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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.
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.
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thinking why the heck TV-series were more interesting than the movies....
As long as the international box office makes up the difference, the studios won't care if the American box office slides.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
Perhaps we're tired of actors political bullshit.
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.
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.
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?
"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.
Good people go to bed earlier.
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.
The accountants are trying to work out the problem.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
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?)
So I took Christopher Nolan's advice and saw Dunkirk at an IMAX this summer.
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.
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.
// 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.
The movie business is changing, news at 11.
/ my defining moment?
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...
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.
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.
My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
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.
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.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
at the theater was Logan. It was worth it, but I still got it again on netflix when it came out on DVD. ... 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.
Nothing has made me need to go to the movies in a long time.
Sorry, it's just that
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.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
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.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
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.
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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.
You're supposed to smoke weed before watching movies, NOT DMT. Makes it hard to follow the plot.
My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
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.
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.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
Is there a special word for a female who believe it's :
... 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.
- 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 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.
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.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
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"the rest of the world is stupid"
Remind me, who is your current president?
“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....
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
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.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."