Streaming Service Subscriptions Surpass 1 Billion as Global Box Office Craters (variety.com) 17
After a year in which most people were stuck indoors, it should come as little surprise that streaming platforms skyrocketed in popularity over the past 12 months. For the first time ever, subscriptions to streaming services surpassed one billion, reaching 1.1 billion globally. From a report: At the same time, box office receipts plummeted because movie theaters across the world were closed for a significant part of 2020. Global ticket sales tapped out at $12 billion, with North America accounting for $2.2 billion of that haul. Though the circumstances aren't comparable, worldwide box office receipts totaled $42.5 billion in 2019, with $11.4 billion coming from domestic theaters. Still, it marks a 72% year-over-year decline. These statistics come from the Motion Pictures Association's annual theme report, which is conducted by the entertainment industry trade group and intends to analyze how film, television and streaming content performs yearly.
The 2020 study covers a year that was overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic, making some of the data understandably skewed and difficult to compare box office totals between countries. In Asian countries, particularly in China, the box office has already returned to pre-pandemic levels. That hasn't been the case in the U.S. and Canada, where new movies are few and far between and audiences are returning to theaters at a glacial pace. Outside of North America, the top three box office markets were China ($3 billion), Japan ($1.3 billion), and France ($500 million). Combined, the global theatrical business and home and mobile entertainment market totaled $80.8 billion in revenues in 2020, shrinking by 18% from the $98.3 billion amassed last year. The success of digital home entertainment, which grew 23% to $68.8 billion, helped offset the depleted theatrical box office numbers. In the U.S., subscriptions reached 308.6 million, representing a 32% increase from 2019.
The 2020 study covers a year that was overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic, making some of the data understandably skewed and difficult to compare box office totals between countries. In Asian countries, particularly in China, the box office has already returned to pre-pandemic levels. That hasn't been the case in the U.S. and Canada, where new movies are few and far between and audiences are returning to theaters at a glacial pace. Outside of North America, the top three box office markets were China ($3 billion), Japan ($1.3 billion), and France ($500 million). Combined, the global theatrical business and home and mobile entertainment market totaled $80.8 billion in revenues in 2020, shrinking by 18% from the $98.3 billion amassed last year. The success of digital home entertainment, which grew 23% to $68.8 billion, helped offset the depleted theatrical box office numbers. In the U.S., subscriptions reached 308.6 million, representing a 32% increase from 2019.
I still want to go to a theater (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:I still want to go to a theater (Score:5, Interesting)
Theaters I have ready access to don't have sticky floors. Of course they are recently overhauled, so maybe that takes time, and certainly your market may be very different.
Neither do I suffer much from teenagers (or privileged Karens, more commonly) distracting myself and others from the feature. Not a big problem
Prices are prices. I doubt I get much value from a $3.50 glass of Diet Coke at my favorite restaurant. And that glass is much smaller than what I paid $5.50 for at the theater.
I very much missed the theater experience - the visuals, sound, I cannot replicate that at home without causing my neighbors some distress. And without spending close to 57x the cost of a single movie. Yes, a home theater setup that would approximate, but not equal, the theater experience, would take from today to around mid-2022 to pay off vs. theater costs. And that sadly does not include my timid attempts to replicate that theater popcorn with butter-that-never-saw-a-hoof topping.
These Karens should stay home. They are welcome to. And let me be vaccinated, as often as necessary, so that we can end this pandemic on our terms and prepare to defeat those powers that will try and manufacture a new crisis. We won't be fooled again.
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The theater experience has improved dramatically in the last few years in my experience.
Before that, theaters were stuffed full of the cheapest seats and minimum effort executed on keeping things clean. They banked on the movies to suck people in and cheaped out on the whole experience.
Now the theaters I have gone to have all swapped out for quality seating, with a healthy distance between seats, and whether it's because they work more or pay for better cleaning materials, the floors are fine.
I'll particula
Re: I still want to go to a theater (Score:2)
I liked Alamo, though it was so dark I couldn't see my burger without a light, and when I did, not good... But here the Harkins have upgraded, AMC also but their concessions have the WORST ordering scheme, and sadly Regal has closed up...
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Since a few years, the theatres near me have excellent seating, screen and sound quality, etc. They have assigned seating which is a huge perk, I hate the rush for seats and will never use general admission again. The price has gone up a lot, but for the improvements everywhere else, I'm happy t
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If you can wait some weeks, you don't have to rush to get into crowded theaters.
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I understand: you don't like theaters.
No. I don’t like having to wait to watch a movie in the comfort of my home, because the film industry insists on propping up an obsolete business model.
In an age of streaming services and digital downloads, the recording industry still manages to sell freakin’ vinyl records without any sort of coercion. If the cinema can’t do the same - figure out some way to offer a “vintage” experience without it coming at the expense of the new, then they no longer deserve to exist.
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There are theaters that are little, for one person, indeed. But they also have sticky floors.
One billion subscriptions... (Score:4, Insightful)
... so that's what, a few hundred people?
I kid of course, but I've got six or seven different streaming services. And with things like the Disney/Hulu/ESPN bundle, they've already started re-inventing cable company channel packages. I don't think I care for this.
Different experiences (Score:3, Informative)
It's a different experience watching a movie in the theater vs. at home.
There are times I'd love to see a just-released film at home.
There are times I'd love to see a just-released film in someone's home with a bunch of friends.
There are times I'd love to see a just-released film in a theater.
There are times I'd love to see a just-released film in a theater with a bunch of friends.
These are different experiences.
Ditto for "classic" and "cult" films, except maybe the part about watching a cult film alone at home, I mean, what's the point?
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Ditto for "classic" and "cult" films, except maybe the part about watching a cult film alone at home, I mean, what's the point?
Um, the same reason you watch any movie, enjoyment?
While there are certainly those cult classics that should probably only be watched in a group that is not at all the case for all movies considered as such.
Not only for movies (Score:2)
Amazon recently secured rights to Thursday Night Football. While it's doubtful many on here care, for those that used to be able to watch football on a regular station, they would now have to subscribe to Amazon's service to watch.
Of course this assumes they aren't already subscribed to Amazon. For those that aren't, that's more money they have to shell out if they really want to watch.
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https://www.ign.com/articles/n... [ign.com]
Well, the good news is, now that it airs on a paid service, I suppose they'll reduce th
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Cool that means more sitcomm reruns or decades old movies OTA that I would rather watch infinitely more than a bunch of grown men play ball any day.