Movie attendance is up, so talk of the death of cinemas is premature. That said, I wonder if theatre owners will have to re-invest in better equipment to keep up with iPads and computers.
People are still going to the movies.
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Some of the cinemas I attend in LA have digital projection. I might be wrong but it's probably not more expensive than a 35mm projector. I'm sure they'll keep up.
That's the big thing in the industry right now. People like George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and James Cameron are fighting to get digital projectors installed in theaters. Studios and theaters don't want to do it because of the initial cost involved.
Apparently, digital projectors are quite a bit more expensive than traditional ones right now. Although the cost in the long run would be less expensive because they wouldn't have to pay for prints, no one wants to commit to the start up costs.
But it will happen. The idea being the ability to just download the movie via satellite transmission will eventually be too cost effective to overlook.
Apparently, digital projectors are quite a bit more expensive than traditional ones right now. Although the cost in the long run would be less expensive because they wouldn't have to pay for prints, no one wants to commit to the start up costs.
But it will happen. The idea being the ability to just download the movie via satellite transmission will eventually be too cost effective to overlook.
All the major theaters here are about 90% digital now. We rented one out for an event and was talking to the guys running it.
"Oh yeah, we get all out movies on cheap harddrives now, the kind you get at Best Buy".
Still a few film hold outs, mostly at the cheaper and/or older theaters. I don't know if they're really that much more espensive than a film projector if you're building out a new theater, but replacing all of your projectors you've paid off 10 years ago with new is a big bite to chew I'm sure.
"Oh yeah, we get all out movies on cheap harddrives now, the kind you get at Best Buy".
Still a few film hold outs, mostly at the cheaper and/or older theaters. I don't know if they're really that much more espensive than a film projector if you're building out a new theater, but replacing all of your projectors you've paid off 10 years ago with new is a big bite to chew I'm sure.
Pirating is an inside job. The big studios just need to look within their own walls to find out how their movies leak out.
Even in bad times, people need to be entertained as a release from the economic stress. I managed to find a local cinema to see Underworld Awakening in 2D for $7.50. I really enjoyed it. And, it gave me a temporary escape from my own financial stress. Underworld was the number one movie in box office sales when I went to see it.
I know I'm not alone.
Even in bad times, people need to be entertained as a release from the economic stress. I managed to find a local cinema to see Underworld Awakening in 2D for $7.50. I really enjoyed it. And, it gave me a temporary escape from my own financial stress. Underworld was the number one movie in box office sales when I went to see it.
I know I'm not alone.
But they did that with sound, and the world was far less wealthy then.
Studios help to subsidize the digital projectors. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...drive-ins-digital-projection-small-theaters/2
Piracy has always been a problem. Over 25 years ago, I asked a lab if they could guarantee that my film wouldn't be pirated, and I never heard back from them.
Piracy has always been a problem. Over 25 years ago, I asked a lab if they could guarantee that my film wouldn't be pirated, and I never heard back from them.
Most of the cinemas here in Aus have swapped over to the Digital ones (except when they're running local ads, the poor projectionist has to swap between the old film ones and the new ones since the ad companies don't want to dish out more kaching to digitize their ads)
I've heard from a friend who manages a cinema that the biggest reason they went towards digital is because the encryption system is far more sophisticated than the old school distribution system and it means that there's less likelihood of the cinema being a direct point of failure in the chain.
They see it as a large start-up cost, but with a reduced overhead (no need for a specialized staff member, any doofus can press the play button) and "more sales due to reduced piracy." I don't really see how the piracy aspect could directly translate to more sales, or even how you measure that (how do you know how much you're "gaining" if you can't even calculate how much you're actually "losing"??)
I've heard from a friend who manages a cinema that the biggest reason they went towards digital is because the encryption system is far more sophisticated than the old school distribution system and it means that there's less likelihood of the cinema being a direct point of failure in the chain.
They see it as a large start-up cost, but with a reduced overhead (no need for a specialized staff member, any doofus can press the play button) and "more sales due to reduced piracy." I don't really see how the piracy aspect could directly translate to more sales, or even how you measure that (how do you know how much you're "gaining" if you can't even calculate how much you're actually "losing"??)
Attendance is up, but so is our population. The percentage of people who attend movies, with any frequency, is at a low-point.
That being said, I share your optimism. Cinema will never die.
That being said, I share your optimism. Cinema will never die.
The MPAA has a great report which compiles a lot of statistics comparing the last five years or so:
http://www.mpaa.org/Resources/93bbeb16-0e4d-4b7e-b085-3f41c459f9ac.pdf
It's worth reading through - the overall sense I get from it is one of an industry in transition, not in decline as some people seem to think (or as the MPAA likes to portray itself when lobbying for anti-piracy bills).
On the percentage of people attending - the overall percentage is actually up, but the number of times those people attend is down. An interesting thing though is that over half the industry's revenue comes from the small percentage who are very frequent attendees.
http://www.mpaa.org/Resources/93bbeb16-0e4d-4b7e-b085-3f41c459f9ac.pdf
It's worth reading through - the overall sense I get from it is one of an industry in transition, not in decline as some people seem to think (or as the MPAA likes to portray itself when lobbying for anti-piracy bills).
On the percentage of people attending - the overall percentage is actually up, but the number of times those people attend is down. An interesting thing though is that over half the industry's revenue comes from the small percentage who are very frequent attendees.
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Good point - do you have any sources I can read?
Not sure how reputable this source is, but I've read the same thing, from different sources, some of whom I definitely trust. Can't recall exactly where I've read it.
http://www.whitehutchinson.com/news/lenews/2011_january/article103.shtml
Kinda seems common-sense to me, to be honest, though. People have big-ass TVs, and surround-sound. Netflix is cheap, and you can get pretty much anything from it. People are watching movies at home.
20th Century Fox is moving content to the internet. I understand from a previous thread that the numbers aren't good for providers of internet entertainment, but that may change.
BTW, shouldn't that company change its name? To 21st Century Fox?
BTW, shouldn't that company change its name? To 21st Century Fox?
The internet is now coming to Hollywood - Netflix wants to buy more movies, and this will only continue.
I've been saying this for ages. My question now is, can theatres offer a competing experience? IOW, does Doug Trumbull, who wants to provide a better experience through the cinemas, have a point?
I've been saying this for ages. My question now is, can theatres offer a competing experience? IOW, does Doug Trumbull, who wants to provide a better experience through the cinemas, have a point?
I do not see a time when no one wants to leave their homes.
People will always want to get out of the house and enjoy the
shared experience. It's true that many people do not like that
shared experience - just reading posts here we see that. There
are quite a few people posting here on indietalk who do not like
sitting in a theater with others.
However, I believe there will always be people who don't feel
that way. This is one of the reasons why the big studio films
are being made for younger audiences. Teens still living at
home want to get away from their parents on a Friday night
and go out and be with their friends - a movie is a great way
to do that. College students need to get away from their dorms
or their apartments or their parents home - a movie is a great
way to do that. Parents of young children need to get out of
the house every once in a while - a movie is a great way to
do that. I do not believe that will change no matter what movies
are available in the internet or Netflix.
People will always want to get out of the house and enjoy the
shared experience. It's true that many people do not like that
shared experience - just reading posts here we see that. There
are quite a few people posting here on indietalk who do not like
sitting in a theater with others.
However, I believe there will always be people who don't feel
that way. This is one of the reasons why the big studio films
are being made for younger audiences. Teens still living at
home want to get away from their parents on a Friday night
and go out and be with their friends - a movie is a great way
to do that. College students need to get away from their dorms
or their apartments or their parents home - a movie is a great
way to do that. Parents of young children need to get out of
the house every once in a while - a movie is a great way to
do that. I do not believe that will change no matter what movies
are available in the internet or Netflix.
Attendance is up from last year, but no where near what it was 25 years ago.
I don't think the lowered attendence is in relation to watching movies on iPads and Computers, per se, but more to do with alternate entertainment from computers and iPads (the Internet, youtube, surfing any sites), as well as 300 hundred channels to choose from, 42" TV's with surround sound home theaters, and just the fact that there are a ton more options than there were years ago.
They are more expensive, but they are "better" in many ways. No scratched prints, perfect presentation every time, no cost for the aforementioned prints. Lower cost, higher return for the distributor but a high up front cost for the theaters.
Sure. NO ONE would ever consider not paying $11 to see the movie once when they could own it for free with the click of 2-3 buttons. You must be right.
Also, see above response. Overall, attendance is way down from the time internet piracy started, as well as profits.
Yes, it had to be on the inside of the company even though ANYONE ANYWHERE with a DVD-ROM drive could do it - it's far more likely that someone at the company where the film was made did it.
Going to the movie theater to see the movie is an EXPERIENCE. No, not everyone needs or wants that, but it is ingrained in our DNA. It's very similar to prehistoric times when people would gather around the campfire and listen to the Shaman tell stories.
No comedy will be as funny at home alone than it is in a packed theater with hundreds of people laughing out lout (an actual, literal LOL), together. People want to have that voluntary suspension of disbelief that truly envelopes an audience into the story. Which will help you be in awe more - the 12 foot tall T-Rex on the big screen or a 6 inch tall dinosaur on your 32" TV screen? Ever heard the term "larger than life"? When Kate Winslet's close up makes her head 20 feet tall, we can see in her face more subtle detail and emotion than we could in real life. Even from the back row, the screen fills most of your peripheral vision. With the Über surround sound, dark room, and a good audience (minus the idiots who talk during a movie who should be shot and dragged by their hair into the parking lot and tortured) all combine to make the movie more immersive.
All of this, and that doesn't even take into account the alleged impact of the new 3D movies. I don't think movie theaters will die out. I believe the change is that the theatrical experience may not be the main revenue generator for films that it once was. That is what I believe is the evolution of the business model of Hollywood film releases.
No comedy will be as funny at home alone than it is in a packed theater with hundreds of people laughing out lout (an actual, literal LOL), together. People want to have that voluntary suspension of disbelief that truly envelopes an audience into the story. Which will help you be in awe more - the 12 foot tall T-Rex on the big screen or a 6 inch tall dinosaur on your 32" TV screen? Ever heard the term "larger than life"? When Kate Winslet's close up makes her head 20 feet tall, we can see in her face more subtle detail and emotion than we could in real life. Even from the back row, the screen fills most of your peripheral vision. With the Über surround sound, dark room, and a good audience (minus the idiots who talk during a movie who should be shot and dragged by their hair into the parking lot and tortured) all combine to make the movie more immersive.
All of this, and that doesn't even take into account the alleged impact of the new 3D movies. I don't think movie theaters will die out. I believe the change is that the theatrical experience may not be the main revenue generator for films that it once was. That is what I believe is the evolution of the business model of Hollywood film releases.
Young people go to concerts, but I don't know if older people - the Woodstock generation - would also go to concerts. I also don't know if older people go to the games, not being a sports fan, but I think they do.
I'd like to see some studies on who goes to rock concerts and sports events, and see if they would be the sort to go to the movies.
I'd like to see some studies on who goes to rock concerts and sports events, and see if they would be the sort to go to the movies.