What I like best about this email is that Jon didn't just "go off" on Cinemark with clever insults and angry words; instead, he managed to write a provocative email that raised issues without being off-putting. His success is evidenced by Cinemark's shockingly thoughtful response, which is posted below.

Hello. I regularly attend movies are the new Cinemark theater in Hadley Mass close to my house. I must first compliment you guys on the stadium design and the plush seats- you're not kidding about being the "best seat in town!" I don't think my living room furniture is as comfortable as those chairs.

However, I have a major problem with a trend at your theater that may put me back on the highway, driving to more distant locations to see a movie in a less comfortable seat.

I am really curious to know how you can justify making me watch commercials after I just paid in excess of twenty dollars for tickets and snacks for two. I'm not talking about the cheezy "screen shot" ads you sell to local advertisers while playing terrible "Movietunes" music as the crowd files in. I'm talking about when the lights dim, and I'm ready for previews, and instead I get to watch Green M&M candies go for cheap laughs or Jeep trying to convince us that the new Jeep is as original and important a creation as an endangered species on the Galapagos Islands.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there an understanding that free t.v. is financed by commercials and pay-per-view movies are financed by the viewer? I pay for HBO at home, and in return they show me movies with no commercials. When I go to your theater, I pay good money for a movie, and I get...commercials? The first time, it was one commercial. Last time, it was three, lasting almost five minutes! Someday maybe it will be a half an hour. But by then, there won't be anyone in the theater except a couple of Jeeps that want to see their big screen debut.

I try stuffing myself with popcorn but I just can't seem to get the scummy taste of corporate greed out of my mouth. Just to show you I'm not an artsy guy that doesn't understand the bottom line, I will make you this special offer: I will pay even more for my ticket in order to watch movies in a commercial free environment. So just send me an invoice, and I'll foot the bill myself! It seems that life is becoming one long commercial, and I would like to invite everyone at Cinemark to join in my attempt to draw a few common sense lines in the sand. Just because someone will pay you money for an ad doesn't mean you have to force people to watch it. And if you do continue to sneak cruddy advertisements into the previews, be on notice that some of us do really care about the quality of the experience we are paying a premium for. We won't just sit there slack-jawed as Green M&Ms insult our intelligence and pour noise into our heads.

Jon Reed

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Dear Jon,

Thanks for writing.

I truly wish this were a case of corporate greed. In reality it is one of survival. In the past year every major theatre chain in America has filed for bankruptcy protection, save two. Cinemark is one of the companies to avoid that fate. We try to offer the best service and value at a fair price. But that isn't enough. For us to keep our doors open we need to find other avenues of income.

Thank you for your kind words about our new theatre in Hadley. That theatre cost nearly 15 million dollars to build. That is a lot of $4, $5, and $6 tickets to sell in order just to make back that investment let alone a profit. Especially when the film companies keep most of the admission money.

The advertising before our movies is limited to 3 outside products. To lessen the impact on your movie going experience, the ads begin with lights up before the start time of the movie. It sounds like the ads were not played with the lights up at the performance you attended. We will follow up with the theatre to ensure that this is done correctly in the future.

Rob

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Hi Rob. I am amazed, astonished and impressed. This is by far the most thoughtful response I have ever received when I have written a letter of this kind. I have always felt that companies and customers could reach a better experience for all with this kind of dialogue. It does not happen often and that's a good reflection on you and Cinemark.

I certainly appreciate the honesty of your response, and of course you have much more intimate knowledge of the finances of the modern movie industry than I do. If commercials are necessary in order to keep the theater open, then that is the way it has to be. Hopefully you will continue to assess how many are needed based on those bottom line issues.

I would definitely agree with you that the commercials would seem less disruptive if they were shown before the lights are dimmed for the previews. At least then you would be preserving the tradition of "dim the lights, no more commercial interruptions." And I checked with my friends and they agree that Cinemark in Hadley typically does dim the lights before they show the commercials. So that change would certainly be a small but welcome sign that you understand the issue from both sides.

Best of luck to you.

Jon Reed