Only 16% of Hollywood Studio Revenues Derive From Theatrical Release...

But I mourn what I think may be the passing of "going to the movies." I hate to watch movies at home.

Also, the 16% figure still *is* surprising.

since there are about 6 billion people in the world i'd guess that this is... not true.

true fact, apropos of nothing: the last movie my father saw in the theater was footloose.

I think the real threat to Film As We Know It is the general decline of people watching film at all. Playing video games, fidgeting around with computers, or egad going outside! But isn't the world film industry in pretty okay shape despite all the competition?

Was this the 'Sandbisquit' movie?

@ Rhodia--actually, the studios aren't making 16% of their profits from theatrical release; they're making 16% of revenues, or gross sales. On an aggregate basis, it's safe to say, they don't turn any profit at all on theatrical, since the cost of goods sold is certainly more than 16%.

@ Blount--I think DVD is continuing to kill markets. Theatrical attendance continues to fall and DVD revenue surged 10%. Theaters will start to close all over the U.S. In Western Europe, it's also mostly multiplex already. The theaters that stay open will have to upgrade to provide an experience that can't be duplicated at home. Although, the image of Ned sprawled out on his sofa eating while the DVD is on pause is of course something that the mulitplex will never best.

2004 Box Office Wrap Up
http://entertainmentcomplex.blognation.us/blog/_archives/2005/1/5/232191.html
by EComplex on January 5, 2005 06:48PM (PST)
theatrical run is simply a marketing exercise for its DVD release : the source of 50% to 60% of a studio

Zombie Bambi: Fawn of the Dead!
http://entertainmentcomplex.blognation.us/blog/_archives/2004/10/14/160616.html
by EComplex on October 14, 2004 08:14PM (PDT)
theatrical release of feature films is best viewed as an elaborate marketing event supporting the DVD launch

The Summer of '04
http://entertainmentcomplex.blognation.us/blog/_archives/2004/8/31/133427.html
by EComplex on August 31, 2004 03:11PM (PDT)
Theatrical releases of, especially, German films, for example, are intended to publicize the television broadcast and DVD release of films. Exhibiting the films in theaters has become a marketing

How To Do Everything Wrong But Marketing: The White Noise Case Study
http://entertainmentcomplex.blognation.us/blog/_archives/2005/1/17/253825.html
by EComplex on January 17, 2005 10:53AM (PST)
marketing costs leaving DVD sales revenue as 100% profit, perhaps as much as $100 million, given that theatrical

Something Fishy About Ticket Sales
http://entertainmentcomplex.blognation.us/blog/_archives/2004/7/6/100952.html
by EComplex on July 6, 2004 08:26AM (PDT)
theatrical revenues account for only about 27% of the revenue generated by the average feature film. This varies, of course, from film to film. By far the largest component of studio revenues

SAG Victorious/Actors Will Not Be Forced to Endure the Onerous Burden of DVD Earnings!
http://entertainmentcomplex.blognation.us/blog/_archives/2005/1/22/272278.html
by EComplex on January 22, 2005 01:28AM (PST)
DVD companies. Their money comes from those shiny disks. And this percentage continues to increase every year. The entire theatrical release effort is increasingly a cost center rather than a revenue source

The Next to Last Picture Show?
http://entertainmentcomplex.blognation.us/blog/_archives/2005/5/3/646423.html
by EComplex on May 3, 2005 12:32PM (PDT)
theatrical run has assumed the lowly but incredibly expensive role of marketing vehicle for the DVD release

!!!

Wow, the theatrical experience is in deeper shit than I ever imagined. I'm so depressed.

(this is of course old ground for ilmers but) the complaint is that "MY music isn't on top of the charts" ie my corner of culture is not national culture. which I have trouble with cos a "national culture" is a product of media engines to begin with.

anyway, i think numbers like this indicate the end of a unitary national popular culture at all. you can consume whatever parochial thing you're into, and a few things will try to have that reach, but the paranoid contempt abt lots of other ppl being into shit you don't like will seem really wierd and pointless. and the water-cooler conversation is on its way out as well.

More to take into account (tho it was touched on) is kids movies. Disney, for example, does one theatrical release for every 5 straight to vid release, so there's yr ratio right there.
As well, I'm sure that my town is not special and that most small-to-mid-sized centres only have one or two actual movie theatres anymore, and if there's two, there's usually some overlap in what they're screening. So between say, 20 screens in my town there are only ever about 12 movies playing. Meanwhile there are like 30 DVDs released every week.

I'm not so sure that the fact that Movie Theatres are only accounting for 16% of Studio Revenues speaks to the failure of the Cinemas nearly as much as it does to the success of the studios finding new revenue streams.

Me, I don't think movie theaters are gonna go away. People still like to go out.

Just take this pot of scalding hot water and throw it in my face.

They're movie theaters & restaurants (with a bar) in one. The theaters have tables. You get served in the theater and eat there, while watching the movie. Maybe this will be the next step in how movie theaters evolve.

You're definitely right about the decline in attendance being an old problem. I don't have all my stats here but attendance hit its peak in the US circa 1948 when all the soldiers returned from Europe/Asia. Thereafter it started declining. By the late 60s the studios only released a tenth of the number of feature films they had in the 30s and 40s from something like 750 to 75. Hollywood really was almost over in the 60s.

The consent decree that made studios divest theaters didn't help, but demographics had more to do with it than the courts. People abandoned center cities in favor of suburbs, and by the 50s--generally speaking--people had a lot more money than they did during the depression and the war years. Other activites became viable. Then, of course TV arrived. Everything kind of hit at once.

I've got to find figures on the numbers of screens. I suspect, please someone tell me if I'm wrong--oh wait, you will--but again I suspect, currently we may have more/as many screens as before, but fewer buildings or venues. I.e., the multiplex. Even multiplexes will continue to close, IMHO in the near future. There will be fewer, but grander multiplexes. Megaultimamultigigaplexes and shit.

In Europe, the trend seems to be similar but more extreme. You have to go in to a reasonably large town to see a film. Multiplexes rule bigtime and the audience demos are like--statistically speaking--all teenaged boys

I live in L.A. now so the options should be unlimited. And while choices may be more extensive than most other places except maybe new york--although I doubt it, but it's been a while since I saw a movie there--you still have the cookie-cutter booking policy. Zillions of screens with the same films.

Foreign and or indy films play only at specific venues, and there's multiple booking frequently among these. Further, the foreign films that play even here are mainly festival winners, etc. The ones you'd expect, nothing surprising or particularly challenging.

When I lived in Berlin I was constantly amazed at how hard it was to find European films to see at the theaters, but I could see Charlie's Angels 2 and the Matrix films the day they opened around the world. Similar but better in France. The French make more films than the Germans and guard cultural artifacts better. In general, even Germans don't want to see German films, with occasional exceptions like Herr Lehmann or Good Bye Berlin. And in those case, the films make daily headlines proclaiming, "Look, We're Watching German Films!"

Not sure if Momus would agree with the preceeding, but that's how I saw it.

Still, I blame it all on demos. Cinema-going audiences are younger and younger and kids tend to want to see very specific kinds of films. Thank god my taste is so low-brow, or I'd have nothing to see.

Well frickin frick, dude, come out for a FAP or something!

thread

Thread: If you think "Every Movie In Theaters Is A Marvel Movie" is false let me tell you a little story. I chose BODIED to get a small theatrical run of about 15 theaters. These types of deals are pretty much ineffective and just filmmaker ego driven - vanity rewards.

— Joseph Kahn (@JosephKahn) October 14, 2019

Ugh

the Disney-Fox merger and film/TV production/exhibition hegemony in general

who cares, i don't see or enjoy marvel movies and yet i'm sure they entertain more ppl than whatever the fuck 'bodied' is so what's the problem? post your crappy student film on youtube

movies have been the worst art form with the least integrity my entire life, the only possible difference now is that virtually everybody seems to actually need to go see ant man or whatever nonsense they shovel out every week. good for them imo.

shove it

morbs otm

this is maybe esby's worst take ever