May 2026

Trivia

There was a time when projectionists had to place tiny cigarette-burn marks (“cue marks”) in the top-right corner of film frames to signal reel changes. Missing the cue meant chaos in the theater.

Cue Marks and Close Calls

During the transition from film to digital projection, some distributors secretly shipped “dummy film cans” along with hard drives because exhibitors psychologically trusted the weight of physical film reels more than a tiny digital disk.

When Weight Meant Trust

A theatrical trailer was originally shown after the movie, which is why it was called a “trailer.” Audiences kept leaving before it played, so theaters moved it to the beginning. One of the earliest lessons in audience retention!

Trailers: From After to Before