What does 'Only In Theatres' mean?

July 9, 2006 11:30 AM

Why do all movie advertisements and trailers state that the movie will be shown "Only In Theaters"?

All movies, no matter how big or how small, are eventually released to video, and everyone knows that, so presumably nobody's being fooled into thinking their one and only chance to see the movie is in a theater.

Some googling of this has turned up speculation that this has to do only with movies that are associated with existing TV series, to tell people that the movie is separate from said series, but I don't give that theory any credit - the O.I.T. phrase appears on nearly all ads, not just those.

posted by dmd to media & arts (16 comments total)

It's the same reason a video game publisher might annouce a game as being "Only on PS2" or a clothing line might be marketed as "Only at Sears" - it's like a little advertisement for the medium. Ever since home-video options have existing, movie theatres have been worried about the effects on their business, and having the studios include the "Only in theatres" bit in a trailer serves to remind the audience that when they visit a theatre rather than rent a video, they're (supposedly) getting a commodity product at a (temporarily) exclusive source.
posted by chudmonkey at 11:51 AM on July 9, 2006

I'm not sure chudmonkey's answer is entirely accurate. Yes, they're happy to do a little medium-advertising, but I think the simpler explanation is that many movies nowadays are released straight to video -- It's much more common than it used to be, although it's been around for quite awhile now. If the movie's going to be released in theatres, they say so, just as if the movie's going to be released straight to DVD, they say say so.
posted by wolftrouble at 11:54 AM on July 9, 2006

I don't think it's anything more complex than telling you exactly how you can see the film being advertised (at least in the near future).
posted by cillit bang at 12:05 PM on July 9, 2006

It might have a lot to do with the Oscars -- The rules for the Academy Awards are strict, and if a movie debuts on TV or video or some other medium than theatrically, they're disqualified from consideration. I think I remember one or two flaps about that in the past, like (correct me if I'm wrong) Adrian Lyne's Lolita -- I seem to remember that nobody would release it theatrically until it had first been shown on TV because they didn't want to risk it being nominated for an Oscar. (This could be an urban legend, I have not Googled to see if my memory is foolin' with me.)
posted by Gator at 12:10 PM on July 9, 2006

Because not all previews are for movies in theaters. If you rent/buy a non-new release, there will be trailers at the start for other movies that you can rent/buy, not just future theatrical releases. Or, like wolftrouble pointed out, there are trailers for movies that are straight-to-video releases--the previews at kids movies usually will have a trailer for at least one flick that's straight to video.

The main difference between these trailers and trailers for theatrical releases is that they end with "ON VIDEO & DVD!!!" instead of "ONLY IN THEATERS!!!!!"
posted by neda at 12:11 PM on July 9, 2006

I used to work in a video store in the 1990s, and I remember at least a few people coming in and asking for movies that had just been released in theatres. When I told them that it'd be several months before the movies would be out on video, they seemed surprised...

The "only in theatres" helps to clue people in to the fact that the movie isn't going to be available on DVD (at least, not yet).
posted by gwenzel at 12:29 PM on July 9, 2006

All movies, no matter how big or how small, are eventually released to video

Mostly this is true, but "all" isn't exactly correct as some films never make it to dvd or video (at least not in all countries). I'm still waiting for Ishtar on DVD, not to mention David Mamet's Homicide.

and everyone knows that

Here, you're absolutely wrong. Having worked in the video business for 12 or so years I can tell you that there is no lack of idiots who start asking for the video/dvd as soon as they hear the film starts shooting. Showing these people an advert without the "only in theatres" only gets them asking more.

I remember when Back to the Future came out (and ended with a "to be continued" after the last frame)--we were plagued, multiple times a day, with questions of whether it was on video yet. Keep in mind that this was in the days when films did not go to video for about a year. We eventually made a sign saying that it would not be out until it was in theatres. And that it would only be in theatres after it was made, which took 4 years.

Out of curiousity, the first time I remember seeing "Only in theatres" on a theatrical trailer was for the film of X-Files. (My friend turned to me and asked the same question you did, only qualified with "Are X-Files fans so stupid as to think this is gonna be on tv first?" I won't tell you my response.)

Can anyone think of an earlier use of the tag?
posted by dobbs at 12:42 PM on July 9, 2006 [1 favorite]

Oh, and yes, these days they are REALLY trying to plug "the theatre" aspect of movie-watching. I went and saw Scanner Darkly on Friday (*gag*avoid*) and there were 3 (yes, THREE!) ads for watching movies in theatres. Someone eventually yelled out "But I don't have to sit thru this shit when I'm at home!", which brought applause.
posted by dobbs at 12:45 PM on July 9, 2006

I used to work in a video store in the 1990s, and I remember at least a few people coming in and asking for movies that had just been released in theatres.

Same here. More than a few, in fact.
posted by amro at 1:06 PM on July 9, 2006

Is it a subtle warning re: piracy? That is -- if you see a DVD of "SooperDooperman Returns" for sale on the streetcorner today, it's going to be a pirated version?
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 1:17 PM on July 9, 2006

Where exactly are you seeing these previews / advertisements? I watch a LOT of real theatrical previews numerous times per day and I've never seen one say "only in theaters." I have seen the occasional teaser say "in theaters on 07.07.06," etc.. Are you seeing these on previews that run before a DVD perhaps?

If you see them on a DVD, I'd imagine that's the distributors way of saying, "just because you're seeing this preview on a DVD does not mean it TOO is available for renting right at this moment." When it comes to film distribution and release windows, most people are totally clueless.
posted by bjork24 at 1:36 PM on July 9, 2006

Though "only in theaters" certainly predates this, increasingly certain films - like Steven Soderbergh's Bubble - are being released on DVD at the same time they are released in theaters. So advertising "only in theaters" might be a way to let people know that for this movie, it will not be available on DVD right away.
posted by ChasFile at 2:01 PM on July 9, 2006

I'm not sure chudmonkey's answer is entirely accurate.

Actually, it's perfectly accurate, IMO. "Only in theaters" is the same thing as a television advertisement saying a product is "not sold in stores," or the opposite, "as seen on TV." It hints at exclusivity, and therefore quality.

Although, the "only on PS2" tag suggests to those in the know that Sony is actually footing all or part of the marketing budget for the title in question, to advertise the quality of the PS2 hardware and its titles in general. From my personal experience, this is a common practice.
posted by frogan at 3:05 PM on July 9, 2006

Having worked in the video business for 12 or so years I can tell you that there is no lack of idiots who start asking for the video/dvd as soon as they hear the film starts shooting.

Pretty much the same thing happpens with books - people don't realize that it usually takes about a year before the big $25 hardcover bestseller comes out as a paperback.
posted by Guy Smiley at 6:10 PM on July 9, 2006

It might have a lot to do with the Oscars -- The rules for the Academy Awards are strict, and if a movie debuts on TV or video or some other medium than theatrically, they're disqualified from consideration.

I believe this was most notably the case for The Last Seduction, for which movie critics fell all over themselves pronouncing that Linda Fiorentino would have been a lock for Best Actress if not for the ineligibility.
posted by kittyprecious at 7:01 AM on July 10, 2006

In an expansion of DMD's question, I believe when Disney's The Tigger Movie came out, they were saying it was never going to go to DVD/VHS. Then, sure enough, it was. So is my memory faulty, or was Disney fibbing in order to get more theater viewers? Is it part of how Disney "locks up" old movies by not selling them anymore, to create demand, and then re-releases them years later?
posted by IndigoRain at 8:15 AM on July 10, 2006