Most cinema ads are 15 or 30 seconds. 15 seconds is the standard short slot and 30 seconds suits a full local commercial, with 45, 60 and 90 seconds available for longer narrative ads. The whole pre-show advertising block before the trailers usually runs five to fifteen minutes.
Ad length is one of the first questions people ask about, and it is really two questions: how long can my ad be, and how long is the whole block of advertising the audience sits through? Here are both answers.
The standard ad lengths
| Length | What it is for | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 15 seconds | One clear message | Business name, single offer, location |
| 30 seconds | Equally common | Room for a story or a fuller offer |
| 60 seconds | Extended narrative | Brand campaigns, launches |
| 90 seconds | Full storytelling | Occasional brand or event films |
15 and 30 seconds are the two most common choices.
30 seconds is long enough to establish who you are, emotionally engage the audience, and finish with a clear call to action. A 12-month, 30-second ad is our most popular category.
15 seconds is not a consolation prize. It is a genuinely effective length if you have a single thing to communicate, and it works great hand in hand with multiple-exposure campaigns outside the cinema. Because the cinema audience is captive and attentive, a 15-second spot on the big screen lands far harder than a 15-second skippable ad online.
What each ad length actually feels like
The two commercials below are real ads we placed in Queensland cinemas - one 30-second and one 15-second - so you can judge the difference rather than take our word for it.
How long is the whole ad block?
The pre-show advertising block generally runs five to fifteen minutes. The order of a typical session is:
- Pre-show advertising - this is where your commercial plays
- Movie trailers - promotions for upcoming films, not paid advertising slots
- The feature film
A common misconception is that trailers and ads are the same thing. They are not. Trailers are the distributor promoting other films. Your advertising slot sits before them, which is the more valuable position: the audience is seated and settled, and the room has not yet shifted into film mode.
How ad length affects cost
Length is a pricing lever, not just a creative one. A longer ad occupies more of the pre-show block, so it costs more per screening.
Our indicative packages reflect this directly: the entry tier is a 15-second spot from $250 per week, and the 30-second tiers start from $400 per week. The full breakdown is on the pricing page, and the guide to how much cinema advertising costs explains what else moves the number.
If your budget is fixed, the useful trade-off to consider is length against duration: a 15-second ad running for 12 months will usually build more recognition than a 30-second ad running for 6. Cinema advertising compounds and rewards repetition over time, because the same local audience returns.
Does my existing video fit?
Not automatically. A TV commercial is often already 15 or 30 seconds, which makes it a straightforward conversion. Social and online videos are frequently odd lengths, vertical, or built around on-screen text that is unreadable at cinema scale.
We can re-cut an existing video to a standard cinema length as part of ad conversion, typically in about seven days. If it needs rebuilding for the format, that becomes a video production job instead.
Which ad length should you pick?
- One message, tight budget, long run: 15 seconds
- A story to tell, or several things to show: 30 seconds
- Brand launch or event, budget to match: 60 seconds
Ad length and availability
Availability is often tight because screen time is limited and the majority of clients are on screen year round. So at some locations, ad length can be dictated by availability.
If you are not sure, tell us what you want the audience to remember and we will tell you honestly which length it needs. Call (07) 3310 8794 or get in touch.