Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: TV show 'Shootout' talks about theaters

This is topic TV show 'Shootout' talks about theaters in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 11-06-2005, 10:20 AM:

Anyone see that show today? They talked about how the movie-going experience is so bad, with high priced concession items and ads before the feature. What they conviently forgot to mention is the 90% boxoffice that goes to the studios for mostly poor product, forcing theaters to find other means of revenue. I think all theaters should have a one day 'equipment breakdown' and let the studios see how well they could get along without that revenue.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 11-06-2005, 01:32 PM:

Shootout? What channel shows that?

I suppose the movie theater industry could have an equipment breakdown day. However, the fellows running the movie distribution companies would probably use that as an excuse to go ahead with day and date DVD releases and remove the window of exclusivity theaters have with showing product...

...and then the business apocalypse for the movie industry could begin. 90%-99% of all commercial theaters would close very quickly, thus turning the movie business into a straight to video only thing. All movies would just be "made for TV". That would carry an extremely negative marketing connotation. Viewers would not see the value in the product. Actual value would definitely be reduced by way of productions getting scaled back greatly since all projects would indeed just be direct to video stuff.

All of this may come to pass anyway. The movie distributors are definitely squeezing commercial movie theaters to the point of financial collapse. But then their own comfy business model will not last either.

In perhaps as little as 10 years, I think there will be a giant shake up across the board in terms of broadcasting entertainment.

Our paradigm of getting programming over the airwaves or through cable or off disc-based media may be all replaced by high bandwidth Internet connections. It could all go video over IP in a short amount of time. Many many many more choices of programming will appear. Some of it will be professional level stuff. A huge amount will be amateur hour crap. But things like well done independent movies will probably get the same level of opportunity for viewing as any major Hollywood release under that situation.

With that said, look for Hollywood to start trying to go to war with various telcos and prevent high bandwidth Internet connections from getting into consumer hands.

Phew! Wow was that a tangent or what!?
[Eek!]

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-06-2005, 01:54 PM:

My wife and I went to the Carmike theatre in Billings the other night. It was a perfectly pleasant experience. There were no ads (except on pre-show slides). The sound was just right. The other audience members were quiet.

Yes, it was a $25 bill for the two of us, counting concessions -- but hey, it was a night out for us. We had just come from a restaurant where we spent $50 on a dinner we could have made for $15 at home.

The only complaint I had about the movie was the picture was bleeding just a bit into the curtains above the screen. Not a deal breaker.

Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 11-06-2005, 07:04 PM:

'Shootout' web page

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 11-08-2005, 06:43 PM:

Shootout is a good show on AMC. Mr. Bart knows his stuff about the industry. He has written a few books on Hollywood, that make good reading. Who Killed Hollywood? , The Gross: The Hits, The Flops, The summer that ate Hollywood and Fade Out: The Calamitous Final Days of MGM .