Moviegoers who arrive early enough to sit through the cinema pre-show may soon find themselves solving puzzles instead of simply watching advertisements. Screenvision Media has partnered with New York Times Games to introduce interactive, play-along games to its theatre network, with a nationwide rollout expected by Thanksgiving. The initial agreement runs for one year, with plans to regularly refresh the content and experiment with additional formats.

The partnership is part of a broader effort by Screenvision’s new CEO, Geoff Schiller, to rethink the traditional cinema pre-show. The company’s revamped 28-minute “Front and Center” program is moving away from familiar trivia and behind-the-scenes features toward lifestyle and entertainment content from partners including Eater, Complex and NowThis. Screenvision says roughly half its audience belongs to Gen Z, making engagement with younger moviegoers a central priority.

Schiller describes his ambition as creating a show that contains advertising rather than advertising masquerading as a show. Screenvision is also exploring live-event watch parties, experiential promotions and retail partnerships that extend beyond traditional on-screen advertising. Bringing New York Times Games into the auditorium takes that strategy a step further, transforming what has traditionally been a passive experience into something audiences can participate in together.

A more entertaining pre-show could encourage audiences to arrive earlier, while offering advertisers a more engaging environment. Whether moviegoers actually want to solve puzzles with a roomful of strangers is anyone’s guess. Then again, cinemas have been bringing strangers together for shared entertainment for well over a century. Perhaps a little friendly competition is simply the next evolution.