The 30 minute before something happens might be also related to a lot of audience seeming to have a really tough time with things happening out of order. "Backstory" isn't really a comfortable concept anymore. (Another friend was kvetching loudly recently that it was basically impossible to find the Narnia books boxed in the original order anymore. All the sets were starting with The Magician's Nephew instead of The Lion, the Witch, and Wardrobe.) This meshes well with the rest of your piece showing that filmmakers seem to expect dumber audiences than fifty years ago.
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The 30 minute before something happens might be also related to a lot of audience seeming to have a really tough time with things happening out of order. "Backstory" isn't really a comfortable concept anymore. (Another friend was kvetching loudly recently that it was basically impossible to find the Narnia books boxed in the original order anymore. All the sets were starting with The Magician's Nephew instead of The Lion, the Witch, and Wardrobe.) This meshes well with the rest of your piece showing that filmmakers seem to expect dumber audiences than fifty years ago.