my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Community   » Film-Yak   » Interesting NYT article on How Will Movies Survive... (Page 2)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Author Topic: Interesting NYT article on How Will Movies Survive... Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 07-03-2019 05:13 PM                        One thing worth pointing out is I think everyone has gotten too caught up with the weekly horse race of box office numbers and trying to use those to gauge a movie's popularity. This puts far too much emphasis on the opening weekend, and doesn't allow for a movie to do well over time based on word of mouth. I think it also causes studios to play it too safe with smaller titles. A perfect example of this is Yesterday. We had to really pitch a case to the studio for why we should be allowed to open it. Fortunately they relented and we had a decent opening week. More importantly, the people I talked to all enjoyed the movie and had a good time with it. This is the type of movie people will be telling their friends about, and possibly coming to see more than once. I can understand the notion of a small film needing to find an audience and develop word of mouth before being released nationwide. But once people are talking about the movie, it needs to be available to see. There are too many examples of this type of movie not being available in smaller markets for 4-5+ weeks after the initial release. Unless it's awards season and the movie is getting a lot of attention, it really needs to be available nationwide within 3-4 weeks at most, or run the risk of people forgetting about it and moving on. At my theatre I have basically given up marketing most arty movies because I know there is no chance I'm going to get them while people are still interested. Those who really want to see them are going to make the 90 minute drive to see them in a bigger market. And this only reduced the potential audience if we play the movie down the road. It's not just the studio art houses that do this. Some of the distributors of religious movies have fallen into a similar trap. A few years ago people were really buzzing about "War Room" for a period of time. I asked to play it week after week and couldn't get it booked. After about 6 weeks I just gave up because people weren't even asking for it any more.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-03-2019 05:55 PM                     I really hate the movie industry's obsession with opening weekend numbers. I think the entertainment media deserves most of the blame for creating this syndrome. They provide almost all their coverage regarding a movie release in the few weeks leading up to opening day. After opening weekend the movie drops completely off their radar screens. This coming Saturday (July 6) marks the 25th anniversary Forrest Gump was released wide in North America (the premiere was June 23 in LA). Forrest Gump lasted in movie theaters for months. It's long stay in theaters allowed the movie to eventually catch and overtake The Lion King as North America's box office champ for 1994. I remember shows like Entertainment Tonight continuing to cover the overall gross numbers of Forrest Gump well into the Fall that year. The press doesn't do that anymore. Their fixation on the opening weekend and little else helps push movies out of theaters and onto home video that much faster. I don't think any distributor today would allow a movie to stay in theaters like Forrest Gump did in 1994, even if the new release was still putting butts in the seats. They would yank it and get it onto various rental and streaming outlets ASAP. If I remember right, it took Forrest Gump some time to build its popularity via the press and positive word of mouth. I think if Forrest Gump was given the typical release of today it would not have made nearly as much money and might not have even built up the cultural popularity it needed to haul in all those Oscars.  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 07-03-2019 08:56 PM                        The last movie I can remember that was allowed to play for as long as it needed was My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I believe we played it for a total of 16 weeks. None of the weeks had a supper impressive gross (I think it only topped $2000 in one or two of the weeks), but it was pretty consistent from week to week. Nationally the highest weekend was Labor Day weekend when it grossed $14 million. Before that it was someone normal to get 8-10 weeks out of the best movies each summer and holiday season. Today we maybe have 2-3 movies a year that get 5 weeks. Many movies could play longer if studios were more flexible with how we split up our screens. Expecting a $1000 gross to hold clean is absurd, but giving it one or two shows a day would be worthwhile.  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 07-04-2019 12:31 AM                     It's not the first time I'm saying this, but I'm pretty certain that both exhibition and studios would eventually earn more if they would allow exhibitors to choose what they're playing and when they're playing it. Sometimes it looks like the studios are in a competition with the exhibitors, while they almost always just have the same goal: sell as much tickets as possible. Most theater owners and/or managers know their customer base far better than the studios do, so why waste everybody's resources on stupid power-play? There used to be a real scarcity in the form of expensive film prints, that era is gone now for several years already. quote: Bobby Henderson The movie industry will continue to survive in some form, but the American "Hollywood" version of it has been sleep walking farther and farther out onto thin ice. Americans are used to American movies dominating the movie industry world-wide. How would they feel if 10 or 20 years from now most of the movies playing at the local multiplex were Asian or European titles? Of course that's assuming commercial theaters would even still exist at that point. I think that the exhibition industry should welcome some real competition to Hollywood, whether that's national competition or international competition, as long as it cooperates with the industry. In the past, you had some serious international competition, especially from Italian studios, who also targeted American markets. The good thing is that, due to the digital transition, the entry into the distribution part of the game is relatively cheap nowadays. Some serious competition could eventually also be good for Hollywood, it could trigger them to take more risks to stay ahead.  |  IP: Logged James Wyrembelski Expert Film Handler Posts: 114 From: Beaverton, MI, USA Registered: Sep 2015 posted 07-04-2019 07:03 PM                     I still don't understand why us smaller markets aren't utilized better. Sure, I have a single screen and yes I cant pull the numbers of a multiplex in a larger area. But wouldn't it be better for everyone if we could create more of a draw and interest? Since opening I have had quite a surprising number of folks come in and say that this has been their first movie in the theater in years. They forget how much they love it and have been coming back since. Im getting a feeling that with the ease of access these days...people driving long distances to go see a flick is becoming a thing of the past. Sure...if it's something they HAVE to see, but otherwise they are waiting. With my close proximity they are coming out again since its convenient. So, with that idea in mind. Why not utilize us better? Let's say everyone agreed that I could play the latest G rated Disney at 7 but a rated R action at 9:30? Instead no....I just play the one at 7 and I'm done. Doesn't logic dictate that allowing me more choices works for everyone? The studios get more product in, Im open more because its actually worth it, AND theatre patrons are getting more choice and convenience. Smaller markets could end up providing a decent boost if we were actually put to good use. I feel they must become a lot more flexible with us smaller markets or risk losing theater goers mainly due to convenience and availability. I'm still quite new in this business, but I see things darkening for us in about 5 to 10 years. To add to that: Its not like I feel like we need special rules or have special privileges. I just feel we need to have a way to keep people INTERESTED in going to the movies AND make it easier.  |  IP: Logged Frank Cox Film God Posts: 2234 From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada Registered: Apr 2011 posted 07-04-2019 10:57 PM                        When I first opened my theatre that was pretty much how it worked: I played a kids show at 7pm and an adult show at 9pm almost every week. But I haven't been allowed to do that for years.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.