my own life do I have to cede to others in the interest of “courtesy” ? If the person on my train to work wants to take a nap, and is distracted by my conversation, or the faint buzzing coming from my headphones, does courtesy require that I stop?
The reason we’re there is to watch the movie, and everyone should be quiet & phones off during that. At any other time, I don’t think those rules apply, and I don’t think you get to make me follow them.
“Have to”? None. That’s why it’s courtesy and not a requirement.
You know that a good percentage of people would like to enjoy the previews. If you need to tell yourself “but what if a guy on the train doesn’t like my headphones buzzing?” to justify making their experience worse, then knock yourself out.
Fine. Rephrase that as "But how much control over my own life should I cede to others in the interest of “courtesy” "?
At some point someone else’s request is unreasonable, and I’m not being discourteous in declining it. Even if what I’m doing is in fact bothering them. Because they have no reasonable expectation for me to not perform that behavior.
That’s a poor analogy because nappers on the bus don’t expect anyone to be quiet.
But to your point, if someone makes it known to me something I’m doing is bothering them, I’ll stop as long as it’s reasonable.
Being quiet once the lights go down for the movie trailers seems reasonable.
That said, the commercials that play when (And the still ads) the lights are still on; I don’t think anyone should expect people to be quiet.
And if 64% of thread respondents disagreed with you? Would you feel confused and scared?
I think my local theaters have 2 stages of dimming, full lights for the ads, mood lighting for the previews, and no lights for the feature. That to me indicates how loud I can be. Preview lighting means quiet talking is OK, feature lighting means I better be whispering at a level that no one else can hear.
This is pretty much me
When the house lights turn off, sit down and STFU. I fail to see room for debate here.
So you mean when the feature starts?