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Star Wars Producer Says Box Office is Doomed
Cutriss writes "Seen at CNN, this article interviews Rick McCallum, longtime producer at LucasFilms. McCallum says that DVDs will be responsible for the downfall of the movie industry *without* taking piracy into account, due to the fact that people think the home theatre experience is just as good, or better than the big screens, and they know that in five months, the DVD will be out on the market. Of course, his claim that "studios are barely breaking even" falls on deaf ears when I hear about 9-digit salaries for individual actors in a big-name film that's just some rehash of an old concept. He also mentions, of course, that DVD piracy and movie "sharing" groups will only speed up the cycle, and that they'll be putting Hollywood out of business, possibly within the next three years."
Yeah, I think that it is comparable to the military spending $3000 bucks on a toliet seat.
But I get a lot more enjoyment out of my toliet seat than I do out of most hollywood movies.
(/local/home/curiosity)-#who -u|grep thecat|cut -c 44-49|xargs kill -9
Good movies won't be doomed, something McCallum & Lucas might like to try making some time.
George and I are just praying that we can finish 'Episode III' in time, before it's all over."
Its already over lad! George shot his own golden goose with Episode I. "Before its all over" reads to us fans like "before you suckers realize what tripe we are churning out each episode".
Starwars is dead. Long live Starwars.
Rapid Nirvana
Unless you have money to burn, nothing beats seeing a movie in the theater. Now if they'd just start putting real butter back on the popcorn...
You forgot the 12 year old with the laser pointer
5. Some young couple is making out. 6. You can't stop the movie and make out.
1. The food portions are smaller than a few years ago.
Go every day. Then you will hardly notice when they get smaller.
2. The price is WAY WAY higher!
Than what?? If you're comparing with a few years ago, see point #1.
3. People's cell phones are going off.
Build a Faraday cage over the building before you go in.
4. Some a**hole is giving comentary to the person sitting next to him/her.
Hmmm.. this is a tough one. I'm torn between a paintball gun and something like this.
Fascism should more properly be called corporatism, since it is the merger of state and corporate power.
And don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Slashdot Patriotism: We Support our Dupes!
Now I understand why the movie theater is always packed with a lineup around the block whenever a cool movie comes out. It's because nobody's going to the theater, and they are staying home to wait for the DVD.
Seriously, does this guy GO to the movies?
The Buggy Whip Manufacturer's association is calling for legeslation to restrict, license and tax "horsless carrages" citing safety concerns.
Traveling Theater Companies call for legeslation to regulate the new "moving pictures" industry, citing flickering and health concerns.
The dairy industry seeks non-dairy product regulation and distinctive markings so that consumers will not be "duped" by "inferior" products.
Television networks are calling for increased regulation of Cable and Satellite Television providers citing "unfair competition".
Looks like these movie guys are a little slow on the uptake with the same old false logic.
Eve Fairbanks says I drive a hybrid!LOL
"Filmmakers love it because it more closely resembles the film made."
"[Movie-goers] are paying more attention to the fact that the movie will be out on DVD in just four or five months at a rental fee of $4 or $5."
Filmmakers love DVDs, movie-goers love DVDs. Who loses? Popcorn manufacturers.
Somebody get a violin please,
Or One Singing Fat Lady.
Thank you.
"The business will implode once you can download a movie, give it to your friends and not have a moral problem with doing it. Then we're screwed. Literally, our very lives are at stake now."
Do you mean that I can ruin their lives, and make them sacrifice one of their 7 BMWs in their driveways all by *downloading movies*?!?!?!
I can just feel the power... *looks down at glowing ring*
um.. nevermind...
If a and b in c, and a can create b, and a can create a, and b can create b, and b cannot create a, then a created c.
You know, I've never been in a theater where someone was talking on their cellphone. I'm starting to wonder if this situation is just an urban myth... by the way, I'm posting this from a tub full of ice.
#
# Modus Ponens
#
I should have known better ;-)
Anyway, my favorite quote was at the end:
Personally, I'd like to see Lucas standing out on Hollywood Blvd holding a placard that says "The end is near! Repent from your evil filesharing ways!"
Karma: Bored. (Thinking about resurrecting the "Anyone else is an imposter" joke.)
But I get a lot more enjoyment out of my toliet seat than I do out of most hollywood movies.
more and more, what you find in one is coming from the other.
"Literally, our very lives are at stake now. George and I are just praying that we can finish 'Episode III' in time, before it's all over."
Thats right, they NEED this money, their lives are at stake!. They'll be dead men if they can't pay off Jabba the Hutt. Maybe a long nap in some carbonite will give George enough time to think about a career change.
"To lead the people, you must walk behind them"
I can see the commercials now..
[Kid seated in front of a computer]: I just downloaded some movies.
[Shot of money being locked in a briefcase]
[Soccer mom at Wal-Mart]: I always buy DVDs for my kids, it's cheaper than the theatre
[Shot of a gun being cocked]
[Teenager at his computer]: I wasn't hurting anybody.
[George Lucas with a gun to his head]
[Voiceover]: If you pirate movies, or even buy DVDs instead of going to the theatre, you're supporting terrorism.
[Soccer mom again]: I wasn't hurting anyone...
[Fade to black]
Whoever stated that signature sizes should be limited to one hundred and twenty characters can just go ahead and kiss my
>There isn't a jury alive that will convict a
>baby.
Eh, maybe Texas.
-l
Is it just me, or does Mr. McCallum sound a little paranoid/delusional? If Episode III brings in less than half a billion in box office and 3 hundred million in merchandising tie-ins, I'd be surprised. Yet Rick and George "literally" have their "very lives" at stake. I guess they're just a few pirated DVDs away from living in a cardboard box.
Did this guy sprinkle cocaine on his corn flakes, before smoking crack this morning?
My karma is in a nose dive
The trailers are usually the best part of the movie... heh.
The only thing i need is a baby crying, a woman talking on her cell phone, and teenage kids kicking the back of my couch to make it a true movie-going experience.
Yes, my girlfriend is a BitchX
Bar owners claim that grocery stores selling alcohol is cut into their profits. They were quoted as saying "No one will go out to drink alcohol at inflated prices if they can get drink at home"
Sigh...
--Joey
... is the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Everything else really doesn't have the value-add to make it worth driving out to a mega-plex to be surrounded by the same people you see on Cops and Girls Gone Wild.
--
Hey, this whole "Internet" thing has gotten WAAAAAAAY out of hand. Just shut the whole thing down so we can return to the good ol' ways. It's nuttin' but one big humongous copy machine, that's all!
Sit Closer...It's all in your perspective
Then the movie industry really would collapse. Who else are they going to market these movies to?
The global economy is a great thing until you feel it locally.
It's good to hear that losing a kidney doesn't mean I can't participate in Slashdot discussions.
But the cell phone thing is not a myth. It happens to me all the time. You are a very lucky person (except for the whole kidney thing, of course).
Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.
I saw the first LOTR twice in the theatres. The first time, it was a great crowd, quiet, no distractions, so much fun.
The second time, three different cell phones rang during the movie, and two of the people even had converstations! If the one guy who was in the row in front of me was only a couple seats closer to me, I would have reached down and turned off his phone for him. Perhaps even with the power button instead of throwing it against the wall.
It's not an urban legend - they're not common, but it happens.
"You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
Sure, they say this, but are you telling me anyone is really checked before they come in to see if they have food with them. Some of the bigger items aren't practical, but candy will fit pockets just fine. If you live in colder climates, then just about anything is game thanks to winter clothing. You can fit a one liter or several 20 oz. bottles of soda in a coat sleeve and throw it over your shoulder. Those huge bags of popcorn that are sold in grocery stores will also fit in a coat sleeve - sure I got strange looks when the coat thrown over my shoulder had one sleeve sticking out at a 90 degree angle, but they people who work there really don't care.
Canada will!! Oh wait no, I mean Texas.
As you were.
The popcorn is great, and the portions huge.
Wow! That popcorm MUST be great.... Oh, wait. I thought you said the patrons were huge.
--
As a matter of fact, I am a lawyer. But I play an actor on TV.
They are getting more butt into the seat. It is just more surface area and not more cheeks.
Eric
To shoot anyone not playing in a paintball game.
That's what real guns are for.
paintball
"more and more, what you find in one is coming from the other." Matt Damon is going to come out of my toilet?
------ What's sadder than realizing you've filtered out your own comments?
Unfortunately, at the end, Hollywood would be saved and live happily ever after.
Take all the megamovieplexgargantua theaters, and instead of each minitheater being open to all, have them designated as:
Theater 1, The Playpen: Squalling babies allowed, offering counselling at a premium for idiots who take their 2 year olds in to see the latest rated R slasher flicks.
Theater 2, The Lame Room: For people who really don't care about watching the movie, and instead want to talk, make out, use their cel phones.
Theater 3, The Idiot Room: for people who want to do their own MST3K performance.
Theater 4, Paradise: For people who actually want to *gasp* watch the movie.
That way, they'll actually make MORE money, rather than driving away the folks who would normally want Theater 4!
Meanwhile, has anyone else noticed the irony that this is the same Lucasfilm that not only took upwards of 5 years originally to release their movies to tape/DVD, but supported the old "pay to watch" DIVX standard, refusing to release the original trilogy to DVD until it died?
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
Huh? This doesn't even make sense. THX is a certification. They have certifications for video systems (projectors/decoders/even "screens") as well as audio systems (decoders, amps)..
I'm pretty much failing to see where you're coming from on your rant. And just what IS your rant? That Lucasfilm has a secret plot to monopolize theatres using it's THX certification? Give me a break.
Not All Who Wander Are Lost
I once smuggled a small box of good-n-plentys into a theater... I made it to my seat, was sitting there for 10 minutes not bothering anyone, and the usher caught sight of the box and confiscated them. It was just some frickin candy that they were too lazy to sell there.
I think the guy was just getting a minimum wage power trip or was just too stupid to realize he wasn't helping anyone. I'm boycotting that theater, but perhaps I will go back someday to smuggle in a fresh roasted turkey and sell plates with mashed potatoes in the back of the theater!
Imminent Death Of Movie Industry Predicted. No Film at 11.
I have to have my popcorn fresh. So to avoid price cgouging I take a small portable pop corn popper and a bag of corn. That fits into my pocket real easy.
Some of the other people in the audience sometimes give me funny looks, particularly if the sound of the corn popping gets a bit distracting.
Looking for an Information Security student project suggestion?
Try http://dotcrimeManifesto.com/
I think you're all missing the fact that Hollywood won't die on the vine, they'll just call their pet congressmen and make sure that DVDs are only playable one time in a specially formatted RIAA controlled player. Then charge you for the your own popcorn that you made in YOUR microwave, because you ate it during the DVD playback, and you had to agree to this charge in the EULA when you opened the DVD case.
The MPAA and RIAA say they are losing a shitload of money from people sneaking in food and are forced to charge 2000%-5000% markups to make up for the losses.!!!
/sarcasm
>I made it to my seat, was sitting there for 10 minutes not bothering anyone, and the usher caught sight of the box and confiscated them.
Too bad you didn't make a big deal of it.
Tell him he's legally stolen them now, and your lawyer dad doesn't react well to things like that. Then say he can make it up to you by returning the things and getting you a refund on the seat (something they need to do lawfully anyways, since they don't own the candy, and they're planning to eject you without you finishing the movie, so it isn't extortion) and letting you watch the rest of the movie in peace.
I bet he'll get you your refund.
(Not that I've never smuggled 2 1/2 lb. chip bags, 6-pack of coke, 3 or 4 chocolate bars, etc, etc, into various movies for the family -- heh, sometimes being a fatass has its merits!)
Good, maybe now the movie theatres will start showing movies with decent scripts.