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Global Box Office Flat in 2018, Netflix and Subscription Services Rise in Popularity (variety.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: The domestic box office rebounded in 2018 in a recovery fueled by blockbusters such as "Black Panther" and "Incredibles 2." Ticket sales in the U.S. climbed 7% to top out at a record $11.9 billion, according to a new report by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). That helped off-set declines in overseas markets in Europe and Latin America, pushing the global box office to $41.1 billion, a year-over-year improvement of a percentage point. The MPAA study is produced by the entertainment industry trade group and is intended to provide a comprehensive look at the overall state of the film business.
In addition to box office revenues, the report found that the global home entertainment business increased by 16% to reach $55.7 billion last year. This was driven primarily by the rise of digital rentals, sales, and subscriptions to streaming services such as Netflix. Digital home entertainment spending in the U.S. increased 24% to $17.5 billion; internationally this sector climbed 34% to $25.1 billion. That helped plug the gap left by massive declines in the sale and rental of DVDs and Blu-rays. In the U.S., disc sales dropped 15% to $5.8 billion and fell 14% internationally to $7.3 billion. Four years ago, physical sales in the U.S. were $10.3 billion and were $14.9 billion internationally, a sign of just how precipitously the DVD market has fallen. Over that same period, digital spending has increased 170% globally. Much of that rise is attributable to the popularity of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other subscription services. Globally, the number of digital subscriptions increased by 27% to 613.3 million. Online video subscriptions surpassed cable for the first time in 2018. Cable subscriptions fell 2% to 556 million.
In addition to box office revenues, the report found that the global home entertainment business increased by 16% to reach $55.7 billion last year. This was driven primarily by the rise of digital rentals, sales, and subscriptions to streaming services such as Netflix. Digital home entertainment spending in the U.S. increased 24% to $17.5 billion; internationally this sector climbed 34% to $25.1 billion. That helped plug the gap left by massive declines in the sale and rental of DVDs and Blu-rays. In the U.S., disc sales dropped 15% to $5.8 billion and fell 14% internationally to $7.3 billion. Four years ago, physical sales in the U.S. were $10.3 billion and were $14.9 billion internationally, a sign of just how precipitously the DVD market has fallen. Over that same period, digital spending has increased 170% globally. Much of that rise is attributable to the popularity of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other subscription services. Globally, the number of digital subscriptions increased by 27% to 613.3 million. Online video subscriptions surpassed cable for the first time in 2018. Cable subscriptions fell 2% to 556 million.
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The whole trend with movie theaters losing ground to home theaters reminds me of what happened to arcades. Back in the 80's and early 90's they were the place to be because you could only experience the latest and greatest games at the arcade. But once home consoles caught up with the arcade machines they completely died out because of the convenience of having the latest and greatest at home meant you didn't have to put up with all the obnoxiousness of arcades (not to mention the gang fights).
Unless you're into the theater 'experience' (being around tons of people, gigantic screens, loud sound system) there's really no reason not to just wait for it to come out on DVD or Netflix and watch it home where you can choose when to watch, pause/rewind the movie, eat what you want, and not have to deal with obnoxious people for a fraction of the cost. Unless movie theaters do some serious innovating (3-D part duex seems to have fizzled) they're going to disappear in the next decade or so except for a small few for those who still want the 'experience'.
For me, despite having a powerful surround sound setup with a good-sized screen and comfortable seating at home, there actually are several circumstances where it still makes sense to head to the theater. It all comes down to the individual, however.
1) When the audience adds to the experience. Being in a packed theater (with spacious, comfy recliners) on opening night for Infinity War was loads of fun. The theater was incredibly animated, with a lot of whooping and cheering as each superhero engaged in their heroics. While you definitely don't need it, having an engaged crowd can really add something special to the movie watching experience for certain types of movies (e.g. action and comedy, sometimes horror), in much the same way that '90s-era sitcoms are much better with a laugh track than without.
2) When the film is big on spectacle and bluster. While horror, romcom, comedy, drama, suspense, etc. don't really benefit much from a bigger screen or better speakers, big budget blockbuster action flicks do a better job of being even more larger-than-life when they're on a huge screen with sound that can rattle you to the core. Even among those of us who have decent setups at home, few would suggest that they're truly on par with the technical aspects of the theater. For bigger-than-life films, it may be worth the (potentially marginal) technical improvement you get from going to the biggest screen with the best sound you can find.
3) When the when matters. For most movies, I don't care when I see them. If they're good today, they'll be just as good in five years, and if they won't be good in five years, then they probably weren't actually good today either. But if you're one of the people who is into a long-running franchise (e.g. Marvel, Star Wars, Bond, Conjuring, etc.), there's an element of needing to keep up so that you know what's going on/don't get left behind. If there's a movie in that franchise that you want to see in theaters (for whatever reason), but the previous one won't come out for home release before the new one arrives in theaters, heading to the theater for the previous release (e.g. Captain Marvel before Endgame) might be your only (legal) way to keep up.
4) When there's artistic expression at play. Certain directors care very deeply about the technical aspects of how their films are presented. Perhaps they filmed in IMAX (e.g. Christopher Nolan) or true 3D (e.g. James Cameron). Perhaps they filmed at higher frame rates (e.g. Peter Jackson). Perhaps they're using a very particular aspect ratio (e.g Stanley Kubrick). Depending on the circumstances, it may be that only a small fraction of theaters will show the film the exact way it was intended to be shown, and oftentimes no home release will ever get it exactly right according to the director's standards. If that sort of stuff is something that matters to you, you may have no choice but to see it in the theater. I've known people who drove hundreds of miles to see a film in a theater that was actually capable of showing the film in exactly the way it was intended to be shown.
5) When it's cheaper. Ours is an unusual situation, admittedly, but movie tickets are really cheap where I live (Bryan/College Station, Texas). As in, Friday night general admission tickets are just $10 for off-brand IMAX ($11 if you want name-brand IMAX at the other big theater) or just $7 for a regular screening, and it's even cheaper on Tuesdays, at just $7 for off-brand IMAX and $4.50 for regular. Even cheaper if you're a student or senior. At prices like those, both my wife and I can go see a film two, three, possibly even four times for less than the cost of a new blu-ray, and we can do it months earlier too. $9 for an evening's entertainment for the both of us is an easy ask, particularly so if it's a movie we want to see but don't intend to own.