Just noting that the big new movie opening next weekend that is going to snap the bad box-office streak is...nonexistent. There is none, because of the strikes. Every Hollywood-in-trouble story between now and the end of 2024 should contain the sentence, "They did it to themselves."
though tbh, a healthier industry wouldn’t rely on a $100+ million blockbuster coming out every single week, sometimes more than one a week. i remember a time when you’d go weeks between blockbusters. used to be months.
I dunno, big hits every week seemed pretty healthy to me! It's not as if the lack of those is opening any space for midrange movies. There's a rising-tide-lifts-all-boats argument, in that there were about 10 years when 100 movies a year grossed $25M+ in the US. Now we're at 50, maybe 60.
it was an unsustainable model (as many, like Spielberg, noted while it was happening) that had the long term effect of training people out of going to see mid-budget movies in theatres. see also: the video games industry.
Yeah making awesome movies every week doesn't mean people have more time and money available to go see all of them. Consumer demand is a big limiting factor (though disillusionment will reduce demand for sure)
The rising-tide-lifts-all-boats thing is just trickle down economics by another name. Doesn’t really work, or more accurately, it only works for people who own boats.
I don't think that's really true here. I'm not advocating for blockbusters as a one-size-fits-all solution, but going to movie theaters is a habit, and I'm inclined to be okay with whatever keeps the habit lubricated. When moviegoing is a weekly thing, a lot of movies benefit, not just the biggest.
I think we’re kinda arguing for the same thing. It seems fairly clear that every movie cannot be a $200 million budget blockbuster, but that’s what the industry seems to be trying. They have their place, but we need more smaller movies that can make money on a $25m opening.
My partner & I are watching all the Star Wars stuff in story chronological order. We were talking about how when Phantom Menace came out, you had to wait nearly a yr for it to be available on video to rent (let alone buy). Now, you can stream movies that were in theatres a month ago.
Except for a few movies that are better on the big screen, why spend that kind of $$ at a theatre, when you can wait a bit & watch it at home for a whole month for less than it costs to go to the theatre.
I mean, is it? That is sort of the big question. I’m not saying it CAN’T be better, but always? I can’t agree with that, especially in terms of cost, and sometimes in terms of experience.
I mean, for me it is. I'd pay a premium to see any movie in the theater. It's also partially the reason Premium Large Format screens are so popular. People do, in fact, love the theater and are willing to pay for it.
It's often better but it's emphatically not always better. I have a comfortable sofa, big TV, big sound, and I can wear my pyjamas and drink booze at home. And unless you've got a good theatre with a good seat the cinema experience is often not worth it.
i’m a freak who vastly prefers even a shitty seat at the cinema than my couch at home for watching movies, usually. my really issue with theatres lately is the quality of projection is generally awful in the digital era. i’ll take the shittiest seat ever if the screen is good.
I disagree. Not near as comfortable, usually cold, most seating is uncomfortable for me, far too expensive. Most movies don't need a large screen experience..
no movie *needs* a large screen, but every movie worth seeing is worth seeing in a theatre (in the abstract, cause obviously time and money are a factor), and frankly the ones that benefit most tend to be smaller, more intimate movies that demand attention from the audience
Man, if only some studio had a family friendly title with beloved characters like, oh I don't know, Wile E Coyote and the Road Runner, they could really make a killing with an opening like that
You could even hire extremely popular action/comedy actor John Cena to be on the cast to put butts in seats and a likeable goof main human character. We'll say...Will Forte. Could be a hit!
You would think they’d fill the void with rereleases (big oversight by WB not getting Fury Road back in theaters this month like they did with Dune). Or at the very least they could let things play in theaters for awhile on the energy of good word of mouth before banishing to VOD.
Disney tried bringing out the 3 Pixar films that went straight to streaming this winter, but no one came (they’d first assumed Wish would carry them into spring, delayed that one from streaming for months). A lot of older titles quietly saw limited run reissues these past few months, thougho.
I’ve seen several rereleases this year and every one has had a solid crowd. But that doesn’t mean it’s an automatic winner. Studios still have to market stuff if they want people to show up. I’ve been to the theater a dozen times this year and didn’t see anything promoting those releases.
Oh yeah, I heard the same on the grapevine about the lack of ads for the Pixar reissues. I remember they were announced shortly after the Thanksgiving weekend take for Wish came in; they knew that movie wasn't going to make it to spring and they'd already shoved Elio to 2025 and panicked.
I am perfectly happy to only see movies in the comfort of my home for the rest of my life
last movie i saw in the theater was A Quiet Place, because I thought the lack of sound in a big space would be cool, but all it really meant was that I could hear everyone chomping their popcorn -- gross
I think I'll break my streak of not seeing movies in a major chain theater this week with Furiosa, but I'm mostly either watching movies at home or at the little arthouse run by the local nonprofit film society.
The chain theaters are just not a pleasant experience.
I hear you.
Do I think that Dune 1 & 2 would be spectacular on a big screen? Sure.
Do I think I'm happier being able to pause the movie so I can pee in my own bathroom, being able to watch it with an adult beverage of my choice, and being able to rewind with captions if I missed a line? Surer.
As much as I agree with you, the adult bevarage of choice issue doesn't really apply. If I don't want to pay the beer prices at my local cinema, I just bring a few cans with me.
Furiosa felt more of a half bottle of vodka in our theatre sodas kinda outing.
Corporate bosses talk about strikes like they're a natural phenomenon that they have no control over, and it drives me nuts. The fact that shareholders seem to buy it is even worse.
