Todd Phillips says theaters should stop showing commercials

Joker director Todd Phillips says theaters should stop showing commercials before movies: “[They] tend to take the air out of the room.”

Going to the movies can be a hit-or-miss experience. In addition to possible visual and audio issues, your good time can also be ruined by unruly patrons, overpriced food and beverages, and filthy seats. Even if everything goes well, one more element has become increasingly overbearing in recent years: commercials. There’s nothing like going to the movies and having to sit through nearly 10-20 minutes worth of commercials (and that’s not counting the previews), and Joker: Folie à Deux director Todd Phillips has had enough.

As more people turn to streaming services instead of the theater, Phillips told Empire that one simple fix could help make the theatrical experience more enjoyable. “Stop showing commercials before the movies,” he said. “We’ve paid for our tickets. We’re excited to be there. The commercials tend to take the air out of the room.” I mean, he’s not wrong. I still remember the days when commercials were rare in my local theaters. There might have been one or even none at all. Now it feels like the actual movie doesn’t start until a good 30 minutes after the advertised showtime. I get that theaters need to make money, but there’s got to be some middle ground.

Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux is still playing in theaters, but unlike the first movie, which earned over $1 billion worldwide and scored Joaquin Phoenix an Academy Award for Best Actor, the sequel is bombing. In fact, there have been reports that it could lose the studio at least $150 million to $200 million. The sequel has grossed $201 million worldwide on a budget of $200 million.

Our own Chris Bumbray wasn’t a fan of the sequel, feeling that it only exists because the first movie made so much money. “Perhaps Joker was too big of a hit not to get a sequel, but watching Joker: Folie à Deux, you get the distinct feeling that this was an exercise in style for Phillips rather than a sequel that HAD to be made,” Bumbray wrote. “As it is, though, this Joker sequel spins its wheels and winds up being an often dull courtroom movie livened up by occasional flights of fancy into musical numbers. Those sequences are the best in the film, as without them, this would feel like a wholly unnecessary epilogue to what was originally a pretty powerful film.” You can check out the rest of Bumbray’s review right here, and be sure to let us know what you think of the film as well. Joker: Folie à Deux will be released on 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray on December 17th.

Would you like to see fewer commercials played in theaters or does it not bother you?