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AIBU?

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cinema trailers

19 replies

jdaniel · 06/12/2012 16:03

Ive taken my son to a few films recently and couldnt believe the trailers that were on before the kids am movie. The expendables! Violence, explosions and gunfire with threats of violence and death. The Dark Knight Rises!! With promises of muder and death. Trailer after trailer showing really inappropriate films and footage. This happens in Cineworld and Vue and its outrageous. And I am not a squeemish parent at all.

OP posts:
Sirzy · 06/12/2012 16:04

I thought the trailers were the same rating (or lower) than the film being shown?

Dead69Girl · 06/12/2012 16:06

i thought the same as sirzy,

what film did you go and see?

freddiefrog · 06/12/2012 16:10

I always thought it was the same rating or lower too, but was told that's not the case after I complained

Took my DDs to see a U film where they played a trailer for Avatar. I complained but was told that as they hadn't shown the whole film, it was OK.

I think the fact they pick out the most action-y parts from the film for the trailer so the scary bits are shown out of context makes it worse than showing the film in its entirety

pumpkinsweetie · 06/12/2012 16:15

Yanbu, the new batman film looks pretty scary to a minor!

Original poster
jdaniel · 06/12/2012 20:16

I dont recall which films it was but we rarely go to see anything over a U and to have sylvester stallone and his army machine gunning their way across the sreen and then order everyone killed, followed by a masked distorted voiced Bane loom into the screen over Batman and say 'you have my permission to die' was not what I expected, even at a PG! Dark Knight is a 12 certificate and I understand that PG is hardly U but this was a kids am special showing for little ones.

OP posts:
EverybodysSnowyEyed · 06/12/2012 20:22

i took ds (5) to see the pirates and they showed trailers for batman and the hunger games. he found them really upsetting and he was on edge during the film

WMittens · 06/12/2012 20:35

Trailers get rated by the BBFC, hence why you see 'these trailers are appropriate for the feature' at the beginning of the screening.

www.bbfc.co.uk/education-resources/student-faqs#13

If you don't agree, write and complain to them.

12 cert isn't used any more in cinema, it's 12A which means under 12s can attend with an adult.

EverybodysSnowyEyed · 06/12/2012 20:38

the pirates is PG and the trailers are 12 A (Batman and the hunger games) - do they feel PG and 12A are similar level?

That may well be worth a complaint!

StickEmWithThePointyEnd · 06/12/2012 20:42

Everytime I go to the cinema there is a message before the trailers to say that they have been deemed suitable for the age rating of the film you are about to watch.

Hulababy · 06/12/2012 20:43

The trailers are often rated differently to the full film. So the film Batman maybe a 12A, but the trailer for Batman is probably rated at a PG. That is why it can be shown in a showing of a PG film.

ArbitraryUsername · 06/12/2012 20:46

The trailer often has a different certificate to the film itself. It would probably be possible to create a trailer for an 18 certificate with a U classification because the trailer is classified as a stand alone work.

EverybodysSnowyEyed · 06/12/2012 20:49

Really? The batman trailer showed lots of policemen being blown up and the hunger games trailer showed some other death. DS was all wobbly lipped and was asking if they were dead!

Maybe next time I take him to the cinema I will go in once the trailers are finished

ArbitraryUsername · 07/12/2012 13:57

Yes, really. I looked it up on the bbfc website. The award a certificate for the trailer based entirely on the content in the trailer. It doesn't matter what's in the actual film (often they can't know that as distributors release some trailers long before the actual film is anywhere near finished).

This is why you get the weasel wording about trailers being appropriate for the feature presentation.

You'd think the cinemas would give a bit more thought to it though. After all, trailers are just advertising in the hope of getting future business off you. So it's not really a brilliant idea to show a trailer for an 18 certificate film before the latest Pixar one. The audience are not that likely to want to see the film. You'd be better off showing the new Dreamworks offering, as then the kids'll pester their parents about that.

WileywithSageStuffing · 07/12/2012 14:01

Well we went to the cinema to watch Ice Age 4 and the trailer was for "Ted".

My 7 year old thought it looked great....

The trailer may have been age appropriate but the film is most definitely not.

It is odd to play trailers for films the target audience of the then viewing wouldn't be able to watch.

EverybodysSnowyEyed · 07/12/2012 17:04

Yes! Ds didn't want to go back to te cinema for a while!!

WMittens · 08/12/2012 14:42

"It is odd to play trailers for films the target audience of the then viewing wouldn't be able to watch."

Why do you assume that the kids were the target of the trailer? The very fact that you were there too means there was more than one demographic in the cinema. I imagine that for any U certificate screening, a third or more of viewers are adults.

WileywithSageStuffing · 08/12/2012 15:17

Why do you assume that the kids were the target of the trailer? The very fact that you were there too means there was more than one demographic in the cinema. I imagine that for any U certificate screening, a third or more of viewers are adults.

I didn't assume the kids were the target market of the trailer ..... Didn't say it either.

WMittens · 08/12/2012 17:14

So why is it odd?

WileywithSageStuffing · 08/12/2012 17:17

Tbh I'm not that bothered about it Confused.

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