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Movie Ticket Sales Hit A 22-Year Low in 2017 (msn.com)
An anonymous reader quotes the Los Angeles Times:
Hollywood is celebrating the end of 2017 with astronomical sales from "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," which is on track to soon exceed $1 billion in global ticket sales and eventually become the biggest movie of the year. But that won't be enough to write a happy storyline for the industry. Although movie ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada are expected to dip just below last year's record of $11.38 billion, the number of tickets sold is projected to drop 4% to 1.26 billion -- the lowest level since 1995, according to preliminary estimates from studio executives.
The falloff in ticket sales can mostly be explained by a handful of movies that flopped, especially during the dreary summer season that posted the worst results in more than two decades. Even such massive hits as "Wonder Woman," "Thor: Ragnarok" and "It" couldn't make up for a lackluster summer lineup populated by rickety franchises ("Alien: Covenant") and poorly reviewed retreads ("The Mummy"). However, the long-term decline in attendance reflects systemic challenges facing the industry. Audiences are spending less time going to the movies and are consuming more entertainment on small screens and through streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon that are spending billions on original video content. At the same time, while higher ticket prices have helped to offset attendance declines, they have made consumers pickier about what movies they're willing to go see. And those increasingly discerning consumers turn to social media and Rotten Tomatoes to decide what's worth their time and money.
The falloff in ticket sales can mostly be explained by a handful of movies that flopped, especially during the dreary summer season that posted the worst results in more than two decades. Even such massive hits as "Wonder Woman," "Thor: Ragnarok" and "It" couldn't make up for a lackluster summer lineup populated by rickety franchises ("Alien: Covenant") and poorly reviewed retreads ("The Mummy"). However, the long-term decline in attendance reflects systemic challenges facing the industry. Audiences are spending less time going to the movies and are consuming more entertainment on small screens and through streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon that are spending billions on original video content. At the same time, while higher ticket prices have helped to offset attendance declines, they have made consumers pickier about what movies they're willing to go see. And those increasingly discerning consumers turn to social media and Rotten Tomatoes to decide what's worth their time and money.
I'll still gladly pay to go see a movie - if only there was anything good. This is no different than competing against VHS rental. When the movies are bad, people will wait or skip entirely. It's been this way for 30+ years.
So I, as a consumer, go to see movies to be entertained. However it seems Hollywood is hell bent on shoving its leftist political agenda down my throat for every movie I see. They take a movie I've already seen, remake it with a bad coat of paint and then can't understand why most people are "meh" on it.
Really, Hollywood -- stop with your shit. I have known some brilliant black scientists, but c'mon Hollyweed -- maybe every white person doesn't have to be evil and saved by a black scientist. Also I don't care about the evil government coverup that is uncovered by a strong female reporting. I just don't give a shit about that stuff. It doesn't affect my daily life in any way. And stop just swapping out young actors for old ones. When I see a movie I care about the story; not the people portraying it. Hollywood seems to assume people see a movie because of the actor. Maybe some do, but bzzt! Celebrities don't have much value without good writing behind them (hint, hint).
Maybe I should start a campaign to really piss off all the Hollywood types -- MMGA (Make Movies Great Again!) Yup, a take off of a great slogan that must drive them mad. LOL.
Hollywood doesn't make movies for the United States. They're targeting Asian audiences and competing with Bollywood, where it is pretty typical to see serial-style films with the same characters and plot lines over and over. Not to say that doesn't happen in the US and western film (Bond, Star Trek, Star Wars, etc), but it is on a whole new level.
The difference is that the US produces spectacles using a lot of technology. Bollywood produces spectacles using a lot of people.
"Well, good luck finding a judge that doesn't run a bestiality site."
The problem is the theaters, not the movies. Theaters are an awful way to experience a movie. There are:
Stinks
Excess Noise
Uncomfortable seats
Garbage
Gum
Spit food
Obnoxious people
Strangers
No pause button
No skip button for previews we don't want
No rewind button for things we want to see or hear again
Inconvenient locked in times of day
Have to travel to the theater
High prices for theater
High prices for snacks and not allowed to bring our own better ones
For the cost of one theater ticket I can buy several movies that our entire family can enjoy and even watch again later if we want.
Theaters are a very poor solution.
I recently wen to a chain cinema instead of the independent one near my house. We were treated like cattle, given assigned seats (!?), and had to endure advertisements on the screen before the movie. I don't mind a printed add in a slideshow of movie trivia to show your stub for a free dessert at a nearby restaurant or something like that. These were like TV commercials with sound so loud you could not talk to your friends that lasted a minute or more with no redeeming content between them. Even if the movie had been really good the entire experience would be tainted.
With Netflix, Hulu, Amazon streaming, etc. you can wait and watch it at home cheaper. The reason to go to the movies is the experience. Improve the experience and people will come. Treat people like cattle and they will stay away. Our local cinema has a bar attached, real butter on the popcorn, and only shows previews before the movie. They actively try to create a community by showing classics at midnight on weekends, hosting movie trivia contests, and showing locally produced movies including a Q&A with the makers. They participate in film festivals. It isn't that hard.
How about a Disney superhero film that checks off each of your points labeled 1-4? Doesn't The Last Jedi satisfy each and every one of these requirements?
Uh ... no. Just no.
I recalculated it recently - a giant tub of popcorn runs me about $0.83 (CDN) at home, mostly for the butter. We can pause movies at any point, for washroom breaks, or to get more drinks/munchies. The seats are more comfortable at home. The field of view is much, much, much better at home. Only thing missing is other people being annoying - bumping the back of your seat; talking, texting, moving around in front of you, distracting you from the movie.
Actually, one thing is missing from the theaters - the 3D effect ... thank Gord!!!
The industry won't reveal the numbers, but a substantial percentage of viewers develop nausea and/or headaches. Per one study, mentioned in Wikipedia, that number is 55%.
Why would I spend twenty dollars to sit next to an asshole teenager who is texting the whole time. Or some jackass who brought a three year old to an r rated film.
Perhaps you should go to better cinemas, like Alamo Drafthouse:
Etiquette
Alamo Drafthouse is famous for enforcing a strict policy on behavior while in the theater. Children under the age of two are not allowed except for showings on specific days which are designated "Alamo For All" showings where parents are encouraged to bring young children and rules around talking are relaxed.[35] Unaccompanied minors are not allowed in showings, except for members of the Alamo Drafthouse's Victory Vanguard rewards program, which allows 15-17 year olds to attend showings unattended after their application to the rewards program has been submitted and reviewed. The application involves demonstrating an understanding of the theater's policies around talking, texting, arriving to the theater late, and basic tipping etiquette.[36] The cinema also prohibits talking and texting during the film. Anyone who violates this policy is subject to warning and potential removal from the premises.[37] Alamo made national headlines in 2011 when the rantings of one angry customer who was ejected for texting were included in its "Don't Talk or Text" PSA shown before films. "When we adopted our strict no talking policy back in 1997 we knew we were going to alienate some of our patrons," Tim League posted on the cinema's website. "That was the plan. If you can't change your behavior and be quiet (or unilluminated) during a movie, then we don't want you at our venue."[38]
If you live in a major city in America or elsewhere, I'm sure there is a local cinema with the same philosophy.