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Movie Ticket Sales Hit A 22-Year Low in 2017 (msn.com) 162

Posted by EditorDavid from the moving-from-movies dept.
An anonymous reader quotes the Los Angeles Times: Hollywood is celebrating the end of 2017 with astronomical sales from "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," which is on track to soon exceed $1 billion in global ticket sales and eventually become the biggest movie of the year. But that won't be enough to write a happy storyline for the industry. Although movie ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada are expected to dip just below last year's record of $11.38 billion, the number of tickets sold is projected to drop 4% to 1.26 billion -- the lowest level since 1995, according to preliminary estimates from studio executives.

The falloff in ticket sales can mostly be explained by a handful of movies that flopped, especially during the dreary summer season that posted the worst results in more than two decades. Even such massive hits as "Wonder Woman," "Thor: Ragnarok" and "It" couldn't make up for a lackluster summer lineup populated by rickety franchises ("Alien: Covenant") and poorly reviewed retreads ("The Mummy"). However, the long-term decline in attendance reflects systemic challenges facing the industry. Audiences are spending less time going to the movies and are consuming more entertainment on small screens and through streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon that are spending billions on original video content. At the same time, while higher ticket prices have helped to offset attendance declines, they have made consumers pickier about what movies they're willing to go see. And those increasingly discerning consumers turn to social media and Rotten Tomatoes to decide what's worth their time and money.
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Movie Ticket Sales Hit A 22-Year Low in 2017

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  • I can't understand why superhero movies are so popular? Who, over 12 years old, is going to see them? They come out with a new one every 3 months and they all look identical to me. They also make a ton of money, so they will continue make them. I only see art films myself.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward

      I can't understand why musical songs are so popular? Who, over 12 years old, is going to hear them? They come out with a new song every 3 months, and they all sound identical to me. They also make a ton of money, so they will continue to make them. I only listen to traffic noise and lawnmowers myself.

    • I can't understand why superhero movies are so popular? Who, over 12 years old, is going to see them? They come out with a new one every 3 months and they all look identical to me. They also make a ton of money, so they will continue make them. I only see art films myself.

      What were the best art films of 2017

    • I can't understand why superhero movies are so popular? Who, over 12 years old, is going to see them?

      Sturgeon's law applies to everything, including people. And that 90% is an underestimate.

      Obviously, because of Dunning-Kruger, I don't trust my assessment of myself, either. There's only a few niches where I have confidence of my ability being above the "crap" level, and film critic is not one of them.

      But, regardless of whether or not I can adequately judge the quality of a particular movie, I also see that, with people who are not total morons being a small minority, almost all of money comes from tailor

    • Superhero, Star Wars, Star Trek, Bond, blah, blah, blah.

      My wife likes the superhero movies, thus we go see them. We were born at the tail end of the baby boom. The audiences are full of millennials and tail-end-of-the-baby-boomers. That's who.

    • Re:Superhero Movies (Score:5, Insightful)

      by elrous0 ( 869638 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @11:34AM (#55838599)

      Here are the cinematic options that Hollywood gives me today:

      1) Superhero sequel #2986--this time with slightly improved explosions
      2) Disney movies where men/boys are always either the buffoon or the villain
      3) Indie darlings about black/gay/lesbian/transsexuals fighting evil white people over slavery/oppression
      4) Remake of decent movie that you liked 20 years ago, but now with an all-woman cast and much shittier writing!

      Now which should I spend $50-$80 to take my wife and son to, when I could just stream something at home on my 4K home theater?

      • How about a superhero film made by Disney? (Score:5, Interesting)

        by Latent Heat ( 558884 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @12:46PM (#55838945)

        How about a Disney superhero film that checks off each of your points labeled 1-4? Doesn't The Last Jedi satisfy each and every one of these requirements?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by rtb61 ( 674572 )

          Actual quite an interesting film the Last Jedi, a real demonstration of Hollywood ego in action. What went so wrong with that Movie, one person, one single individual projected themselves into the role or 'Mary Sue Rey' so not a starwars movie but a movie about Kathleen Kenneby's personal ego, not SJW at all. Simply one individual following the Peter Principle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org] promoted to a point of failure. Here ego will likely long term cost Disney somewhere in the vicinity of 10 billion

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by rhazz ( 2853871 )
          I haven't seen it yet, but thanks for the spoiler. I never would have thought Luke would become a buffoon or villain.
      • So, we took the family to see Murder on the Orient Express last week. The movie itself was actually pretty good (although I'll admit that I'm easily entertained) but what made the entire experience truly worthwhile was that our local theater had a half price Tuesday promotion and we went on Tuesday. I didn't know about the promotion until the register showed the amount for 7 tickets and it came out to less than $40. I was totally prepared to pay around $85 (we had 4 teens to keep occupied over the Christ

      • 4) Remake of decent movie that you liked 20 years ago, but now with an all-woman cast and much shittier writing!

        Oh how I wish they would do this with Charlie's Angels. Those women would look so hot on screen, being bad asses and saving the world and stuff.

      • Don't forget:

        4a) Pointless, useless sequels and prequels to what was originally a decent film.

    • Well, being a record low year would suggest that superhero movies are exactly NOT popular...

      • Quite the opposite. The superhero ones are the ones that brought in all the money! 5 of the top 10 were superhero movies (realistically 8 of the top 10 were "superhero" type movies). The only solution is to produce more superhero movies.

        • The superlative is meaningless if what you compare it to is nothing to compare with. The GDR was also the most productive country of the East Bloc. Compared to a real economy, though...

          In other words, just because they were the "best" movies of the year doesn't mean that they performed well. Or, rather, that really good movies could have made them look pale in comparison. What you would have to compare them to is the revenue of movies that sold well in good years.

          • The latest Spiderman movie is in the top 50 highest grossing movies OF ALL TIME. In less than one year. There is a reason they make them. 2017 was a good year, despite this article. It is the second highest revenue year for the industry OF ALL TIME.

          • The superlative is meaningless if what you compare it to is nothing to compare with.

            There were plenty of movies in 2017 to compare to. Of the top twenty, only two (Dunkirk at #15 and Coco at #20) were not about superheros, not sequels, and not remakes. But further down the list, there are many more, and they did not do well.

            This is what audiences want:
            1. No originality
            2. Lots of explosions
            3. As little dialog and character development as possible.

            Expect to see more of the same.

            • So ... splice together a few YouTube Videos of demolitions and you have the next blockbuster.

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by torkus ( 1133985 )

                There's a reason why people spend countless hours on youtube and the endless videos of exactly that often have 100k+ views each.

                • There's a reason why people spend countless hours on youtube and the endless videos of exactly that often have 100k+ views each.

                  Russian dashcam videos?

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Altrag ( 195300 )

              1. No originality

              Audiences like originality. They just don't demand it so producers take the safe bet and go with what they know for sure will sell rather than

              2. Lots of explosions

              Yep. Audiences definitely want this. And lots of boobies, but that's stymied by the religious nutjobs who think guns are fun and crime is fine but nipples will cripple childhood development.

              3. As little dialog and character development as possible.

              Yes and no. Audiences definitely aren't as interested in dialogue-heavy shows but that's mostly because dialogue-heavy shows tend to be more artsy rather than entertaining. Ar

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Zocalo ( 252965 )
        It does not automatically follow that because there has been a 22-year low for *all* movies that superhero movies are part of the problem, or are fading in popularity. In fact, the entirely of the fall-off seems to be mostly accounted for by other genres while superhero movies taken in isolation seem to have remained static, or even increased their ticket sales, depending on which set of box office figures you believe.

        Also, don't forget that superhero (including things like Star Wars and Star Trek, not

    • Good for you! I presume you like to sniff your own farts as well?

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

    • Superhero movies can be fun, but I've become "superhero'd out". It has to be REALLY good before I'll go to the theaters to see 1 now (and I'm having trouble remembering the last 1 I saw in the theater, but I think it might have been Avengers/Ultron 2 years ago). This is especially true when I can wait 6 months and see it on DVD, whether rented or bought, and I'll have saved money either way. Waiting the time doesn't bother me.

      Another thing that I don't care for is the creators making storylines where the

    • Call it what the are: Stupidhero Movies

      * Lots of explosions
      * Formulaic, predictable Plot
      * Lens Flare

      Yawn

      i.e. How to Make a Michael Bay Film [youtube.com]

    • I can't understand why superhero movies are so popular? Who, over 12 years old, is going to see them? They come out with a new one every 3 months and they all look identical to me. They also make a ton of money, so they will continue make them. I only see art films myself.

      Because people can watch "art films" at home. Who wants to watch a serious movie in the company of a bunch of noise-creating, inconsiderate assholes?

      1). The movie theater "experience" still sucks - mostly due to the audience. Loud sound systems and small screens don't help. If they don't fix that, even going to the movies for FREE isn't much of a value proposition as far as I am concerned.

      2). The content itself largely sucks. There's only maybe a maximum of 3 movies/year I want to see anyway. This year I sa

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Ranbot ( 2648297 )

      I can't understand why superhero movies are so popular? ... I only see art films myself.

      Superhero and other action/special effects heavy movies make the best use of the theater's big screen and sound systems. Most dramas and art movies don't gain much if anything seeing them in the theater vs home, so people are spending their money accordingly. The dramas and art films are still being made, they just don't get theater ticket sales, which is the focus of the article.

      Superhero movies are also simple fun and escape. Not everyone considers a fighting back tears watching a heart-wrenching drama a

    • I can't understand why superhero movies are so popular? Who, over 12 years old, is going to see them? They come out with a new one every 3 months and they all look identical to me. They also make a ton of money, so they will continue make them. I only see art films myself.

      Well, me, my girlfriend, and a large fraction of all my friends. Of course we all pretty much like science fiction films which super heroes could be considered a sub-genre of. The movies, at least the Marvel ones, are picking from the best characters and stories of the last fifty years which have stood the test of time and although usually indepedent stories, are mostly part of a larger overall story arc.

  • Theaters, Studios and Distributors need to look at how movies are priced and sold vs their competition. Netflix, Amazon, etc. are using a subscription model to generate the revenue they need to produce and provide content. MoviePass is trying to do the same but is being resists by theaters despite getting paid the same. As consumers get more accepting of the subscription model paying to go to the movies may become even less a choice. Of course, Netflix's cost structure is much different than theaters who ha

    • Re: Need to embrace a new model (Score:4, Interesting)

      by omnichad ( 1198475 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @10:56AM (#55838451) Homepage

      I'll still gladly pay to go see a movie - if only there was anything good. This is no different than competing against VHS rental. When the movies are bad, people will wait or skip entirely. It's been this way for 30+ years.

      • This is no different than competing against VHS rental

        I disagree. DVD was the game changer: you can blow a DVD up on a projector and not be bothered by the quality, and you often get exactly the same sound track as in a cinema. For a few hundred quid, I bought a DVD player, projector and surround sound system over 10 years ago, which gave me a similar field of view and better sound than my local cinema. The cinemas were only competitive because a ticket was £3-4, whereas a new DVD was £10-20. DVD rental subscriptions shifted this, and for about

        • While I agree that better picture quality makes a difference, a lot of good movies don't benefit from higher picture quality at all. Especially during that time period and for the much lower price. And any movie that's just a montage of VFX today is usually not even worth a rental. And I'm saying that as someone who owns a fair number of Blu-Rays and has a surround system.

          As someone who still enjoys 3D, there is no good home viewing option now that passive 3D is entirely off the home video market. I nev

        • You forget over priced drinks/popcorn, dirty bathrooms, cellphones, heads-in-the-way...oh, you meant VALUE.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Ranbot ( 2648297 )

      Subscriptions can be a big mental hurdle for many consumers, even if it makes logical economic sense. However, Hollywood could also allow ticket prices to fluctuate up and down with actual market demands. Prices could go up or down based on factors like...
      - Special effects/sound that benefit from the theater experience vs watching at home (e.g. action vs dramas... give people a price break if they are willing to see a drama in the theaters).
      - Opening day/week vs later showings
      - Popularity of the franchise
      -

      • Subscriptions can be a big mental hurdle for many consumers, even if it makes logical economic sense. However, Hollywood could also allow ticket prices to fluctuate up and down with actual market demands.

        They could track ticket sales data in real time and respond dynamically to the real market to wring every penny possible from us, like companies in other fields do, but instead they stick with their ~100 year old flat price model.

        They do some of this already, with cheaper prices during the day and early how on weekends at some theaters. The challenge is Hollywood doesn't want to make a profit on a movie but generate as much revenue as possible. If the drop prices on less poplar films they may not get as many addition seats sold to make up from the loss of revenue from the movie's core audience and thus get less revenue to cover all the costs rolled into a film. Basically, the more money a film makes the higher its costs so unless th

  • I have options (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @11:01AM (#55838473)
    I've got a 42" TV and it's not even that big by American standards. I've got video games that border on photo realistic (uncanny valley not withstanding). I've got Netflix, YouTube and a video camera built into my $200 cell phone if I want to make my own movies. I don't need them anymore.

    • Re:I have options (Score:5, Funny)

      by 110010001000 ( 697113 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @11:28AM (#55838577) Homepage Journal
      You don't get the same experience seeing "Star Wars: The Last SJW" at home. It is something that needs to be experienced in a theater.
      • Why? My projector at home projects a smaller image, but I sit closer so the field of view is similar. My home audio system is set up for people sitting on the sofa that I normally sit on when I'm watching films and doesn't have the base turned up so much that it causes distortions in the speakers (unlike the last cinema I went to). What do I get in the cinema that I don't get at home? If I want to watch a film with more people, I can invite some friends over and, best of all, they bring beer.
        • You miss the nuances of the characters and dialogue. Dialogue such as this:
          Poe Dameron: Permission to hop in an X-Wing and blow something up?
          Leia Organa: Permission granted.

          You are truly missing out.

      • Re:I have options (Score:4, Interesting)

        by lrichardson ( 220639 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @12:53PM (#55838981) Homepage

        Uh ... no. Just no.

        I recalculated it recently - a giant tub of popcorn runs me about $0.83 (CDN) at home, mostly for the butter. We can pause movies at any point, for washroom breaks, or to get more drinks/munchies. The seats are more comfortable at home. The field of view is much, much, much better at home. Only thing missing is other people being annoying - bumping the back of your seat; talking, texting, moving around in front of you, distracting you from the movie.

        Actually, one thing is missing from the theaters - the 3D effect ... thank Gord!!!

        The industry won't reveal the numbers, but a substantial percentage of viewers develop nausea and/or headaches. Per one study, mentioned in Wikipedia, that number is 55%.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Z00L00K ( 682162 )

          Gord [youtube.com] is one dude I sure want to be friend with and not mess up things for.

        • at least at the theaters in my neck of the woods. The seats are much more comfortable and you've got enough leg room to put your feet up. I suppose if you've got $1000+ recliners though you still might have an edge. Your other complaints are spot in, but there's something to be said about a night out.

        • I recalculated it recently - a giant tub of popcorn runs me about $0.83 (CDN) at home, mostly for the butter.

          Here's the thing though, you don't have to spend the entire movie stuffing your maw with eats. It is possible to sit for an hour or two without eating anything at all! Weird...

          You can in fact make an evening of it. Pick an early/late showing and go to dinner in a nice restaurante after/before.

          We can pause movies at any point, for washroom breaks, or to get more drinks/munchies.

          Blessing and a curse.

        • Only thing missing is other people being annoying - bumping the back of your seat; talking, texting, moving around in front of you, distracting you from the movie.

          Man, you Canadians must all be rude assholes. You should drive South to the US. Although seriously, I keep hearing issues like this by people but haven't seen such behavior in a long time. Not that it hasn't ever happened, but certainly not in the last three+ years/dozen films, I've gone to. Chairs are all big and comfy now, each row is elevated so I don't have to worry about the person's hair in front of me, and I don't even experience the sticky popcorn encrusted floors I grew up with any more. I really w

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by antdude ( 79039 )

      But Netflix and YouTube doesn't have all the movies and TV shows especially new releases. :P

  • Theatres committed suicide (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 31, 2017 @11:16AM (#55838533)

    Why would I spend twenty dollars to sit next to an asshole teenager who is texting the whole time. Or some jackass who brought a three year old to an r rated film. After watching twenty minutes of commercials and spoiler trailers, having my ears blasted out... And while being able to hear the movie playing next door even in quiet moments of my movie. Because louder is better? Why? I can't move seats to get away from jerks because seats are assigned now. I have to kick people out of my seat quite often because people sit in my assigned seat. The quality of food and drink continually declines, the kitchens are often filthy messes, theatres do not even provide unsweetened tea anymore, the workers seem suicidally depressed, and the remaining customers often seem like self entitled rich jackasses who are not there to see a film, but to be waited on and catered to. Why would I want to go anymore? My best experiences were in the second run theatre tbh. Don't know what had happened but it's.profoundly unpleasant nowdays to go to films.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by OFnow ( 1098151 )

      Strangely enough a couple movie theaters in San Mateo County have cleaned the rugs and the bathrooms and now one can buy a reserved seat on line, so no need to get to the theater early. It seems much more pleasant than a few months ago. Still an annoying experience waiting in a slow line to buy the (unimproved) food though.

    • Re:Theatres committed suicide (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Curupira ( 1899458 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @02:44PM (#55839475)

      Why would I spend twenty dollars to sit next to an asshole teenager who is texting the whole time. Or some jackass who brought a three year old to an r rated film.

      Perhaps you should go to better cinemas, like Alamo Drafthouse [wikipedia.org]:

      Etiquette
      Alamo Drafthouse is famous for enforcing a strict policy on behavior while in the theater. Children under the age of two are not allowed except for showings on specific days which are designated "Alamo For All" showings where parents are encouraged to bring young children and rules around talking are relaxed.[35] Unaccompanied minors are not allowed in showings, except for members of the Alamo Drafthouse's Victory Vanguard rewards program, which allows 15-17 year olds to attend showings unattended after their application to the rewards program has been submitted and reviewed. The application involves demonstrating an understanding of the theater's policies around talking, texting, arriving to the theater late, and basic tipping etiquette.[36] The cinema also prohibits talking and texting during the film. Anyone who violates this policy is subject to warning and potential removal from the premises.[37] Alamo made national headlines in 2011 when the rantings of one angry customer who was ejected for texting were included in its "Don't Talk or Text" PSA shown before films. "When we adopted our strict no talking policy back in 1997 we knew we were going to alienate some of our patrons," Tim League posted on the cinema's website. "That was the plan. If you can't change your behavior and be quiet (or unilluminated) during a movie, then we don't want you at our venue."[38]

      If you live in a major city in America or elsewhere, I'm sure there is a local cinema with the same philosophy.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by antdude ( 79039 )

      That is why I go during morning hours and on weekdays if possible. Way cheaper and less annoying. ;)

  • Once you could get porn over the Internet, no one went to those movies any more. As streaming movies becomes more capable, you are slowly going to kill the theater experience. Who needs to go to a theater to see a massive wide screen, when you already have one at home?

  • FAKE PIRATES (Score:5, Insightful)

    by thygate ( 1590197 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @11:22AM (#55838565)
    I know, it's piracy right ? Not the fact that nowadays they make a long-play film out of a "story" that wouldn't even be considered as a side-plot for a Star Trek episode a few decade ago. Where actors are cast based on looks only, talent is irrelevant. When movie studios are basically banks, going for proven ROI's only, taking zero risk, killing and burying all remaining talent. Where now almost everything is a reboot or spinoff of a brand name made a few decades ago and marketed and hyped to death. Adding ZERO value, often simply demeaning to the original. And even when they try real hard, everything is pushed and shoved and even in their best efforts the end result simply lacks finesse. Where the whole SciFi genre is now reduced to Xmen bullshit and yet even more action packed garbage with simply no plot, no insights, nothing, just terrible cgi action scenes, and cheesy dialog. Where everything is tailored to one age category and the common denominator where all of the audience is considered to be brain dead morons and potheads.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Name one year when the majority of movies in cinemas were not dreck. It's always been that way. In fact, if anything critics consider this something of a golden age... Which when you look at sci fi and action from the 80s and 90s seems credible.

  • TFA: "Global market is profitable - and expanding" (Score:5, Interesting)

    by grumling ( 94709 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @11:23AM (#55838567) Homepage

    Hollywood doesn't make movies for the United States. They're targeting Asian audiences and competing with Bollywood, where it is pretty typical to see serial-style films with the same characters and plot lines over and over. Not to say that doesn't happen in the US and western film (Bond, Star Trek, Star Wars, etc), but it is on a whole new level.

    The difference is that the US produces spectacles using a lot of technology. Bollywood produces spectacles using a lot of people.

  • The problem is the theaters, not the movies. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by pubwvj ( 1045960 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @11:33AM (#55838591)

    The problem is the theaters, not the movies. Theaters are an awful way to experience a movie. There are:
    Stinks
    Excess Noise
    Uncomfortable seats
    Garbage
    Gum
    Spit food
    Obnoxious people
    Strangers
    No pause button
    No skip button for previews we don't want
    No rewind button for things we want to see or hear again
    Inconvenient locked in times of day
    Have to travel to the theater
    High prices for theater
    High prices for snacks and not allowed to bring our own better ones

    For the cost of one theater ticket I can buy several movies that our entire family can enjoy and even watch again later if we want.

    Theaters are a very poor solution.

    • For me it's both. I hate theatres for most of the reasons you suggest. Then there is a lack of movies that I actually want to see. The studios keep putting out movies that are just the same thing. They keep making money with rebooting superhero stories and until they stop that's all we'll get.I'd love to have well-written movies with stories that make me think but I'm in the minority so those movies rarely get made. It's cheap laughs and special effects with just enough story to justify their use for the ne

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • It's the cinema experience (Score:4, Interesting)

    by muons ( 2774561 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @11:33AM (#55838593)
    I recently wen to a chain cinema instead of the independent one near my house. We were treated like cattle, given assigned seats (!?), and had to endure advertisements on the screen before the movie. I don't mind a printed add in a slideshow of movie trivia to show your stub for a free dessert at a nearby restaurant or something like that. These were like TV commercials with sound so loud you could not talk to your friends that lasted a minute or more with no redeeming content between them. Even if the movie had been really good the entire experience would be tainted.

    With Netflix, Hulu, Amazon streaming, etc. you can wait and watch it at home cheaper. The reason to go to the movies is the experience. Improve the experience and people will come. Treat people like cattle and they will stay away. Our local cinema has a bar attached, real butter on the popcorn, and only shows previews before the movie. They actively try to create a community by showing classics at midnight on weekends, hosting movie trivia contests, and showing locally produced movies including a Q&A with the makers. They participate in film festivals. It isn't that hard.

    • I recently wen to a chain cinema instead of the independent one near my house. We were treated like cattle, given assigned seats (!?),

      That tends to be how the more expensive cinemas work here. You book seats so you know exactly where you're going to sit and don't have to worry about the group being split up or being too close to the front or whatever if you arrive during the adverts.

  • The cause is right there.. (Score:4, Informative)

    by Junta ( 36770 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @11:35AM (#55838609)

    By number of tickets sold, it's terrible, yet by revenue it's nearly a record. This means the per seat price to go to a movie is astronomical, which feeds into their problems.

    Taking the family out to a movie is one of the most expensive outings to do nowadays. Years ago, over the summer you might go every two weeks over the summer. Now that's not affordable even if you want to do it.

    Yes this is also alongside people having gigantic TVs and fantastic sound along with really good furniture that's frequently better than the theater's. So while before you paid to see things on the 'big screen', now you can get that at home. Now you have to want the experience of the theater, the audience, and/or be so impatient to see things when only in theaters.

  • Stop trying to cover everything (Score:3)

    by AHuxley ( 892839 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @11:36AM (#55838621) Journal
    If a movie has to sell in a Communist nation, make a separate movie that is within Communist party rules.
    Dont try and edit a movie for global release in free nations into something that can be sold in a Communist nation.
    Make two different movies for very different markets. Something the Communist government will accept.
    Something that will sell to the rest of the world who is not under Communist censorship.
    Edits and adding plots to please Communist governments is not going to please other audiences used to freedom of speech.

    Dont let great scripts and good casting get changed by the political demands of todays activist staff.
    Let the movie, setting and plot guide the cast and story not the radical changes demanded by todays activist politics.
    Find out what most American audiences want to pay to enjoy. If its faith, freedom, fun and Americana, try selling that to the USA and the world.
    Freedom, a good plot, a cast that fits the roles might just sell more than today's limited political newspeak.
    If an author and book have a set look and feel that sold well why mess up making a profit with radical and experimental casting changes and new roles?
    Dont let activist actors demand changes to plots that sell or are selling.
    Need new roles for actors who make constant political demands? Create and find new amazing scripts. See how well their ideas for political art sells.
    Audiences might embrace their new creative art rather than a sloppy, lazy political retrofitting of past classics?
    If an actor wants a role let them write a script, get funding and risk their own project for a role they feel will sell.
    Dont change a quality project for their political demands.
  • These days Hollywood is churning out quantity over quality. I've found Netflix originals to be so much better than what the big movie studios are producing.

  • Let's take a look at this year's "blockbusters" (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @11:49AM (#55838695)

    Maybe the list can shed some light onto the problem. So we have:

    Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
    Thor: Ragnarok
    Beauty and the Beast
    Justice League
    Logan
    Wonder Woman
    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
    Star Wars: The Last Jedi
    Spider-Man: Homecoming
    King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
    The Fate of the Furious
    Dunkirk
    Kong: Skull Island
    Kingsman: The Golden Circle
    Transformers: The Last Knight
    Power Rangers ...

    And so on. Can you spot a theme here? Sequels, Prequels, new installations of a series, reboots... and to the cherry on top of the shitcake is that the movie about King Arthur is the one with the most original, non-derivative script.

  • Well, what keeps us out of the theaters... (Score:3)

    by rnturn ( 11092 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @11:55AM (#55838715)

    ... are the endless DC/Marvel comic book films, and bad sequels. Was there really a need for so many Vin Diesel street racing movies? Oh, and the needless reboots of previously successful films---many of which were also superhero comic book films (or TV series). All of these are crowding out other movies that people might like to see but can't because, of the 20 screens at the cineplex, at least half of them seem to be showing a sequel or reboot. Holding up each moviegoer who's already dropped $10 for a ticket for another $10 or so for a bag of popcorn and a soda doesn't help either. Waiting a few weeks and renting the DVD--or watching it online--with cheaper snacks and drinks makes a whole lot more sense nowadays. Plus... you get to see those movies that couldn't even get on a screen at the cineplex.

    • The last Vin racing movie made $1.3 billion dollars. If I am a movie executive that indicates to me that I need to make more of those.

  • What the NFL and Hollywood Have in Common (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Politically charged = decline in sales/ratings/etc.

    It doesn't matter which side you're on, people generally want to watch sports or movies to escape the hellhole known as reality, and constantly reminding people of reality, along with preaching certain beliefs, will generally piss the consumer off and drive them to something else that helps escape reality.

  • what is the movie industry? (Score:4)

    by PopeRatzo ( 965947 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @12:33PM (#55838877) Journal

    Ticket sales are down 4%, but video streaming is up 60%. Does that mean it's a bad year for the "movie industry", or is it a bad year for the movie theater industry?

    I don't think we need to have any bake sales for Hollywood. And until they start taking away people's phones at the door, I'll continue to go to movie theaters less.

    • The past year, I've been looking mostly at older movies that I've never seen before. They weren't all perfect 5/7, but still more entertaining than most crap produced today.

      I've also noticed that the older movies take some more time to tell the story, instead of hurrying through 5 parallel subplots with 4-second edits.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by zifn4b ( 1040588 )

      Ticket sales are down 4%, but video streaming is up 60%. Does that mean it's a bad year for the "movie industry", or is it a bad year for the movie theater industry?

      We already know the movie theater industry is on the decline due to competition from streaming services offering original content, shows AND movies. Network television viewership is on the decline too. In other news, water is wet.

  • Apparently. I lost count of how many articles have been posted about the same thing. It's not even news for nerds. We've already enumerate through the various reasons that movie ticket sales are down. Can't you post something new instead of some version of the same thing over and over again? WTH

    • Can't you post something new instead of some version of the same thing over and over again? WTH

      Welcome to Slashdot! You must be new here.

  • At the same time movie attendance has been falling [businessinsider.com], the number of movie sequels has been climbing [licdn.com], hitting an all-time high of 40 in 2017 [movieinsider.com]. Not saying the relationship is causal (correlation and all that), but Hollywood might want to consider that possibility before it blames it all on piracy or home streaming or some other thing that's not their own fault.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Altrag ( 195300 )

      Good sequel's aren't really a problem. People often like sequels, especially if the characters were compelling and the original's story was set up to lead into a sequel. If you love something, its not surprising to want more of it. Where sequels become a problem is when they just shovel some shit at you after an original movie (that was never intended to have sequels) sells well and they're just cashing in because they can.

      Prequels are a bit of a mixed bag. They can go really good or really bad. Often

  • Counting Domestic Tickets Sold Is Obsolete (Score:3)

    by careysub ( 976506 ) on Sunday December 31, 2017 @04:16PM (#55839983)

    In 1930 there were 4 billion movie tickets sold in the U.S., with a population of 123 million, or about 32 tickets per person. In 2017 only 1.26 billion tickets were sold, or about 4 tickets per person.

    Wow! The movie industry is in dire straits, 87 years of steep decline!

    This is ridiculous of course. The movie-related entertainment industry is radically different from 1930, with different pricing models for tickets, many revenue streams from each property (overseas revenue often topic domestic, DVD/Blu-Ray sales, merchandising, cable, streaming, etc). Today a movie may get "green lighted" without any expectation that it will make its costs in domestic theater runs, based on the other sources of revenue that will be generated.

    More than a decade ago studios stopped regarding DVDs as the enemy of theater revenue and began treating the theater release as a promo for DVD sales. Instead of leaving a long gap between theater run and the DVD release they brought them close together.

    Notice that despite this drop in ticket sales, revenues are up due to higher prices. They aren't just jacking up prices - there is a (continuing) transformation of the movie-going experience.

    I live in the Los Angeles area, so I am likely seeing the leading edge of this transformation -- but the major cinemaplexes here are providing much cushier and roomy seating with recliners and swinging tables, and assigned seating which you can buy on-line. You don't have to get to the theater early to get a good seat, or seats together, you have those seats guaranteed any time you show up. Theaters have also upgraded their food, offering a bar and a menu you can order from, having the food brought straight to your seat. More expensive, but a much nicer experience.

    With everyone having a large 2K or 4K TV, and fancy audio if they want, and upsampling DVD players and Bluray, and now streaming options, unless a movie is some sort of "must see" cultural event, there is little motivation to spend extra bucks to go to the theater -- unless you want that luxurious premium entertainment experience.

  • It‘s dead, Jim.

  • I was not expecting anything remotely close in quality to "Alien" or "Aliens", but I was also not expecting such a ridiculously pathetic movie. What a turd it is.
  • "2017 movie quality hits 22 year low" fixed that for ya, the editing of these submissions is atrocious
  • The main reason we don't go to theatres much anymore is that we've created a a better experience at home. Eight-foot wide screen, four recliners, a completely darkened room with no windows, and the ability to control the entire presentation on our schedule. We simply wait until they come out on Blu-Ray. The few occasions where we go to the theatre are either because (a) we got free or discounted tickets, or (b) the desire to see it sooner. For example we saw "The Man Who Invented Christmas" (to see it duri
    • If you gonna be pissed with other people's behavior just seal that door also since the windows are already taken care of. tomb will be a better option as well.
  • Years ago I was the world's biggest fan of movies. I was an early adopter of the VCR to record movies, then I was an early adopter of the DVR to record movies. I subscribed to all the premium movie channels. Then everyone between hollyweird (the creator) and me (the consumer) began to get greedy. The ability of movies to entertain me and to make me suspend disbelief went from pretty good to pretty crappy. Greed caused the implementation of the do-not-copy flag on movies over cable and lobbyists paid of

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