Are Movies Doomed Theatrically?

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  • #46
    Re: Are Movies Doomed Theatrically?

    I've been thinking the same thing asjah8, movies have been around a while now as an art form, and a lot has been done. I used to think that the remakes cycle was a recession or taking less risks thing, but increasingly I get the feeling it's because the best material and ideas, with a few exceptions, is now behind us.
    Forthcoming: The Annual, "I JUST GOT DUMPED" Valentine's Short Screenplay Writing Competition. Keep an eye on Writing Exercises.

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    • #47
      Re: Are Movies Doomed Theatrically?

      All I know is that I just saw The Thing and it sucked.

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      • #48
        Re: Are Movies Doomed Theatrically?

        right
        "I ask every producer I meet if they need TV specs they say yeah. They all want a 40 inch display that's 1080p and 120Hz. So, I quit my job at the West Hollywood Best Buy."
        - Screenwriting Friend

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        • #49
          Re: Are Movies Doomed Theatrically?

          I am worried that the need to experience storytelling at a communal level, a tradition that has been around since campfires is being subverted and phased out by technology. The emphasis is on individual consumption of mass media, from single camera sitcoms to internet content that is available upon individual demand and viewable on a laptop or smartphone.

          There is really only the individual in the world of the Ipod, the Iphone, the powerbook/pc laptop. There is no need to consume thngs publicly and there are less and less venues for consumption, less cineplexes, theaters, and even drive-in movies. Sure post a link to a cat playing bagpipes. but it's still viewed individually. Consume then tweet, like on facebook, blog about, post on DD etc.

          Tentpole movies like Harry Potter and Pirates are becoming the few occasions for people to collectively share the storytelling experience.
          #writinginaStarbucks #re-thinkingmyexistence #notanotherweaklogline #thinkingwhatwouldWilldo

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          • #50
            Re: Are Movies Doomed Theatrically?

            Originally posted by Ire View Post
            I am worried that the need to experience storytelling at a communal level, a tradition that has been around since campfires is being subverted and phased out by technology. The emphasis is on individual consumption of mass media, from single camera sitcoms to internet content that is available upon individual demand and viewable on a laptop or smartphone.

            There is really only the individual in the world of the Ipod, the Iphone, the powerbook/pc laptop. There is no need to consume thngs publicly and there are less and less venues for consumption, less cineplexes, theaters, and even drive-in movies. Sure post a link to a cat playing bagpipes. but it's still viewed individually. Consume then tweet, like on facebook, blog about, post on DD etc.

            Tentpole movies like Harry Potter and Pirates are becoming the few occasions for people to collectively share the storytelling experience.

            It is a fireside experience, that's a good analogy, and a sense of place, especially in the non-chain cinemas, but sharing films, a bit like sharing books is a fine way to spend some time.

            It's like an ongoing dialogue that's being interrupted, if you're in your own headspace all the time, it becomes convenient, yes, a zillion "platforms", but what the heck is everybody else feeling, you can't pick up on vibe, atmosphere, maybe that's it, it's not discussing it, it's more about silently sharing and experiencing, and knowing that others get it without having to ask.
            Forthcoming: The Annual, "I JUST GOT DUMPED" Valentine's Short Screenplay Writing Competition. Keep an eye on Writing Exercises.

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            • #51
              Re: Are Movies Doomed Theatrically?

              Follow this link everybody:

              http://www.deadline.com/2011/11/yike...rt-1-premiere/

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              • #52
                Re: Are Movies Doomed Theatrically?

                Half of those people think they're there for Occupy L.A.

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                • #53
                  Re: Are Movies Doomed Theatrically?

                  For the price of 2 tickets (who goes to a movie alone?), you can buy the DVD. Couple that with the fact that DVDs are being released faster and faster, and that's going to contribute to a drop in revenue. For many potential customers, the film has to really hit home for them to shell out the 20-26 bucks to see it rather than just picking it up on DVD.

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                  • #54
                    Re: Are Movies Doomed Theatrically?

                    Originally posted by Kid Rasta View Post
                    You're just trying to smoke it past us now Kid, isn't that the queue for The Exorcist?

                    With a little cut and paste.
                    Forthcoming: The Annual, "I JUST GOT DUMPED" Valentine's Short Screenplay Writing Competition. Keep an eye on Writing Exercises.

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                    • #55
                      Re: Are Movies Doomed Theatrically?

                      Don't have time to read all the posts. So, I apologize for redundant points.

                      Personally, I don't think the theater experience is doomed. I believe certain tent pole films will continue to strike chords with some audiences. Families with young kids will still go see the big animated films. Teens will still go see movies that strike a chord with them (they want out of the house). And the powerhouse multi-quad blockbusters will still put butts in seats.

                      That said, millions of adults have spent considerable amounts of money on home theater systems in the past 5 years. They get close to, if not better, theater quality picture and sound -- but in a more intimate environment offering many personal amenities theaters (especially the cineplex) cannot compete with. It's harder and harder to draw adults out of the home. And IMO, there are certain movies that are simply more compatible to a home theater release of some kind than they are with a large theatrical release.

                      New technologies -- amazing TVs and now multiple streaming platforms via handheld devices -- have simply offered more ways for people to access films at home or on the go.

                      Technology over the past 10 years changed the way audiences accessed films. Which altered distribution models. Fewer theater goers. More DVD rentals thru Netflix, Etc.

                      But I think that was only the tip of the iceberg. Streaming radically alters how content can be distributed.

                      Last week I watched NBC's telecast of Sunday Night Football online. I use my TV as a monitor, so it's really no different than watching on cable (just better ads). I found the streaming link in a very strange place... CBS Sportsline. I then shared the link on Facebook.

                      It was still NBC's streaming player. They collected the ad revenue on each viewer. But the distributors became anyone who wished to share that link. Which happened to include another network's sports website. And why not? It doesn't hurt CBS to share that link. In fact, they gave their site visitors (me included) what they wanted: to watch that game.

                      The ability to stream is one thing. But the ability for the consumer to *share* content with their social media networks is a massive game changer.

                      We're entering into a new world where people who create content can simply release that content in shareable/embeddable formats and then let the consumers distribute. No middlemen that siphon off money.

                      Word-of-mouth becomes something even more powerful. We don't have to just tell someone they should go see a movie. We can give it to them.

                      If you're a movie fan, I think these changes will be fantastic. It allows content providers easier access to targeted demographics. Whereas a $1 million dollar indie drama will likely strike out at the Box Office, it can suddenly profit if it sells a few million PPVs at a small rate like just $2.99. Or picks up a network distribution deal like Starz or HBOgo or Netflix. Or maybe they place a few ads at the beginning like Youtube and collect some dough there.

                      Studios and Networks are buying the crap out of content because they know avenues are opening in which they can sell this content. That wasn't happening 5 years ago.

                      Not that long ago, the general consensus was that the money in the film industry came through distribution. Middlemen siphoned off all the profits and left those who financed the content in very risky situations. Which is why so many start up film studios like UA went belly up and why the powerhouse studios became more-or-less content distributors rather than content producers.

                      I think that is turning on it's head. I think content is becoming KING in a very profound way.

                      I think we're heading into a new wild west era in fillmmaking that will dwarf the early 70s and even 30s/40s.

                      Opportunities exist for independent producers to get their content to an audience. But it also creates avenues for the major studios to return to something more similar to what they were in the 30s and 40s: massive content factories that made movie after movie.

                      I think we're going to see more movies. More experimental movies. Exciting new ideas are going to be expressed. Content that maybe doesn't fit into a neat little box like "movie" versus "TV". Creative people are going to thrive in this environment.

                      But it's also going to hurt many companies that operated in the middle. Theater chains may suffer even more. We already saw Blockbuster collapse to almost nothing. Netflix is heading the same way (they don't own or create content). A lot of various foreign distribution entities may get pinched. Local TV networks are going away.

                      It's going to an exciting time for some. And very scary for others. Change scares people. But at the same time, everyone hates being left behind or out. Which is why change is inevitable.

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                      • #56
                        Re: Are Movies Doomed Theatrically?

                        This discussion seemed to be about quality of films in the theater, but then it turned toward market share and revenue.

                        My two cents is this: When I was leaving the 10pm showing of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 there was a line through out the theater for the Midnight screening. Neither time of day nor cost seemed to be a negative factor.

                        I believe within the next decade we'll see a renaissance of sorts in independent film-making, similar to the 1970s and 1990s. Studios will continue to focus on concepts that have built in P&A like sequels, Oscar talent, and films based on pop-culture icons. Smaller production companies and independent producers, however, might start to follow in Kevin Smith's footsteps - using festivals and limited theatrical screenings as their own P&A with online streaming and DVD sells (loaded w/extras) as their main source of revenue. These films will most likely be the low-budget (less than $10m) variety where talent emerges. Cable television will most likely fill the void in between. Not so much with films, but with more linear narratives.
                        "All of us trying to be the camera behind the camera behind the camera. The last story in line. The Truth" Chuck Palahniuk - Haunted

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                        • #57
                          Re: Are Movies Doomed Theatrically?

                          Theatres will never die out because teenagers will always need a place to go. What teen wants to sit at home and watch a movie on Netflix or DVD with their parents when they can go out with their friends or a date?
                          Teach me a fact and I'll learn.
                          Tell me the truth and I'll believe.
                          Tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.

                          - Native American proverb -

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                          • #58
                            Re: Are Movies Doomed Theatrically?

                            Originally posted by Dean View Post
                            Theatres will never die out because teenagers will always need a place to go. What teen wants to sit at home and watch a movie on Netflix or DVD with their parents when they can go out with their friends or a date?
                            It's interesting, the battle between studios and theaters.

                            The studios need the theaters to bring their tentpoles to the largest audience possible. But the studios also want to bring movies directly to the consumer.

                            So they want theaters to agree to show the big boys, the Transformers, to Harry Potters, the Twilights. But they wanna give 'em the runaround and take the DVD straight to the homebody consumers too.

                            But in doing so, they'll slowly kill the theaters, making it impossible to give the mass tweener audiences the theater experience.

                            It's the definition of a Catch 22, I think. Studios want their films shown in theaters and sold on DVD at the same time.

                            It can't happen.

                            So, I don't know... it's a battle. Will the theater experience win-out? Or will the home theater experience win-out?

                            I'm leaning toward the latter.

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                            • #59
                              Re: Are Movies Doomed Theatrically?

                              Originally posted by Dean View Post
                              Theatres will never die out because teenagers will always need a place to go. What teen wants to sit at home and watch a movie on Netflix or DVD with their parents when they can go out with their friends or a date?
                              Yeah, teens don't care about 50" Plasmas until they develop a gut. They're going out no matter what.
                              "I ask every producer I meet if they need TV specs they say yeah. They all want a 40 inch display that's 1080p and 120Hz. So, I quit my job at the West Hollywood Best Buy."
                              - Screenwriting Friend

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