Yeah no sh!t.
I went to see the Two Towers again last night (really disappointed in that movie). We have a fair amount of adverts in UK movie theatres as well but I don't believe it's 45 minute's worth.
My personal fantasy is to have a cinema with higher ticket prices, no concessions (bring your own) and a guaranteed start time with no trailers or adverts beforehand. They would be run afterwards and if anyone felt like sitting through 'em they could. There'd be a big digital readout meter above the screen that diplayed the ticket price. At the appointed start time, that figure would start ticking backwards $.05 per ten seconds and would continue doing so until the film started. However much the meter counted off- that's how much they refund you as you walk out the door.
I bet you'd pack 'em into a place like that.
One thing about Germany though- I remember a Kino (cinema) in Nurnberg where you could smoke in the cinema. And of course they sell beer at the concession stands. Hard to beat that.