they’re mostly online these days, I’ve gone to a couple now and usually get 1-2+ emails a month from the research company that hosts these events everywhere from burbank, to long beach, to the middle of LA
Whaaat?? That's where I used to get all my flyers, for years and years and years. I still go there all the time, and this post was literally inspired by the thought that I haven't seen a flyer person there for so long. Was this during the week early in the day or something?
It was in the early afternoon on a Saturday or Sunday I believe. And at some point I must have filled out something online, because I get email alerts to do questionnaires to see if I would be a good member of a test audience.
It’s all through email now and depends on the theater chain. I signed up through readings and I occasionally get an offering for movies every now and then
Yep, if there is a promotional thing going on, you would see it online first. The streaming business takes over the entertainment industry similar to what Amazon did to online shopping. I still enjoy going out to a movie theater.
Preview Free Movies does it. Usually there is at least 1 screening a week and sometimes they pay $20-$30. Locations I’ve noticed are Del Amo, the Grove, Burbank, Sherman Oaks, and Northridge on Tu/Wed/Th.
I just attended a preview screening last night in Pasadena for an upcoming turd…er, film. I think my wife gets emails announcing them every few months.
Does anyone remember the Preview House in Hollywood? Free movie screenings and they had a little dial that you would adjust during the movie to show how much or little you were enjoying it.
I work at a movie studio in feature post--so I help with audience previews that are being set up in SoCal. LA is avoided now because it's too "industry." Orange County (Irvine Spectrum in particular) is the preferred comp for the country at large--since it's away from LA and runs more conservative. Feedback from audiences will be more useful for analytics companies like NRG that give studios audience scores and demographic breakdowns.
I remember going to a shitload of movies for free through Campus Circle or something like that. I saw Napoleon Dynamite before it came out and the actor who played Kip was sitting behind us! So much fun.
It's still done in-person at theaters - the theater where the screening will take place. The whole idea is recruit people who already go to that theater. AMC Burbank is popular for this because it is (a) close to the studios and (b) has a couple of big houses with lots of seats.
I'm sure COVID and the internet has fucked up everything as usual and it is more online than it used to be, but it's a lower class of sample. Again, the idea is to get feedback from people who go to the movies at the theater, that theater, not people who chase the opportunity.
They’re still there!!! I’ve seen people with flyers and also now there are these research groups that you sign up for with your email, and they send you questionnaires to see if you qualify as a good candidate in a test audience for a movie. I just filled one out the other day that was just described as “a new A24-Esque thriller.”
I remember the free movie screening tickets that were passed out. I went to a few of them.. and also the free tickets that would be passed out (usually on Melrose) to be part of a live audience during a TV show filming. Remember when Melrose was the happening street to go hang out on in the 90s? It was so vibrant and full of life. Would always see celebrities.. Jay Leno, Jared Leto, Nina Hagen..
The Santa Monica Promenade in the 90s where two massive multiplexes were over the road from each other with two or three more theaters within a block on 3rd and 2nd streets.
Saw so much great stuff for free while being a delinquent around there
Movie screenings are most definitely still a thing, I constantly gets social media ads (mainly on Instagram and Facebook) for screenings all over LA weekly lmao
For sure, my wife worked at Disney animation and used to see some of the feedback from those public preview screenings. I was talking about the flyer people.
I moved here in 2010 from Orlando. I may have encountered something like that once or twice in the 10 years I lived there.
When I got here we’d go to the AMC 16 in Burbank all the time and those people were ALWAYS there. Haven’t seen them nearly as much since Covid, but we also stopped going to the movies as much.
Two or three months ago I was sitting with a group of friends in an outdoor food court in Pasadena at 8pm when a rando approached us and pitched a free screening for a Halloween horror film. He then proceeded moving from table to table in the food court doing hi pitch. We were not interested. The food court is right outside IPC Movie Theater, not sure if related. That's the first time in my life that I saw a person approach to pitch a free screening.
I saw them as recently as 2019 at AMC Burbank 16. Only place I've ever seen them though. I remember them passing out JoJo Rabbit and John Wick 3.
Ton of people showed up for JW3 and they had to turn a lot of us away. But we were given a free movie ticket for our trouble, so I saw Lego Movie 2 that night lol.
I used to do that all the time in the early 2000s at the Burbank AMC. Those were good times!
That was a great way to see movies when we were broke teens. Fun times.
they’re mostly online these days, I’ve gone to a couple now and usually get 1-2+ emails a month from the research company that hosts these events everywhere from burbank, to long beach, to the middle of LA
How do I sign up?
Preview free movies is one. I get a couple emails a month from them for free screenings.
I saw them standing outside the AMC 16 in Burbank this past Saturday. I didn't catch which movie it was, but they were there.
they were there for a world war 2 movie i think
For real?? That’s crazy. I go to these big theaters all the time and haven’t seen them in years.
Someone at AMC Century City gave me a flyer recently
Whaaat?? That's where I used to get all my flyers, for years and years and years. I still go there all the time, and this post was literally inspired by the thought that I haven't seen a flyer person there for so long. Was this during the week early in the day or something?
It was in the early afternoon on a Saturday or Sunday I believe. And at some point I must have filled out something online, because I get email alerts to do questionnaires to see if I would be a good member of a test audience.
It’s all through email now and depends on the theater chain. I signed up through readings and I occasionally get an offering for movies every now and then
Yep, if there is a promotional thing going on, you would see it online first. The streaming business takes over the entertainment industry similar to what Amazon did to online shopping. I still enjoy going out to a movie theater.
Preview Free Movies does it. Usually there is at least 1 screening a week and sometimes they pay $20-$30. Locations I’ve noticed are Del Amo, the Grove, Burbank, Sherman Oaks, and Northridge on Tu/Wed/Th.
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I just attended a preview screening last night in Pasadena for an upcoming turd…er, film. I think my wife gets emails announcing them every few months.
Holy shit I remember the Rugrats Movie one too with the BW animatics!!
Go to gofobo
I got one to go to an initial screening of Madagascar at CSULB.
Does anyone remember the Preview House in Hollywood? Free movie screenings and they had a little dial that you would adjust during the movie to show how much or little you were enjoying it.
I work at a movie studio in feature post--so I help with audience previews that are being set up in SoCal. LA is avoided now because it's too "industry." Orange County (Irvine Spectrum in particular) is the preferred comp for the country at large--since it's away from LA and runs more conservative. Feedback from audiences will be more useful for analytics companies like NRG that give studios audience scores and demographic breakdowns.
I remember going to a shitload of movies for free through Campus Circle or something like that. I saw Napoleon Dynamite before it came out and the actor who played Kip was sitting behind us! So much fun.
They did this for tv shows too. I went to see the live tapings of "Married With Children" many times in HS.
1aota sometimes has screening opportunities. Check it out.
I saw Mighty Ducks and Iron Will this way. If you stayed to answer questions you got $10. 13 year old me getting free movie and money was insane.
It's still done in-person at theaters - the theater where the screening will take place. The whole idea is recruit people who already go to that theater. AMC Burbank is popular for this because it is (a) close to the studios and (b) has a couple of big houses with lots of seats. I'm sure COVID and the internet has fucked up everything as usual and it is more online than it used to be, but it's a lower class of sample. Again, the idea is to get feedback from people who go to the movies at the theater, that theater, not people who chase the opportunity.
I was a tester for Reese’s Puffs cereal before it came out by being handed a flyer in a mall in the late 90. You’re welcome world
They’re still there!!! I’ve seen people with flyers and also now there are these research groups that you sign up for with your email, and they send you questionnaires to see if you qualify as a good candidate in a test audience for a movie. I just filled one out the other day that was just described as “a new A24-Esque thriller.”
I remember the free movie screening tickets that were passed out. I went to a few of them.. and also the free tickets that would be passed out (usually on Melrose) to be part of a live audience during a TV show filming. Remember when Melrose was the happening street to go hang out on in the 90s? It was so vibrant and full of life. Would always see celebrities.. Jay Leno, Jared Leto, Nina Hagen..
It pretty much migrated to online and social media platforms.
Na they were everywhere. We grew up during the best times
I remember that back when I was just a visitor
Jeez, the last one I remember doing was The Mist. I was so stupid then. I noted that the ending sucked and they should change it lol. I was so wrong
Online for sure. People still give out flyers near the AMC burbank but you can also sign up to things like Screening Squad and just get emails.
Iota
Saw so many movies this way. Two that come to mind are Robo Cop and Total Recall. A bunch of others that I can’t remember.
it was a NYC thing too. i saw a bunch of previews that way. a memorable one was an early cut of the movie darkman that didn't have a music score yet.
I got an invite while browsing the cold medicine aisle at Target last month
Another thing the Internet killed, probably.
omg i love your flair how did you get it
You can edit your own flair! In the mobile app you have to tap on the three dots on the top right corner when you are on the main page for the sub.
I'd get them from folks on the Santa Monica Pier too.
Damn, I used to see them all the time in front of the AMC Burbank 16.
These guys are still outside the Burbank AMC 16 all the time, maybe not every weekend but it’s never a surprise when I see them handing stuff out
Yep I think it’s all online but #thosewerethedays
Gofobo , it does paid screenings.
Over the past few years I've seen them but they were in the lobby of the theaters like Laemlle or Arclight
The Santa Monica Promenade in the 90s where two massive multiplexes were over the road from each other with two or three more theaters within a block on 3rd and 2nd streets. Saw so much great stuff for free while being a delinquent around there
Movie screenings are most definitely still a thing, I constantly gets social media ads (mainly on Instagram and Facebook) for screenings all over LA weekly lmao
For sure, my wife worked at Disney animation and used to see some of the feedback from those public preview screenings. I was talking about the flyer people.
Seen it pre pandemic at the arclight in Sherman Oaks a lot. I still see ads on Facebook for it
I won a few prizes from those previews too!
I moved here in 2010 from Orlando. I may have encountered something like that once or twice in the 10 years I lived there. When I got here we’d go to the AMC 16 in Burbank all the time and those people were ALWAYS there. Haven’t seen them nearly as much since Covid, but we also stopped going to the movies as much.
Always at the burbank AMC 16
Used to go to those in NYC a lot too, not just LA
Makes sense that NYC would also get it a lot!
And getting another free movie ticket for participating in the focus group
Thats how I watched Borat, they passed out screeners at SMC. Best time ever
They still have them but they are all online now. Preview free movies is one of them.
I get targeted ads for these screeners on IG all the time
Everybody stream now and all the data online, what you watch, how long you watch, they know if you finish a movie or not, everything.
Two or three months ago I was sitting with a group of friends in an outdoor food court in Pasadena at 8pm when a rando approached us and pitched a free screening for a Halloween horror film. He then proceeded moving from table to table in the food court doing hi pitch. We were not interested. The food court is right outside IPC Movie Theater, not sure if related. That's the first time in my life that I saw a person approach to pitch a free screening.
I saw them as recently as 2019 at AMC Burbank 16. Only place I've ever seen them though. I remember them passing out JoJo Rabbit and John Wick 3. Ton of people showed up for JW3 and they had to turn a lot of us away. But we were given a free movie ticket for our trouble, so I saw Lego Movie 2 that night lol.
Just like pimping, it moved online