Global Box Office Flat in 2018, Netflix and Subscription Services Rise in Popularity (variety.com) 53
An anonymous reader shares a report: The domestic box office rebounded in 2018 in a recovery fueled by blockbusters such as "Black Panther" and "Incredibles 2." Ticket sales in the U.S. climbed 7% to top out at a record $11.9 billion, according to a new report by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). That helped off-set declines in overseas markets in Europe and Latin America, pushing the global box office to $41.1 billion, a year-over-year improvement of a percentage point. The MPAA study is produced by the entertainment industry trade group and is intended to provide a comprehensive look at the overall state of the film business.
In addition to box office revenues, the report found that the global home entertainment business increased by 16% to reach $55.7 billion last year. This was driven primarily by the rise of digital rentals, sales, and subscriptions to streaming services such as Netflix. Digital home entertainment spending in the U.S. increased 24% to $17.5 billion; internationally this sector climbed 34% to $25.1 billion. That helped plug the gap left by massive declines in the sale and rental of DVDs and Blu-rays. In the U.S., disc sales dropped 15% to $5.8 billion and fell 14% internationally to $7.3 billion. Four years ago, physical sales in the U.S. were $10.3 billion and were $14.9 billion internationally, a sign of just how precipitously the DVD market has fallen. Over that same period, digital spending has increased 170% globally. Much of that rise is attributable to the popularity of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other subscription services. Globally, the number of digital subscriptions increased by 27% to 613.3 million. Online video subscriptions surpassed cable for the first time in 2018. Cable subscriptions fell 2% to 556 million.
In addition to box office revenues, the report found that the global home entertainment business increased by 16% to reach $55.7 billion last year. This was driven primarily by the rise of digital rentals, sales, and subscriptions to streaming services such as Netflix. Digital home entertainment spending in the U.S. increased 24% to $17.5 billion; internationally this sector climbed 34% to $25.1 billion. That helped plug the gap left by massive declines in the sale and rental of DVDs and Blu-rays. In the U.S., disc sales dropped 15% to $5.8 billion and fell 14% internationally to $7.3 billion. Four years ago, physical sales in the U.S. were $10.3 billion and were $14.9 billion internationally, a sign of just how precipitously the DVD market has fallen. Over that same period, digital spending has increased 170% globally. Much of that rise is attributable to the popularity of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other subscription services. Globally, the number of digital subscriptions increased by 27% to 613.3 million. Online video subscriptions surpassed cable for the first time in 2018. Cable subscriptions fell 2% to 556 million.
Rise in Home Theater (Score:5, Interesting)
My home theater is still on par with movie theaters, with the exception of the size of the screen, which doesn't dominate my living room. Surround, Balanced, dark, with real popcorn butter. Add in, I can pause the film being played to .... get more popcorn, and it is a win.
The point being, there is very little value added to spending $15 ticket to see a movie, in a crowded theater. Add in the $6 soda and $10 Bucket of Popcorn. I'd rather spend that kind of dough on a nice couple NY steaks, or even Filet and have a great meal and a movie at home, relaxed, in my PJs.
Tell me again why I should go to the theater?
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You can have that at any time in my home.
Exhibitionism (Score:2)
public sex with a stranger?
You know, "Archangel Michael" never mentionned that his living room curtains needed to be closed.
Nor that he won't invite people that you don't know.
Nor that he'll shotgun the face out of anyone attempting to look through the windows.
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Exactly this. I haven't seen a movie in the theater in years, because I can sit in my comfy leather recliner, with a beer and a joint (legal here in Canada) if I want, and because I can play at whatever volume works on that day -- someti
Re: Rise in Home Theater (Score:2)
If you're wearing pajamas, I too would rather that you stay home than sit in the movie theater next to me.
(Personally, I go to movies for IMAX. I feel more immersed when the scene fills my peripheral vision. Most recent film was Apollo 11. It was 100% stunning on that giant screen with the serious sound system.)
You can get that in home theater too (Score:2)
You can get an IMAX level of immersion if you get a projector and sit close to the screen.
You can even get curved projection screens [projectorscreenstore.com]. Though I wonder how projector focus is affected, and if any projectors allow for curvature adjustment...
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Re:Rise in Home Theater (Score:5, Informative)
A friend took his three daughters to see the new Mary Poppins film and a McDonalds. Cost him 140 Euro.
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My home theater is still on par with movie theaters
Go to a better movie theater. No your system is not on par, even if you had a mega screen.
Tell me again why I should go to the theater?
You shouldn't. You don't see the value in it the way other people do. But you're an individual.
Re:Rise in Home Theater (Score:5, Insightful)
For me, despite having a powerful surround sound setup with a good-sized screen and comfortable seating at home, there actually are several circumstances where it still makes sense to head to the theater. It all comes down to the individual, however.
1) When the audience adds to the experience. Being in a packed theater (with spacious, comfy recliners) on opening night for Infinity War was loads of fun. The theater was incredibly animated, with a lot of whooping and cheering as each superhero engaged in their heroics. While you definitely don't need it, having an engaged crowd can really add something special to the movie watching experience for certain types of movies (e.g. action and comedy, sometimes horror), in much the same way that '90s-era sitcoms are much better with a laugh track than without.
2) When the film is big on spectacle and bluster. While horror, romcom, comedy, drama, suspense, etc. don't really benefit much from a bigger screen or better speakers, big budget blockbuster action flicks do a better job of being even more larger-than-life when they're on a huge screen with sound that can rattle you to the core. Even among those of us who have decent setups at home, few would suggest that they're truly on par with the technical aspects of the theater. For bigger-than-life films, it may be worth the (potentially marginal) technical improvement you get from going to the biggest screen with the best sound you can find.
3) When the when matters. For most movies, I don't care when I see them. If they're good today, they'll be just as good in five years, and if they won't be good in five years, then they probably weren't actually good today either. But if you're one of the people who is into a long-running franchise (e.g. Marvel, Star Wars, Bond, Conjuring, etc.), there's an element of needing to keep up so that you know what's going on/don't get left behind. If there's a movie in that franchise that you want to see in theaters (for whatever reason), but the previous one won't come out for home release before the new one arrives in theaters, heading to the theater for the previous release (e.g. Captain Marvel before Endgame) might be your only (legal) way to keep up.
4) When there's artistic expression at play. Certain directors care very deeply about the technical aspects of how their films are presented. Perhaps they filmed in IMAX (e.g. Christopher Nolan) or true 3D (e.g. James Cameron). Perhaps they filmed at higher frame rates (e.g. Peter Jackson). Perhaps they're using a very particular aspect ratio (e.g Stanley Kubrick). Depending on the circumstances, it may be that only a small fraction of theaters will show the film the exact way it was intended to be shown, and oftentimes no home release will ever get it exactly right according to the director's standards. If that sort of stuff is something that matters to you, you may have no choice but to see it in the theater. I've known people who drove hundreds of miles to see a film in a theater that was actually capable of showing the film in exactly the way it was intended to be shown.
5) When it's cheaper. Ours is an unusual situation, admittedly, but movie tickets are really cheap where I live (Bryan/College Station, Texas). As in, Friday night general admission tickets are just $10 for off-brand IMAX ($11 if you want name-brand IMAX at the other big theater) or just $7 for a regular screening, and it's even cheaper on Tuesdays, at just $7 for off-brand IMAX and $4.50 for regular. Even cheaper if you're a student or senior. At prices like those, both my wife and I can go see a film two, three, possibly even four times for less than the cost of a new blu-ray, and we can do it months earlier too. $9 for an evening's entertainment for the both of us is an easy ask, particularly so if it's a movie we want to see but don't intend to own.
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The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the only example I can come up with where the audience genuinely adds to the experience.
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That's fair. Like I said right at the start, it all comes down to the individual, so if it doesn't work for you, that's fine.
Even as someone who enjoys a good theater crowd, I've probably had more instances of theater-goers being annoying than I've had of theaters being awesome, but over the years I've learned that opening night for a big new film is a great time to have an awesome experience (it's the fans who bought their tickets weeks in advance and are excited to be there), whereas something like a Frid
Because Disney... (Score:2)
The Rat is everywhere, at least with subscription services there's still some diversity left. Fuck your $10 popcorn
Box office is no longer an accurate metric... (Score:2)
Re: Box office is no longer an accurate metric... (Score:1)
Box office is no longer accurate because studios are buying out seats and giving away tickets on a large scale in order to pretend movies are more successful than they actually are. It's another accounting trick.
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Just like arcades (Score:4, Insightful)
Unless you're into the theater 'experience' (being around tons of people, gigantic screens, loud sound system) there's really no reason not to just wait for it to come out on DVD or Netflix and watch it home where you can choose when to watch, pause/rewind the movie, eat what you want, and not have to deal with obnoxious people for a fraction of the cost. Unless movie theaters do some serious innovating (3-D part duex seems to have fizzled) they're going to disappear in the next decade or so except for a small few for those who still want the 'experience'.
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I pay nearly nothing (Score:1)
Movies and TV shows these days suck or maybe I just lost interest in devoting so much of my attention to them. My media consumption is mostly music via YouTube. I haven't purchased a video or music since 1999. No Netflix, no Amazon Prime, no Hulu, no cable. Every great while I'll go to a movie because there's something my girlfriend wants to watch but that's it, really.
The message is clear (Score:2)
Home theater trumps movie theater. I understand the appeal of having a night out and for some things, like a date or taking the kids out for the night, the movie theater is great. But those are relatively few and far between and for most viewing my home theater system is great. I love the convenience of being able to start and stop whenever I like. Not to mention that a night out at the movies is quite expensive compared to the monthly cost of Netflix and Amazon.
Personally I haven't bought a DVD in years. I
Less and worse (Score:1)
People only have so many yours in a day (Score:1)
Why risk paying for a political movie script with low quality actors?
Put the same hours into streaming movies and series?
Lots of better ways to spend that money and ways to work out what to do with a few free hours.
It Just Might Be... (Score:1)
Hollywood's decision to insert identity politics into everything, as well as international politics with the theme "America is Bad." We don't much appreciate this sort of preachifying around here. You make Captain Marvel to be working on the side of evil, and the former bad guys are just oppressed by the supposed good guys, and that just shrieks that America is the Kree, and everyone else are the opproessed. Look, the good guys in all the superhero magazines throughout their existence have always been