For many people, the smell of freshly popped popcorn is a reminder of watching the lastest Hollywood blockbusters at the local cinema. I personally recall blowing through three bags of that salty buttery  snack while waiting in line three hours to see Return of the Jedi. When I was five years old, I spilled an entire bucket of it when Christopher Reeve’s Superman suddenly convinced me I could fly. I launched myself from my seat, totally surprising my brother who was not too happy to be covered with the former contents of the popcorn tub. So while that mental connection certainly exists with me, the entire theater-going experience eclipses merely seeing the movie. Walking into the lobby and seeing posters for upcoming attractions as well as sitting through a handful of movie trailers before the main event all play a major role in my cineplex experience.

With the business savvy of a circus ringmaster, theater owners today are taking advantage of people’s love for all things movies by implementing indoor LED displays in their lobbies. And I’m not just referring to the interactive snack bar menus, either. Now I no longer have to wait until I’m seated  to see the new trailer for the latest ‘turn into robots and destroy a city’ movie. My daughter can get her Disney Princess fix and become thoroughly convinced a jumbo box of goobers will make her world complete. Car dealers can sell me my next car and show my wife the menu of the trendy restaurant next door where we can get 20% off our next meal if we just show them our ticket stub.

All the things we used to see before the movie, we now see as we stand in line for soda and that glorious freshly popped popcorn. Am I complaining? Absolutely not! Because of LED displays, I now have a dazzling opening act before the headliner – all in larger than life brilliant color. And that, to me, only adds to the fun.

If you’re a theater owner, take it from this movie geek (who also happens to work in the indoor LED display business) – digital signs will pay for themselves in the following ways:

1. Promote advanced ticket sales to upcoming movie releases.

2. Upsale customers on snack purchases.

3. Sell ad space to local businesses.

4. Transfix patrons with movie previews and behind the scenes celebrity news.

With the right indoor LED displays, your customers will will come away remembering more than than just the film. Date night and family outings will become events.