If you were on your regular commute Tuesday, you might have thought you had accidentally time traveled in front of the TV to watch archaeologist and hero, Indiana Jones, with the new subway announcement that rang through MTA speakers.
The announcement was informative alright, just not in regards to your commute. Rather than hearing the time remaining until the train’s arrival, commuters were instead greeted with the Indiana Jones theme song.
The startling audio was really an ad for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, notifying New Yorkers that it will be out in theaters on June 30th, 2023. And unlike the MTA’s usual muffled announcements, there was no trouble with this audio.
Many commuters were not pleased, expressing their frustrations on Twitter with the MTA.
According to a statement from an MTA representative in an email, “Multiple audio announcements and ads have played in subway stations during the past two years, both paid advertising sold by Outfront and MTA-specific messaging recorded by a guest (comic, singer, personality, etc). Service messages always take priority and will be heard whenever they are needed.”
Other voices have previously taken over subway announcements, like when Jerry Seinfeld, Awkwafina & other iconic NYers could be heard overhead to kick off the new year in 2021.