I'll tell you why movie revenue is dropping... • Hacker News Board

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

#231

Post by Game_Ender » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 4:11 AM UTC

bradly wrote: post #80

jarito wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You say that like it is some force of nature. Movies don't have to be expensive to make and Ebert specifically called out that the bright spot for 2011 was independent films. You are correct about branding, but the movie studios decided to make these big budget movies. They are gambling big for a big payoff when they certainly could make great movies significantly cheaper. I bet if you looked at studio executives' co…

Thanks for the reply. You are right that movies don't have to be expensive, but I do believe to get the kind of revenue that the big studios want, the studios believe the movies need the big name actors, the explosions and special effects, and 3D. The indies and docs were a bright spot in terms of enjoyment for the movie goes, but I do not know whether the studios believe they are a bright spot or not.

You can actually get decent effects and explosions these days for "cheap". District 9, one of my favorite Sci-Fi movies, had a budget of $30 million and was amazing. If they made movies around that size, they would lower their risk profile, while still having enough effects punch to make a blockbuster.

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

#232

Post by gurkendoktor » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 4:15 AM UTC

dangrossman wrote: post #220

Aqua_Geek wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're joking, right? How do all of the sites that require Flash also not fall under this same statement? (Yes, I'm being somewhat snarky, but I'm also genuinely interested in your take on Flash-based sites. Is it an issue of "Flash is already installed and QuickTime is not" or something beyond that?)

Yes, Flash is already installed. It also opens instantly and is never slow. It doesn't open up weird framed windows that don't match the chrome of the rest of the OS. It doesn't try to trick me into installing iTunes to download it, and it doesn't try to trick me into installing iTunes and Safari every couple of days when its separately installed software updater pops itself up. Quicktime (and iTunes) are just terrib…

FWIW Apple received lots of hate for making the updater install other software by default, and changed it promptly.

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

#233

Post by snowwindwaves » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 5:04 AM UTC

derleth wrote: post #227

electromagnetic wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 wit…

if instead of jamming they chose to build the theatre out of lead and posted a sign that said "cell phones don't work in here" then the result would be that people on call should not attend movies.

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

#234

Post by AdamTReineke » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 5:47 AM UTC

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #133

rhplus wrote: post #116

2. Ticket prices are too high. People have always made that complaint, but historically the movies have been cheap compared to concerts, major league sports and restaurants. I had to check this claim, because inflation and purchasing power can fog people's memories. Using average U.S. ticket prices[1] adjusted to 2010 dollars[2], I get the following: Year | Price | 2010 price adj. w/CPI ------------------------------…

7.89 for movies? What? Where? I'm guessing this data is skewed by the low prices of rural and suburban centers that are underpopulated. Here in the urban world where most of the population lives, movies start at 11 or 12 dollars and then there's a 3D surcharge of a couple bucks. When my gf and go to the movies here in Chicago its about 30 dollars before any snacks. Toss in a few bucks parking too. Oh, want to order o…

Prices at the 12 screen theater in Ames, Iowa (college town of 50k people):

Senior Monday - 4.75

Matinee, Child, Senior - 5.75

Adult Evening - 7.50

Adult Weekend Evening - 8.00

3D - add 2.50

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

#235

Post by etcet » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 6:05 AM UTC

tseabrooks wrote: post #121

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…

There is a theater in Columbus, Oh Called "Arena Grand Theater" it's a mix of a traditional thatre and something like Alamo... A few points about it. 1) Always been more upclass than competing theaters (and more expensive). 2) Far less seating. 3) Beer, Food, salads, wraps, and traditional snacks. 4)Located in the "Brewery District" or "Arena District" This means there were never any children there because the area d…

Or there's the Wexner center which is the type of place that shows 'Satantango' (450 min. runtime) and often has double features for $7 (and less for students/members). I now regret having missed even a single film while I was nearby.

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

#236

Post by ericd » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 6:42 AM UTC

ericd wrote: post #127

saucetenuto wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, two things: "Everyone you speak to" is probably a group of people very similar to you. That's how most peoples' social groups work, and it's hard to notice because your experience of them tends to factor out the similarities and focus on the differences. The value of a potential moviegoer is almost a binary function of movie quality: the looks good enough to be worth the price of a ticket, or it doesn't. The ma…

WRT marginal quality, I don't think that word of mouth buzz from great quality can be ignored - one of the ways to build a massive (and massively profitable) franchise like the Dark Knight/The Matrix/Toy Story is by making a really, really good movie.

Gah, stupid phone... sorry about this.

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

#237

Post by ericd » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 6:46 AM UTC

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…

To be honest, I like the AV quality better on that setup I described. Too many theaters are poorly configured and are actually losing on the quality front - too loud, too cold, technical difficulties.

Then there's the indignity of being forced to watch lame commercials thinly disguised as a "First Look"

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

#238

Post by ericd » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 6:53 AM UTC

pbreit wrote: post #147

ericd wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I generally enjoy going to the movies, but in the past couple of years, a setup that puts most theater experiences to shame has become pretty affordable. A fairly good high def DLP projector is in the ballpark of $1k. Add a $100 Roku or Apple TV and a $300 set of 550W Logitech speakers (including amp), and you've got a great general purpose theater for less than $2k, and without the hassles. (If you don't have…

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

For me plus one, it's $30 for tickets and then $15-20 for popcorn+soda, so it's about 40 trips. And the AV is decidedly better at home - I have a hell of a subwoofer, the dialogue is crystal clear, the picture is gorgeous, and the AC is never cranked way too high. And it gets used for video games and TV as well.

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

#239

Post by BrandonM » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 7:24 AM UTC

tseabrooks wrote: post #121

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…

There is a theater in Columbus, Oh Called "Arena Grand Theater" it's a mix of a traditional thatre and something like Alamo... A few points about it. 1) Always been more upclass than competing theaters (and more expensive). 2) Far less seating. 3) Beer, Food, salads, wraps, and traditional snacks. 4)Located in the "Brewery District" or "Arena District" This means there were never any children there because the area d…

Don't forget Studio 35 just northeast of campus, where they have a HUGE beer selection, a great staff, and monthly productions/showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show.

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

#240

Post by BrandonM » Fri, Dec 30, 2011, 7:39 AM UTC

phaus wrote: post #170

jonhohle wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The CG has not aged well at all. Really? I look to Jurassic Park as what CG should look like in movies. The opening reveal of the brontosauruses is still amazing, especially when you think of when the movie was made. What hasn't aged well? Other movies from the mid-to-late 90s, on the other hand, have not aged well. Many of these used CG for the sake of having CG and did not take any care of ensuring it integrated…

No one is disputing how awesome it looked when it first came out, but the same thing could be said for quake 1. As our eyes adjust to the ever increasing details in movies and games, what used to look awesome begins to look awful. Here is the scene with the Brontosaurs While it seemed photo-realistic when it first came out, it now looks choppy, grainy, and artificial. Most low-budget T.V. shows have better CG now. Bu…

I appreciate the link, but I definitely disagree with you.