Hollywood is Suffering Its Worst-attended Summer Movie Season in 25 years (latimes.com)

The number of movie tickets sold in the U.S. this summer (425 million) is likely to be the lowest level since 1992, the L.A. Times reports. "Theaters, studios hit by summer box-office blues." The reason: Too many bad movies, including sequels, reboots and aging franchises that no one wanted to see. Some point to rising ticket prices, which hit a record high in the second quarter. From the report: Then there are long-term challenges, including competition from streaming services such as Netflix and the influence of the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes. How about all of the above? What is clear: This summer was marred with multiple high-profile films that flopped stateside, including "The Mummy," "Baywatch," "The Dark Tower" and "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword." Sequels in the "Alien," "Transformers" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchises also disappointed. The business is also reckoning with broader, longer-term threats that have kept Americans from flocking to theaters the way they used to. People now have more entertainment options than ever, and cinemas have struggled to keep up, despite efforts to adapt with improved technology and services, industry analysts say. The problem is exacerbated by an unforgiving social media environment in which bad movies are immediately punished by online word of mouth.

Comments

I can't be arsed

[rsilvergun]

to go pay $15 dollars to watch a movie meant primarily for the Chinese. Start making movies for America again and I might show up. And that means more complex plots and dialog (which are harder to dub) few or no foreign product placements (which make no sense and break the movie flow even worse than regular product placements) and stop randomly including Chinese actors (I'm lookin' at you Rogue One).

Hollywood stopped making movies for me so I stopped going. Go figure.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

All the movies listed in the article sucked. Worth seeing once but not worth paying for.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Thundercat007]

I don't know how movies are being "made for the Chinese". I know there's a pile of new shows being dubbed"American such n such". American God's American Ripper. Pretty'Murican enough for the rest of us. There's simply nothing worth watching since almost every movie is Super Hero based. They were banking on a series of cookie cutter movies and flopped.

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

This. Mod this guy up.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Rakarra]

I don't know how movies are being "made for the Chinese".

Many movies are. Transformers 4, for instance, had a number of concessions to Chinese culture and political norms. Its reward? It became the #1 highest grossing film in Chinese history (at the time).

http://time.com/2965333/how-transformers-4-became-the-number-one-film-in-chinese-history/

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

It's nothing to do with the things you listed.

The movies are just garbage.

Re: I can't be arsed

[phantomfive]

It's a global audience. Let's break down those movies based on US/worldwide revenue:

1) The Mummy: $80 million US, $327 million rest of world
2) Baywatch: $58 million US, $119 million rest of world
3) Dark Tower: $44 million US, $43 million rest of world (it's still going)
4) King Arthur: $39 million US, $107 million rest of world
5) Alien: $74 million US, $158 million rest of world
6) Transformers: $130 million US, $473 million rest of world
7) Pirates: $172 million US, $791 million rest of world

All of these films made back their budget.

Re:I can't be arsed

[ph0rk]

Donnie Yen was probably the best thing in Rogue One. What are you smoking?

Re: I can't be arsed

[safetyinnumbers]

American Gods isn't really a good example, the book dates from 2001.

Re: I can't be arsed

[gweihir]

All of these films made back their budget.

Hollywood likes to whine and, of course, they want to rake in even more money. They can also not admit to making a profit, because then the whole "piracy" narrative becomes very obvious as the complete lie it is. People could notice they are scumbags.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Geeze that pile of trash pirates 5 made 900 million?

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Complex plots for the American audience? Surely you jest.
The average 'murrican's disdain for complexity is well known.

Re: I can't be arsed

[phantomfive]

Pirates is the only one with superstar actors in it. Of course the Mummy had Tom Cruise but he's kind of washed up.

Re:I can't be arsed

[desdinova 216]

he is serious, and don't call him Shirley

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Most big movies try to get the limited Chinese releases as they generate enormous revenue. You start seeing plots/scripts/actors being used to achieve that goal at the expense of a good movie. Transformers is the biggest examples. The Mummy, Rogue One, all were made/marketed with the idea of generating Chinese revenue. Ever see Ip Man? Good beat-um-up movies, well, now hes in Rogue One because Chinese market (its besides the point that I like him). I just watched a movie where they cut , out of the blue, to two Chinese businessman talking about their investment, then back to the action. I was wondering wtf that was about, they are never heard from again ... ah.. Chinese market. I think thats what he was talking about 'made for Chinese"

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

According to a right wing blog I read it's because people are fed up with liberal Hollywood.

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Hopefully someday soon Hollywood will simply relocate to China and take all the celebrities with it.

Re: I can't be arsed

[The Evil Atheist]

The no-profit thing has nothing to do with piracy. It's to do with screwing people on their contracts.

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Where do racist screwballs like you come from? Where is my /.? Anyway, your analysis misses the obvious as most racist analysis does. One Chinese actor does not make it a hit in China. The fundamental problem with Rogue One, Transformers, Aliens is that they are recycling 1980s concepts (that is 30 year if you can't count). Since they weren't interested in coming up with some new concept, it is unlikely they want to invest in writing. They are paying for it. By the way, ignoring 1.5 Billion paying customers because the product may offend a lonely racist dirtbag is a good way to go out of business.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Thank you for talking some sense. Just because we have a racist president suddenly makes every Nazi feel their racist views are justified and welcomed. It isn't about being PC it is about not being an ASS. But they don't get it.

Re: I can't be arsed

[sheramil]

Pirates is the only one with superstar actors in it. Of course the Mummy had Tom Cruise but he's no Brendan Fraser.

fix'd.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Enrique1218]

No problem. When I started reading ./, we would mod posts like these flamebait. I stop modding and posting to pursue other interests. The disease of hate has infected this place. The old school needs to start modding again to take back ./. This used to be a place where science and technology was debated with rational thought. Cmdr Taco needs to come back out of retirement.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a global audience.

That's fine. If they're willing to lose the US audience, then no problem. They should stop bitching.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Thank you. The writing is awful in these things. The characters are dull, the stakes are incredibly low due to heroes that have already been shown to be immortal, there are no good jokes, there's no interest in an intriguing sci-fi concept, and even the violence is shitty.

Why do people still hire Michael Bay? His only skill is action scenes and he objectively sucks at them. They're impossible to follow.

All the other movies at the very least suffer from a complete disinterest in story telling and dialogue.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

" an unforgiving social media environment in which bad movies are immediately punished by online word of mouth."

They made bad movies then blamed their customers for telling people they were bad.

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Not being interested in a movie because it's written to appeal to a foreign culture instead of your own is now racist, huh? Just like everything else. Want immigration laws enforced? Racist. Want to make sure only citizens are voting? Racist. Disagree with affirmative action because it singles people out based on race? Racist. Don't like cheese on your burger? RACIST!

To us "normies" out there, the word is now completely de-fanged and nearly meaningless. The only meaning it has now is to identify its users as people who have no valid argument to put forward and simply want to shout down someone they disagree with. In other words, 95% of the people who use it are idiots.

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

How the heck is that comment allegedly "racist" if it doesn't even mention race at all?

You don't seriously think that "Chinese" is a race, do you?!

"Chinese" is a nationality!

There are people from many different ethnic groups and races who are considered to be "Chinese".

If anyone is showing ignorance here, it appears to be you!

Re: I can't be arsed

[ShanghaiBill]

Hollywood learned their lesson after Avatar, which was only allowed a limited release in China. In China cinemas, it is fine for the lone hero to save the Universe, but it is NOT okay for common people to rise up against oppression. That can bring up too many uncomfortable comparisons to real events.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

The CCP to the citizens - "Know who your master is, or I will remind you again with the PLA"

The first priority of the CCP is to protect the CCP. All other concerns are secondary.

Re:I can't be arsed

[Gussington]

Most ignorantly racist post I've read on slashdot all fucking day.

The fact that, at time of posting, it's +3 insightful, is deeply saddening.

Don't confuse culturism with racism. I'm neither American nor Chinese, but it's obvious that the target market for Hollywood producers is shifting away from the local market.
And this is not just movies, there is cultural tide moving away from European origin cultures toward foreign markets. It's real and it's disturbing to a lot of people. And as long people keep brushing it off as simple racism, people like Donald Trump will thrive.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Yay for the free market!!

Re: I can't be arsed

[rajafarian]

Why not both?

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

> Anyway, your analysis misses the obvious as most racist analysis does
> One Chinese actor does not make it a hit in China.

I don't think you know what you are talking about, since the "made for the chinese market" is conveniently included as an acceptable (and preferable) goal in the same breath you're trying to denounce the thought, using arguments that were never made. SMH

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

The only part of that that's actually racist is the part about making sure only citizens vote. And it's probably not your racism. It's blatantly an attempt to reduce the number of votes for minorities (it seriously is. I know there's a lot of hooey about illegal voting, but seriously, it's super transparently about shaving a few percent of the minority vote).

But like I said, it's not your racism. I'm sure you genuinely believe that it's about securing the voting process. But I promise it's really a handful of the Republican leadership being ridiculously racist. And that trickles down to the rank and file republicans.

The solution is to not support this particular bit of nasty trickery. It's fine to be a Republican, but it's never ok to let politicians get away with this sort of thing.

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

This, if Hollywood wants to prostitute itself to the chinks go ahead. Just don't expect me to pay the price. I'm happy enough with Netflix type tv productions that Hollywood movies are not a concern anymore.

Re: I can't be arsed

[thinkwaitfast]

Wow, the best and most lucid comment in quite a while gets modded off topic

Re: I can't be arsed

[Opportunist]

Right wing blogs are just jealous 'cause Hollywood still has the better writers inventing more believable stories.

And that says more about the quality of right wing blog writers than Hollywood writers...

Re: I can't be arsed

[thinkwaitfast]

Why do people still hire Michael Bay?

This video explains it all.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

far from wanting to defend them as they are money grubbing arseholes, but those numbers do not give a realistic picture of the situation. Box office revenue worldwide is not a profit number, it is a gross takings, they do not get all that money back and production cost is only a portion of the costs, marketing and distribution has a lot of costs too.

Re:I can't be arsed

[jandersen]

...to go pay $15 dollars to watch a movie meant primarily for the Chinese.

I don't think they are meant primarily for the Chinese. Personally, I can't be bothered watching most of these things, but for me it is because they are still just run-of-the-mill Hollywood stuff; they have simply run out of inspiration long ago, full stop. That is why they keep targeting the younger audiences - children have yet to numb to the emptiness of what they are watcing. That, and the ongoing trend towards manga-style storylines with sketchy characters and stylized, on/off displays of emotion.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Reverend Green]

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Re: I can't be arsed

[KGIII]

Well, to be fair, it is off topic. It hasn't a damned thing to do with the topic.

Not that it wasn't a good comment and I am the last person who would complain about topics not being followed. If I'm on topic, it's probably accidental.

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't be retarded.
It's no secret that china has rules that must be followed if you want them to allow your film to show there.
It's also no secret that their market is much larger than the US, or that Hollywood is (rightfully) pandering to their wishes.
It's not racist. It's a fact.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Z00L00K]

Striker, striker, striker ... *blam*.

The amount of awesome puns and side gags in those movies.

And when was someone doing a Full Metal Jacket level movie last time?

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

I think it's obvious based on the otherwise weird trend in comedy movie naming recently - the titles are non-clever, simple phrases that are guaranteed to translate easily into chinese. Off the top of my head:
"Girls Trip"
"Office Christmas Party"
"Fun Mom Dinner"

Re:I can't be arsed

[danbert8]

Why can't Hollywood come up with a decent parody movie anymore? Where are the Airplane!s and the Spaceballs?

Re: I can't be arsed

[f3rret]

That's not how it works. The studio doesn't get 100% of the box office take. In the US, on average, the studio gets a little more than 50% of the box office generated by a movie. The theaters and other parties get the rest. For foreign box office, the studio's cut is usually around one third. The listed budgets for movies also don't include marketing expenses, which for a tent-pole movie is usually $100 million or higher. A movie like The Mummy had a production budget of $125 million, and it's marketing budget was likely around $100 million. The studio's cut of the domestic box office was probably around $45 to $55 million, and their cut off the foreign box office was probably around $110 million. That means the studio's losses for The Mummy might have been $65+ million. (It was probably slightly lower, though, since Universal seemed to be aware they had a stinker on their hands and cut back on marketing.) Using the same math, Baywatch probably lost around $50 million, Dark Tower lost around $70 million, King Arthur lost $100+ million, Alien: Covenant lost around $100 million, and Transformers lost $100+ million. Pirates of the Caribbean probably lost around $35 million at the box office, but with merchandising, home video, etc., it will probably turn a slight profit in the end. The numbers for Transformers might be off a little bit, too, since I believe companies in China were involved in the production, like previous Transformers movies, which meant the studios involved would get more than one third of the Chinese box office.

Cool, how much does it pay to shill for Hollywood these days?

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

What are you smoking?

2/1 Nazi Cock
1/2 Crack
1/100 Nothing

Place your bets ladies and gentlemen!

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

" an unforgiving social media environment in which bad movies are immediately punished by online word of mouth."

They made bad movies then blamed their customers for telling people they were bad.

Your movie is bad and you should feel bad.

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Not being interested in a movie because it's written to appeal to a foreign culture instead of your own is now racist, huh?

No, but assuming that a movie is bad because it's written to appeal to a foreign culture, when in fact it's just a bad movie, is a sign that you are.

To us "normies" out there

And there's the tell. Normal people don't call themselves "normies", in fact we don't call ourselves anything. The only place the phrase "normies" is in common use is inside the alt-right. Fuck off back to 4chan, shitmonger.
 

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

You present no evidence that voter ID and other laws have anything to do with race. Meanwhile, a dozen counties had more registered voters than people eligible to vote ( http://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/NVRA-letter-CA-August-2017-1.pdf ), and that is just one class of voting problems in one state.

Meanwhile, the candidate that lost the presidency that called black kids in gangs "super predators ( https://youtube.com/watch?v=8k4nmRZx9nc) is less racist than a man whose daughter converted to Judaism for her Jewish husband, had a skull cap at the western wall in Jerusalem ( http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170522092440-02-trump-western-wall-0522-exlarge-169.jpg), and has supported Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson for decades ( http://thebronxchronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/IMG_20160228_001701-1.jpg ).

You are either deluded, a compulsive liar, blind with rage at your candidate losing, or a paid shill.

Re: I can't be arsed

[TechyImmigrant]

which for a tent-pole movie

I've never seen a movie about tent poles. I'm guessing it's a metaphor but not one I'm familiar with.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Personally I'd disagree that it's offtopic. There's a blatantly obvious shitflood in the comments all trying to give the idea that "Hollywood are catering to the Chinese", which sensible commenters already know are the alt-right pushing their political narrative into Yet. Another. Unrelated. Slashdot. Article. It's neither wrong nor offtopic to point this out, unless you believe we're going to see a story titled "Alt-Right Socks Are Killing Discussion On Slashdot" under which it would be on-topic.

Re: I can't be arsed

[DrXym]

Here are some clues that a movie is being made for Chinese consumption - it's apolitical, it doesn't cover subjects banned in China cinema such as supernatural/ghosts, it contains gratuitous / redundant scenes set in China or Hong Kong, it contains nonsensical Chinese product placement, extraneous Chinese actors and sympathetic Chinese representation.

An egregious example would be garbage like the Transformers series which has Chinese product placement throughout, Americas using Chinese banks for ATMs, battles set in China but it affects many blockbusters to one degree or another.

Re:I can't be arsed

[Big Hairy Ian]

Who wants to go to the pictures and watch a blockbuster disaster movie when you can sit at home and look out the fucking window

Re:I can't be arsed

[Zontar_Thing_From_Ve]

to go pay $15 dollars to watch a movie meant primarily for the Chinese. Start making movies for America again and I might show up. And that means more complex plots and dialog (which are harder to dub) few or no foreign product placements (which make no sense and break the movie flow even worse than regular product placements) and stop randomly including Chinese actors (I'm lookin' at you Rogue One).
Hollywood stopped making movies for me so I stopped going. Go figure.

Disclaimer: I'm white.

It's not often we get such unabashed racism here at Slashdot. Just so you know, Donnie Yen from Rogue One is a huge star in Asia, just about on the same level with Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Donnie also lived in Boston as a teen and speaks excellent English. Asians are very badly underrepresented in Hollywood right now along with Hispanics and Native Americans. I like Asian films and Donnie has made a lot of interesting films over the years, perhaps being best known for playing Ip Man, Bruce Lee's martial arts teacher in Hong Kong. I'd like to see more Asian faces in Hollywood and greater appreciation for Asian cinema in general here, so no problem for me what Rogue One did. The reality is that Chinese money is backing a lot of Hollywood films and they're going to demand spots for Asian actors, so you're living in the past.

As pointed out elsewhere, the 5th Pirates In The Caribbean movie was a world wide box office smash and disappointing only in the USA. But it still turned in what I think was the 2nd best US box office performance this year of a non-super hero movie.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Dare978Devil]

No, they didn't. Don't forget that studios get about 50% of the domestic box office receipts, and only about one-third of foreign receipts. Advertising and marketing are not counted in the costs to make a movie, those are on top of the stated price and usually range to at least 75% of the original budget. Take King Arthur from your list. 39 million US means only 19.5 mil in revenue for the studio domestically, 107 million foreign means only 36 more. That totals 55.5 million without including marketing costs. Since the production costs were 175 million, the marketing costs were likely in the 100 mil range. The studio therefore spent 275 million on this project, but only recouped 55. That is a massive loss. The other films in your list may have fared a little better, but not by much. Even Transformers didn't do very well if you run the numbers. 130 mil / 2 = 65 mil domestic, + 473 / 3 = 157 mil foreign, for a total take of 222 mil. The production cost was 217 mil, and 150 mil spent on marketing. That means 367 mil total spent on that film, but an actual loss of 145 mil. Some of these films will continue to recover costs for years in media sales, rentals, pay-per-view, etc., but they are very unlikely ever to turn a profit.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Youre, right, it's obvious!

"Saving Private Ryan"
"Fight Club"
"Mean Streets"

Retard.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, but did they make back their budget plus their marketing & distribution costs, which are often close to double the budget of the film?

Re: I can't be arsed

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Pirates is the only one with superstar actors in it. Of course the Mummy had Tom Cruise but he's kind of washed up.

And no matter what those fucktards in Hollywood say, Tom Cruise is NOT Jack Reacher. Hands down that was the worst casting decision I've ever seen.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Hognoxious]

I was going to claim the term "yellow-washing", but it's already a thing.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

None of those were made *recently* you idiot.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Alioth]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

HTH, HAND

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah... you're not that bright. The US has the largest movie going audience. You are comparing "the rest of the world" totals to ONE country.

NOW do you get it...?
How much did it make in EACH of those countries that make up the total of "the rest of the world..?"

Let's just look at your first example:
The Mummy made $80 million in the US
Was there another country out there that made MORE than that..?

Let's put it in terms that even you may understand... if the Cookie Monster likes only chocolate chip cookies and will buy ALL of the local baker's chocolate chip cookies, then why would that local baker make more raisin cookies than chocolate chip cookies when everyone else likes raisin but they don't sell as much unless EVERYONE comes in and buys them..?

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you got your zinger confused. Nobody said, "Surely you can't be serious."

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

While we were busy screwing off in the Middle East, Chinese megacorps were growing exponentially and have now subtly purchased many of the West's entertainment properties, including movies and video games (among other industries).

FIFY: While we were busying screwing off our prosperous free-market economy . . .

Last I checked, our military fought the war, while our businesses stayed home and continued to suffer through an economy over-burdened by government, which eventually crashed of its own weight.

We're so used to thinking of Americanism as the default state of things that even the mere suggestion of movies being made for another market instead of ours is tantamount to racism. No, it's just capitalism at its best and at its worst... colorblind and cultureblind, chasing the money, not the skin.

1. The problem with Hollywood in the US is they are chasing the "skin", not the talent, which brings the money. Thus, the increasingly and historic poor sales.

2. If movies are being made for China, as you say, they certainly aren't color or culture blind as you also claim. It's very obvious Hollywood almost totally operates on the notion of pandering to specific cultures, classes, genders, and races.

The Chinese aren't stupid. They were really behind a few decades ago, but while we were asleep at the wheel, they've been busy playing catchup. Now they're getting ahead.

Yeah, that socialism they tried for 30 years was a killer. What you call catch-up is their embracement of capitalism as they abandon socialism. Their government is still very communist, but their economy is more capitalist all time as evidenced by their prosperity.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Hollywood has a long history of being cruel to writers,
Probably why the Coen Bros made "Barton Fink".

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

I cannot tell if you're serious if you're being facetious. But you only need to look at the kinds of movies being released today to movies released in the past to realize that seemingly 90% or more of movies released today are rehashes, sequels, or based on old television series.

Hollywood is looking to make as much money as possible with as little risk, as they see it, as possible. Interestingly, it is exactly their aversion to risk that is resulting lackluster box office receipts on the U.S. Star Trek: Into Darkness, anyone?

Of all people, George Lucas said it best: the job of Hollywood is to give the young, promising filmmaker a lot of money and say, "Make a great film with this money that will make us a lot of money," without micromanaging the whole thing. The original Star Wars was a risk by the studio that paid off very handsomely because someone was willing to take a risk.

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Disclaimer: I'm white.
It's not often we get such unabashed racism here at Slashdot. Just so you know, Donnie Yen from Rogue One is a huge star in Asia, just about on the same level with Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

Disclaimer: I'm an American of Chinese descent who is fluent in Chinese.

I do not think that the original comment is racist. While there may have been a racist intent (and I do not think that there was), it does bring up a legitimate point: token gestures that have nothing to do with the story of the movie and ham-fisted enough to be distracting and, for the thinking person, insulting for its preachiness.

I hate the token minorities that are forced into films to attempt to appeal to certain groups. Donnie Yen may be a big star in Asia but his role in Rogue One was, in my opinion, unnecessary and a rather stereotypically Asian role. (Ah, the Chinese kung fu Jedi.) Even if I didn't hate the tokenism, I hated the character.

As for Jackie Chan and Jet Li, they're shitty actors who are really only effective in action movies that have weak stories. I do not like dumb action movies and, surprisingly, neither do most Americans as you can see from all the flopped action movies over the years.

Here's another example of irritating tokenism. In the film "The Martian," didn't it seem strange to see so many black rocket scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratories? If you attended a decent engineering college, how many black people were in your classes? Why wasn't JPL filled with more East Asian and Indian people, which is a more probable ethnic mix? Also, when the space agency was having difficult retrieving Matt Damon's character, why was it only China that had the magic technology that could save him?

To be more plausible, if the U.S. did not have the technology, I would find it more believable that the Russians had the technology. China is busy trying to put a man on the moon, something the U.S. did *50 years ago*.

For anyone with an understanding of the agencies, national histories, and cultures involved, "The Martian" was just God damned insulting for its pandering.

Re: I can't be arsed

[LoonyLonesome]

Not necessarily, those numbers are box office GROSS, the studio/distributor gets on average ~55% of the total box office gross. Also production budget does not include promotional costs, which are often huge.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Exactly - that's the point. Simple movie titles aren't new or made for a particular market. OP is just one of the racist shitposters showing off their shiny tinfoil hat and trying to dominate yet another unrelated discussion with their political garbage. While it may pass for normal in the echo chamber they usually inhabit, outside of that simple common sense is enough for anyone to see it is pure idiocy.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

I agree with most of what said except the two Chinese actors made rogue one. They were both excellent actors.

Great Wall. Wtf?

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

I wouldn't arse you to begin with. Who just arses people without knowing them? Maybe that's part of American culture as well as making just white guys that are the only heroes.

Re: I can't be arsed

[houghi]

Yes and there are also a lot that didn't. That perhaps even did not went to production and yet still some money was invested in them.

I am not saying that the studios are poor. They are scumbags that use Hollywood accounting, but there are plenty of movies that never made their money and they do not have big names attached to them, so you never hear about them.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

"American citizen" is not a race. It is a legal status that we absolutely should be verifying before ballots are cast. I thank you for your reply, however, because your "voter ID = Republican racism" conspiracy theory perfectly illustrates the point you are responding to.

Re: I can't be arsed

[TheCastro1689]

He just doesn't look like Jack Reacher, read the books and I've enjoyed the movies.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Nazinol: apply directly to the forehead!

Re: I can't be arsed

[JohnFen]

I don't know how movies are being "made for the Chinese".

It's more accurate to say "made for the non-US market", and is the current trend.

This is done primarily by making movies that don't include cultural things that are only relevant to the US and by simplifying dialogue so it doesn't lose as much when translated.

The end result is what we see: tons of action movies.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Some people call it a free market and capitalism, but each to his own I guess...

Re: I can't be arsed

[Opportunist]

Survivor bias. How often did they get a ton of money and delivered a bomb?

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Making your budget back isn't success. With the blockbuster model, the top performers need to make 10x - because only 1 in 5 to 1 in 10 will _be_ a blockbuster.

Re: I can't be arsed

[EvilSS]

I don't know how movies are being "made for the Chinese".

Many movies are. Transformers 4, for instance, had a number of concessions to Chinese culture and political norms. Its reward? It became the #1 highest grossing film in Chinese history (at the time).

http://time.com/2965333/how-transformers-4-became-the-number-one-film-in-chinese-history/

That franchise would be dead if it wasn't for China. I think they are doing it on purpose to fuck with us.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

I can put up with the anorexia, and projectile vomiting, but the bayarrhea is too much. Is there a non-bayarrhea version?

Re:I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Something like: "The English Patient 2" or "The Bridges of Maddison County 2"? or more like "Gone with the Wind 2"?

Re:I can't be arsed

[cayenne8]

Why can't Hollywood come up with a decent parody movie anymore? Where are the Airplane!s and the Spaceballs?

You couldn't make those movies today in the current "politically correct" environment.....

They'd be labeled racist, homophobic and any other -ist or -ic you can think of...debated if they should be shown in a 'modern society' and that they offend some snowflake group.

No one has a fucking sense of humor anymore....I suppose you could make a movie that bashes white fat guys, but that's about all you can get way with today.

The only exception I can think of today is Family Guy and I honestly dunno how they get away with what they do on that show.

Re: I can't be arsed

[LeftCoastThinker]

But those were all abject failures. OTOH, Avatar made $2,700 million in the US or about 200% of your entire list of movies there, and that was just one well done movie. The US market is massive, but making shit movies and pandering to totalitarian regimes is destroying the US movie market.

The other problem from the original article is rampant bootlegging of US films. If we really want to make more money from China on movies, how about holding their feet to the fire until they start respecting our IP...

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

And tax loopholes, perhaps?

Re: I can't be arsed

[JackieBrown]

China?

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

They're not losing the US audience because we don't want to look at a Chinese guy. For christ's sake. The movies are terrible ideas executed poorly. "Goon: Last of the Enforcers" starring Stifler? Who the fuck greenlit that? Whoever it was better spend all their time afterward making sure the writing, acting, and directing are fucking magnificent. But they were like fuck it. Ship it.

Re:I can't be arsed

[grumpyman]

Care to explain why having shift in culture tide is 'real and disturbing'? Why a cultural shift is 'disturbing'? Sounds racist to me.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you realize that Transformers was a Japanese invention?
http://www.tformers.com/article.php?sid=525

Also, movies ARE fictional works and they can do whatever they want, they can make an American Genghis-khan ravaging Asia or put Gwinnet Palthrow in character of a half-Asian half-African grand-mother of an Hispanic King in the middle East called "Lucio". In movies the intention can be different from reality or even the source, movies stand a point of their own.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Great line I never thought I'd see.

Re: I can't be arsed

[MassacrE]

Pretty good, but needed more lens flares

Re: I can't be arsed

[KGIII]

Then, with that subject, it'd be on topic. It's not really on-topic - but that doesn't mean I mind it. I kinda like the way topics meander, for the most part. I also don't mind the trolls. I just usually don't feed them.

Re:I can't be arsed

[Khashishi]

to go pay $15 dollars to watch a movie meant primarily for the Chinese. Start making movies for America again and I might show up....

It's sad that that this post got modded 5, Insightful. People like this are why we have so much whitewashing in Hollywood. Fortunately, studios are slowly realizing that movies with a diverse cast tend to do better than others.

BTW, Rogue One surpassed 1 G$ in the box office.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Rakarra]

Pirates is the only one with superstar actors in it. Of course the Mummy had Tom Cruise but he's kind of washed up.

Tom Cruise isn't washed up, but strangely he wasn't the draw in the trailers. The movie just looked terrible. The Rock is the biggest action star in the world, but he couldn't save the Baywatch movie. I'm not sure why those movies bomb but Michael Bay's are successful, but there you have it.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

The other problem from the original article is rampant bootlegging of US films. If we really want to make more money from China on movies, how about holding their feet to the fire until they start respecting our IP...

Please do not follow that misconception spreaded by studios that they are loosing money over bootleging overseas.
If one is not selling movie in given market they cannot claim that they are loosing money. :-)
10000 downloaded copies times price in that country ( $0 ) gives still $0
The same with books where license goes only for "former British colonies"=="speaking english".
I want to buy book, they will not send it to my country because of license.
if I get hands on such book is this a loss to the publisher?

captcha: condemns

Re: I can't be arsed

[Rakarra]

What did he say that was factually wrong, curiously?

Re: I can't be arsed

[Rakarra]

I don't know why some fuckwad moderator keeps modding this as "-1 Troll," but this ain't trolling. He's giving accurate accounting figures. I know it doesn't always jive with the "lol movies are always profitable, Hollywood accounting sucks" meme, but the truth is that movie studios release a lot of films that flop, but they make up for them with the enormous blockbusters.

It used to be easier a decade ago when you could count on even mediocre releases doing a nice business in the DVD market, but those days are gone and studios have their heads up their asses when it comes to handling streaming.

Re: I can't be arsed

[LoonyLonesome]

Based upon what I've read on sites like http://www.the-numbers.com/ and http://www.boxofficemojo.com/ everything he/she wrote was correct

Re:I can't be arsed

[Rakarra]

The only exception I can think of today is Family Guy and I honestly dunno how they get away with what they do on that show.

Family Guy and South Park. Both like to subvert politically 'acceptable' norms, though Family Guy does like to play to the liberal norms of its creator (Brian very much reflects McFarlaine's sensibilities). Matt and Trey are intentionally cagey about where their politics lie, and they like to play to and then tear down both sides.

Simpsons sadly lost their edge 20 years ago. You definitely couldn't get away with Married With Children now.

My favorite parody films were Airplane, Spaceballs, History of the World Part 1 (some of it anyway), Hot Shots (both. Ah for the days before Charlie Sheen was publicly crazy), the Naked Gun. Even Men in Tights had its fun moments. But then you get nonsense like White Girls, Meet the Spartans, Disaster Movie, that just feel really lazy and only take obvious shots that we already came up with on our own. There were plenty of bad Airplanes knock-offs in the old days, but I don't see the really good parodies anymore.

Re:I can't be arsed

[ctilsie242]

With the drivel coming out from Hollywood, I'd be happy to pay $15 to watch a Chinese-based movie that doesn't follow the same cookie-cutter plot path that every single US movie has, with decent subtitling. In fact, with Hollywood just churning out comic book flicks and not bothering finding new IP has created a market for almost anything else.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Rakarra]

You present no evidence that voter ID and other laws have anything to do with race

Because voter IDs are not easy to attain when you have no resources. Anyone with any means is already going to have one, when you put a barrier to entry, you're going to get less of a turnout. And who are those who can't afford to take time off to vote, who don't have a place nearby to get a voter ID? The poor. Who do the poor tend to be?

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Ever see Ip Man?

About a million times. The second one was good, too.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Good for T4, personally I wouldn't wipe my ass with the master print out of fear of catching a shit disease.

Re: I can't be arsed

[david_thornley]

Voter ID is not itself racist. Most proposals I've seen in the US would make it disproportionately hard for blacks to get the ID, either by themselves or with other concurrent measures..

Re: I can't be arsed

[cheesybagel]

it is NOT okay for common people to rise up against oppression. That can bring up too many uncomfortable comparisons to real events

I guess we can never expect them to make a movie about the downfall of the Qin Empire then. Yet Romance of the Three Kingdoms still seems to be acceptable for public viewing somehow.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah but all the americans who comment in this article are grumpy old men who dont watch movies anyway cos hollywood is full of sjw cuck librils. So why would they be the target market? Otoh recently i loved arrival, john wick2, rogue1, deadpool, kingsmen, lion and enjoyed many more.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Rakarra]

Do you realize that Transformers was a Japanese invention?

I do! Boy, I bet they're regretting that now.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Rakarra]

I can't speak for the-numbers, but I know for certain that Box Office Mojo's numbers are guesses. For the most part they do not get actual budget numbers from movie studios, so they estimate. And update their numbers if a studio does actually release numbers for various films.

boxofficemojo is an absolutely fantastic resource for figuring out which movie made how much, and when. But it's not good at things it has no way of verifying, like movie budgets and promotional costs.

Re: I can't be arsed

[LoonyLonesome]

Well, they are largely based upon announced budgets, that said 'Hollywood accounting' is a well known term and thus there is always a strong risk of presented numbers being either inflated or reduced. As for promotional costs, that is pretty much speculation based upon statements from industry insiders. These estimates seem to correlate very well with reality though, for example when Sony Pictures posted a year to year loss in april of $719 million it echoed the estimated performance for the films they made in 2016.

Re: I can't be arsed

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

He just doesn't look like Jack Reacher, read the books and I've enjoyed the movies.

The only things Tom Cruise has in common with the Jack Reacher character is that he's bipedal and warm-blooded. Beyond that, nothing.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

All of these films made back their budget.

Hollywood likes to whine and, of course, they want to rake in even more money. They can also not admit to making a profit, because then the whole "piracy" narrative becomes very obvious as the complete lie it is. People could notice they are scumbags.

Pretty sure they also can't admit to making a profit for tax reasons.

Re:I can't be arsed

[Gussington]

Care to explain why having shift in culture tide is 'real and disturbing'? Why a cultural shift is 'disturbing'? Sounds racist to me.

Of course it does, because simpletons can't deal with anything that's not black and white.
If you don't know the difference between culture and race then there's not much point continuing.
And if you are unaware of the concept of civil war, when two different cultures of the same race kill each other over ideals, then you will accept that rapid cultural changes can be disturbing.

Re: I can't be arsed

[TemporalBeing]

The no-profit thing has nothing to do with piracy. It's to do with screwing people on their contracts.

Exactly; The piracy narrative is just gravy.

Re: I can't be arsed

[Anonymous Coward]

You are just doing a strawman argument. My question is your statement saying "culture shift is disturbing" - why is that so?

So it wasn't just me

[thesjaakspoiler]

thinking why the heck TV-series were more interesting than the movies....

Re: So it wasn't just me

[Thundercat007]

Same, I took a look at what's out, and closed my browser. Only summer movie I saw was Despicable Me 3 (for the little one). Other than that, a hard pass on Super Hero movies.

Re: So it wasn't just me

[Hognoxious]

I may have to endure it. Was it as shite as the first two?

Re:So it wasn't just me

[Anonymous Coward]

thinking why the heck TV-series were more interesting than the movies....

I started dating a new girl a month ago. We have been wanting to go out for a movie for some time now. Not a single movie has been interesting enough that we didn't just decide to do something else. Movies are so bad we'd rather walk in the Florida heat & rain. Now that's saying something!

Re: So it wasn't just me

[Anonymous Coward]

You'll hate the third one more. It's more of the same, but worse, paired with obnoxious eighties puns

Re:So it wasn't just me

[Myrdos]

Yeah. I wouldn't give up a single episode of A Game of Thrones to see any movie. Unless it was "A Game of Thrones: Season 8 Is A Movie Now".

I'd watch that.

Re:So it wasn't just me

[JackieBrown]

I wonder how much of this is related to the mediums in which we now watch TV?

I haven't seen a commercial in a very long time since I watch no live sports or TV shows and Netflix doesn't advertise for movies at theaters.

Re: So it wasn't just me

[Rakarra]

Funny how 80s nostalgia works in some cases, not in others. I loved the 1980s vibe in Stranger Things, probably because it was played straight (mostly).

Re:So it wasn't just me

[Rakarra]

Yeah. I wouldn't give up a single episode of A Game of Thrones to see any movie. Unless it was "A Game of Thrones: Season 8 Is A Movie Now".

I'd watch that.

The last episode of Season 7 was about an hour and half, so each episode is almost movie-length now.

Re:So it wasn't just me

[Anonymous Coward]

The company I work for has massive screens all over the office that show trailers all day. I still never see a trailer for anything good despite non-stop exposure to trailers (except the new Blade Runner. I want to see that).

Re: So it wasn't just me

[david_thornley]

When I had a little one, in the 90s and early 00s, I found that most of the movies he wanted to see weren't bad. (The big exception was Yu-Gi-Oh, based on a boring television series about people who use ancient Egyptian artifacts to cheat at card games.) Pokemon movies, Country Bears, a whole lot of stuff I enjoyed.

They don't care

[phantomfive]

As long as the international box office makes up the difference, the studios won't care if the American box office slides.

Re:They don't care

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you will find American box offices sales have creative accounting so offshore untaxed profits can be hoovered up Apple style.

The recent CGI and superhero gunk combined with teenage characters has left me pissed off - so getting my money is gunna be harder for the same tripe, Just wait till 80 inch TV sets are the norm - that will slow growth too.

I also think rest of world sales will be heading down if wages don't rise soon, and that tourists make up most watchers in places like Cambodia and Thailand.

New movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

I stopped going to movies because all you see anymore are superhero movies. When's the last time a movie came out in the ballpark of Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, or even Ferris Bueller? I honestly have no idea and I couldn't even tell you the names of two movies in theatres right now.

Re:New movies suck

[Ol Olsoc]

I stopped going to movies because all you see anymore are superhero movies. When's the last time a movie came out in the ballpark of Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, or even Ferris Bueller? I honestly have no idea and I couldn't even tell you the names of two movies in theatres right now.

In addition, therre is this weird trend toward the 90 pound woman who kills every man that gets in her way, and is somehow stronger than the incredible hulk. And the even stranger one of the Wonderwoman movie, which for some reason was promoted as some sort of breakthrough, a never before seen strong capable woman in a movie. What? Aliens, Terminator, and lots of others have had that in the current era. Even then, they missed the boat as feminists were angry because Gal Gadot shaved her armpit hair, which is apparently submission to the patriarchy. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2...

So between endless and now boring reboots, Comic book grade school level, and socially annoying movies, I'll just watch TCM for my cinemafix, than you very much.

Re:New movies suck

[Bing Tsher E]

And the even stranger one of the Wonderwoman movie,

At this point we really, really, badly need a Wonderwoman movie where the hero is a big beefy man as Wonderwoman.

Re:New movies suck

[Ol Olsoc]

And the even stranger one of the Wonderwoman movie,

At this point we really, really, badly need a Wonderwoman movie where the hero is a big beefy man as Wonderwoman.

John Goodman? And don't dare assume his gender!! 8^)

Re:New movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

As a standalone movie, it was pretty good. But it's not a great example of a breakthrough feminist role, as it was hyped up in the media.

Re:New movies suck

[zippthorne]

If you liked fight club, you should give Atomic Blond a try. It's a lot more gritty than the Bond-like film the trailer advertized.

Re:New movies suck

[ZorinLynx]

Actually it was. Pay attention to actual feminists, not the Tumblrinas who find every tiny fault in everything.

Re:New movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem with Wonder Woman as a feminist movie is that Wonder Woman is not human. Although the intentions of the original creators of the comic book character were feminist, she's a demigod in the movie.

The character solves problems in the male hero fashion by using superior strength and speed.
So her feats of strength are not interesting.

Re:New movies suck

[MightyMartian]

It had a female lead who was more than capable of taking on the bad guys. Yes, there was a bit of the "Dirty Dozen" element, but Pine's character existed more for romantic tension and to help this strange woman in a strange land adapt to very new surroundings.

It didn't have bra burning scenes, if that's your idea of feminism, but I know one thing, my youngest daughter absolutely loved that film and Gal Gadot has become quite a role model for young girls and women, so if that's not a female-positive message, the very essence of feminism, then I don't know what is.

But don't believe just me:
https://youtu.be/_GkmkrHr8QM

Re:New movies suck

[Ol Olsoc]

The problem with Wonder Woman as a feminist movie is that Wonder Woman is not human. Although the intentions of the original creators of the comic book character were feminist, she's a demigod in the movie.

The character solves problems in the male hero fashion by using superior strength and speed. So her feats of strength are not interesting.

That's an interesting analysis. There has also been some suggestions that this sort of thig is not good in a social context. Where some young ladies have become emboldened to attempt physical violence on men - not the sort of minor stuff like slapping, but where the male has to use his strength to defend himself. I'm not so certain if that is plausible or not, but these movies where females are acting like violent males give one pause as to how that affects the viewers.

Re:New movies suck

[LostMyBeaver]

Is there a special word for a female who believe it's :
    - cool to be a girl
    - doesn't believe the world is out to get her
    - doesn't need every company in the world to prove how pro-woman they are by treating women as if they need to be told how special they are until it starts sounding like how we call disabled people "Special"
    - doesn't think it's cool that she has to wonder whether she got the job because she's qualified... or worse...
    - doesn't think it's cool that a lot of her colleagues around her believe she got the job to fill the quota

I think you get the point.

I was driving my 13 year old daughter and her friend home from kick-boxing practice the other day. No joke.,. cute little girls... big smiley faces... making all kinds of funny jokes.... home from kickboxing.

I asked "Did you two enjoy trying to cause each other physical injury today?" and they explained all the fun things they did like practicing punching each other in the stomach for half an hour for conditioning.

I asked "Don't you think hurting each other is maybe a little bit of a bad way to treat your friend. And they giggled and tittered as if they were playing with Barbies and explained that they do it to each other because they're friends".

I asked about their enemies. I was told "What enemies?"

They then continues to discuss a new elective class they chose for the new school year they're taking. It's about electronics and mechanical things. They will learn some electronics and how to make simple robots, some programming on Arduino, etc... it sounded great ... then they started talking about friend from other schools and how those kids were able to take programming but they were upset that they weren't given the option.

Then they went home to play OverWatch with their friends.

Here are two girls... who are REALLY REALLY well suited for being in environments entirely outnumbered by men. Even by men who will think it's find to call them "Sweetheart" and it won't phase them at all. They do all the things guys do... they don't look around them and see guys and girls. They gravitate towards each other at kickboxing and such because they like hanging with girls better. They kill each other in Overwatch with friends of all types...

So instead of a girl who thinks there's a need to make a point out of being a girl. And being a girl who thinks she has to prove herself because she's a girl. What is a word that describes a girl who simply doesn't give a shit about that and simply fits in everywhere and makes people smile while she's around?

P.S. - As a father of a little girl... I have to admit I was quite pleased she and her friend decided that kickboxing would be their thing. We live near enough to a city that our main form of recreation is coffee shops downtown. And when she gets older, it's nice to know that she should be prepared to fight back against knuckle draggers.

Re:New movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

Wouldn't Roseanne Barr do a better job as a beefy man?

Re:New movies suck

[Ol Olsoc]

And what was wrong with the Wonderwoman movie? Post-Nolan, it's the best of the new batch of DC films, and in general I thoroughly enjoyed the film. Have you ever just tried to watch a movie?

I didn't say there was anything wrong with the movie. I've been a minor fan of Wonder Woman from the days of Lynda Carter. I merely comment on what some people have tried to impress upon the film, as if it was some kind of first. It isn't. Not even remotely. Riply in the Alien movies is just one perfect example of a capable female lead. And there were many before. This whole WW thing was just social agenda. So you'll have to forgive me if I find something that is a lie just a little bit irritating. And why lie about it? As I noted before, many of the same people who are at one time promoting this strong independent movie woman abandoned it after Gal Gadot showed no armpit hair. But hey, I'm the problem, yesno?

As for just watching a movie - I do that all the time. I watch TCM a lot. I watch HBO (though mostly for Bill Maher) And there are even strong women in many of the old films. I do tend to look for the entertainment value more than social agendas however.

Looking forward to the next Wonder Woman movie starring Roseanne Barr.

Re:New movies suck

[Gussington]

...Gal Gadot has become quite a role model for young girls and women, so if that's not a female-positive message, the very essence of feminism, then I don't know what is.

Um, maybe a woman who isn't pretend? I mean do you prefer your son take on a role model like Elon Musk or Steve Jobs, (or Gandhi or Tom Brady, whoever it is you admire as a male role model). Or would you prefer they aspire to being Spiderman?

Re:New movies suck

[Kokuyo]

The word you're looking for is 'awesome'.
It's unisex too.

Re:New movies suck

[darth.hunterix]

And what was wrong with the Wonderwoman movie?

Lucy Lawless was too old to play Wonder Woman. There is nothing wrong with Gal Gadot, it's just Lawless was born for this role and after Xena she was ready. Now it will never happen and it's sad.

Re:New movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

No true scotsman! Never a true scotsman! Only I am the real scotsman!

Re:New movies suck

[istartedi]

If you're old enough to remember when Ferris Bueller came out, you're no longer in the demographic. Hollywood cares about people aged 18-30 or something. Apparently they like to go out to movies more, I guess. That's why everything is based on a toy I was too old to play with, or a comic book action series. That stuff resonates more with a younger demographic. As others have pointed out, I guess the international market likes that stuff too. The silver lining is that if Hollywood is catering to internationals, maybe we can legitimately tell them to stop complaining about American cultural hegemony.

Re:New movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

"In addition, therre is this weird trend toward the 90 pound woman who kills every man that gets in her way, and is somehow stronger than the incredible hulk."

If you're referring to Wonder Woman, it's not a "weird trend". Wonder Woman is trained as a warrior, and has Superman-level strength or close to it. That's been part of continuity for a long time. Also, in recent continuity, they ditched the "clay baby brought to life by the Greek gods" origin for a "child of Zeus" one. Seems that Zeus likes to tomcat around, and since his wife, Hera, doesn't dare take it out on him, she takes it out on his mistresses (assault victims?) and their children, instead. In the new continuity, Hippolyta made up the "clay baby" story as a way of protecting herself and/or Diana from Hera's wrath. This revised origin means that Diana is a demigod (like Hercules), and explains nicely why she is so much stronger than all of the other Amazons. They're just humans, albeit highly-physically-fit humans blessed with exceptionally long lives. She's not.

If I remember correctly, the movie goes with the "daughter of Zeus" origin. Diana's huge increase in power levels from the beginning of the movie to the end is a result of her learning that she has superhuman power and then learning how to use it.

Re: New movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

I wonder if it contributes to high levels of ambient violence in westernized cultures?

Re:New movies suck

[danbert8]

I mean Gal Gadot is pretty bad ass in real life... She was in the Israeli military you know.

Re:New movies suck

[Kevin108]

Re: Ol Osoc's comment about 8 slots up: "there is this weird trend toward the 90 pound woman who kills every man that gets in her way, and is somehow stronger than the incredible hulk."

Re: New movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

Hidden figures was a good film!

Re:New movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

The fact that you point to Ripley as your capable female lead is not a good thing, she was created almost 40 years ago.

Re:New movies suck

[JohnFen]

I loved Fight Club, but have a hard time seeing how that indicates that one would enjoy Atomic Blonds. Fight Club is a good movie. Atomic Blonde is not.

Re:New movies suck

[Ost99]

Hollywood makes movies for ages 9-18, not 18-30. Almost everything is PG/PG-13.
Back in the days of Ferris Bueller a large percentage of movies would be made for an older audience and have a R-ratings. From the rating system started 1968 to 2000 55% of movies were R-rated. 20 years ago R-rated movies had a market share of >40%. Today it's below 25%.

Re:New movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

Olsoc is saying that Wonder Women deserves no accolades for breaking new ground on the feminist angle because "strong women" characters have been in cinema for a long time. In what way does what you wrote invalidate that point?

Re:New movies suck

[Ol Olsoc]

Olsoc is saying that Wonder Women deserves no accolades for breaking new ground on the feminist angle because "strong women" characters have been in cinema for a long time. In what way does what you wrote invalidate that point?

Exactly.

Re:New movies suck

[Ol Olsoc]

The fact that you point to Ripley as your capable female lead is not a good thing, she was created almost 40 years ago.

Whoosh. The fact that Sigourney Weaver played Ripley, a woman up against some awful circumstances and overcame them by using smarts and occasionally violence is exatly the point. It's been done before.

The only difference is that we went to the movie, enjoyed it, and thought "wow - awesome movie, and didn't act like it was empowering women, but that it showed a powerful woman who was pretty endearing to everyone.

It is no diss of Gadot in Wonder Woman. Wha tis is is a lot of people acting and talking like every single woman in every single movie has been portrayed as weak and mere sex objects, tools of the patriarchy, and Wonder Woman was groundbreaking, something never ever done before.

Which is to be blunt, utter bullshit. The Social engineering construct detracted from the movie, not do it any favors.

Re:New movies suck

[Rakarra]

And what was wrong with the Wonderwoman movie?

Somewhat poorly written, with plot holes and plot arcs that undercut the themes of other plot arcs in the film.
I actually like pretty much everything that happened on Themyscira, it's when Diana leaves to head to England that the writing goes seriously wrong. We have to sit through the usual "fish out of water" nonsense that is always the same in these sorts of plots, a pointless scene of Diana trying on clothes that goes on way too long... at this point, the movie's only real crime is having overlong sequences that should have been edited down or cut. But then the nonsense starts.

Steve and Diana are attacked in an alley by German thugs trying to recover the notebook Steve stole. Diana knocks them out, tries to interrogate the leader, but he takes cyanide in a surprisingly incompetently and confusingly-edited scene. They're sad because they wanted information about who they worked for, what they wanted, who they were, and they leave, disheartened... leaving the four other totally alive and completely interrogatable Germans in the alley. The film is full of these moments that just don't seem thought through.

Maybe the worst sin came at the very end of the film, when Diana and Ares had this discussion where he said he just gives humans ideas, it's human nature to have to choose to do evil acts. I liked this idea! It was a good one! It meant you can't just punch evil. I wish they had stuck with it. Unfortunately, when Ares dies, the German soldiers are shown blinking, coming out of a haze, and smiling. Oh hey, they're good people after all! They were just under Ares's control.... completely undercutting the previous theme of this being a choice. Fuck. That. The writers tried to have it both ways, they wanted to show Germans not being evil, yet presented us this fraudulent choice. This is not the only example in the movie of trying to have things both ways, but it's the most blatant and could have been avoided by just removing that 5-second "germans waking up from a dream" shot.

I wanted to like this movie. There was a lot to like about it, but the story needed a lot more work.

Post-Nolan, it's the best of the new batch of DC films

That's not saying much, DC's crop has generally been dreadful.

Re:New movies suck

[istartedi]

OK, I got curious and tracked down some source. Warning PDF and the source is the MPAA, although I don't know why they would want to bias that particular stat, they *are* the MPAA so who knows? Anyway, their data show 18-24 and 25-39 as consistently the two largest age ranges. The wrinkle in this is that 9-18 is having their parents buy the tickets, especially the lower end of that range so I'm not sure how they actually measure this.

I can't find a better source, or any explanation of their methodology that might explain how a movie put a butt in a seat because an adult wanted to see it, or because they had to accompany their offspring or little sibling.

I don't know if the number of R rated films has dropped off, but let's say that it has. Maybe it's got more to do with ubiquitous Internet porn than age catering. Why pay $12 to see 10 seconds of boobies when you can fap your eyes out online for nothing?

Re:New movies suck

[david_thornley]

I thought Lynda Carter pulled it off pretty well. I liked the Gal Godot movie better, but I don't know if that had anything to do with the leads.

Re:New movies suck

[david_thornley]

As a boy, my chance of growing up to be Steve Jobs or Elon Musk or similar was only very, very little more than my chance of growing up to be Spiderman. Fewer people get into the Jobs/Musk/Gates category than win the lottery.

Moreover, if I'd tried to emulate Spiderman, I'd have wound up a better human being than if I'd tried to emulate Jobs.

Re:New movies suck

[david_thornley]

In the movie, Wonder Woman inspired ordinary humans to follow her and do the right thing, which is not something all superheros are good at.

Re: New movies suck

[Ol Olsoc]

I wonder if it contributes to high levels of ambient violence in westernized cultures?

I wouldn't be surprised.

Re:New movies suck

[Ol Olsoc]

Is there a special word for a female who believe it's : - cool to be a girl - doesn't believe the world is out to get her - doesn't need every company in the world to prove how pro-woman they are by treating women as if they need to be told how special they are until it starts sounding like how we call disabled people "Special" - doesn't think it's cool that she has to wonder whether she got the job because she's qualified... or worse... - doesn't think it's cool that a lot of her colleagues around her believe she got the job to fill the quota

I worked with several women engineers and scientists. That's their attitude, and I approve wholeheartedly. You just don't get very far at the higher levels of STEM without a good attitude. And that is male or female.

Re:New movies suck

[Ol Olsoc]

It had a female lead who was more than capable of taking on the bad guys. Yes, there was a bit of the "Dirty Dozen" element, but Pine's character existed more for romantic tension and to help this strange woman in a strange land adapt to very new surroundings.

It didn't have bra burning scenes, if that's your idea of feminism, but I know one thing, my youngest daughter absolutely loved that film and Gal Gadot has become quite a role model for young girls and women, so if that's not a female-positive message, the very essence of feminism, then I don't know what is.

But don't believe just me:

I'm certain that Ms Gadot is a fine person. But she is just another pop culture icon, and just another Disney Princess character.

You might be satisfied with your daughter trying to emulate a Disney princess, but just remember, little girls who worship pop culture may turn out in later years decide that Miley Cyrus or Kat Von D is who she wants to take after now.

And if that is female positive, well, good luck.

If a girl needs a positive female role model, Howbow Jane Goodall? She's even a vegetarian if that means anything to you. Howbow NASA's human computers, all female, and many of them of dark pigmentation. Many of the male astronaiuts would refuse to launch if the ladies did not approve the math - trusting them more than any other method of computation.

Hedy Lamar, who escaped from the Nazis, and was part of the group that invented spread spectrum radio technology. She was also stunningly beautiful, if that means something to a young lady.

Amy Mainzer - Astronomer My personal favorite, Laura Danley, another astronomer who radiates smarts competence and pleasant to be around.

I'm going to stop now, because there are actually a lot of really positive and strong female role models, but I think you like the pop star type.

And no - I do not consider that a positive role model. But it's a free country.

Re:New movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

I saw them both and liked the both very much, but for very different reasons.
They are so very different that I would have to agree with what you said, liking one would not indicate a like for the other.
Fight club was (among other things) a complex and ambiguous commentary on society, but Atomic Blonde was just a beat-em-up with a fabulously good-looking woman to ogle.

Re:New movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

And the even stranger one of the Wonderwoman movie,

At this point we really, really, badly need a Wonderwoman movie where the hero is a big beefy man as Wonderwoman.

Wondertranny

A Social Justice Warrior with a Golden Lasso!

Re:New movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

Even then, they missed the boat as feminists were angry because Gal Gadot shaved her armpit hair, which is apparently submission to the patriarchy.

I thought that was from shaving their cooch.

Re: New movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

Ms Peregrine, Passengers, the Martian, Arrival,... Take your pick.

Re:New movies suck

[Gussington]

I mean Gal Gadot is pretty bad ass in real life... She was in the Israeli military you know.

Israel has compulsory military service, so that's hardly anything 'bad-ass'. And let's not pretend we're celebrating her for anything other than being hot and in an action movie. Hardly the shining beacon of feminism that the GP is trying to portray...

Re:New movies suck

[Gussington]

As a boy, my chance of growing up to be Steve Jobs or Elon Musk or similar was only very, very little more than my chance of growing up to be Spiderman. Fewer people get into the Jobs/Musk/Gates category than win the lottery.

Still more than becoming a fictional character though...

Cartoon books for little boys...

[Anonymous Coward]

don't make good movies. Just stop.

Maybe

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps we're tired of actors political bullshit.

Re:Maybe

[Anonymous Coward]

Send them all to Iraq/Afghanistan -- with cameras on their foreheads. Stream it live. I would actually love to see those smug leftist asshats get blown up. That's entertainment I can fap to. It's not like SFX: If I know people like George Clooney are getting removed from the gene pool then it's far more satisfying.

Re:Maybe

[Anonymous Coward]

*cringe*
This site is way different when you browse at >=-1

Re:Maybe

[Anonymous Coward]

*cringe*
This site is way different when you browse at >=-1

Down there is where all the fun is. ;)

Re:Maybe

[Anonymous Coward]

You are not real /. -er if you do not always browse at -1. Seriosly! A sizable chunk of downmoded comments (I'd say a quarter) are good comments put down my moderator's bias and agenda.

Wrong Script

[Art Challenor]

This cannot possibly be the fault of the studios/movie makers. The obvious problem is illegal downloading and something about Amazon, YouTube, Netflix,or somebody not paying their fair share for legal downloads.

Re:Wrong Script

[Anonymous Coward]

The new copy protection scheme has worked. They made movies so shitty I won't even download them. They would have to pay me to watch them.

Re:Wrong Script

[Anonymous Coward]

Personally, I would love 10 more SJWars movies, and 20 more Diversity Sensitivity Training movies on the silver screen.

Re:Wrong Script

[edx93]

Exactly, it's all piratebay's fault and has nothing to do with the fact that most movies now are shit.

Re:Wrong Script

[Presence Eternal]

I looked at the Netflix top releases...and every single one looked like a chore. The movies looked as appealing to me as mopping floors. I'm only one person, but free was still to costly for me.

Re:Wrong Script

[Anonymous Coward]

The content is the answer. It is just a question of supply vs demand. If you supply an object... that is consumed less than demand... the rules demand your price must drop to further consumption of said object. Since theater prices on first-run content are only going up and not down.. the supply vs demand curve automatically adjusts. Consumers have voted with their paycheck. Hollywood has not delivered.

Re:Wrong Script

[schematix]

no the rule states you find the spot on the demand/price curve where you make the most money. there is a peak and it's not where a lot of people watch it and pay very little to do so. In some cases this works well, but when you charge more and your product sucks more each year, you will eventually fizzle out. if you have 3 people willing to pay $10,000, you will make more than if you have 10,000 people willing to pay $2.

Re:Wrong Script

[Anonymous Coward]

I got a DCMA for The Mummy and I sent it back with a bandwidth invoice.

Re:Wrong Script

[Anonymous Coward]

Agreed. It was a mistake to watch Kill Switch and I won't be forgetting that for a long time. You don't need to watch movies anymore, then previews are better than the actual movies.

Re: Wrong Script

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't fret, 4channer! I hear Adam Sandler is making another movie just for you.

Re:Wrong Script

[Anonymous Coward]

somebody modded this informative...well technically yes all posts are informative of something, I guess. wtf here kololoputguuyrsae,eh?.

Re: Wrong Script

[Anonymous Coward]

I torrent through a VPN and find myself downloading... old movies. I take a chance every now and again and fetch recent movies and those files just sit there, to be deleted a few weeks from now. YouTube trailers make sure that I feel like a dumbass for wasting time and bandwidth.

OTOH, when I logically hit up the trailers first to see what I might want... I end up getting nothing. Maybe I've just gotten picky in my old age.

Then there are TV shows like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. Suffering from terrible withdrawals right now.

Who could have possibly guessed!

[ArylAkamov]

Reboots of reboots have stopped selling out?
I'm shocked. Shocked!
At this rate, they might have to invest in new IP instead of beating the dead descendants of a long dead horse.

Re:Who could have possibly guessed!

[Shotgun]

I'm waiting for them to tell us how Spiderman came about again.

Punished.....as they should be.

[homes32]

Love how they try to pin their failure on social media. Point in fact: Your movies sucked. Just because we can now tell people quickley and en mass how badly they sucked does not chamge the fact. Why should hollywood be rewarded by paying customers for producing trash?

Re:Punished.....as they should be.

[sehlat]

Why should Hollywood be rewarded by paying customers for producing trash?

Public's Answer: None! Why pay for trash?

Hollywood's Answer: Because we're entitled to take your money regardless of quality.

then lets do the math for them!

[nimbius]

"The Mummy" This will be the fifth or sixth movie with the same plot, but different cast. we skipped the FX budget and hoped no one would notice, which did a great job exposing our shoddy subplot and writing.
"Baywatch": this show ran for 12 years as a surrogate for softcore porn on basic cable/rabbit ears. in 2017 the plot and dialogue of this had better be great, otherwise the internets vast troves of adult content have crushed it before its even left the gate. the characters are, at best, totally untranslatable to millennials saddled with debt and ramen noodles.
"The Dark Tower": What was this even about? character development died in the first 3 minutes (remember suicide squad?) but the whole movie worked tirelessly to complete the vision of a parking lot full of squirrels. This was a stephen king novel that was an excellent example of story telling but was, surprise, butchered by hacks to fit 90 minutes.
"King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.": I know ill probably get crucified for saying this on slashdot but this died because it only related to white people who walk into a nation themed restaraunt and start quoting the noble percentage of "heritage" from which they draw themselves. Black heimdal, black spiderman, hispanic blue beetle, see a trend? its called reading the demographic properly. This film was basically lifted from the Disney ride by a baby boomer exec at a studio trying desperately to purge him from the ranks.
"Alien," "Transformers" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" this is the sixth alien, the sixth transformers, and the fifth in the pirates series. Hollywood needs to learn that the cash cow for millennial audiences dies after #1 for films written at the 4th grade comprehension level. Watching Mark Wahlburg cash another check for something that looks scripted on the toilet, or Johnny Depp show up in another $pirate_film because he either picked up the phone or has poor retirement planning is something boomers do.

tl;dr: the largest demographic youre trying to attract expects a little diversity, better scripting, and higher quality for an $11 ticket they could just skip and watch whenever it shows up on netflix when we're too stoned or bored to play steam games.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

Black heimdal, black spiderman, hispanic blue beetle, see a trend? its called reading the demographic properly.

Or, maybe the blackening of older traditionally white characters instead of just inventing new cool black characters is what turned people off? Everyone knows 2016 was the seminal year for black cinema.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[ravenshrike]

The Dark Tower was literally just a setup for the shitty TV series they're planning.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

the largest demographic youre trying to attract expects a little diversity, better scripting, and higher quality for an $11 ticket ...

Ah, so millennials still don't have decent jobs. Got it.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[chuckugly]

I read the Gunslinger series more than once; a multi-year series could actually stand a chance of doing it justice if HBO or Netflix was running it.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

At first I thought that was some kind of parody, but when I saw the exploding cell phone I realized it was a documentary.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

Black heimdal, black spiderman, hispanic blue beetle, see a trend? its called reading the demographic properly.

Or, maybe the blackening of older traditionally white characters instead of just inventing new cool black characters is what turned people off? Everyone knows 2016 was the seminal year for black cinema.

I for one, am looking forward to Blankman 2, and Blankman III Electric Urinal. They'll probably spend the money on Black Apache Chief vs The Chinese Zulu.

Actually, Blankman was pretty good.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[yuriklastalov]

LOL, have you seen what they've done to Game of Thrones. HBO are overrated garbage. I wouldn't count on Netflix, either. They've got plenty of stinkers to their credit.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

The reason Heimdal became black in the films is because Idris Elba wanted to play him and the director, Kenneth Braughan, let him as 1) the character's skin color really wasn't important and 2) because he's Idris ****ing Elba.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[chuckugly]

Well compared to CBS they're both pure genius is I guess the point I was trying for, at least that's what the bourbon is now telling me.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

LOL

Yes, sure. Hollywood fills the cinemas with diversity and girl power - and audiences drop off.

The answer: More diversity and girl power!

Always the same. SJWs will plough your business into the ground if you listen to their bullshit.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean made it good? GRRM is a competent author, at best. He's not good by any stretch of the imagination. GoT is far, far better put together than ASoF&I could ever hope to be.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

The reason Heimdal became black in the films is because Idris Elba wanted to play him and the director, Kenneth Braughan, let him as 1) the character's skin color really wasn't important and 2) because he's Idris ****ing Elba.

I occasionally wonder whether the people who rant are rave how a black Heimdall is not mythologically accurate also spend time complaining about how Marvel's Thor is blonde, doesn't (usually) have a beard, and has a hammer with a long handle.

Very occasionally, that is, because I suspect I know the answer.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

Bzzzzzzt: Sorry Jack, wrong answer! That is literally all the summer titles have been. It turns out targeting a vocal minority doesn't really sale tickets.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

Two things are certain across all entertainment forms:

1) SJWs don't consume the media they forcibly "correct" but they put off regular consumers.
2) They always double down when faced with failure.

Re: then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

Every. Single. Year. Hollywood complain about failing movies and dropping receipts, they were doing it back in the 90s, yet still seem to manage to keep massive profits and a huge industry going while making almost entirely shite movies with a rare gem every other year. The only change this year is that the social regressives have crawled out of woodwork to blame everything on furriners and women. Apart from Ghostbusters 2. That was just blatant.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[Kevin108]

King Arthur was actually alright. They needed to have called it *!!* King Arthur and put the emphasis where it mattered. Or I guess they could have called it Medieval Snatch. I'd have gone to see it in theaters if I had known he was involved.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[Whibla]

LOL, have you seen what they've done to Game of Thrones.

Made it one of the most widely anticipated, watched, and talked about shows anywhere on the planet right now? Created a series that has, if anything, gained in popularity over six(?) seasons, and made them buckets of money in subscriptions, licensing, and dvd / blu-ray sales?

HBO are overrated garbage. I wouldn't count on Netflix, either. They've got plenty of stinkers to their credit.

Oh, right, you're a critic not a consumer (nor presumably a creator).

Well congratulations, enjoy your pretensions of taste and discernment.

Re: then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

The change is that the basic formula has become "take an existing character or franchise and turn it ethnic or female, maybe throw a few LGBT chars in there too for good measure". All while the entertainment media is whining and ranting against the evil white devil. Not to mention writers that are proud to announce they use their position to advance their political views.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[PPalmgren]

I agree, it was a pretty fun movie. The planning scenes reminded me a lot of the Witcher 3's Novigrad arc and the combat scenes were really cool. The camera play with the special effects in the combat was a really interesting take.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

Exactly, why would I pay to see this crap? We all knew Mummy would flop (yay, pre-mature ejaculated remake), Baywatch (I don't care), Transformers and Pirates; yea I don't care about these either.

Basically, theaters are shit; there hasn't been anything worth seeing in years.

Re: then lets do the math for them!

[Shotgun]

And, it's not just movies.

Watched the series "100" on Netflix. The main character (a bobble-headed teen, that somehow ended up ordering everybody around) was conflicted between several male interests. Then, all of a sudden, she was kissing women. That wasn't enough, so they portrayed her going down on a different woman.

I'm not complaining about the scene, though they could have extended it a bit. I'm complaining about the stupidity of depicting the adults with guns letting the young-uns run things, and a woman being straight one day and gay the next.

Re:then lets do the math for them!

[david_thornley]

There's no way Nick Fury could be black, considering his history, but Samuel Jackson, Jr. was the exact right person to play him. I'd rather go with the right person for the part than the best person of the appropriate skin color.

Re: then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

Can you specify the season and episode, please?

For research purposes only, of course... so I can verify it's as stupid as you claim.

Re: then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

Complain about lunatic SJWs shoving their politics into everything ruining it... and you'll be accused by some lunatic SJW of shoving your politics into things.

SJWs are just "NO U" machines.

Re: then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd go see a friggin Static Shock movie, providing it didn't obviously suck. There's no need to blackify characters with a backstory when existing, no less interesting, black characters exist.

Re: then lets do the math for them!

[Anonymous Coward]

No need, I will verify it for you.
Here's the context: formally trapped in space, where having more than one child would get you "floated;" these kids are simply overcompensating with lots of varied sexual experiences.
It actually distracts from the storyline quite a bit. Theses scenes seem to just be randomly sprinkled in, as if there is some kind of quota.

Other Factors

[sehlat]

1. Aging population. I'm "hearing-challenged" and the subtitles in theaters are horrible, hard to read, and NEVER at the same focal distance as the screen. These days if a movie doesn't have subtitles on the DVD, I don't bother. My family has to drag me to a theater, where I miss at least half of the dialogue.

2. Discretionary income: It's dropping. Real wages have been dropping for decades. Add in how many young people are burdened with student debts and s**t jobs, and it's easier to avoid theaters and stay home.

Re:Other Factors

[Presence Eternal]

Not sure what movies you're seeing, but I literally bought sound reducing earplugs because of how agonizing it was to view Dr. Strange without hearing protection.

Re:Other Factors

[sehlat]

Blame the theater for the loud. Back in the 1950's there was a standing joke about the new "hi-fi" speakers and phonographs that volume != fidelity.

Last two movies I've seen were Dunkirk (got dragged by family) and Hitman's Bodyguard (same theater, two weeks later. I'm a big fan of both actors) I had a very hard time making out the words midst the background noise, even with a hearing aid. I'll see it again when Netflix gets it.

Re:Other Factors

[Jetstream]

It's curious that you would still have problems hearing the movies these days, considering that the last movie I went to, the theater had bumped the volume level up to about the same point as a heavy metal concert! Do they really think it "improves" the experience to deafen the audience?

As perhaps part of that aging population myself (mid-50s), in addition to the unpleasant theater experiences -e.g.ridiculous volume levels & endless commercial spam before the movie- I guess I've just seen so many movies up to this point that it's hard to find one that has a fresh concept. Everything just seems like a rehash of what's already been done. Maybe the whole industry has a built-in self-destruct mechanism for that very reason.

Re:Other Factors

[LesFerg]

I recently saw Hitman's Bodyguard too, and thought they had the sound just a little bit louder than it needed to be, are the young people today assumed to already be partially deaf?

Also got a a reminder of why I prefer to watch movies in a less public place when the wankers behind us had to put their feet up on the backs of the seats in front of them, cos thats like so fucking cool to do. Smelly, noisy, and annoying, why do they expect us to keep paying for that kind of service?

The local theater does have a luxury option tho, where I could sit in a better seat with glass of wine in hand and NOT be surrounded by inconsiderate wankers, so I guess I could always just pay even more and see if the available movies make me feel like it was money well spent.

Re:Other Factors

[BlazeMiskulin]

It's curious that you would still have problems hearing the movies these days, considering that the last movie I went to, the theater had bumped the volume level up to about the same point as a heavy metal concert! Do they really think it "improves" the experience to deafen the audience?

for those of us with varying degrees of hearing impairment, it's not that the movies aren't loud enough, it's that the audio is mixed so terribly--and actors these days can't be bothered to enunciate. For me, I "can't hear" because it's too loud. All the background noise drowns out the dialogue. The low-end "thump and boom" overpowers the mid-range (where the human "speaking voice" is found).

Re:Other Factors

[Anonymous Coward]

And this is why downloading "liberated" movies is so popular. You cannot even get a movie on BluRay these days that does not force you to watch 30 minutes of advertizing shit before the main title will play. At least when "liberated" from the crypto-advertizing-shite only the main title exists in the "liberated" copy.

In any case, you almost always want to "liberate" the "movie" from the useless shit even if you bought the BluRay disc. At $600/hr, it costs far more in my wasted time to go the the theater or buy a BluRay *and liberate the movie from the shit) than to simply wait for it to come on NetFlix or even regular broadcast TV to watch with bunny ears ...

Re:Other Factors

[Anonymous Coward]

What you said, plus movies now a days have a music track that runs through the entire movie. And the music is often loud enough to drown out artillery fire or tornadoes, much less allow speech through.

Re:Other Factors

[Anonymous Coward]

I was chatting with the theatre manager, and he said a big reason they turn it up so loud is to drown out the people talking to each other during the film.
It cuts way down on the number of fist fights or what is even worse, complaints to the manager.

Re:Other Factors

[inking]

Stagnating wages and dropping wages are not the same thing. The issue is that you're not making more than you made before, not that you're making less.

Re: Other Factors

[Reverend Green]

Stagnant nominal wages mean declining real wages. Although official statistics claim inflation is very low, most people have noticed large & ongoing reductions in the purchasing power of a dollar.

Re:Other Factors

[Carewolf]

The subtitles are by definition at the same focal distance as the screen, by nature of being ON THE SCREEN.

Though if you are talking 3D movies, then yes, subtitles do not work with 3D movies, it is a mess.

Re:Other Factors

[thegarbz]

I'm "hearing-challenged" and the subtitles in theaters are horrible, hard to read, and NEVER at the same focal distance as the screen.

May I suggest you try an optometrist too? There's a shitload to complain about the movie going experience, but being unable to read the subtitles? Other than the fact I live in a non-english speaking country and the movies don't always have the courtesy to double subtitle (makes it hard to watch spy films or any film where the antagonist is foreign), that complaint is a new one.

Re:Other Factors

[Kevin108]

You have to make sure they can hear the movie over keyboard clicks and text tones.

Re:Other Factors

[TheRaven64]

That doesn't contradict what the grandparent was saying. I stopped going to the cinema for many reasons, but one was that they'd turn up the base a lot, so that action sequences were painfully loud, but dialog was very hard to understand.

Re: Other Factors

[inking]

It does mean that, but nominal wages are not stagnant; they have been increasing quite rapidly for the mentioned period. I don't even know what to say about your second sentence. Are we now going to make decisions based on "most people" not understanding how the CPI is computed?

Re: Other Factors

[sehlat]

Subtitles in a theatre are NOT on the screen. In one case there is a display device that you set up right in front of your seat that picks up the subtitles from the theater. The other kind I've seen you have a mirror set up in front of your seat and displays subtitles that are on a screen in the back of the theater. Neither system matches the focal distance to the movie screen.

Re: Other Factors

[Carewolf]

So you are using some kind of special system for the hearing impaired?

I live in a country where English is commonly understood by not native, so most movies are subtitled, but the subtitles are built directly into the movie and projected onto the screen.

Re: Other Factors

[sehlat]

Given the results of my experiences with the systems, they're designed for the hearing impaired to turn us into visually impaired as well. I had to stop trying to follow the subtitles after about 10-15 minutes because my eye muscles were starting to hurt from constantly changing my focus from screen to subtitles and back.

Re:Other Factors

[david_thornley]

If volume was the problem, I could hear better by turning the volume up on my hearing aids. It actually does help if the room is very quiet, but not if there's background noise. I've been in situations where I was better off turning the hearing aids off.

Re: Other Factors

[Anonymous Coward]

When millions were starving due to famine, the Soviet statistical agency was reporting record breaking harvests.

Re:Other Factors

[labnet]

I just watched DrStrange at my folks place where they have an OK stereo (compared to my home cinema which has great sound), and the mixing was abysmal for LoFi. The dialogue volume level was very unmatched to the action sound level.

Possibly related to shit movies

[MrKaos]

The accountants are trying to work out the problem.

One simple rule

[Ol Olsoc]

People will go to see movies if they don't stink like smegma.

This summer had terminal squealitis

[supremebob]

I only watched a single movie (Dunkirk) this summer, mostly because almost every other major movie release was a:

1) Squeal from a movie franchise that I've lost interest in
2) Reboot of a movie franchise that I've lost interest in, possibly because I'm old enough to have seen the original movie back when it was... well... Original.
3) Was yet another comic book movie (Do we really need more than 3 of these a year?)

Re:This summer had terminal squealitis

[Hognoxious]

Squeal from a movie franchise that I've lost interest in

Deliverance or Animal Farm?

Re:This summer had terminal squealitis

[I'm New Around Here]

As I'm reading his post, I'm not sure if he understands what word he is using, as opposed to what word it appeared he wanted to use.

Re:This summer had terminal squealitis

[skovnymfe]

Does it really matter? You know what he's saying.

Re:This summer had terminal squealitis

[Anonymous Coward]

Exactly! It's obvious what he means. It's not like words have meanings or anything. You just need some word kinda sorta vaguely similar to what you really meant to say. I mean squeel and sequel mean almost the exact same thing right? I do wonder whether he is the one squeeling or whether he's watching movies about squeeling though.

Re:This summer had terminal squealitis

[DarthVain]

I only watched one also. Logan Lucky, which was quite good and I recommended to many people to go watch.

Bottom line, make bad movies, get less viewer interest, particularly if it is the 5th reboot of the same material etc...

I wanted to watch The Dark Tower, but was HIGHLY suspicious that it wouldn't be horrible. Read the reviews, and saw that it was indeed terrible, so didn't bother with it...

Re:This summer had terminal squealitis

[painandgreed]

3) Was yet another comic book movie (Do we really need more than 3 of these a year?)

Yes. (So long as they're Marvel.)

be everything to everyone

[Anonymous Coward]

When you marginalize free speech into oblivion, and start blasting left-wing progressiveness everywhere what do you think happens?

Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[UnknownSoldier]

So I took Christopher Nolan's advice and saw Dunkirk at an IMAX this summer.

Nolan's Cinematic Vision in 'Dunkirk' is Hollywood's Best Defense Against Netflix.
He also wants you watch the movie in the theatre, and not on streaming service Netflix, which he says he rarely uses.

There wasn't an IMAX close by so I had to take a hour ferry -- no big deal because I get to visit a good friend of mine. After paying for parking the dam theater entrance was on the back side of the building -- a 5 minute walk. OK, but this is "nickeling and diming" both literally and in travel time is starting to getting annoying. I then wander around for 10 minutes because some fucktard couldn't be arsed to put up a "Dunkirk" sign. They had a sign for another movie -- but that wasn't playing. And of course I go to the OTHER theater just to double check it wasn't playing there and of course it wasn't so back to the _first_ theater. ARGH.

So with less then 5 minutes to spare I finally get a seat -- except it is near the Left edge of the theaters. Could be worse and I could be looking up.

Except the "movie experience" is SHIT compared to home theater.

* There was literally 20 fucking minutes of ads
* Now I love _clean_ bass except the whole time this loud, booming bass was drowning out everything.

Dunkirk was visually beautiful -- but I could have had a far BETTER experience on my 60" plasma at home.

Movie Theaters SUCK compared to home theaters. Advantages are:

* I always get the best set in the house
* I always get to use the arm rest
* Can pause the movie
* Can rewind the parts I want in case I missed something or want to check something out
* Go to the bathroom
* Raid the fridge for snacks/drinks instead of over-paying for food
* Turn on/off CC
* Adjust the volume to MY liking
* Don't have to listen to any idiots beside me constantly talking / snoring throughout the entire movie.

Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK.

Re:Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[Anonymous Coward]

I modded you up so posting AC, lets not also forget

*Asshats with celphones
*Blurry picture, especially when the entire scene changes rapidly in one of the axis
*Audio Bleedover, cause that thin wall tween you and the other amusement park rides surrounding you kills the mood
*Temperature
*The rush in and rush out

The only pro I can think about the movie theater for me is the fact there is a good Mexican restaurant next door so one can get hammered, walk over and have a couple hours to sober up

Re:Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[ravenshrike]

Pretty sure most people don't have the money for a 50+ in. plasma screen, let alone a 60 in.

Re:Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[Anonymous Coward]

Pretty sure most people don't have the money for a 50+ in. plasma screen, let alone a 60 in.

A quick google search shows that both bestbuy and walmart sells 60 inch plasma screens for less than the price of a flagship smartphone. They also have the benefit of lasting longer than cellphones. I have had one for over a decade.

Get a prepay, older model phone and "most people" will have enough money for a used 60 inch by Christmas.

Re:Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[Anonymous Coward]

get a job, they arent that expensive

Re:Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[Anonymous Coward]

You can buy a 55" 4k TV for under $500 now.

Re:Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds like you're all just going to shitty American movie theatres.

You should come up to Canada to watch your movies. We have reserved seating and one of those ads is basically a minute and a half of shouting at people to turn off their damned phones. Largely, they listen.

Re:Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[LesFerg]

Recently had 2 female student air-heads talking and sharing phone views with each other all the way thru a movie. Eventually I got annoyed enough to tell them, loudly, that it was considered polite to stay quiet during the movie and talk about shit afterwards, to which the rest of the theater clapped and cheered.
Shouldn't have to do this tho. Young people today have no clue....

Re:Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[LostMyBeaver]

I know I am out of touch with costs of things... I lived in poverty in the late 90s, the .DOT boom happened and every year has gone up since. So after 17 years of not being in poverty.... I remember a few things.

The poorest people I knew had the best TVs... why? Easy, if you can't make ends meet anyway, why bother trying to budget for everything. Buy it, lease it, rent it, however you need to... just get it and hope you can make the payments.

The word afford is reserved for the middle class. People who make enough to make ends meet. The reason for this is that if you have enough to pay your cost of living (bills, food, car, etc...) and you like the ability to save for bigger things... even if saving really means just paying off your credit cards, you do it. People in the middle class tend to be in the middle class because of the word "afford". I means they can plan their budgets and live up to them. They know how much money they have and what they can spend without stress.

Poor people can't afford anything... hence poor. So if you can't afford anything... ever... you don't bother thinking about it. Instead, you find lay away (which is basically just paying for it before getting it), store credit cards with insane interest rates, pay check loans, etc... anything to get that TV... pay the rent? Uh... well, that's the benefits of the projects, they're used to making concessions for people who can't pay.

So... I would say where you're getting it wrong is believing that having the financial means to buy something has any impact on whether you have it or not.

Visit Florida sometime. You'll see an insanely large market of pawn shops and rent-to-owns, and an endless river of shops designed to exploit the poor by making it possible for them to have big shiny things once in a while. Once you get outside of Disney, Florida is one giant disgusting pit of the poor preying on the poorer.

Re: Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[oobayly]

Is that the same Christopher Nolan who decided to make the actors in Interstellar mumble because "I know that what they're saying at that point isn't important to the plot so it's not necessary for you to understand them".

I'm glad I waited for it on Amazon - after the fifth time rewinding to try making out what was being said I turned on subtitles.

First, he assumes that we know what's being said isn't important, because he knows the script inside out. Instead we're left wondering if we missed an something important because we don't know the plot yet.

Second, if two characters can understand each other as they mumble away with large amounts of background noise, then we should be able to understand them too.

Apparently some IMAX theatres had sign saying "there's nothing wrong with our sound, the film is supposed to sound that way"

Re:Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[Anonymous Coward]

#tory voter by any chance

Re:Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[Opportunist]

They're not THAT much more expensive than a movie ticket and a box of popcorn.

Re:Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[Anonymous Coward]

Not everyone was a tool like you.

I went to the theatre to watch a movie and not be an asshat. We had plenty other venues to fuck around in private.

Now sadly, you were raised an asshole and it's going to be with you for the rest of your life. If were all lucky you failed to procreate and maybe a rock hits you on the head.

Re:Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[thegarbz]

Fuck American Movie Theaters -- they SUCK.

There FTFY.

Now compared to my experience:

1. I pre-purchase tickets and get to chose which seat I sit in.
2. I can chose a seat with private arm rests and a recliner.
3. I show up when I want which is invariably after the adverts have finished.
4. They serve alcohol.
5. Long movies have a break so you can go to the bathroom and stock up on more alcohol.
6. I don't have to listen to idiots beside me because it seems like in every other country the experience is somewhat respected. Something to do with people like that getting instantly kicked out without refund.

Re:Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[LesFerg]

You know what? When I wrote that, I was fully aware that I was once a younger person.
I also know that I and most of the people I hung out with were raised with just enough respect for other people to not go into a movie theater and act like arseholes.
We would take ourselves out to a quiet beach, light a fire, consume the consumables and act like twats out there, where we weren't bothering other people... too much.
And no I was not making that up, the town I live in is not so big that everybody just expects to be surround by careless wankers; plenty of other people were annoyed as hell at the stupid young students, and they did indeed clap. It didn't make me feel any better about it, but it happened.
I do sincerely hope. if you are a breeder, that you at least try to teach your spawn to have a little respect for others.

Re: Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[squiggleslash]

Apparently some IMAX theatres had sign saying "there's nothing wrong with our sound, the film is supposed to sound that way"

That was largely because how loud the movie was. A lot of people misinterpreted it as meaning "You're not supposed to be able to hear the dialog" but actually in the theater we went to the dialog was fine and crystal clear, which tells me the audio was widely fucked up, and nobody cared.

Nolan is partially to blame in the sense that, for example, George Lucas spent much of the 1980s making sure the Star Wars movies actually sounded good in theaters, actually sending people out to test and certify them and making sure they had certain standards, whereas Nolan seems to have just told the IMAX theaters in particular "Oh, it's supposed to be loud", and not bothered to instruct them on the quality.

The dialog is important, If it wasn't it wouldn't be in the film. There are certain scenes in Dunkirk where it's very important to the message Nolan is trying to express. I find it bizarre theaters are using the "It's supposed to be loud!" excuse to fuck up the dialog.

Re: Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[Anonymous Coward]

My impression of Dunkirk was that it is a monster movie. Instead of a boogie man chasing people, its the nazis. Dialog was secondary to the point that the Germans can pop out of the sky or sea at anytime and go on a rampage. I think that the noise did a good job on keeping on the edge of your seat though.

Re:Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[Anonymous Coward]

This is the second illiterate use of "arse" for this post on /. . What is the deal?

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/arse

Re:Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[Anonymous Coward]

Amen. Add to that "drink beer and not worry about whether I'm sober enough to drive home."

Re: Fuck Movie Theaters -- they SUCK

[oobayly]

Not that I disagree with you, but there's two things to clarify - it wasn't theatres excusing Interstellar's audo, it was Nolan himself:
1. Christopher Nolan went out to theatres and checked the sound himself, and approved of it. Yet there were still complaints (apparently at theatres checked out)
2. Christopher Nolan himself confirmed that the certain parts of the dialog were not meant to be understood.

#1 Can be explained by the fact he wrote the dialog, so even if he couldn't hear it properly his mind filled in the blanks. I had the same when I watched Interstellar with subtitles - I thought the audio got better in the latter half, but it was most likely due to me being able to use the subtitles to augment my hearing.

#2 Can't be excused. Like I said before, he knows the dialog so he knows what is and isn't important. The audience doesn't have that luxury. It wasn't helped that none of his characters had an issue hearing each other over the loudest of noises. If two people are having a chat during a rocket launch and never say "what was that", then it's logical for me to expect to understand what was said.

Obviously, pirates

[Anonymous Coward]

Obviously, the problem is pirates. People would rather dress up as pirates rather than pay to watch a crappy movie.

Re:Obviously, pirates

[Anonymous Coward]

arrr ye don't know what ye be missing out on matey!

Movies sucking harder and harder it seems

[SuperKendall]

Forget attendance this year - the real indicator of the hole they have dug is that I still subscribe to Netflix discs, and I no longer even have anything on *disc only* I really care about seeing. I have some throwaway drama and something about a spelling bee sitting at home, because a spelling bee is literally more engaging that what Hollywood has been producing over the last several years once you get past a handful of big titles.

Maybe superhero movies have sucked all of the air (read: money) from the room for more original content. Thank goodness Netflix is still producing quirky stuff (and even Amazon video is starting to look better with The Tick).

Crank up the prices, produce garbage movies

[Snotnose]

and wonder why butts don't hit seats. Combine that with assholes who talk during the movie, assholes who text during the movie, and overpriced popcorn/cokes. Let me spend $500 on a nice TV that not only satisfies my needs night after night, but if I wait a couple months I can get a couple friends over to my house for a $2 rental, plus $1 popcorn, plus $2 coke, plus, um, who did I invite? Call it $20 for booze, less if I charge me friends for staying in the guest room.

The movie business is changing, news at 11.

/ my defining moment?
// Driving Miss Daisy
/// There were like, 5 of us in the theater, but a kid kept running up and down the aisle screaming the whole movie.

Re:Crank up the prices, produce garbage movies

[Bing Tsher E]

We went to a movie last month and were running late. I had wanted to stop by at a McDonalds or somewhere and get a bit to eat before the picture.

We decided instead to buy some snacks at the theatre. My S.O. did that while I got the tickets.

She ended up buying us each a 'hot pretzel' and a bottle of water and a tub of popcorn for us to share.

The 'hot pretzel' was a big mass of dough on a plate.

After we got out of the theater I happened to notice the recipt for the 'food.' The Hot Pretzels were like $14 each, the bottled waters were $5, the popcorn was I think about $8. Anyhow the 'snacks' were over $45 for two people. Unbelievable here in flyover country to pay that much for so little.

Re: Crank up the prices, produce garbage movies

[Anonymous Coward]

The right way to do it is dinner first, or bring snacks with you and dinner after. Hell, last time I went to a theater I brought in a sack of burritos.

Re:Crank up the prices, produce garbage movies

[Anonymous Coward]

They charge that much because suckers pay it. Why people need to constantly graze like cattle when watching a 120-180 movies is beyond me. Are they so conditioned by what they're told is a normal activity?

Re:Crank up the prices, produce garbage movies

[Anonymous Coward]

Right on.

It's not an arduous task, in fact it's perfectly normal and healthy, to sit still, shut up and stop stuffing your face for a couple of hours.

Do these people bring 'snacks' when going to the bathroom?..

Re: Crank up the prices, produce garbage movies

[Agronomist Cowherd]

Best. Movie. Ever.

Low quality and oversupply

[NewWorldDan]

I see two major problems:

The low quality as addressed in TFA. Most of them weren't terrible, but they're not what anyone wanted. Good movies - Spider-man Homecoming, for example - did just fine. Reboots and sequels aren't inherently bad, if they're done well. Some have certainly used up whatever good will they had left.

The other problem I'm seeing from a lot of people is oversupply. They've already watched everything on Netflix and Amazon and Hulu and HBO. They've gone to the buffet and eaten so much there's no appetite left. In the last decade, I've been given every superhero movie I could have possibly asked for. There isn't anything left to look forward to. Instead of watching movies, I'm doing other things, like making pottery. And waiting for something that's actually worth watching, like The Tick.

In general, I suggest that studios once again become a little more selective about what they make, and most importantly, hire good writers. So much bad writing out there...

Re:Low quality and oversupply

[Anonymous Coward]

Add a complete lack of originality, plots aimed squarely at people whose brains have leaked out of their ears, and fellow audience members that match that description and think nothing of talking, making inane "funny" comments and using their phones the whole way through as well.

Netflix et al have shown that there is a hunger for complex plots, character development and ambitious scope, but hollywood seems stuck putting out the same inexplicably expensive repetitive imbecility over and over and over again. Make better movies and people will come back, but until then...

Re:Low quality and oversupply

[Anonymous Coward]

I've been given every superhero movie I could have possibly asked for.

Well you forgot to ask for Battle Pope.

Re:Low quality and oversupply

[Snotnose]

Some 30 years ago I went to see a movie, don't remember what. I was 30 something, had 2 teenage chix behind me who kept talking (this was the 80s). I shushed them a couple times, they didn't shut up, I got up and "accidently" spilled my drink right over the head of the one closest to the aisle. Kept walking out, listening to her cuss me out.

Re:Low quality and oversupply

[Anonymous Coward]

and most importantly, hire good writers.

You do touch on the biggest problem, but you missed the salient detail. The problem is not solved by "hiring good writers." The problem may be mitigated by actually paying for good writers, and pay them well, instead of screwing them over every damn time. Writing is probably the most difficult task, yet writers, good or bad, are never paid what they are worth. If they hire a top actor for $45M, then they can afford to pay writers much much better, a few million at least rather than nothing at all, i.e. zip, which is the modus operandi of all studios, stringing them along only to completely cut them out of all profits and royalties, and effectively steal their work and force the braver ones to litigate just to break even. All the great films are founded in good writing, but the writers almost never see anything at all, and often enough aren't even given writing credit. Acting is really fucking easy. Photography can be technical, but is also often trivially simple. Directing takes some skill, but the processes have been so well established, a nutless monkey could direct these days. But writing is just as difficult as it has ever been, and it isn't getting any easier.

So don't just find good writers... fucking pay them so well that more writers are attracted to the discipline. What good are compentant actors, photographers and directors when everything they could possibly create is founded on something that is comparitively slave labor? Like we need more actors and directors? No, there are plenty of those, should be a dime a dozen, but studios make the rich and famous. Instead, we need more writers. And no one is interested because the pay is shit, and even with shit pay, writers are fucked over as a matter of course.

Re:Low quality and oversupply

[Opportunist]

Reboots are inherently starting with a mortgage, a huge one: The movie they copy.

What gets rebooted? Box Ofice bombs? Or successful movies? Well, you don't reboot a bomb. Even though THAT would make a lot of sense, especially if it bombed because of execution and not the underlying plot and idea. That you'd start with a huge boon. But instead we reboot movies that people remember fondly and that creates expectations. Your movie has to be AWESOME to be tolerable at least. Because nothing less is expected. The movie you reboot was awesome. So this better be!

Yes, and this is true for sequels just as much, the franchise name will get people to the movies. Once. But if you take a look around the huge box office hits, you'll notice that most of their success relied on people going in twice, thrice, hell, ten times, just to see it again and again. Because, face it, even the best movie of all times will only attract a fraction of the potential audience. So relying on a name, duping people with it into watching it and disappointing them won't give you the next BO hit, it will give you a break-even result and burn the franchise in the process.

Re:Low quality and oversupply

[Anonymous Coward]

You charge friends to stay in your guest room (from another post for this topic) and you bully teenage girls (if they were seated behind you, it's not apparent how you could have made that "mistake"). It's a miracle you have friends.

But But...

[Anonymous Coward]

The SJWs on the internet said if we pandered to them that we'd make more money! I wonder if comic book sales are facing the same problem?

This whole notion that if you were making money doing things X liked then you'll make X + Y doing things Y likes doesn't really work when you marginalize X in the process.

Re: But But...

[Anonymous Coward]

The films mentioned made millions and millions in profit. You should save your cynical mud for when the examples are outright failures. Right know, you just sound like an equally annoying whiney kook to said SJWs.

Re: But But...

[Opportunist]

Like which ones?

Politics

[Anonymous Coward]

How about I'm disgusted by the behavior of the Hollywood "elite" since November 2016 ?

Maybe that is why I am not going to the movies anymore.

I'm not sure why Hollywood stars think that ANYONE in the world gives a shit about what they think regarding politics. They are nothing but entertainers. Anyone who DOES care what they think about politics should have their head examined.

Re:Politics

[desdinova 216]

the rest of the people are tired of Conservatives turning everything into politics?

Re:Politics

[GumphMaster]

I'm not sure why Hollywood stars think that ANYONE in the world gives a shit about what they think regarding politics

It is exactly the same reason you think anyone in the world gives a shit about your opinion on politics. Political opinions are like arseholes: everybody has one, some people have two, and the people that speak best from the second are in politics.

Re: Politics

[Anonymous Coward]

God, yes. It's like an entire army of cringy conservative Ignatius's from A Confederacy of Dunces have collectively decided to defy their over burdening mothers and publicly rail against imaginary paranoid shit that is so bizarre, nobody wants to tell them to stop, let alone even acknowledge them due to the fear of simply being associated in any way with their embarrassing behavior.

Re:Politics

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a pitty, because clearly you seem to be the sort of dumbass the movies are aimed for

Logan Lucky

[JBMcB]

Only movie I've seen in the theaters this year that I cared to see at all.

Well developed plot. Good acting. Characters with backstory. Characters with motivation to do things. Well directed and scripted. Low key, not over the top action. Then there's the surrealism of seeing Kylo Ren and James Bond sneaking around a Nascar track wearing trucker hats.

Of course, it only made $19 million at the box office. So it's not just awful movies taking a beating.

How many hours of entertainment?

[Anonymous Coward]

Keep in mind unless you are super frugal and hydrate beforehand, 15 dollars is *NOT* the cost of a movie. Once you factor in an overpriced drink and something to eat you are already looking at 30-40 dollars. For that price I could get a single's meal at an upscale restaurant, or 2-3 people at a nicer but slightly cheaper place, even including a tip!

And assuming you're a semi-sedentary/'gamer geek' millenial, for that same price you can pay for your netflix account for the month, or 1/4 to 3 games on Steam/GOG/Humble. When you factor in the 5-120 hours a game can offer, and the fact that many of these games are now 'cinematic quality' even if the details aren't as refined as a real movie, you suddenly see that your bang per buck is far better with the videogames than with all but the highest tier movies. And generally (with some notable exceptions, like No Man's Sky) when you walk out on a crappy videogame, you still feel like you got SOME money's worth, even if you didn't get YOUR money's worth.

Re:How many hours of entertainment?

[ZorinLynx]

>Keep in mind unless you are super frugal and hydrate beforehand, 15 dollars is *NOT* the cost of a movie. Once you factor in an overpriced drink and something to eat you are already looking at 30-40 dollars.

Am I the only one who just doesn't eat or drink anything at the theater?

I usually do the classic concept of dinner and a movie. I go out to eat with my friends or my date, then we go to the movies. We are full of food and drink and can enjoy the film without having to munch and drink more.

Re: How many hours of entertainment?

[Anonymous Coward]

I had the same question pass through my head. Makes it sound like an epic journey to not drink or eat for 2 hrs.

Re:How many hours of entertainment?

[Anonymous Coward]

You're not the only one. It's usually families and kids you see with a bag of lollies or some popcorn buckets. Friends will be sitting around in the food court before going in, shooting the shit over some fast food.

And, it would have to be a pretty epic gorge-fest even for Americans to get the price per person anywhere near $40. Pretty sure it's meant to be snacks, not a diabetes dinner.

Re:How many hours of entertainment?

[Anonymous Coward]

I've never understood it. If someone can't go a little over an hour without eating than I think that should be taken as a good hint that they need to lose some weight anyway.

translation....

[gosand]

the rest of the world is stupid.

Re: translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

The rest of the world says the same thing about Americans.

Re:translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

Donald Trump is your president.

Re:translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

actually its the other way around. americans poor more money into this trash per capita than the rest of the world.

Re: translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

the rest of the world is stupid.

The rest of the world says the same thing about Americans.

Only a bigot would ascribe a single personality trait to a group. Which is why all of you are stupid.

Re:translation....

[s.petry]

and who did you get to vote for? Yeah.. I thought so

Re:translation....

[Pseudonym]

the rest of the world is stupid.

No, Americans are stupid. I don't know if it's distributors or audiences that are to blame, but good films from most other countries don't show in most American cinemas, so other countries can't make films for that market to compete. You probably get a few British films and that's it.

Re: translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey we didn't elect him our president the Russians did. So who are the stupid ones? Oh wait...

Re:translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

What? No seriously, what are you trying to say? That no other countries don't get to vote for their leaders?

Re:translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

Donald Trump is your president.

If you wait long enough and have enough monkeys, one of them sooner or later will manage to write down a Sheaksperean piece.
Well, it took under 3 centuries for the Americans to vote in a congenital racist, bigot, ignorant idiot to the White House. You gotta give them credits, they're more stupid than even the British with Brexit. I wonder if it's something in the water, or Fox news, or the Daily Mail that turns people into idiots ?

Re: translation....

[JaredOfEuropa]

Sure, but we still watch their crummy movies...

Re:translation....

[gravewax]

The US has less than 5% of the worlds population, if anything the numbers say the US is stupid. Unless you are trying to claim people are less stupid for going to see those turds.

Re:translation....

[LordWabbit2]

You probably get a few British films and that's it.

Valid point, Nollywood is HUGE but I bet the Americans don't even know it exists. Not that I watch it much personally, lots of drama type stuff, but I know a lot of people who do.

Re: translation....

[DNS-and-BIND]

Lol someone actually got modded up for the "DURR AMRIKKKANS STOOPID" meme? Gimme a break. Make good movies and Americans will go to them. It's just that so much of foreign cinema disdains the audience and wishes to make movies for people like themselves. Then acts surprised when the movies don't appeal.

Re:translation....

[sa1lnr]

"the rest of the world is stupid"

Remind me, who is your current president?

Re:translation....

[Anne Thwacks]

Nollywood is HUGE but I bet the Americans don't even know it exists.

You ought to watch some: it is more realistic than anything out of Hollywood! (Assuming you can understand the English subtitles ;-) And the "special effects" are really "special"!

Re: translation....

[StikyPad]

Yeah, we all caught that episode of Vice too.

Re:translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

I was on a transatlantic flight last yesterday, which is pretty much the only situation in which I watch movies. I watched three movies, two of them Japanese and one of them Korean. All three were good enough that I didn't regret watching them. I couldn't find a Hollywood movie that appealed at all.

Re:translation....

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.” H.L. Mencken

And I think that time has come....

Re:translation....

[TheRaven64]

If you discount people who can't afford much by way of luxury goods, the USA is probably closer to 20-25%. The Chinese middle class, for example, is about the same size as the entire population of the USA.

Re:translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

The less corrupt and more honest one.

Re:translation....

[Hognoxious]

You gotta give them credits, they're more stupid than even the British with Brexit.

Debatable. Trump can't last more than eight years, it's like in the rules and all that.

The Brexit mess will still be there twenty years down the line.

Re: translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

Just wait till you see who runs next cycle.

Re:translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean a man who has people of all colors and religions working in his company?
Man, who has been publicly applauded by homos and lesbians in 80's and 90's and 2000's because he employs them and does not give a shit about someones leaning if they get the work done?

Re:translation....

[houghi]

I don't want to sound racists, but not a white guy and people warned us what would happen to the neighborhood once a black guy would move in.

(It's a joke, laugh! Also Not my President. Really, he isn't as I am not from the US.)

Re:translation....

[cayenne8]

Valid point, Nollywood [wikipedia.org] is HUGE but I bet the Americans don't even know it exists. Not that I watch it much personally, lots of drama type stuff, but I know a lot of people who do.

Well, we don't generally want to watch movies that have subtitles or dubbed voices....except maybe for old Godzilla movies...those dubs are kind of funny to watch.

Re:translation....

[JohnFen]

but good films from most other countries don't show in most American cinemas

This is 100% true. But it's not that Americans are stupid (or, at least, any more stupid than other people), it's that the smart Americans have stopped going to the movie theaters. Thus "Hollywood is suffering its worst-attended..."

Re:translation....

[JohnFen]

I bet the Americans don't even know it exists.

I don't know about most Americans, but most Americans that I personally know are absolutely aware of this. And some of them are very into it.

Re: translation....

[JohnFen]

so much of foreign cinema disdains the audience

Hmm, that sounds a lot like American movies.

Re:translation....

[Archangel Michael]

Brexit Mess is projected. My guess is that it won't hurt, but also won't help anyone. Proving that the only people these deals actually help are the elites who craft them. Most people can't give a rats ass, except to blame the other countries for the economic woes. Too bad we can't blame the Jews like the Nazis did ... oh wait .. some people do.

Re:translation....

[swillden]

My guess is that it won't hurt, but also won't help anyone.

It's already hurting. Pre-Brexit, the UK economy tracked pretty closely to the EU. After the Brexit vote, and even before Brexit has actually happened, the UK economy is already lagging the EU economy. Investment in the UK has slowed, many companies who are part of integrated cross-border supply chains are working to move out of the UK, etc.

Just the anticipation of Brexit is hurting. The real thing is going to hurt a lot more.

Re:translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

Cool story bro, you think he actually hired the Hispanic janitor or the black lawyer?

As CEO he has no involvement with that. That also has absolutely nothing to do with the rhetoric is spews these days. He actually said there are nice nazis (Or people marching with Nazis)

Quite frankly he is an idiot, slowly he is starting to surround himself with competent people. Imagine if he had treated FEMA like he did the EPA or the Department of Energy. The people of Houston are downright lucky they didn't get another Brownie.

He still has no idea how government works, he actually had to question the number of intelligence agencies in our government after disagreeing with their assessment.

You can argue Hillary is corrupt as hell, but you can't really make an argument that she can't govern. Trump had zero experience governing and then landed the hardest, largest, most complicated governing job on the planet. I have no idea why his supporters would think he could get anything good done. It's like choosing a CEO to do brain surgery. Totally different skillsets.

Re: translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

Fear is reflected in the investments. Investment has already accounted for the likely outcome in addition to the current fear. Remove the fear by actually doing the thing, stocks rebound a bit.

But that only works to the extent that the institutional investors have accurately predicted the damage. If things go worse than expected, a bit of a crash would be the norm.

Re:translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

The less corrupt and more honest one.

And more incompetent. It's kind of a six of one, half a dozen of the other situation.

Re:translation....

[LeftCoastThinker]

Because clearly, anyone who disagrees with you and your opinions is a moron. Never mind that Trump successfully ran a real estate business for decades and survived recessions, fierce competition, dozens of idiot politicians, etc.

I am sick of the alt-left echo chamber flat out lying about Trump. He is not perfect and certainly has his flaws, but he is not a racist, he is not a politician, he is not an idiot, and he is not Hitler. If you say any of these things you immediately lose all credibility with any kind of informed audience (i.e. anyone other than an alt-leftie). The conservatives, myself included, disliked Obama as much as the left dislikes Trump, but we never lost our shit like the left is doing now.

Re:translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

And more incompetent.

That's his best feature.

Re:translation....

[LeftCoastThinker]

The American movie audience has a fairly high bar for film quality (acting, special effects, production value, etc.). I have seen my fair share of foreign films, and though some are good, mostly from the UK due to their tradition of Shakespearean theater giving them a deep pool of talent to draw from, most foreign films are jarringly poorly acted on shoestring budgets which results in very low production values etc. This is the barrier that most foreign films have been up against for a long time. I will say that more recently, with the advent of "good enough" editing and special effects that are available with consumer grade software, there has been an uptick in more interesting film that is not painful to watch. However, when fan films on Youtube have better acting (including voice acting if it is a dub) and better production value than foreign films, don't be surprised when the foreign films don't do well in the American market.

If you want to see an example of how to do it right with foreign films, look at Japanese anime. It is still a niche market, but they have been expanding and making significant strides, and these days the sub and dub quality along with compelling, unexpected plots makes anime an enticing option for many American consumers.

Re: translation....

[LeftCoastThinker]

Some, but usually the stuff that goes to the film festivals. The big commercial stuff used to be focused on giving the masses what they wanted, a pleasurable experience in some way or another. More and more stupid has been creeping in and thus movie revenue has been going down. This is an ebb and flow, and once Hollywood has made a bunch of garbage that they like but no one else watches, they will go make another Avatar or Titanic and fatten their wallets again.

Re:translation....

[Rakarra]

Because clearly, anyone who disagrees with you and your opinions is a moron. Never mind that Trump successfully ran a real estate business for decades and survived recessions, fierce competition, dozens of idiot politicians, etc.

Amazing how well you can do when you start out with a fortune. Why, he managed to build that into a larger fortune only slightly smaller than if he'd invested it in a Fortune 500 index. What a financial genius.

Re:translation....

[Rakarra]

It's like choosing a CEO to do brain surgery. Totally different skillsets.

It's a very very common refrain to want the President to be CEO. To run the federal government like a business. But business and government have, by necessity, different aims, and the leadership had better not look the same.

Re: translation....

[Rakarra]

This is an ebb and flow, and once Hollywood has made a bunch of garbage that they like but no one else watches, they will go make another Avatar or Titanic and fatten their wallets again.

You asked, and they listened! You will get your wish, James Cameron has no less than four Avatar sequels in the pipeline.

Re:translation....

[Shotgun]

Competence being compared to a failed stint as a senator and a fault stint as Secretary of State. . . go figure.

Re:translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

Same cause and effect tho. A charismatic fat idiot championed an ideology that benefited Rupert Murdoch's media group, and was given unlimited free advertising as a result. The UK had Boris Johnson and the US had Donald Trump. I would bet that France would have Le Pen right now if they spoke English.

Re:translation....

[david_thornley]

Let's see. Trump has real talent for self-promotion. He is, by definition, a politician. His first lawsuit was over racial discrimination, and he's been giving white supremacists breaks, so I'd have to call him a racist. He isn't actually an idiot, but there's a whole lot of things he shows absolutely no sign of understanding. Hitler was a lot smarter.

And, no, you didn't dislike Obama as much as I dislike Trump (well, considering the things you post, I suppose you in particular may have). You may have disliked Obama as much as I disliked Bush.

Re:translation....

[LeftCoastThinker]

So in essence you are saying that because he started out with seed money (like every company that gets cash from a VC), and he did roughly as well as the other top 500 companies in the entire country over 40 years (that is what the fortune 500 is BTW) he is somehow less competent? Are you aware that 96% of all businesses fail within 10 years? Yet he managed to stay abreast with the top 500 companies in the US and employs thousands of people. How exactly is that bad performance?

You might want to re-examine your premise.

A kid getting money from rich parents usually ruins them. They buy expensive cars, get hooked on drugs and hookers and wind up in the gutter a few years later. That Trump was responsible with his inheritance is hardly typical or a bad thing...

Re:translation....

[david_thornley]

For a lot of companies, having a location in the EU is very desirable. The EU is a very big market, about US-sized, and it could be treated as one large market. Having a location in the UK is a lot less desirable, because it's a much smaller market. My employer has a UK location, and has been representing it with the EU flag. I'm not sure what they're going to do; move ti Ireland?

Re:translation....

[LeftCoastThinker]

Let's see. Trump has real talent for self-promotion. He is, by definition, a politician. His first lawsuit was over racial discrimination, and he's been giving white supremacists breaks, so I'd have to call him a racist. He isn't actually an idiot, but there's a whole lot of things he shows absolutely no sign of understanding. Hitler was a lot smarter.

Business men are also good at self promotion, but at the end of the day they know what it takes to actually accomplish things if they last more than a few years (unlike politicians).

If Trump is a racist, why did Jesse Jackson give him an award for a lifetime of helping the African American community??? https://www.youtube.com/watch?... Please show me one event or action performed by Trump that was racist. Not this guilt by association BS "Well Trumps sisters uncles brother in law five times removed once drove by a clan meeting." That kind of shit doesn't fly with people whose ability to think rationally has not been impaired by a lifetime of drug use and alphabet soup news networks.

Everyone in the alt-left only hate Trump because they believe all the bullshit being shoveled. They believe because they want to believe, and because they don't know their history, and make deciscions based on emotions instead of facts.

Re:translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

It's Soros' fault that UK had to leave the EMU to begin with. Is he a Jew?

Re:translation....

[Pseudonym]

New Zealand and Australia are no slouches when it comes to acting quality and effects. Australia has Animal Logic. All the best Hollywood actors right now are Australian. Hell, NZ has Weta. When is the last time you saw a New Zealand film on general release that wasn't directed by Peter Jackson?

If it helps, consider the vast number of worse American remakes of foreign sitcoms.

Re:translation....

[Pseudonym]

I do think it's that American distributors are stupid, not that audiences are stupid.

Re:translation....

[gravewax]

how the fuck you get the US as 20-25%.The US also has a huge population of people that can't afford luxury goods with nearly a quarter of the population living in poverty. chinese middle class is estimated at around 500-600 million, more than double the entire US population and really 3-4 times the population in the US that can afford the luxury of going to a movie, Europe is another 740 million. you easily have the US barely above double digits and that is without including many of the wealthy in Asian and indian countries and middle east.

Re:translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

your lack of knowledge of the world and math sucks balls. Their are well over a 2 billion middle class or above people in the world, the US makes up less than 10% of that.

Re: translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

Valid point, Nollywood is HUGE but I bet the Americans don't even know it exists. Not that I watch it much personally, lots of drama type stuff, but I know a lot of people who do.

I saw one of their movies one time. I think it was called planet of the apes.

Re:translation....

[Hognoxious]

My guess is that it won't hurt, but also won't help anyone. Proving that the only people these deals actually help are the elites who craft them.

So it won't help anyone, except those that it helps.

Your guess isn't even coherent. It would have to improve vastly to even be bad.

Re:translation....

[s.petry]

The list of countries where people actually get to vote is pretty small. And I mean where they actually have any influence. For example, people in the DPRK vote for their leader. The people in Cuba "vote", Russian's "vote", Indian's "vote", etc...

Trump being President, whether you like him or not, shows that American's have far more influence over their system than even they thought. He won every State needed to become President, and then some. Even with all the cheating and shenanigans he pulled off a win against an entrenched career politician.

Re:translation....

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

If Trump is a racist, why did Jesse Jackson give him an award for a lifetime of helping the African American community???

Oh yeah, if Jesse Jackson gave him an award well then that settles it.

Re:translation....

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Because clearly, anyone who disagrees with you and your opinions is a moron.

I never said that, but you may be right. In fact, your post is probably the best proof available at the moment.

Re:translation....

[LeftCoastThinker]

Going for the ad homonym clearly puts you in your place and validates all I said above.

Re:translation....

[LeftCoastThinker]

Seeing that you have provided no counter evidence, I am assuming that beyond sarcasm, you have no actual argument to validate your position and therefore concede that, while you don't like my statements on an emotional level, they are accurate.

Re:translation....

[MercTech]

You have to really search for good films that aren't "Hollywood".
I'm sick of films getting the "Hollywood" treatment for the U.S. audience and being totally ruined. "Ghost in the Shell" is a good example.

Shoot, there are some Russian films that beat out Hollywood but you can't find them in the U.S. market.

Re:translation....

[Anonymous Coward]

It's ad hominem dumbass.

Don't try to use big words if you don't understand what they mean.

This is the internet age; you have no excuse not to look things up.

Re: translation....

[s.petry]

Hillary and Bernie again, duh!

Re:translation....

[s.petry]

People disliked Obama for facts. The left dislikes Trump for hyperbole and any allegation one of them thought could carry water for a half step or more. Obama _DID_ associate and meet with domestic terrorists, known communists, and dictatorships which hate America. That is quite different from some claim "Trump is KKK because 'dog whistle'" which the left is using today. (dog whistle today means anything to today's left, and no longer has a relationship to code words. Code words like those coined by the Left's KKK party from the early to mid 1960s, or the Left's Jim Crow laws, etc...)

Re:translation....

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Going for the ad homonym clearly

...clearly indicates you should try Hooked On Phonics.

Feel free to live in your FOX News bubble where all your preconceived notions are pandered to. It must be nice not to have to think for one's self.

Re:translation....

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Seeing that you have provided no counter evidence.... while you don't like my statements on an emotional level, they are accurate.

Please explain why receiving an award from Jesse Jackson means anything in this context, or any other context for that matter.

Does getting an award from Jesse Jackson automatically mean that person is a fine upstanding member of the community, or does it confer some some special quality that merits notice? Is it a great honor to get an award from Jesse Jackson?

Re:translation....

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Awww, you made me your foe....does that mean no blowjob from you tonight? Or is there some other lucky recipient?

Let's hope it's not someone who dared to challenge your adorably naive Trump-worshiping belief system! lol

Re:translation....

[LeftCoastThinker]

I am not a huge fan of the friend/foe feature, but I do find it useful to preferentially upmod people who I friend when they make good points so I can see their posts, even when they are downmodded by the alt-left sock puppet brigade, and the foes list is useful to me to keep track of people who are irrational or use personal attacks. If you had made your case, you would have remained neutral, but you didn't, you went straight for the ad hominem.

Re:translation....

[LeftCoastThinker]

... follow the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?... Or, you know, actually read the post I made. It was not an award for personal hygiene, it was a lifetime achievement award for helping the African American community. But yeah, I am sure David Duke has one of those on his wall too and Democratic Senator Robert Bird as well... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

Talk about complete ignorance fostered by laziness at the most basic level. To not even try to read my post or follow the link is pretty bad.

Re:translation....

[LeftCoastThinker]

Sorry if you couldn't understand the word. A 3rd grade understanding of phonics should have availed you of the meaning.

The only person not thinking here is clearly you, since I have laid out a series of, logical, fact based positions, and all you have come back with is a typo and a series of ad hominems (yes, I can use a spell check too).

Re:translation....

[Hognoxious]

Fat idiots with bad hair.

Sounds like a good album title.

Re:translation....

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

No, it's just your petty way of indicating that you know your argument won't hold up to any scrutiny or push back, and you're trying to self-justify it by marking me as a "bad" person. Ooooh, that'll teach me! lol

Re:translation....

[david_thornley]

The Left dislikes Trump for his nomination of unqualified people, his inability to keep on course, his pandering to white supremacists, and several other things. Now, for all I know you're a white supremacist who hates Muslims and immigrants and wants the government torn down, in which case you might well be in favor of Trump, but there's lots of reasons to think he's a very bad President.

While Democrats were involved in institutionalized racism up until the Civil Rights Act, which cost the Democrats the South, I don't remember them being considered leftists.

Re:translation....

[david_thornley]

GP fully understood your point, and was somewhere between asking its relevance and mocking it. You then mockingly repeated something that nobody doubted.

Re:translation....

[s.petry]

In other words, you got nothing. Trump has not pandered to white supremacists, that is a flat out fabrication. Just like "Russian Collusion". You can't tell fact from fiction, which is very telling. Your last part is a hilarious attempt at re-framing history. No basis in fact!

Re:translation....

[david_thornley]

Consider Trump's remarks after the last Nazi demonstration. He blamed both sides for violence. Two days later, he came out against white supremacists. The day after that, he walked that back with "fine people on both sides". He has consistently been unwilling to come out and say "Nazis are bad" and leave it at that.

And, of course, you overlook the appointment of DeVos as Secretary of Education, whose only qualification was large campaign contributions. There are other unqualified people, and Trump has not submitted all that many names for Congressional approval. He's way behind.

It looks to me like he's making money by having businesses he profits from get paid by the US government, which is unconstitutional.

Russian collusion is still under investigation. If there was solid evidence, we likely wouldn't know it. We do know that Trump was closely tied to Russia in his business, asked for Russian espionage in his campaign, and his foreign policy is generally pro-Russia. That's a bit suspicious. What's more suspicious is people in his campaign lying about dealings with Russia. We'll have to wait on that one.

Re:translation....

[LeftCoastThinker]

And yet I am still waiting for a real argument from the person who so far can only manage to call names...

If my argument is so weak, it should be easy to take it apart.

Re:translation....

[LeftCoastThinker]

Giving comprehension credit to people on slashdot is something I stopped doing a long time ago, especially to people with acute Trump derangement syndrome.

Re:translation....

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

If my argument is so weak, it should be easy to take it apart.

People like you are both ignorant and impervious to facts, so I'm not going to waste my time. Have fun in your bubble.

Too loud, too pricy, too many commercials.

[Snotnose]

Pretty much this. Last movie I saw in a theater? Return of the King. Second to last? The Two Towers.

There is an exception, took dad to a Star wars movie 18 months ago on Christmas day. And remembered why I don't see movies with dad (last was Star Trek 4), he bitches and moans though the whole thing. "Transparent aluminum? No such thing!". "Leaving your ship in a public park? Someone will find it!". etc etc etc.
br. Now that he has Alzheimer it's much worse. Better to rent the DVD and watch it on his impressive TV setup that he doesn't appreciate anymore.

Re:Too loud, too pricy, too many commercials.

[cpt kangarooski]

Transparent aluminum is a thing. It's aluminium oxynitride, and is a transparent ceramic used for bulletproof windows and such. There's also plain old sapphire, which is crystalline aluminum oxide, and synthetic sapphire is often used in applications where durable transparent material is needed, such as the sturdy windows of supermarket checkout scanners (which need to withstand cans banging on them and such).

Re:Too loud, too pricy, too many commercials.

[Kevin108]

These little tidbits are why I love /. comments! I had no idea. TFAs are one thing, but the comments section is where the nerds really get their news. I don't have any mod points, but thank you for your post!

Re:Too loud, too pricy, too many commercials.

[K. S. Kyosuke]

Transparent aluminum is a thing. It's aluminium oxynitride

That's about as much "aluminium" as magnetite is "iron". (Also, if aluminium oxynitride was labeled "transparent aluminium", why not any of the aluminium compounds we had already known, including corundum?)

Re:Too loud, too pricy, too many commercials.

[Anonymous Coward]

Whoosh...

The only movie I have seen in the last 5 years...

[gosand]

at the theater was Logan. It was worth it, but I still got it again on netflix when it came out on DVD.
Nothing has made me need to go to the movies in a long time.
Sorry, it's just that ... the "experience" is dead. I used to buy CDs when they first came out too, and I can pinpoint when that stopped - Metallica's Load. I listened to it once, and threw it away. I have since found new music elsewhere, and have bought CDs directly from the band (e.g. Clutch) or direct download (e.g. Ben Prestage). I am not losing anything. Netflix fills my need for movies I want to see (DVD) or series through streaming.

The movie industry is behind, and they don't get it. Just like the music industry didn't get it in the late 90s.

I don't feel bad for them - why should I? They produce a product, and if I don't like it - much to their chagrin - I am not compelled to buy it.
They are still making money through nefarious practices, they just haven't made as much as in the past. They just need to evolve or die.

Nothing good anymore

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the only 2 actually good movies I've seen in theaters in the past decade were Der Leben das Anderen and the True Grit remake. Hopefully the trend of reduced ticket sales continue and Hollywood realizes that "safe" movies like sequels and reboots really aren't .

Re:Nothing good anymore

[chipschap]

The issue is that the world has moved on and Hollywood hasn't changed its business model very much. Then they wonder why they're getting left behind, and start to blame piracy, streaming, and anything they can think of.

The movie experience was once the only experience. Hollywood wants those days back and keeps producing movies as if that were to happen tomorrow. Hollywood execs are known to be conservative as to what gets green-lighted; they hardly ever will take a chance on something new and different. They think people will just automatically come to the movies because that's what they did until maybe the 80s, and they can just recycle whatever and it will be good enough.

Until Hollywood changes, they will continue to slide.

None have been to my taste

[Presence Eternal]

I will literally drive 50 minutes and pay 17 bucks for a ticket at my favorite theater, but I only go out to watch 3d animated films. Those can really suck me into another world and it's worth it for me. Oh the joys of living in a rural area. But this summer....aside from Cars 3 there haven't been any at all that I know of. Except the emoji movie. I think the next film coming out that meets my criteria is the Nijago movie.

Hadn't watched a hollywood movie in 10 years...

[Anonymous Coward]

Grabbed 'Logan' off rarbg on a whim just to see what Old-ass Wolverine was up to. Literally two hours of "Wolverine saves the cute little illegal immigrant Dreamer girl from the big bad ICE-standins that killed her mom and who are led by a guy named Donald."

I think I'll give it another 10 years.

How about

[Miamicoastguard]

Getting rid of the agendas you are subjecting people to in every movie nowadays. What happened to starting with a good plot/concept instead of building terrible movies around promoting diversity and marxism. There's a point where the mainstream appetite is going to dry u for this nonsense, and if they can't see the signs before it's too late they only have themselves to blame.

Re: How about

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, if you're going to watch "The Young Karl Marx" then what did you expect? You should stick with Adam Sandler, amirite?

Re: How about

[Miamicoastguard]

Pretty much. It's a sad time when Adam Sandler movies seem refreshing.

Re: How about

[Anonymous Coward]

Why are you so obsessed with race?

Re: How about

[Anonymous Coward]

He's so obsessed with it, that he mentioned it a grand total of zero times. And before you spill your soda reaching for the keyboard to type in "but, but, diversity!" I'll remind you that diversity is not just being jammed in for race, but also sex, sexual preference, religion, disability, parental status, pet preferences, allergy tendencies, and pretty much every other minority angle they can jam in EXCEPT for political belief. For that, only one view is permitted.

Make better movies again

[AHuxley]

Listen to the critics. Stop pushing for really positive reviews on social media to sell very average movies.
Select scripts with more care so people in the USA can enjoy a movie.
Find much better actors that more people actually enjoy seeing in a movie.
Find actors on merit who test well with audiences for the needed role.
That might be a new face or an actor thats been liked for decades. Test and see who would work well for a given role. Dont just place an actor in a role for some other reason.
Find better funding so fun movies do not have to be altered to fit in with the history, faith or politics of other nations or groups.
Sell the freedom and fun of Americana to the world. The USA has freedom of speech, sell that globally. Any other nation can do a boring censored movie.
Stop trying to sell America and the world on very limited scripts.
Consider mini series to fill out franchises with complex plots.
If a new movies has hours of backstory to past movies to remove that would have been better as a series.
People on average like a hero, fun and drama. Stop trying to push politics or placate the people providing the funds. Audiences want a story not a lecture for the price.
If a script has to be censored, walk away from that funding.

Re:Make better movies again

[k6mfw]

I wonder if movie makers have priced themselves out of the market. i.e. equipment, salaries for big time actors, lights, camera, gaffers, zillions of support staff (look at credits trailing end of movies, more people than those supporting a Falcon rocket launch) and all this equipment is really expensive and all these people want to be paid big bucks.

Re:Make better movies again

[Anonymous Coward]

Sell the freedom and fun of Americana to the world. The USA has freedom of speech, sell that globally. Any other nation can do a boring censored movie. ...
People on average like a hero, fun and drama. Stop trying to push politics or placate the people providing the funds. Audiences want a story not a lecture for the price.

Hold up. Freedom of speech, and acting on freedom of speech, is inherently political. So you need to decide if you want them to be political, or if you want them to be apolitical and restrict freedom of speech. You can't have it both ways.

Huh?

[Anonymous Coward]

The way your keyboard was clicking, I thought you were saying something else...

Propaganda?

[JBMcB]

Which part of it was political propaganda?

Re:Propaganda?

[Anonymous Coward]

The part where the entire plot was about Logan heroically rescuing the cute mexican girl who was smuggled into the country by her metaphorical mother from the team of metaphorical ICE agents led by a guy named Donald who were trying to send her back?

Re: Propaganda?

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't think you know what movie he's talking about.

Re: Propaganda?

[Anonymous Coward]

What? Equating negative hidden symbolism in benign things is a common symptom of a mind suffering from delusions. Get help.

Re:Propaganda?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Logan Lucky" is a different movie than "Logan".

Public theater environment is to blame too

[madbrain]

Even if one is watching a good movie, it is ruined most of the time by other obnoxious movie goers who won't stop talking, won't stop texting, bring their 5 year old kid who can't shut up to a midnight show of a PG13 movie, listen to music on their phone on speaker, and even smoke joints filling up the entire theater.

All of the above are real situations I have encountered this year.

My husband and myself normally watch one movie in the theater per week. It's extremely hard to justify doing so again.
This used to be something we looked forward to, but not anymore.

We have a home theater at home, but the streaming movies are for the most part not watchable on our 106" HD screen, and the audio is even more lame on the 11..4 audio system. Only thing that is watchable is Blu-ray discs, and those are dying. Redbox has a horrible selection.

There is simply no download/streaming equivalent to Blu-ray disc quality.

Movie theaters as they are currently operated need to die. Either enforce proper viewer etiquette and kick out the unruly guests, like, say, a symphony would do, or just close up shop. The former will create many full time jobs.

Re:Public theater environment is to blame too

[Anonymous Coward]

Agreed completely, with the exception of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. They really do care about customers being able to enjoy the movie. They don't allow talking, texting, being late, etc. and will kick you out if you break the rules. It's the only place I go now and I can actually enjoy a movie again (if I can find a good one!)

Focus on making movies instead of politics

[Anonymous Coward]

My message to Hollywood: focus on movies. Make better ones. Then even better ones. And enough of political activism already, nobody cares about your opinions; we just want to see good movies, period!

Re:Focus on making movies instead of politics

[Opportunist]

A friend of mine recently said that he knows that movies are not art. Why? Because art challenges the status quo and social norms. It makes people think and question their beliefs and motives. It's not supposed to reinforce them.

Re:Focus on making movies instead of politics

[Shotgun]

A joke about the 60's "rebellion" culture was that everyone decided to be different "together". The current crop running Hollywood are driven by SJWs that believe they are challenging social norms. Woe be unto the SJW that has defeated all their enemies.

Blame Kodi

[Anonymous Coward]

Cue the blame for Kodi pirate boxes.

The same people who were pirating before are still pirating, but they've lowered the bar for their friends who were thinking of cutting cable and theater tickets out entirely. Literately a relative of mine buys and sets up these boxes for all their buddies and friends, including those who are ex-law-enforcement/ex-military. They don't care.

The movie industry, and to a smaller amount, the television industry needs to get it through their thick skulls that nobody wants to spend $50 to sit through a movie they were barely interested in. It's the law of supply and demand, you can price your movie at any price you want it, but because all the movies are the same price, you are effectively stating that all movies are the same value, so I don't want to waste my money or time on a movie that I will not enjoy, I will watch it later on VoD or maybe just watch it on the Kodi box if I care to spend 20 minutes fucking around looking for it once it hits something other than the theater. I'm not going to bother watching a "cam" pirate copy because if I wanted that shitty experience I would have gone to the theater in the first place.

The movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

No one is even pirating them. Look it up.

Re: The movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

The seed count for films that haven't been released to DVD, Bluray, or streaming services is never high. People usually don't care for CAM downloads due to poor quality. But that's not a really great judge of quality to use. Not long ago the most downloaded film was Boss Baby. :p

Re: The movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

I haven't pirated a movie in so long... that's kinda sad

Who Do They Make These Movies For?

[boudie2]

Hollywood should try something more intellectual. Perhaps "Cabin Boy 2".

Re:Who Do They Make These Movies For?

[JustNiz]

This. Totally. Well maybe not the "Cabin Boy2" part.

I love going to the movies, however it seems everything they have been offering up lately has been total trash. I mean every single movie. They literally all have the same 2 or 3 basic, low-brow and totally implausible plotlines.

Although I HAVE to see it just because I loved the original so much, I can already guaran-friking-tee from just watching the trailer that Bladerunner 2049 will be a total abortion. They have clearly lost the magic of the original movie and gone all "hollywood" on it.

I can already predict the whole movie: It will all be about fights and big explosions and some hot chick who wears a lot of tight clothing, and even though they have tons of amazing weaponry all through the movie, it will somehow all come down to an actual fist fight.where the good guy somehow wins out in the end just because he has more "heart", against the bad-guy who has both a massive tactical advantage and also fights dirty.

Re:Who Do They Make These Movies For?

[hyades1]

Working Title

"Cabin Boy 2: The Dirty Little Nipper"

Re:Who Do They Make These Movies For?

[Opportunist]

What? NO, that's so 80s, this is contemporary Hollywood we're talking about. Instead we have a strong (uh... very ... more 'robust') woman with her Asian and black sidekicks (who are also gay lovers) and a ditzy white supervillain whose main occupation is "being evil".

You haven't seen any reboots lately, have you?

Re:Who Do They Make These Movies For?

[Whibla]

Working Title

"Cabin Boy 2: The Dirty Little Nipper"

Reading that reminded me of "The Good Ship Venus", the relevant verse going something like:

The cabin boy was chipper
Pernicious little nipper
He stuffed his arse with broken glass
And circumcised the skipper

Ah the songs we remember from our youth...

Re:Who Do They Make These Movies For?

[hyades1]

Alternate version (purely for your edification, of course):

The cabin boy, the cabin boy,

The dirty little nipper;

He lined his bum with bubble gum

And vulcanized the Skipper.

We knew this charming little ditty as "The North Atlantic Squadron

Re: Who Do They Make These Movies For?

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey i liked the music in Atomic Blonde!

Re: Who Do They Make These Movies For?

[JustNiz]

Sure but its telling that the music is what you said you liked, not the movie itself.

Video killed the Theater Star

[Anonymous Coward]

Let's say it costs $3 Million to produce a 45-60m episode of a TV show, so $30 million/season. The Dark Tower had a production budget of $60 million, or enough production cost to run the whole thing as a TV Series. Which is really required to tell a story like TDT.

Call me old fashion, but I'd rather watch a 10 episode TV series than go to the movies and watch 90 minutes of explosions and gun fights. They over produce the hell out of movies and use it to funnel money and avoid paying taxes because in the end the books show them making no money.

Re: Hadn't watched a hollywood movie in 10 years..

[Anonymous Coward]

Huh. A large number of the so called "ICE" guys were cast as Mexican mercenaries. I suppose this is what happens when you look at the entire world through paranoid political propaganda?

Rotten Tomatoes

[dasgoober]

They won't hafta cry about not being able to trick people into paying for a crappy movie, if they DIDN'T make crappy movies!

Unfortunately, I foresee fake reviews rendering RT useless

Substances

[JBMcB]

You're supposed to smoke weed before watching movies, NOT DMT. Makes it hard to follow the plot.

None of those really matter

[tempest69]

Theaters really don't matter any more except when it can provide a truly engrossing experience.
Good eye-candy or Amazing Audio are good reasons to see a film in a theater.
Sometimes the movie might have a big twist, which makes it a reasonable choice for a early viewing.
Or sometimes you want to support a franchise you enjoy, Firefly Movie #2 I'm talking about you.
Otherwise I'll stream it when I feel like it.
Pause it when nature calls. Pet the Dogs. Enjoy a beer.

Movies are also simply being out-gunned by Good TV shows. I'm betting that Sunday evenings have been hit hard by GoT this summer.
I think TV is able to take the real risks, and Cinema is feeling squeezed by corporate constraints.

Re:None of those really matter

[Anonymous Coward]

a truly engrossing experience

Chewing gum everywhere, sticky floors, questionable seat stains.

I hope to hell nobody's home theatre has a similar level of grossness.

Re:None of those really matter

[Anonymous Coward]

What is a GoT?

Grunt or Tribble?

Re:None of those really matter

[UnknownSoldier]

Game of Thrones.

Re:None of those really matter

[Nidi62]

Movies are also simply being out-gunned by Good TV shows. I'm betting that Sunday evenings have been hit hard by GoT this summer.

Might get hit even worse next summer. Haven't they said that all of the episodes in the final season of GoT (which is a shorter season) are going to be longer? The finale itself was almost 1.5 hours, and these days a lot of movies struggle to fill 1.5 hours. So for all purposes HBO is going to be showing a new GoT movie every week of the season.

Re:None of those really matter

[UnknownSoldier]

> Firefly Movie #2 I'm talking about you.

Is that actually confirmed or is it still a rumor?

Allegedly Joss Whedon wanted a break from "summer blockbusters" after directing Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Re:None of those really matter

[Rakarra]

Might get hit even worse next summer. Haven't they said that all of the episodes in the final season of GoT (which is a shorter season) are going to be longer?

Yeah, but Season 8 will likely air two years from now.

A little more than sequel fatigue.

[Anonymous Coward]

The trend I've noticed for years is that the true gauge of a movies worthiness is how well the next one does. Once the marketing machine cranks up, studios can get millions of people in to see crap. Then they can fool themselves into thinking they've got a hot property and the press falls all over themselves to declare a success. But all those people who were disappointed in the last one won't bother to see the next, no matter how much marketing $$$ gets thrown around. What you're seeing this summer is the return of the last few years of poor quality movies.

Valerian

[Anonymous Coward]

Here was a non-Hollywood movie that got killed in the reviews. The first half had no faults, was kick-ass, and to me was worth the price of the ticket. And you know why many people didn't like it? Because it did not fit the superhero mold that people still seem to love. Face it, Hollywood gives you what sells tickets.
Even now, in This discussion of Hollywood sucking, this non-Hollywood movie does not even get mentioned, WTF.

I hear

[Anonymous Coward]

they're in the 3rd or 4th year developing Mr. Ed, the Talking Horse 2020. The twist is they wire the horse's brain up to an A.I.

I've seen a fwe

[Anonymous Coward]

But they were all Studio Ghibli movies that are being recirculated.

Found the Problem

[hduff]

Shitty movies . . .

I've only been to the movies once in 15 years.

[renegadesx]

It was to see Deadpool, and that was because my wife was really nagging me to go. Most of my "entertainment" time is sucked up by video games. Almost all my Neflix is stand up comedy. I just dont watch movies anymore. If movie tickets were still $5 maybe I would have gone to see the new Star Wars movies. But considering the price costs more than an indie game, no way I will go.

3D

[Anonymous Coward]

I've pretty much stopped going to the cinema since the 3D fad came in (they give me a headache). The last few times there's been a movie I wanted to watch, the 2D version was only shown at theatres that were far enough away from me that I couldn't be bothered.

The theater experience isn't good

[bradley13]

I last went to a movie, geez, when my kids were small (they're now 20+). We've thought about going since - you'd think having teenage kids would be a good reason - but...why? It's hard to see the attraction. In no particular order:

- Why do I want to travel to a theater and sit next to a bunch of strangers, who may or may not be quiet, spend half the movie texting on their phones, etc..

- I like the sound loud, but - geez - that was over the pain threshold. I came out with my ears ringing. At home, I can set the volume where I want it.

- Ads. Previews. Ads. More ads.

- Crappy, overpriced refreshments.

- No pause button.

So what are the positives of going to a theater? It's not the big screen, because we have a projector and a roll-up screen in our living room. You get a bigger picture than any large-screen TV, for a fraction of the price. You can roll the screen up, which it hard to do with a TV. Anyway, we have a bigger and better picture than a theater provides.

So the only thing left is Hollywood's insistence on releasing to theaters first. That's it. Everything else is better in your home cinema.

Last comment: Hollywood is too focused on the wrong things. The movies come across as SJW propaganda, at the expense of the stories. As an example, in Rogue One the selection of a woman a lead character with a black sidekick is just too obvious, and neither of them really brings their role to life. Was that poor acting, or weak writing? I don't know, and it doesn't really matter: the final scene is supposed to bring tears to your eyes, but you just don't care enough about the characters. So the final scene falls flat, the movie ends, and...was that all there was?

Re:The theater experience isn't good

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm with you on the sound issue. It literally hurts my ears to the point that I feel pain. I don't think that's a good thing.

Who would win in a fight?

[thinkwaitfast]

Batman, superman or Steve Austin? They haven't made this movie yet, have they? The last movie I saw was Avatar.

Re:Who would win in a fight?

[Kevin108]

The one with the blue aliens or the one with the ninja children?

Re:Who would win in a fight?

[walterbyrd]

It would be a draw, always is. When good-guy super-heroes fight, nobody wins.

Although the obvious answer would be Superman.

Re:Who would win in a fight?

[Shotgun]

Depends. Is Steve Austin's mother named Mary, too?

I tell you how (I live in se asia, Thailand)

[gl4ss]

1st. simpler the plot the better. have distinct bad guy, an inbetween guy and a bunch of good guys. ideally the inbetween guy would jump to good side for some moral dilemma or whatever. if there is a traitor he needs to get his comeuppance. just basic stuff really. the good guy can be some rogue character of sorts. Ideally they're after some magical item that might destroy the world in the wrong hands or whatever.

2nd. explosions are good.

3rd. acrobatics are better.

4th. don't try to explain magic. they'll take it as what it is, magic. it doesn't need to make any sense. just throw that stuff into the plot and don't explain away any of the paradoxes such stuff existing in the world makes for the plot.

5th. sequels to hollywood hits are okay. or just use historical characters. or mix both. plenty of asian hit movies are just retellings of the same tales again and again and again.

6th. don't spend too much time worrying if you can make your effects look good for the thing you are trying to show. as long as it gets the point across then it's enough. they don't care.

7th. have a ghost in the script. don't ask why, just have it.

a good example is the latest pirates and transfomers

I went to see the latest pirates of the caribbean dubbed in thai. it did seemingly not impair AT ALL understanding the movie. the plot is that simple and in addition to the simple to get plot there is just a bunch of action pieces. I would wager I did not miss a single detail about the plot, who was the son/daughter of who, who had an axe to grind for what reason and so forth. it had mediocre cgi. the thais loved it. they don't care about the flaws as long as it is entertaining and has some cool(to them) stuff.

covenant i don't see going down so well - even scott himself doesn't seem to actually have decided just wtf is going with the plot and where it is going. alien resurrection seems to be on reruns all the time on tv.

those bad superhero flicks and sequels? THAT IS EXACTLY CATERING FOR THE CHINESE MARKET!!! the pirates and transformers you're asking why they are still making them and the answer is ASIAN MARKET.

one another note: they even make remakes of soap operas here. the ghost rule applies. and what I mean with a remake is a plot twist by plot twist remake with just an updated cast. instead of having the same bold and the beautiful run for 30 years they can just remake same shorter plot every 4 years. they don't care if there isn't any surprises. I guess it's a cultural thing.

the marvel flicks work great for the because they are not too deeply interconnected and they do have their internal plots, which usually center around something grand like saving a planet or the entire universe. they don't try to force too much character development on the main characters either.

Re:I tell you how (I live in se asia, Thailand)

[Anonymous Coward]

pirates and transfomers

How the fuck does that work?

Re:I tell you how (I live in se asia, Thailand)

[gl4ss]

pirates and transfomers

How the fuck does that work?

they love pirated transformers toys so... yeah..

Re:I tell you how (I live in se asia, Thailand)

[Anonymous Coward]

those bad superhero flicks and sequels? THAT IS EXACTLY CATERING FOR THE CHINESE MARKET!!!

American superheroes catering for the Chinese market? That's a new one. They're bad because they follow exactly the pattern we expect of Hollywood - little to no plot, shallow single or no-dimensional characters and the whole movie merely used as a vehicle for special effects. It says something about a movie if a comic book has far greater intellectual depth. This is Hollywood in general, and has been for decades - they decided that spectacle sells movies, and any attempts to be intelligent would lose them seats. Blame Hollywood being Hollywood As Usual.

Meanwhile we've seen superb foreign Japanese franchises, Ghost In The Shell, Death Note, or even Western ones like Avatar Legend Of Aang given the same good old US dumbing down treatment, followed by whitewashing. The result? Pure good old US shit. It's just business as usual for US moviemakers, get used to it - they're a sausage machine that takes other peoples good ideas in one end and spews out a shit sausage the other end. Has been as long as I've been alive.

Re:I tell you how (I live in se asia, Thailand)

[gl4ss]

Meanwhile we've seen superb foreign Japanese franchises, Ghost In The Shell, Death Note, or even Western ones like Avatar Legend Of Aang given the same good old US dumbing down treatment, followed by whitewashing. The result? Pure good old US shit. It's just business as usual for US moviemakers, get used to it - they're a sausage machine that takes other peoples good ideas in one end and spews out a shit sausage the other end. Has been as long as I've been alive.

not seen much of mainstream bollywood or chinawood movies?

the reason these movies are making money is chinese/asian market.

japan is only sort of part of it. also most anime that makes money is tripe and you know it.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Another summer of endless Hollywood..

[guacamole]

• Remakes
• Prequels
• Sequels
• Superhero films

Enough already...

bwahaha

[Anonymous Coward]

BWAHAHAHAhahaha oh god, bwahahahahahha!

No, they charge that much because it's income

[Anonymous Coward]

And the movie studios can insist that you give MORE THAN ALL THE TICKET PRICE to the blockbuster they're selling you for the opening X weeks. AND insist it's shown in at least so many screens with so many seating. And use access to these blockbusters to force the theatre to show at least so many viewings of another movie (frequently a crappy one they made so that a company involved can invoke a tax loss or reduce their profits to get under some tax bracket).

So the concessions is all they have to pay the entire business with.

I don't buy their concessions because of the price. I blame the price for my actions. I don't blame the cinema for the price, though. They don't have a choixe.

Re:No, they charge that much because it's income

[Anonymous Coward]

I buy concessions to support my local theater.
I want it to be available for the one movie every other year worth going to see.

My policy

[DrXym]

I feel cheated when I watch a bad movie. Cheated of time, opportunity, and money. So my policy these days is I'll wait for reviews. If a movie is THAT GOOD then consensus will confirm it and I will think about going. And if it isn't, then that's money / time I can use on other things.

Hollywood is lazy and formulaic and they WILL churn out shit given half a chance. The likes of Rotten Tomatoes should be used to fight against that model. Wait for reviews and be extremely wary of movie that have a) review embargoes that run all the way up to release date, and/or b) a few suspiciously glowing reviews even though there is a general release embargo. Either speak of a movie which is going to be total garbage.

Personally I think RT need to start fighting back because studios are gaming the system. e.g. Do not permit any review score, or any review link to appear until the general embargo is lifted.

I usually sell good advice. This is free.

[Opportunist]

Create a TV show. Make it good. Give it an ongoing plot that spans seasons. Create tension and drama and make sure it builds to a resolution everyone wants to experience. Not just know how it ends, EXPERIENCE it.

Then resolve it in a movie.

Want to bet that the theater is packed?

Re:I usually sell good advice. This is free.

[Shotgun]

Or do like they did with X-Files.

Create a TV show. Make it good. Give it an ongoing plot that spans seasons. Create tension and drama and make sure it builds to a resolution everyone wants to experience. Not just know how it ends, EXPERIENCE it.

Then DON'T resolve it in a movie. Instead, raise more questions in the movie than the TV series did.

Then you can watch the TV series die completely.

Re:I usually sell good advice. This is free.

[Rakarra]

The X-Files. Ah, the X-Files. Granted, Mulder and Sculley DID change their attitudes a bit as the seasons went on. Fox started thinking all his alien obsession was BS, and a lot of it was just organized by the government. Super-skeptic Sculley opened her mind to religion first, then the paranormal that Mulder always accepted at face value.

But the standard plot suffered for too many seasons with a "status quo is god" attitude. Mulder had his opinions, Sculley had her opposing opinions, and even though they worked together, Mulder would run into incontrovertible visual evidence of aliens, ghosts, the paranormal, etc. Something that Sculley would just be.. mysteriously absent for, and so she didn't have to face that evidence. This happened enough times to be totally ridiculous.

Case in point: The X-Files movie, which has in the climax a scene where the two are in the arctic on the ice, and an enormous spaceship lifts off and flies above them. Mulder can see it quite clearly, a drugged Sculley is basically face-down in the snow. I knew that at that point, plot-wise, they'd been spinning their wheels for some time.

Too expensive

[tbq]

A pair of tickets to see a movie is $35. I can wait a few months instead and usually buy the 4K bluray for less, or possibly borrow the bluray from the library for free. I'll admit that the 3D experience is usually better in the theater than in the living room, but it's a trade-off my wallet is willing to make.

Its global profit

[Anonymous Coward]

Look up "Hollywood accounting" for more details.

And bring a barf bag.

Steven Spielberg warned of this a few years ago.

[Qbertino]

People only have so much time. And movies and cinemas are increasingly competing with online video, gaming, smartphones, etc. Cinemas will have to morph into event centers that are way more welcoming and hospitable, have realistic pricing and have more character. And even then the visitor number will decline.

Wait until what happens when VR takes off.

movies

[Anonymous Coward]

Give us something worth seeing, Give us something that isnt a rehash of a past movie. Give us something with a plot that doesnt need CGI explosions to make it interesting. Give us something worth spending our money on. With the crappy movies, high ticket prices, fast move to digital Ill wait to a move when it hits digital.

$20 for a theater or $4.99 on digital. Not to mention the babysitter cost. And heaven forget the cost of popcorn and a drink. a single movie with popcorn and drink and sitter can come close to $100... Just not worth it for the junk being produced.

It's more than that...

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

"The problem is exacerbated by an unforgiving social media environment in which bad movies are immediately punished by online word of mouth."

It's also exacerbated by the ever-worsening environment in the theater...people talking on their phones, yelling at each other, texting, and generally behaving miserably with no regard for the people around them.

Add to that the cost of tickets, the traffic getting to the theater, parking, the cost of the food, etc etc....in the end I'd much rather watch something at home where I can pause it, control the volume, have my own snacks, and so on.

Yes, yes- I know it's "so much better" on the big screen blah blah blah but I don't care, I'll trade that 2% of the experience for the advantages of watching at home.

USA culture not what it used to be

[Anonymous Coward]

Sad to say, USA used to be the west's beacon of values, hard work and success. After years of telling us that success has nothing to do with hard work, that everyone is equal (so no need for "heroes") and becoming a nation of entitled whiners , why should US movies be so interesting?
It saddens me no end, but the decision of the west to commit suicide and grovel to any other culture, awful as it may be, as superior, comes at a price.

DVD released too soon

[Stan92057]

Movies are being released to DVD and services 6 months after they are released.The norm was well over a year, wait to see a new movie on hbo type cable channels then released to the streets a few years ago .Seems Hollywood is the cause IMO. I only go to DC/Marvel movies myself in the theaters so nothing has changed for me. Ticket prices over priced food isn't nothing new and not a reason i would use to not see one because going to the movies is getting out of the house and worth it too me

The irony

[PortHaven]

I found a number of the sequels - Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers to be significantly better than the last endeavors.

But agreed...that, and often movies I want to see are not even in the theaters long enough for me to see them. The Sniper's Bodyguard, or whatever it was called. I even had a discount ticket for it, but couldn't make it and it was gone in only two weeks.

I don't think they realize how busy and over-worked Americans are these days.

At least they got the reason right...

[wardrich86]

I was expecting them to just pin it on piracy as per usual. At least they got the hint that their movies suck. Either lower the ticket price, or start making good fucking Summer movies.

Do what I do

[Anonymous Coward]

Do what I do and watch old b/w movies on youtube. You have to adjust your expectations to the acting styles of 60 years ago, and the special effects (if any). But the plots were not so formulaic and boring. You control the volume.

Re:Do what I do

[Joosy]

Do what I do and watch old b/w movies on youtube

Yes! In those old movies the mood is calmer and more relaxing, without the "in your face" attitude that most modern movies come with. Stylistically, there are more long takes, which I enjoy. The modern style is lots of quick cuts, so the director can force you to look at what he/she wants you to! It's exhausting and annoying ...

I've also subscribed to Filmstruck, which has a well chosen selection of old and foreign movies that are difficult or impossible to find.

Basic mathematica; illiteracy.

[Anonymous Coward]

The mathematical illiteracy of the the press is amazing. You need to say take the last twenty or so years of data do perhaps a linear curve fit than look at the variance of data. If the data values of this last year is below say one or two standard deviations it could be just a random fluctuation. This should be done before people do their profound analysis of the causes of the data changes.

Quit your bitching and make good movies

[f00zbll]

At least this time the studios are admitting the movies that bombed sucked. How about make new and original movies that people want to see. There's plenty of people that want to create fresh new content. Instead of block busters, make smaller better movies and mix things up a bit.

Re:Quit your bitching and make good movies

[speedplane]

At least this time the studios are admitting the movies that bombed sucked. How about make new and original movies that people want to see. There's plenty of people that want to create fresh new content. Instead of block busters, make smaller better movies and mix things up a bit.

Almost all blockbusters now are awful recycled garbage. They have such massive budgets for cool effects, and it's clear they have talented people working on them. Why can't they spend just a bit more on plot, dialogue, and character development. I love good CG and special effects, but I'm not going to pay $15 and sit still for two hours just to watch special effects and nothing more.

Crap movies. High prices. Rude patrons.

[walterbyrd]

Who needs it?

No no...

[ilsaloving]

I can't be any of those reasons. It has to be piracy.

What? That excuse has worked just fine for us in the past.

Signed,
MPAA

The problem

[JohnFen]

Well, personally, the reason I avoid going to movie theaters (excluding the small independent ones -- they're great) is twofold: the "theater experience" is very unpleasant, and the movies are usually bad.

But this...

The problem is exacerbated by an unforgiving social media environment in which bad movies are immediately punished by online word of mouth.

seems to indicate a reason why this is unlikely to change anytime soon: the industry is complaining about the fact that people are hearing that the movies suck before they get a chance to waste their money.

If your business model depends on people being kept ignorant of the quality of your product, you're in a lot of trouble.

(I know that quote is the reporter's commentary and not from the movie industry proper, but I have heard movie industry reps say the same thing several times.)

wanted to go to the movies this summer

[Anonymous Coward]

but we're all working longer hours. Who has time to relax?

Sample size: 1

[Agronomist Cowherd]

And yet I've seen more movies this year than in any previous year of my life. Some of that is my kids being old enough to see movies I like.

strong female lead

[Anonymous Coward]

Of all the things listed, the me-too trend of replacing the men with virtue-signaling women (Ghostbusters, Thor, etc), and the crop of movies made solely for the purpose of having a "strong female lead" partially accounts for this lack of interest, but is surprisingly missing from the list. Looks to me they are just looking to blame anything else but PC movies.

I never went because of plot

[houghi]

To me going to the movies is not so much about the plot. If it where just about the plot, I would wait till it is out on something cheaper and watch it there.
It is about the social experience. Bit like drinking beer. I can drink beer cheaper than I can drink it in a bar, yet I never drink at home. Because for me it is more about the social experience.

When I got older, talking became more important than just sitting together watching at a screen, so it became less of an incentive to go to the movies.

So perhaps the demographic that would go to the movies have other ways of spending their money and time together. Perhaps they rather sit at home and spend time in front of the large screen they have there.

What they need to do is look at where money is spend now instead of where they want it to be spend. I know I never had a cellphone bill to pay (or have my parents pay for me). Also no provider or anything of the like. We had two boardgames and no game consoles or anything/

Money can only be spend once. So they are not competing just with pirates or Netflix. They are also competing with all the other options people have to spend their time and, more importantly, their money.

And whose fault is it?

[whitroth]

A couple years ago, we went to see Interstellar in IMAX. $20/US for *each* ticket, and another $8? $10 for popcorn, we're talking in the neighborhood of $80 for three people.

And I trust /.'ers know that the theatre staff is paid out of the refreshments, and almost everything else goes to the company (and their CEO's bonuses).

They're surprised I only go to one or two a year? Shock! (We'll ignore the fact that when Star Wars came out, it was $3? $5?/ticket, popcorn on that order, too. And LARGE screens.

Too Many Sequels....

[Ferretman]

...too many remakes, too many kids and YA books turned into movies.

And they charge too much.

You want me back? Make ORIGINAL movies with ORIGINAL plots and INTERESTING stories.

Ferret

It's a mystery

[Anonymous Coward]

Company tries to sell increasingly crappy product. Is mystified why sales have fallen.

It's the popcorn

[Anonymous Coward]

I have misophonia.
I hate trying to listen to a movie with a bunch of strangers, inevitably having some late stranger stumble in the darkness with a giant tub of popcorn, and proceed to munch and crunch on the damn thing sitting directly behind me.

Also it's mandatory to keep sucking on the large soda or icee long after it's been exhausted, making that stereotypical straw sucking sound.

Also the movies themselves suck. Their need to incorporate elements for gays, chinese, and feminists makes the whole experience jarring.

Slow Summer for Hollywood

[Anonymous Coward]

I can't tell you why others are not going to the theater to see movies (or stopped buying CD's for that matter), but I can tell you why I stopped:

Hollywood stars opening their spit-holes and berating our duly elected President. I speak specifically of Madonna and Kathy Griffin, though there are lots more of these UGLY on the inside people. Studios for the Motion Picture Association and the Music Artists Association should add wording to their contracts barring actors and singers from commenting on politics. And someone shoot Micheal Moore. Until that happens I will keep costing them money... I will not go to the theater, but I WILL download content illegally. That'll cost them twice.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Notice a pattern?

[knorthern knight]

* MSM newspapers have been all-in lib-left for years and supported Hillary to the hilt in 2016. Newspaper circulation is cratering.

* ESPN has gone all-in lib-left recently, e.g. honouring Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner, and praising Colin Capernaek. ESPN subscription numbers are cratering.

* Hollywood has been all-in lib-left for years and supported Hillary to the hilt in 2016. Now they've started being more openly SJW/"inclusiveness"-agenda in their movies. Wonder-Woman is supposed to be female... but Ghostbusters? Movie attendance has cratered recently.

Like I said... notice a pattern?

Re:Notice a pattern?

[Anonymous Coward]

Wonder-Woman is supposed to be female... but Ghostbusters? Movie attendance has cratered recently. Like I said... notice a pattern?

Yes. They keep rebooting shit instead of doing something new and interesting.

They missed a reason, a big one

[Contract Gypsy]

For the past few decades Hollywood actors can't keep their mouths shut regarding their political opinions, some I agree with some of their ideas but not others. What ticks me off though is that they have zero skin in the game, they have nothing to loose or gain by what they say, except for control over some of the populous. It just doesn't make me real happy, zero political talent on their part, but since they are well known, they get listened to by the weak minded and their drivel sinks in. I don't go to the movies for price, lousy acting, and their political view spewing. I do not pay the pigs, send them to slaughter.

Hollywood enjoyed a record box office in 2016

[Anonymous Coward]

Hollywood is struggling...except that in 2016, Hollywood enjoyed the biggest box office of all time in North America AND worldwide. And the worldwide box office is growing again in 2017. If Hollywood grosses more money worldwide than ever before in history, is that really a struggling business? And 2017 may still be the second highest grossing year in North American history. After years of pleading from theaters, Hollywood is opening big budget movies every month of the year, not just summer and Nov-Dec. They had the biggest spring quarter in history and the fourth biggest winter. If you have hits twelve months of the year rather than just five, that's actually smarter of them.

Try reading a book

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe someone should try reading a book. Mercedes Lackey has some good ones (Valdemar series). Nora Roberts (magical and magic) Dean Koontz (horror) Dick Marcinko (action) READ A DAMN BOOK!!

Home setup beats theaters

[Anonymous Coward]

For the price of tickets and snacks, i have a much better experience at home. 4k quality with home surround sound. No stale food, can drink beer, and no crowds. Best of all, my hot wife's lingerie.

Re:Home setup beats theaters

[Anonymous Coward]

Does she know you are wearing her lingerie while watching "movies?"

Raising Athena & Artemis

[MarcusOutrageous]

Hey Beaver -- I send you accolades for reproducing in such a high quality manner. Doubly so for providing such a great story for others to follow.

Please permit me to respectfully offer a potential upgrade that could be of value your little'uns.

I grew up in a tough neighborhood. (Perfect corollary South Bronx.) I've been an expert level martial artist for more than a couple of decades now with training across styles. Including real-world survive being attacked type training. I also was (decades ago) a pretty successful competitive martial artist. TL;DR there's a life & death level difference between self defense and sports-martial arts. So I'd like to offer you, for your girls, the one most important thing I have taught all of my ex girlfriends and several of my female staff -- especially the ones who know some martial arts.

If any man attacks you where you cannot flee and must defend yourself, gouge out his eyes and run the fuck away as fast as possible.

In reality the punching and kicking they are learning will NOT defend them from truly aggressive man who can just throw his weight on them. Kicking is especially bad in a street fight. And in reality that movie knee-to-the-balls isn't effective. If an aggressor is that close the woman is usually overmastered even if the man gets whacked. Since you're not in Thailand (my guess) they are probably not learning how to deliver an elbow to the temple. But if they're that close an eye-gouge is guaranteed effective.

Here's how I teach it Eve. I hold a tomato over one eye. Then I grab their throat with my other. Eve's ONE job is JAMB a thumb through that tomato until she can't go any further into the 'brain' of my palm. 'blood' must be oozing, then run the hell away.

Sport martial arts can instill a very false sense of physical opsec in both men and women. If my life is threatened and I'm stuck in hand-to-hand, I'm going to gouge and flee too. (not talking about barfights which are largely ritualistic, even if brutal, I'm talking about avoiding murders, rapists and midgets. Okay maybe not the midgets. This was getting too macabre so I had to bring up midgets.

All the breaks & counter-attacks they learn in class will be largely ineffective against a real rapist, likely to be larger than them, and very likely more experienced at actual street confrontation. Unless that break turns into an eye gouge. "Kick to the knee, drop like a stone" = Myth as very few can actually execute it. "Rabbit punch nose into brain" = Myth.

Anyway -- keep rockin' on. And watch out for midgets. They attack from below.