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They need to improve the output if people are going to make the trip to the cinema
I don't think anybody can argue the convenience angle from a customer point of view, for some convenience will trump the experience, and for others it won't.
The problem is that the industry isn't setup for it - otherwise SJ (and a number of others thinking about doing the same) wouldn't be suing Disney.
And there is a still a massive question mark around what the long term impact it will have on revenue (people would have purchased DVD or streamed it after watching it at the cinema anyway), then you have the more important shorter term revenue problems (how many people in the household are watching it, piracy, and password sharing). Password sharing might end up being an even bigger issue than piracy IMO, as it doesn't have the same dirty feeling, so surely you can't be doing anything wrong - and what will they do then, limit the number of devices you can use even more?? Then people ask themselves is the subscription value for money, if my kids can't sit down and watch something at the same time as I am in a different room, or even the same room on a different device. Then you have the number of subscription services out there - not everybody can afford Netflix, Disney, Amazon etc. You also have the infrastructure problem (which tbf is becoming a lesser problem, but still a problem is some parts) of do they have the bandwidth to watch it.
Still lots of question marks around streaming, and convenience is only one angle.
The Studios will soon learn that ThePirateBay (which is still alive and well) etc, will hinder their launch and long term profits if they fall out of love with the cinema...
Its about the going out experience and being first to see a quality film in the cinema rather than a quality pirate stream which the studios will soon start to push again. There's no way to crack down on pirating. They've been trying to do this for at least since I saw ET and Return of the Jedi on a shi**y VHS copy about 40 years ago.
While sport may not be the best comparison it along with gigs, theatre, dining out, pubs....the list is almost endless. They have similarities on differing levels .
ALL are a different experience from sitting in your square box and never going outside.
The option to watch in an inferior format for all movies has been available for as long as I can remember.
Little to nothing on that front had changed, other than you can now pay if dumb enough for the "privilege"
It's tiresome that this swings round every few weeks.
Current (recent years) the cinema business has large chunk based on franchise movies, Marvel, DC, FF, Hobbit etc.
These movies have a strong loyal following and are absolutely big screen movies.
NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is going to change that.
The attendance numbers have generally been declining for years, but due to premium experiences and other factors revenues have held and or increased.
Further industry adaptions suggest to me it's more than reasonable to feel it will in not too distant future return to that pattern.
Not Everyone owns a Home PC, and certainly not everyone downloads movies (or would even know where to start).
Yes, downloads affect cinemas, but its not exactly 100% of people doing it.
I guess you would think that .
You type too much , probably relative to you're talking .
One thing I must admit even though i love going to teh cinema...in the past i have occasionally gone to watch a movie twice - if ive really enjoyed it. But now, I might just stream it at home a second time (certainly for free - wouldnt pay!). I missed a few minutes of black widow the other day at the movies - so with a few simple clicks on the remote was watching an amazing print for free!
Last week - was sat with family - about 10-15 of us - and i put on cruella in the background (for free) without thinking for background noise - everyone eventually picked up on how it had just been released and asked how we were watching it
I use Disney and I was shocked that I could order download movies so quick after release. Not great for anyone but made me think would I go the pictures as often. For James bond etc yes I would be for others
The world has moved on since the writers strike :) unfortunately in a lot of ways.
Course they are bothered about more money for them its all about money. Yes family image but they would have known people wouldn't have been happy when done it. They will be thinking ok we will still pay top wages but let's rein it in. The stars will still got top wages but not as big. Matt Damon can see it happening I am sure he has had talks about it already with agents studios producers etc. Yes work /companies do cut wages when times are tough, i might not like it but then it's up to me to leave or stay.
Another sometimes compared industry is music. Some people say look how streaming has changed the music industry. But imo - record labels would have preferred not to have gone to streaming (evident by the resistance to it at the start) - as it massively affects income compared to physical sales.
Labels and artists were forced to move to streaming- as it was very easy to download almost perfect quality streams for free - and that is what people were doing. In the early days, labels/artists were even posting distorted copies of a track online - hoping that it caused enough frustration for the person downloading. But it didnt work and because of this the industry needed to find a solution to engage with streaming.
With film - its not easy to download a perfect copy unless someone releases it first and so the studios dont need to move to streaming in the same way. Instead Disney etc just seem to be kind of shooting themselves in the foot in terms of revenue potential - by encouraging piracy. Unless the thinking was that it would not actually harm cinema figures - as they would be targetting a different market - who perhaps didnt visit the cinema as much anyway. But with the revenue drop offs after opening weekend - it seems that if that was the case - the theory hasnt worked.
It's all about the red carpet for actors / actresses at the premier of their new blockbuster.
When decent films start coming through, there is no way the people in this industry will be happy for these blockbusters to be released via streaming, the red carpet will never die away.
I am more than certain the "family friendly" Disney Co. are worried about being sued - or anything else that paints them in a bad light. And I am not talking about being sued, I am talking about them protecting their interests (be that money or their art on the big screen) before the point of it needing to go to court and sue anybody - these are new times, I don't think exclusivity would have been needed to be written in black and white pre-pandemic for a marvel film or any other big budget movie.
I would also argue around the line "Maybe they had enough of paying huge wages out." - so what keep more of the profits to themselves - so if your work decided to dock your pay and keep more money for themselves that would be fine? The movies business isn't the same as a supermarket with the actors being the cashiers, the stars are all part of the product and they know it and their worth (in terms of the amount of money they bring into these studios).
And again, the whole "don't like it tough" didn't work out so well for them in the writers strikes.
Please don't compare going watching sport as going the pictures. :)
I love the pictures but come on one is tribal/religion one is leisure.
Add to that the stadium increases in the U.S for Baseball, American football and Ice Hockey...
Don't they know they can watch it at home on their 45" plasma.....
I am not sure the studios that worried about being sued etc. Maybe they had enough of paying huge wages out. Matt Damon even said other day the days are coming to an end. All that will happen is people will get paid upfront for movies if they don't like it tough. They won't find work paying as well. Can guarantee 95% within the industry are paid weekly etc only top players take a percentage
I suppose premier league football clubs will be reducing the stadium capacity also, as supporters can watch the game in their lounge !!
Can't see why most top clubs , here in the UK and in Europe, have increased their stadium capacity... :-))
Be in no doubt, the studios will be thinking this could be the next writers strike - and one would assume that would be something they would very much want to avoid.
I think you might also be missing just how important the SJ case is against Disney. Even if she loses, what do you think will happen - stars, directors, producers and all the other behind the scenes guys that work their arses off and get paid based on box office figures, and want to see their movies on the big screen - they will just demand that cinema exclusivity is put into their contracts for any new movies - I would be massively surprised if this isn't already starting to happen.
Cinema isn't dead - the industry is just adapting to protect itself.
Watching even an 80inch TV at home, even if you made a dedicated 'cinema room" isn't the same as a cinema screen or the overall experience.
Going by your thinking we could sit in a cupboard with a 14inch TV and it would be same as cinema.
Smaller room with smaller screen (even if proportionally as big or bigger) is NOT the same.
Don't kid yourself.
In my honest opinion, streaming will remain inferior to cinemas as a means of revenue generation. As the technology evolves to allow online streaming, the technology to pirate also evolves, as we have seen with BW and JC.
At the end of the day, movie studios (and their actors) care about the money. Yes, they can try and push their streaming platform, but realistically it will never be pirate-proof, and they realise that. I also fail to see how they can realistically become profitable, when the possibility of sharing passwords and multiple people watching on the same account exists.
Box office figures are already recovering well and are reaching pre-pandemic levels. As someone (I think it was bullsbears) said, how are cinemas dying if the box office is recovering like that?
Nice to hear about the great facilities in your house, however not everyone has them, and for others the cinema is the best place to watch a movie. The general public, through the box office figures, appears to share the same sentiment.
Blackbridge,
You are getting less subtle (you weren't that subtle I thought before).
I think that some in here are trying to convince themselves that they are in the right share, a little like the Luddites when the loom was invented or the Poleroid share holder when digital cameras came along. We all have to adapt with the times and cinema as a concept is under attack on all fronts. Sure i will rock back and forth in my chair but only because I've balanced this share with the studio stocks to keep my losses down. Just because I didn't see the future coming doesn't mean I can't adapt to it. Stop averaging down on this share and balance it with something that's attacking it.
Blackridge rocks back and forward on his rocking chair to pretend he’s in a 4dx screen his neighbours don’t mind because they have an agreement. It’s just as good and cheaper he says! ;)
True, but I'm waiting for top gun 2 in 4DX and well I'm guessing nobody has that in their front room.
Another red day by the looks of the early morning trades.