Movie Studios worry over Sliding Attendance... HELLO!!!!

[UdoKier]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/27/business/media/27movie.html?ei=5090&en=e1bdc89f93fcee1a&ex=1274846400&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

May 27, 2005
With Popcorn, DVD's and TiVo, Moviegoers Are Staying Home

By LAURA M. HOLSON
LOS ANGELES, May 26 - Matthew Khalil goes to the movies about once a month, down from five or six times just a few years ago. Mr. Khalil, a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles, prefers instead to watch old movies and canceled television shows on DVD.

He also spends about 10 hours a week with friends playing the video game Halo 2. And he has to study, which means hours on the Internet and reading at least a book a week.

"If I want to watch a movie I can just rent it on DVD," he said. "I want to do things that conform to my time frame, not someone else's."

Like Mr. Khalil, many Americans are changing how they watch movies - especially young people, the most avid moviegoers. For 13 weekends in a row, box-office receipts have been down compared with a year ago, despite the blockbuster opening of the final "Star Wars" movie. And movie executives are unsure whether the trend will end over the important Memorial Day weekend that officially begins the summer season.

Meanwhile, sales of DVD's and other types of new media continue to surge.


HELLO, movie industry a-holes! I'll make it easy for you!


1. STOP charging $4 for a coke, $6 for nachos and $5 for a popcorn, and have enough people on hand to handle the concessions sales, or automate it. CONCESSIONS SUCK NOWADAYS because the line is HUGE and the prices are UNCONSCIONABLE.

2. STOP relying so heavily on CG effects and hyperactive editing. Too much of them makes a film MORE BORING, not more exciting. Sometimes slow is more interesting than fast.

3. Don't think that using a big name like Julia Roberts or Tom Cruise will draw people on its own. If the movie concept is obviously tired, people will not show up just to see overpaid, aging actors.

4. Try bringing some MAGIC back to the movies. Not that faux, CG "Polar Express" crap, things that inspire, with real actors, singers, places. Would "Grease" or "The Sound of Music" have been any better with CG effects or quick-cut editing? NO!! People still love those old movies for a reason. My kids love them. Learn from them.

5. Stop test-marketing and market-researching and designing everything by committee. Give people some leeway to be creative and do unexpected things. Everything is so predictable! Bleh!




But especially, cut the concession prices. That is my number one turnoff about going to films these days.

[Straight Shooter]

1. I can't stand the movies anymore because people are always TALKING!

What happened to public decorum and plain, simple manners?

Thanks, I'll stay home where I'm comfortable, and invite my friends over for dinner, we'll share some laughs, have some wine and watch a video. Lots more bang for the buck, so to speak.

[UdoKier]

3. I still like going to the theater.

And people are not all that rude around here (unless it's the rare occasion when I go to a teen-oriented film).


But I generally only go see Spectacle films at the Cinema. A romantic comedy is just as good on the small screen at home.

[FreedomAngel82]

11. Hear hear

I now buy movie's or wait until it's on HBO or Encore. That way it's cheaper and I can watch it over and over. Going to the movie's is just a hassle.

[lenidog]

19. I am a movie buff.

I love films I used to probably go once a twice a month now because ticket prices are so high and the concessions stand is nothing more than highway robbery I am luck if I go once every two months. It just too expensive to go and then have the movie absolutely suck. I just stay home and rent them on DVD. Now if I am pretty sure they movie will be great and I can't wait or I think it will be great and needs to be seen on the big screen I will venture out. Though that is few and far between anymore.

[mwb970]

35. The constant talking is my problem too.

I haven't been to a movie since F911 and I don't remember the one before that. I always end up in front of the guy who likes to predict what he thinks will happen. "It'll be the cops." "She's gonna leave him." "Now the dog will do it."

Sheesh. People must think they are watching TV alone in their living room.

[mermaid]

46. No, They Don't Care

People, generally, are discourteous, unthinking, uncaring, unfeeling assholes anymore, who care only for their own needs and their instant gratification. Where have you been?

[movie_girl99]

37. damn i notice that too

my husband and i go to the movies a lot. Sometimes twice weekly. If we go the see indy films we never have a problem with people talking. Most of these people are true movie connoisseurs and appreciate a good film. But when we go to one of the big box theaters not matter which one we choose, there is always some asshole talking or one who forgets to turn their cell phone off.

[Tux]

2. Concession prices

Are set by the theaters. Ticket prices are low and concessions are high so theaters can make damn good profit and pay for the over priced rental of films.

[UdoKier]

4. Well, they are losing my money that way.

I end up smuggling my own drinks and snacks in. If the cost was about half as much, I'd buy it from them...

[FreedomAngel82]

13. When we used to go to the movie's

we'd just take our own snack and buy a coke there.

[lenidog]

21. Same here

I love the drive in we have because you can bring in your own snacks. Just don't flaunt them and even if you don't the concessions stand is half the price of any theater. Also you get to see two movies for 7 bucks.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. it is getting increasingly to the point where I am going

why bother, there is NOTHING good being produced no more... and the concession stands is one of the reasons I have a problem with

[Swamp Rat]

6. HELL! I got a camcorder and editing software...

I can make my OWN movies, entertaining myself for countless hours! :)

[gatorboy]

7. That's not necessarily true....

Theatres hardly make anything through the box office gross. For the first two to three weeks, the movie studios take 90% of the box office gross and by the time it's lowered, The theaters hardly make anything because everyone has seen the films in the first few weeks.

As much as I don't like the high prices in concession, if they didn't charge it, they couldn't stay in business.

[mermaid]

8. In Their Defense

The movie industry (Hollywood) has nothing to do with the price of concessions.

Concessions are where the THEATRE makes it's money. They make NOTHING on the box office sales. Those proceeds all go to paying for running the theatre (overhead) and the film rental itself - which is what Hollywood makes on the movie.

The THEATRE itself only makes money on the concessions. How do I know this? My idiot brother is a high-level exec with Carmike Cinemas.

[NuttyFluffers]

24. what if they stop making GIGANTOR cineplexes?

i mean, there is such a thing as oversaturation. smaller, nicer, more comfortable theathers. easier and cheaper to maintain. might even be able to cut down on the price of concessions this way. but then i live in a metro area. we like our indie films and several single house cinemas can be supported here. perhaps bigger isn't better? oh my god, i'm speaking crazy, un-american talk! oh god no!

perhaps i'm just out of touch and no nothing about anything about movies. i guess humongous, stupendous cineplex stadiums are the way to go?

[SmokingJacket]

41. I love going to indie theaters.

1. Popcorn has real butter on it.
2. Drinks are normal sizes, and you can get dark chocolate.
3. The sound system doesn't give you instant migraine.
4. Grown ups with manners predominate, so there's not a lot of talking.
5. NO ADS!!! Just lots of great previews.
6. Movies are interesting and unpredictable, and rarely have Tom Cruise in them.

[high density]

9. Most theaters I've been to are severely lacking in the technical area

Cheap speakers turned up too loud with too much boomy bass... I just can't stand lousy sound systems at theaters when my very modest sound system at home sounds superior. The fifteen+ minutes of crap ads before the show pisses me off as well.

I've probably gone to the movies probably an average of 2 times a year throughout my life and I don't expect that to pick up unless the quality of films suddenly skyrockets or if there's a theater around here that starts showing classic films.

[flygal]

10. Think - My Big Fat Greek Wedding

NOT action/JLO/Ashton/SEX!

My favorite movie theater was in Seattle by the University. They played second run movies and had film festivals like Gene Kelly and foreign flicks. I gladly paid full price to see a decent movie in a classic setting.

I've since trickled down to maybe twice a year - and last year both movies bored me to tears.

[Protagoras]

12. Most of the movies I enjoy the most

aren't even shown in mainstream theaters. Why shill out massive bucks to watch a 200 million dollar dog when I can pay a couple bucks and get a fantastic indie, documentary, or classic from Netflix?

I'd pay theater prices if anyone in Hollywood managed to make a movie worth $8...but they are so seldom worth 1/4 that, that I just can't see even bothering. On the other hand...I can go get like 12 crappy movies for the price of one now since the trailers usually give me all that I'd want to see for the year's upcoming movies anyway.

[carnie_sf]

14. I still go to the movies

[CC]

15. It isn't just concession prices

for us. By the time two of us go to a movie we have spent 20 plus to get in and at least another 10 on concessions if we bother. We invested in a projection tv and surround sound a year ago and buy or rent the movies. As good or better than a theater as we can get comfortable. Now we have movies nights at home. For the price of one movie we can rent about 10 and buy one. The kids here feel the same way. They would rather wait a couple months and buy the movie. The stand outs are LOTR and Star Wars, the kids had to see them soon as possible, but more for the social part of it than to see the movies. Once all 3 LOTR were out on DVD they were bought and a few back to back movies night occurred. Same will happen with Star Wars and all the kinds will be camped out on the floor watching them back to back.

[garybeck]

16. maybe they should do a movie on

anti-bush, and actually put it in the theatres instead of making us distribute DVDs directly from the producers on websites and using word of mouth.

from the recent polls, it seems about 60% of the people would like it before they even saw it.

gb

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[sleipnir]

17. $10.50 a ticket.

That's what does it for me.

[blogbear]

26. That's true and two old dvds for $11 gives 'em a 'run for their money'

with many folks..

[blue northern]

18. Concessions are the only way theatres make money.

The movie studios' liscensing fees eat up the entire ticket price.
The theatres make their money on popcorn and soda pop.
They charge 10 bucks for literally 50 cents worth of product and 50 cents worth of packaging.
It's only going to get bleaker for the cinemas as home entertainment technology gets cheaper.

[charlie]

20. What the hey are they worried about?

They're making money like never before, just not in theaters. In fact, for at least a half a decade, every movie (save monster hits like Titanic) has lost money domestically before release to video/DVD. The only ones taking it in the shorts are cinema chains, not the studios.

[oscar111]

22. Freezing a/c in theater

so i never go anymore

[The_Casual_Observer]

23. Only movie I have gone to see in the last 15 years was F-911

It will probably be another 15 before I go again. Hollywood wouldn't exist if they had to depend on movie fans like me.

[twenty4blackbirds]

25. why 'a movie at the theatre' is not the best use of my time

1) the cost of going to a movie ($ticket + $snacks) breaks my weekly wallet
2) the movies on show ain't a fair swap of my costs ($ticket + %time)

Given 1 and 2 above, I find myself spending evening time at the local stocked bookshop, at the library to pick up a couple of books, stopping off for dinner or a coffee, then going home to read the books. Less costly than going to a movie for an hour and a bit and coming out wishing I'd gone to the bookshop to pick up a good book.

Having said that, I did go to two viewings of 'Singin' in the Rain' during one movie festival and it was time & money well-spent: good movie, good songs, good acting, good laughs, and the theatre was spacious with good seating and ambience (the roof was lit up with small lights to mimic night-time stars when it was dimming).

Also, Celebrity Overload. (Billboard-sized Vin Diesal not luring. Jolie & Pitt over-exposure. Lopez burn out. etc. Nicole Kidman still classy - tipping on the vacuous Chanel 8 campaign though.)

[sandnsea]

27. er, maybe people are broke

nah, that couldn't have anything to do with it.

[Bunny]

28. I rarely attend movies, but when I do, I usually forgo the

concession stand altogether. I can go two hours without food.

[DS1]

29. No kidding

Is it not possible to remain still without eating something for 2 hrs?

Granted, if I'm on a date I'll get some popcorn *no fucking butter* but that's about it.

[twenty4blackbirds]

33. movie with no snacks!!!!????

Yeah, I grew up like that. Spent student years sneaking in burgers & drinks. Then I got introduced to the idea of actually buying stuff at the counter :-)

Gotta say, it's more sociable to share the food. The Hollywood movies are mostly not worth going to see. imo.

SO kinda bummed by my lack of interest in movie-going. I struggle to resolve my $ticket + $snack + %time != movie value. Especially now I have bookshop and library in the same vicinity as the theatre. And also, live performance shows (standup comedy, Shakespeare comedy, dance) more value than cold silver screen.

[NRaleighLiberal]

30. Amazed no one brought this up...it's the ADVERTISING!!!

We enjoy really thought provoking, independent movies - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lost in Translation, etc - or events such as Lord of the Rings - and have no issue going to a theater and paying what they ask to see movies such as these. An increasingly common occurrence, however, is having to sit through 15 minutes of actual glitzy advertising - coke seems to be the biggest bad guy here.....ads on TV offend us enough, but to spend money to go to a movie and have to sit through this loud assault prior to the movie kills it for us - so we now wait till the DVD comes out in the vast majority of cases.

[Individualist]

48. Bingo!

We pay for movie tickets, and it's offensive to have to wait through those endless ads before the movie starts.

[begin_within]

31. Scarcity of good stories and good scripts is the biggest problem.

[trapper914]

36. Amen

Once Hollywood is finished turning every 70's T.V. show into a movie, it's on to the 80's. Oops. Forgot. Already there with an "A Team" movie in the works. Could "Family Ties" be further behind?

[Cooley Hurd]

32. For me, going to the movies is a pain in the ass...

...literally. My bum hurts something fierce after sitting jammed for two hours in one of those narrow, crappy, modern theatre seats. Spend a bit more on the seats, movie industry, and I might be back.

I'm old enough to remember an age before the movieplex, and the seats were as comfortable as an easy chair.

[WolverineDG]

34. For me, it's not just the prices

it's the fact that people yak during the movie, let their kids run wild & scream like howler monkeys, & leave their cell phones on!! I don't know what I hate more: the idiot who pretends to ignore its his damn cell phone going off at an inoportune moment or the idiot who answers & then proceeds to LOUDLY have a conversation!! :nuke:

It's much cheaper (& easier on my blood pressure) for me to catch up with the latest films via Netflix. :thumbsup:

dg

[tanyev]

38. I can't stand the current mind set that you HAVE to see a

movie on opening weekend or at least in the following week. I hate being in a really crowded theater full of noisy people; I'm not going to stand in a long line just so I can be one of the first ones to see a mediocre movie.

We go to movies as often as we can, but we go to a matinee for one that has been out several weeks already. Nice, quiet theater. When we miss movies we did want to see, there's always Netflix.

[AnnInLa]

39. Um...."overpaid aging actors?"

Overpaid they might be, but you don't like the concept of people going to see "aging" actors? One of the reason I don't go to movies any longer (or rent alot of DVDs) is that all the young actors today look/sound/act alike. They have nothing that distinguishes them apart. As long a movie studios make movies almost exclusively for only the "young," the movies will continue to be stupid/inane. I really enjoy watching classic movies on TCM and AMC...back then, they knew how to make movies and movie "stars."

[UdoKier]

45. I definitely worded that wrong, and expected some flak on it...

I actually enjoy middle-aged and older actors, and Cruise and Roberts are middle-aged, but they are still being pushed as though they were in their 20s. Roberts is still in "wedding" comedies for pete's sake, and 5'2" Cruise is in action films! They seem to desparate to milk these people til the end.

It's not an anti-old thing, it's just old pretending to be young that's annoying.

Gimme Ed Harris over Cruise ANY DAY.

[Lannes]

40. Cant seem to go to a movie

Without people talking up a storm.Besides Im building a DVD collection.

[AP]

42. 3 million households have Netflix now. That's probably almost 7 million...

...people who might see 8 or 9 movies/old tv shows a month and who now value a movie at $1 per person and who see a bad movie and think, "I'd rather see it on Netflix."

Netflix might force Hollywood to price compete. They're going to have to lower their prices and make more movies for people will say to themselves, "I need to see that on a big screen."

[northzax]

43. they aren't really concerned about it

with the exception of a few blockbusters, especially cheap ones like Greek Wedding the studios are lucky to break even on the box office, the money is in overseas licensing, DVDs, television (cable).

read this article from Slate, for more information: http://www.slate.com/id/2118819/

[CRK7376]

44. Love the movies

hate the concession stands. Hate everything about the concession stand. For the 5 of us to go to a matinee, cost is about $27, but if you add in concessions, the price of a show and popcorn skyrockets to over 60 bucks...We pay more for popcorn and drinks than to get in the show...I HATE THAT PART. So we often smuggle in candy bars and a soda....shame on me....oh well...

[donco6]

47. Went to a movie in Times Square . . .

a few years ago and I swear I thought I was at a cocktail party. EVERYONE was talking nonstop. Cell phones going off. It was pandalerium.

I saw F/911 since then, but nothing else. Usually rent/buy DVDs.

[bikebloke]

49. Talkers chased me away.

I can wait for the DVD. As they used to advertise an old schlock movie, "It's only a movie."

What irked me even worse was going to a film billed as a comedy. As soon as the light would dim, they'd start loud forced hyena laughing. And nothing had happened yet. When the film actually got going, they'd drown out all the punch lines before anyone could hear them.

And at home, I can stretch out my long legs. Nor worry about eejits climbing over me every 15 minutes because they'd inhaled enough food for a six month siege and needed more.