Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Cinemark goes nuclear, boycotts 'Tower Heist'

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Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 10-06-2011, 07:46 PM:

Cinemark goes nuclear, boycotts 'Tower Heist'

Source: variety.com

quote:
For the first time since the premium-video-on-demand debate flared up in March, an exhibitor is fighting back with the nuclear option: Cinemark on Thursday announced it would not show "Tower Heist" over Universal's decision to offer the film on PVOD three weeks after its theatrical bow.
U announced Wednesday that it had partnered with Comcast to offer "Tower Heist," which opens Nov. 4, on PVOD less than 30 days later for $60 in two markets: Portland, Ore., and Atlanta. While U didn't specify the date Comcast customers could watch the film, the three-week window that Cinemark specified would make the title available on Thanksgiving Day.

"If Universal Pictures moves forward with its 'Tower Heist' premium video-on-demand offering as announced, Cinemark has determined, in its best business interests, that it will decline to exhibit this film in its theatres," Cinemark Holdings, Inc., said in a statement.

Presuming Cinemark plans to boycott the title across its entire chain, that would represent about 10% of total screens in the U.S. U declined to comment on the development.

It's not clear how much impact Cinemark alone would have on the film's B.O., though a chain-wide boycott could lead to other exhibs, specifically AMC and Regal, to threaten the same. (Regal and AMC are the nation's top two theater chains, respectively; neither immediately responded to requests for comment.)

While no exhibitor has yet followed through with an outright boycott over PVOD, some overseas theater owners previously threatened to pull "Alice in Wonderland" from plexes when Disney announced last year it would offer the film on DVD after 12 weeks, rather than the traditional 16 or 17 weeks.

Those exhibs, primarily in the U.K., eventually backed down; Disney compromised with a 90-day window instead.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-10-2011, 11:28 PM:

Considering how many theatres Regal has in the Portland market, I'm really surprised they haven't followed suit. If my memory serves me correctly, Regal has a much bigger footprint in Portland than Cinemark.

Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 10-14-2011, 11:16 PM:

VOD is a threat because the movie going experience is lacking. The chains did this to themselves.

Posted by Jonathan Althaus (Member # 5042) on 11-01-2011, 11:07 AM:

So much for "banning", Cinemark will be playing this title this week

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-01-2011, 12:19 PM:

Universal backed off on the VOD plan, is the reason.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 11-01-2011, 01:13 PM:

quote: Jim Ziegler
VOD is a threat because the movie going experience is lacking. The chains did this to themselves.

I partially agree with this on two counts. 1.: Many theaters don't do nearly enough to properly maintain and operate their sound systems (provided IF the sound systems were adequately designed/equipped in the first place). 2.: Disruptive audience members really ruin the movie-going experience with compulsive cell phone use and other distractions.

However the biggest problem I have by far with the movie-going experience isn't the "atmosphere." It's the overall horrible quality of so many of the movies themselves. There's far more in the way of bad or mediocre movies being released than really good ones. With as much as it costs to see a movie in the theater the movie needs to be really good to justify the price, especially when those surcharges for 3D and fake IMAX get added to the bill.

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 11-01-2011, 04:53 PM:

quote: Bobby Henderson
There's far more in the way of bad or mediocre movies being released than really good ones.

When has this NOT been the case?

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-01-2011, 09:01 PM:

I started in the biz in the 70s. At that time, everyone was saying that movies weren't any good any more. ("Jaws!" What a piece of crap!) Now, the 70s is remembered as a very good decade for movies. But there are way more bad ones released in any decade no matter how "golden" the era is.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-01-2011, 10:51 PM:

Agreed. But what can you name in the last 5 years that will be remembered as a "classic"? Not much, I gather.

Posted by Michael Putlack (Member # 6523) on 11-02-2011, 01:58 AM:

Anyone have more info on this? It looks like the Cinemark here in town is opening the movie on Friday.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-02-2011, 03:10 AM:

Well yeah, they called off the VOD. No more need for nukes.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 11-02-2011, 03:15 PM:

quote: Bobby Henderson
With as much as it costs to see a movie in the theater the movie needs to be really good to justify the price, especially when those surcharges for 3D and fake IMAX get added to the bill.

This is where subs and discount runs are going to make the bank since their admit pricing are much lower, but the tradeoff is seeing the movie a few months down the road after the break.

quote: Mike Blakesley
I started in the biz in the 70s. At that time, everyone was saying that movies weren't any good any more

Esp during the mid-70's ... just "doggie do-do" coming out left and right, even though there were a light smattering of hits here and there, but no big money makers at the time until 1975 with "JAWS" from Universal...and that began the 'summer blockbuster' concept.

FOX was almost bankrupt by the mid-70's when they decided to pluge $10M into a Sci-Fi project that no other studio wanted to fund this absurb idea..

..well, FOX took that challenging plunge and came out like a rose ... with "Star Wars".

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 11-03-2011, 09:58 AM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
Now, the 70s is remembered as a very good decade for movies. But there are way more bad ones released in any decade no matter how "golden" the era is.

In those past decades, such as the 1970s, the vast majority of those bad movies were not sequels, remakes, etc. of other bad movies. During that decade some of the bad movies, such as the ones produced by Roger Corman, had some campy value to them. Today, Hollywood can release one crappy movie, like Final Destination and then make 5 or more sequels out of it. Just one forgettable, well-polished turd after another.

Today the suits would rather make movies based on video games, TV shows, comic books or other movies they made already instead of taking any chances on new ideas. I don't know which group is making me more angry, the bean counting executives or the customers who are willing to pay to see and in turn endorse the creation of this crap.

I think the movie studios could find themselves in a predicament worse than they were in during the early 1970s. In trying to corporatize a creative product into a "safe investment" they have squeezed much of the excitement and interest out of it.

quote: Monte L Fullmer
This is where subs and discount runs are going to make the bank since their admit pricing are much lower, but the tradeoff is seeing the movie a few months down the road after the break.

Unfortunately the shrinking window between 1st run theatrical release and home video release puts a big squeeze on the 2nd run/discount theaters. AFAIK, the single screen Vaska theater is the only discount theater left in my part of Oklahoma. And I don't even know how they're making ends meet. The parking lot is rarely ever full of cars.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 11-09-2011, 09:00 PM:

Was informed by a distributor today the Rave will not play anything already out on VOD.