A movie exists differently once it leaves the studio and enters a theater. The poster in the lobby, the trailer before another film, the crowd waiting outside an auditorium, all of it becomes part of how an audience understands what they're about to see.
Working in theatrical marketing has made me think a lot about that space between the film itself and the people who eventually experience it. Marketing isn't only about convincing someone to buy a ticket. At its best, it helps create the anticipation around the ticket.
That's especially interesting in theaters, where the experience has a physical dimension. A streaming thumbnail disappears when you scroll past it. A movie theater doesn't. There are marquees, one-sheets, concession counters, standees, trailers, crowds and conversations happening before anyone takes their seat.
I think that's part of what makes theatrical exhibition worth paying attention to. The experience of a movie can begin long before the lights go down.
