On the CinemaCon 2026 stage, the annual event for the film industry in Las Vegas, Tom Rothman criticized certain theater operators who show up to 30 minutes of ads before movies.
“Are you tired of the numerous ads before movie screenings in theaters?” Tom Rothman, prominent CEO of Sony Pictures and a historical figure in the U.S. film industry, is too. The 71-year-old leader made a statement on Monday at CinemaCon 2026 in Las Vegas, saying, “Stop flooding us with ads!” Rothman criticized theater operators who show up to 30 minutes of ads before movies.
“Occasional moviegoers arrive at the showtime and hate having to watch endless ads, something they don’t have to do at home, where movies are free,” he observed. As for regular movie buffs, they have figured out the trick and now arrive late to avoid the ads, made possible by reserved seating. According to Rothman, this means many people “don’t even see the trailers” played between ads, which he considers “missed opportunities.” “Cut out the endless ads and significantly shorten the long pre-shows,” he emphasized.
“Do away with ads”
“Going to the cinema must become affordable” This call to limit ads was one of the three points Rothman emphasized during his speech at CinemaCon 2026. The Sony Pictures boss, known for successfully rebooting several franchises like “Spider-Man” and “Jumanji,” and developing original projects like “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” by Quentin Tarantino, also called for extending the film exhibition period and keeping them in theaters longer.
He particularly urged for lower movie ticket prices. “Financial accessibility is by far the main economic issue for the majority of Americans. Going to the movies must become affordable,” he said. Despite predicting a strong box office recovery in 2026, especially with the success of “Super Mario Galaxy, the film” and “Last Chance Project,” Rothman highlighted that theater attendance remained lower than pre-Covid levels. He called on cinema operators to “make tough choices for the long term rather than the short term.”
