Freebies Replacing Ads at the Movies : Theaters: To make up for reduced revenue from on-screen ads, chains are charging companies to distribute product samples to filmgoers.

Next time you hand your ticket to the usher at the movie theater, don’t be surprised if you’re handed back a candy bar--or bar of soap.

In-theater product sampling is about to take off in Los Angeles and other cities. Last weekend, many United Artists theaters in the Los Angeles area--and nationwide--began giving patrons free PB Max candy bars, a new Mars Inc. brand. And next week, some UA theaters in the Dallas area will dole out free packs of Smart Foods popcorn to all theatergoers. Other theater chains also have plans to step up product sampling programs.

Why the sudden freebies? Well, earlier this year film studios Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. banned theater chains from showing on-screen advertisements before their films. As a result, some chains are scrambling for new ways to boost ad revenue. It could mean a boon for freebies at the movies.

“The reduction of on-screen advertising is going to hurt us,” said Cathy Kasberg, director of promotions and marketing at UA, the nation’s largest theater chain, with 2,500 screens in 515 locations. “Hopefully, this can give us another avenue for income.”

By one estimate a nationwide sampling of a single product at a major chain can generate up to $100,000 in extra advertising revenues in one month. That’s well over $1 million per year. Instead of paying for time on screen, advertisers pay theaters to hand out their products.

UA hopes to lure business away from others by becoming the movie chain people associate with free gifts. “Nine out of 10 people don’t even know which theater company owns the theater they go to,” said Kasberg. “This is one way to stand out.”

Marketing experts say freebies rank among the very best kind of advertising. “People love free samples,” said Susan Small-Weil, a specialist in consumer behavior at the New York ad agency Warwick Baker & Fiore. “In this case, advertising isn’t an uninvited guest. It’s a welcome guest.”

Eventually, the UA chain wants to entice customers by handing out different samples every weekend. But they certainly won’t be limited to candy bars and popcorn. Kasberg said the theater chain is considering everything from bars of soap to ballpoint pens to frozen yogurt.

But competitors say they won’t be outdone. Cineplex Odeon, the Toronto-based chain which ranks No. 2 in the United States, with 1,690 screens in 415 locations, says it has tested product sampling since 1986, handing moviegoers everything from packages of sugar-free Dentynechewing gum to samples of Hero men’s cologne.

Cineplex Odeon, however, hands out its samples when customers exit the theater. “If someone doesn’t like a product,” explained Howard Lichtman, executive vice president of marketing, “we don’t want them leaving it on the floor.”