I always arrive at movie screenings exactly 20 minutes late. At this point, my local cinema will still let me in, but I’ll have missed the endless adverts and trailers – apparently, I’m quite lucky, as these can run for 45 minutes in other venues.
But on a recent trip to see the new adaptation Sense And Sensibility, I began wondering how we got such different terms for the two (ads and trailers, I mean).
Is it to do with the trailers actors sometimes live in while filming? The “trail” of previewed information and scenes that’s meant to lead you to a ticket booth?
Nope.
As it turns out, it has to do with when trailers used to be played in cinemas – and modern theatres could take a couple of notes.
English (US)