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I'll tell you why movie revenue is dropping...

rogerebert.com

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Re: I'll tell you why movie revenue is dropping...

#221

Post by toyg »

shrikant wrote: post #196
caw wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't live in the UK, so I'm going to ask -- is this serious? I know in the US there's about 15 minutes of previews/commercials after the presentation starts, but for the 30 min prior to the screening there's the "First Look" or some other less preview/ad thing running. That would make 40 minutes but only if you came significantly before showtime.

[In London at least, not sure about other places] Ranges from 20 to 40 mins of ads and trailers, although I've only heard of people complaining about the upper extreme and never personally experienced it. Simple way out is to walk in to the cinema hall about 15 mins after the scheduled start of the movie - works for me every time.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they raised the timeframe from 20 to 30/40, and probably factored some randomness in, just to defy that sort of strategy.

Re: I'll tell you why movie revenue is dropping...

#223

Post by toyg »

blhack wrote: post #109

I've been saying it forever, but theaters need to adopt seating charts. I will pay you more money for a center/center seat, and people sitting in the front row, and the front-corners should not be paying much-of-anything for a ticket.

Some cinemas in the UK do this. It's hell to police, especially at "low" times, and because of that, most high-payers end up resenting it.

Re: I'll tell you why movie revenue is dropping...

#224

Post by philwelch »

parfe wrote: post #206
brador wrote: post #13

I'd add two more: 1. Kids get bored quicker, This year, I've left the cinema four times before the movie finished because the kids were bored. This makes me less likely to go back, they prefer to stay home on the xbox/lappy or go out for pizza/bowling instead. 2. Mass appeal movies are shit. There's just no quality or focus anymore, every movie is trying to be everything to everyone and ends up crap. Don't get me sta…

>Kids get bored quicker I bet you walked to school uphill, in both directions, in 3ft of snow in 110 degree heat! Kids never change. You have.

When I was a kid, I could sit and watch movies or TV for hours. Even crappy ones. Now, of course, it has to actually be good.

Kids have always had shorter attention spans than adults, though. That's why children's movies are usually just over an hour while adult movies can be 2-3 hours.

Re: I'll tell you why movie revenue is dropping...

#225

Post by joezydeco »

watmough wrote: post #166
rjd wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, I believe the majority of films I have ever watched has this plot: The protagonist is put into a situation where he is drawn from a position of security and is force to embark on a journey to resolve the situation. The journey exposes the protagonist to a foreign environment and they must learn how to deal with the new situation. Often given tools to master their destiny. After some time the new situation goes b…

In romantic comedies... - Lonely woman meets strange man, - Man drags woman around, - Woman is *mildly inconvenienced*, this is key, causes conflict, - Situation is somehow happily resolved. Not sure about everyone else, but I am sick of movies where the likes of Jennifer Aniston spend too hours boggling at mild inconvenience. Gahhh. No wonder I haven't set foot in a movie theater for years.

Go listen to track 6 of the new Patton Oswalt album...

Re: I'll tell you why movie revenue is dropping...

#226

Post by derleth »

thirdsun wrote: post #176

I can't emphasize enough how important Ebert's 6th point about "Lack of choice' is. I live in a very rural area in germany, the nearest cinemas are about 50 Kilometers and while I simply prefer watching movies on my admittedly better than average setup with decent 720p projector and very good A/V receiver and speakers, it's mostly the selection of movies those cinemas offer which keeps me away from them. I enjoy movi…

> I live in a very rural area in germany, the nearest cinemas are about 50 Kilometers

It's worse in America, which you would expect, given relative sizes and population densities: My nearest cinema is only about 8 km (5 miles), but that's a small four-screen place with very few interesting films. After that, it's 160 km (100 miles) to the next larger cinema, which still isn't that much larger. It's almost 600 km (350+ miles) to the nearest cinema that might be showing a film that isn't one of the week's designated 'blockbusters'.

> I enjoy movie that are a little off the radar and those cinemas don't just have little to offer in those departments, there is simply nothing for people interested in documentaries, indie films or other movies that just don't fit into the whole blockbuster concept.

Same here unless you're in a fairly major urban center. Out here we don't even get all the 'blockbuster' mainstream films.

I am very happy to have the Internet, a good video rental place, and Turner Classic Movies on satellite TV.

Re: I'll tell you why movie revenue is dropping...

#227

Post by derleth »

electromagnetic wrote: post #53
msluyter wrote: post #34

I think Alamo Drafthouse in Austin is doing it right: 1. Food & beer/wine served with movie -- convenient and much preferable to overpriced popcorn. 2. Cellphones must be turned off. 3. They take talking seriously, and preface each film with a strongly (and amusingly) worded statement to that effect. 4. No babies allowed except on specified baby nights. 5. Creative and fun special events, such as quote-alongs, sing-a…

Cineplex here in Canada is getting much better. They've started opening VIP theatres, which because of the drinking age here in Ontario means absolutely no-one under 19. People paying the extra couple bucks don't use their cellphones and don't talk during the movies. In their main theatres they now have stroller screenings where the volume is reduced and the lights stay on low. They've done the sing-alongs. They also…

> Although I've heard several times that they're interested in the cellphone jamming

Doctors go to the movies, too.

Think about this: A doctor is on-call, meaning that at any moment they might be called in to come to the hospital to save your life.

They have a cell phone which is the only way they can be reached when they settle in to watch a film in the local multiplex. The same multiplex that jammed cell phones without telling anyone (because multiplexes hire idiots).

You come in to the hospital and need the doctor immediately. So they are called.

And the doctor's cell is dead.

And so are you.

(The ensuing lawsuit will totally bring you back to life.)

Re: I'll tell you why movie revenue is dropping...

#229

Post by gurkendoktor »

tptacek wrote: post #151
pbreit wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's 200 movie tickets for a decidedly worse experience. Could be a factor but I suspect small.

Or, in other words, for a family of four who would have ordinarily gone to the movies every other weekend, the cost of 2 years worth of movie tickets before concessions. In return: * They have a massively improved home viewing experience, which is something they were doing already with television. * They have a massive improvement in convenience (they don't have to leave the house to see it). * They have a "good enou…

Plus choosing their own movies and not letting in that guy that chews popcorn really loudly.

Re: I'll tell you why movie revenue is dropping...

#230

Post by Game_Ender »

brador wrote: post #13

I'd add two more: 1. Kids get bored quicker, This year, I've left the cinema four times before the movie finished because the kids were bored. This makes me less likely to go back, they prefer to stay home on the xbox/lappy or go out for pizza/bowling instead. 2. Mass appeal movies are shit. There's just no quality or focus anymore, every movie is trying to be everything to everyone and ends up crap. Don't get me sta…

Which movies were these? I find Rotten Tomatoes a decent indicator of quality and most mass marketed movies get very poor ratings. Even the "amazing" movies (90%+ critics and 80%+ of audience liked it) can have some slow parts you could consider "boring".
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