This story reminded me of the unpleasant ‘Clockwork Orange’ scene, where the guy has to watch the movie screen. At home, when the ads come up, I just walk away or do something else. But the cinema ads are surprisingly effective. If you watch enough movies, you probably know some of the regular ads by heart now. I know I do. And advertisers are finally taking notice.

Theater advertising saw a 18.5% gain in revenue in 2007. The big screen commercials brought in $540 million, up from $456 million in 2006. “More advertisers are using cinema more frequently, committing ad dollars ‘upfront’ for multiple flights as cinema has proven its value and efficiency as a sustaining medium,” Cinema Advertising Council head Stu Ballatt said. “Onscreen advertising combined with off-screen marketing in the theater can, literally, double or triple the impact a brand can make on the moviegoer.“

The figures also showed most viewers didn’t mind the ads before the movie. And I agree. It wouldn’t be the first time those ads saved me from missing the first ten minutes of the movie when I was late.

There was no problem when the ‘Da Vinci Code’ prequel ‘Angels & Demons’ was filming in Rome, but there won’t be any filming inside the famous churches. Two of them very publicly banned the movie from shooting, since the Tom Hanks movie “does not conform ” their views.

A spokesman said Dan Brown’s ‘Da Vinci Code’ in 2006 affected the decision. “It’s a film that treats religious issues in a way that contrasts with common religious sentiment. This is a prequel to ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and it’s clear that the theme is similar,” he said. But he noted the film crew could still shoot the exterior of the churches.

And so the battle with the Catholic church continues.

‘Transformers 2′ is still fully in production and currently busy shooting the Bumblebee — some kind of banana colored spy car. Jkracing50 and Transformers Live took these shots this weekend on the $200 million set. Shooting will continue during the month.