Midnight Showing?

[Sewer Sirens Podcast]

Okay, I have a quick question about midnight showings. A few years ago, I started seeing movies in the theatres at midnight if I were excited for the film. But something I've been noticing (think I started noticing it last year, with Iron Man 3) is now they are having even EARLIER showings, so the premiere date isn't technically Friday, it's more like Thursday.

My question is ... why? Why do they have these few showings late Thursday night? To cash in more money the first initial weekend of the films release?

Ultimately, to me, having these early showings ends up making the midnight showing a lot less of a big deal and less exciting, and it makes the whole 'seeing it first' hype more disappointing as a whole.