But common sense has never held sway in the world of advertising, where the latest gimmick is the "cinemad." Mad is right. Running after the snack-bar spots and before the coming attractions, these ads hawk everything the tube does at home, including TV shows, and some theatre-chain executives see this as the most irresistible source of revenue since the jumbo, colossal soft drink.

When the "cinemads" — called rolling stock ads, in the trade — are done, moviegoers finally get sneak previews of coming attractions, which are also ads, but entertaining enough to get a pass.