I think that techniques like this to hold viewers' attention are even more important now than they were in the early days of cinema. Because cinema no longer has the luxury of relying upon captive audiences in theaters with no competing distratctions (other than crying babies). There are so many other venues and some many other media clamoring, seducing, competing for viewers' attention. Even within the the captivity of the movie theater, people use their smartphones no matter what how many times the pre-movie pronouncements ask them not to!