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Post by Phantom of London on Oct 13, 2024 17:51:42 GMT
The very first song to be played on MTV was video killed the radio star, which seems the to be the case as who now follows who is at number at the charts of at top of the hit parade, who goes to Our Price or Woolworths to buy the latest album?
So prompted by the Cate Blanchett is she or isn’t she. Well is cinema a thing anymore? In the day even though you may not have seen the latest film, you were aware of the film stars, as they would be also in the newspapers, who reads newspapers anymore? The latest blockbusters were eagerly anticipated as much as an Album release.
So with generation Netflix and other platforms (Apple, Amazon or Disney) has this killed the cinema and maybe the film star? Conversely I have seen theatre show sell really well, with someone from a television platform, who I haven’t heard of. Then again I hear Disney plus is in trouble.
I do not subscribe to any platform, apart from Sky Sports for the footie. I don’t go to the cinema.
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Post by danb on Oct 13, 2024 18:04:50 GMT
Special occasions only these days for the cinema for me, mostly because the gap is so short these days before they turn up to buy or stream. I think Alien Romulus was my last visit, and Twisters before that. Anything you want to really hear & be enveloped in. But it obviously isn’t a great business model these days.
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Post by viserys on Oct 13, 2024 18:21:38 GMT
I still like the cinema very much for two reasons: It's one of the two places where I can fully focus on the movie without distractions and it's a way of "getting out of the door", where I go alone here or make it an evening with a friend including dinner. The other place where I can fully focus, btw, is a long flight. But watching movies at home, I'm often very much distracted by one thing or other.
Secondly, I don't think that Netflix stars (etc.) have a similar level of fame as the proper movie stars like Timothee Chalamet, Ryan Gosling or Margot Robbie.
If cinema is dying it's killed itself with its inane offerings - the endless deluge of superhero nonsense, the way Disney killed Star Wars by churning out endless movies, TV shows, etc. and so on.
Last year's "Barbenheimer" showed that when movies are actually GOOD, people will flock to them in the cinema. Wolverine & Deadpool showed that people will even see superhero stuff still, when it feels like it's something special and not something dragged up from the half-forgotten B-crates.
Create GOOD movies and people will want to see them - on a big screen, fully focused, as something a bit more special than hitting a button on a remote to play some Netflix thing to fall asleep over.
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7,013 posts
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Post by Jon on Oct 13, 2024 19:18:39 GMT
IP is still king in Hollywood but some IPs are more popular than others.
Theatre is one of the remaining entertainment outlets where star power can drive ticket sales. We saw that with Tom Holland in Romeo & Juliet earlier this year and even Barcelona which is a new play is selling well because of Lily Collins. I admit I am guilty of booking shows based on who's in it but there is a thrill of seeing an actor you've seen on film or TV performing live theatre.
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4,153 posts
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Post by kathryn on Oct 14, 2024 9:15:51 GMT
It’s not video that killed the radio star, it’s music streaming.
And similar with cinema!
When you have a pre-paid subscription service at home, the incentive to pay *extra money* for something (a physical format, to see a film in the cinema) really diminishes. It needs extra justification - a special collector’s edition vinyl for music, for example; for films it needs either to be an event you want to see opening weekend or a spectacle that a home TV and sound system will not do justice to. Or a collective experience.
So, Barbenheimer was an event - people dressed up for Barbie. Deadpool was chock-full of secret cameos and huge action/musical sequences.
Films like Top Gun and Mission Impossible that have massive spectacle still do well, because people want to see them in the big screen.
Horror films still do well, because part of the appeal is being in an audience of people who are all reacting to them.
What Hollywood should be doing is a lot more comedies - they are cheap to make and everyone knows they are funnier to watch with an audience.
Mid-budget rom-coms do really well on streaming.
Of course the flip-side of this is that all those new streaming services were fuelled by VC money and have not necessarily been profitable; budgets are tightening all over the place. There will be fewer huge streaming service productions and star salaries will have to come down. We may well see a correction that moves people back towards cinema-going if people prune down their services and decide they would rather pay as-and-when for a cinema ticket for the few films they really want to see than pay for multiple streaming services all the time.
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Post by danb on Oct 14, 2024 10:14:27 GMT
Mid-budget romcoms do well on streaming because that is normally what they aspire to. I can’t really think of a big budget romcom that has made money at the cinema since the Sandra Bullock days.
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7,013 posts
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Post by Jon on Oct 14, 2024 10:15:59 GMT
Mid-budget romcoms do well on streaming because that is normally what they aspire to. I can’t really think of a big budget romcom that has made money at the cinema since the Sandra Bullock days. Fly To the Moon was a failure and one of the reasons Apple has decided not to pull back on theatrical releases. |
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Post by David J on Oct 14, 2024 13:50:07 GMT
Hollywood has brought this on themselves. In chasing streaming and creating their own channels to compete with Netflix, they gave people the message that there's no need to go to the cinema because films will be streaming in a few weeks time. And in the end Netflix is still the dominating streamer and Paramount, HBO Max, Apple+, Disney+ can't compete. Subscription prices have been increasing and now companies are combining to offer packages like Apple+ and Amazon prime www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/amazon-prime-video-apple-tv-plus-subscription-1236029042/, Disney plus with Hulu and ESPN www.disneyplus.com/en-mx. We're going back to the days of cable when you could pay for a package of different channels. People are also choosier nowadays in the current economic situation. Films and media is seen as a luxury item and people will only go when it's worth it. Barbenheimer or Deadpool and Wolverine as discussed. The quality of films and series have been mixed as well which in turn has created a lot of apathy towards the well known franchises. The Acolyte, the Rings of Power, Agatha all Along, and the latest Dr Who series have seen low viewership because of either bad writing or they're aiming for a niche audience. And eventually Disney, Amazon, Marvel, LucasFilm will have to cut back on spending money on these kinds of shows Hollywood has not got its finger on the pulse of what general audiences want. The latest Joker movie is going to loose money because the thousands of people that made the first one the highest earning r-rated movie in history (until Deadpool and Wolverine) were turned off by the fact the sequel is suddenly a musical. General audiences weren't asking for the Acolyte, Agatha All Along, Madame Web, or the Borderlands movie People are also turned off by any drama around a movie or a show generated by creatives and media that they won't give it a chance. Companies really need to have a leash on movie creatives about what they say on social media, like Amanda Stenberg's Discourse music video in response to Acolyte criticism, or Rachel Zigler's comments surrounding Snow White. And it's nothing to do with racism, sexism or what not - general audiences don't like your product and these comments is pretty much anti-marketing at this point. People are over it and are voting with your wallets. Even Paul Feige is still butt-hurt that people didn't like his 2016 Ghostbusters film www.theguardian.com/film/2024/sep/26/paul-feig-female-ghostbusters-dudes-looking-for-fight |
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4,153 posts
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Post by kathryn on Oct 14, 2024 15:43:15 GMT
The Ghostbusters thing was genuinely unhinged. It was a fun movie in the spirit of the original!
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Post by parsley1 on Oct 14, 2024 15:57:04 GMT
Inside Out 2
Is the highest grossing film of the year
The highest grossing animated film of all time
And the eight highest grossing film of all time
All isn’t dead for films
This is despite the fact the film was inevitably going to appear on Disney +
It’s very impressive
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Post by alessia on Oct 14, 2024 16:18:06 GMT
I still like the cinema very much for two reasons: It's one of the two places where I can fully focus on the movie without distractions and it's a way of "getting out of the door", where I go alone here or make it an evening with a friend including dinner. The other place where I can fully focus, btw, is a long flight. But watching movies at home, I'm often very much distracted by one thing or other. Secondly, I don't think that Netflix stars (etc.) have a similar level of fame as the proper movie stars like Timothee Chalamet, Ryan Gosling or Margot Robbie. If cinema is dying it's killed itself with its inane offerings - the endless deluge of superhero nonsense, the way Disney killed Star Wars by churning out endless movies, TV shows, etc. and so on. Last year's "Barbenheimer" showed that when movies are actually GOOD, people will flock to them in the cinema. Wolverine & Deadpool showed that people will even see superhero stuff still, when it feels like it's something special and not something dragged up from the half-forgotten B-crates. Create GOOD movies and people will want to see them - on a big screen, fully focused, as something a bit more special than hitting a button on a remote to play some Netflix thing to fall asleep over. Agree- I have Netflix and Apple at home but hardly ever watch anything, I find it so hard to focus. I still happily (and often) go to the cinema and love it. A way to really switch off from the outside world and its distractions and just concentrate on the story. I can't remember the last time I actually watched a whole movie at home. Also re the inane offerings, yes! enough please of all the franchises, please come up with something new??? (tbh this is also true of streaming platforms) |
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Post by David J on Oct 14, 2024 16:18:45 GMT
Inside Out 2 Is the highest grossing film of the year The highest grossing animated film of all time And the eight highest grossing film of all time All isn’t dead for films This is despite the fact the film was inevitably going to appear on Disney + It’s very impressive And that's good. Despicable 4 and Kung Fu Panda 4 has made a lot of money as well. Disney is certainly feeling relief with Inside Out 2 after some animated flops like Wish, Strange World and Lightyear All pretty safe sequels that's not trying to push the envelope. It was recently reported that higher ups had elements of Inside Out 2 downplayed for general audiences - whether it would still have made the same amount of money if those elements stayed in we won't know. Disney is taking the message to make more safe legacy sequels like Incredibles 3, Frozen 3 and Toy Story 5 because they really need profits right now. Hollywood is going to take less chances for the next few years. For better or for worse. Only The Wild Robot is an outlier right now. It looks to be resonating with general audiences (very cute), and it's budget was $78 million so it has potential to make money. |
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Post by Jon on Oct 14, 2024 17:05:19 GMT
I think this belongs in the film board rather than General so if BurlyBeaR or TallPaul could move it, that would be great! |
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Post by theatrefan62 on Oct 14, 2024 19:26:14 GMT
Mid-budget romcoms do well on streaming because that is normally what they aspire to. I can’t really think of a big budget romcom that has made money at the cinema since the Sandra Bullock days. Anyone But You did pretty well and became a sleeper hit. It also reopened the conversation over rom coms box office potential. The streaming rom coms tend to be pretty dreadful. People watch them in the same way they watch hallmark Christmas movies. I think there is still a market for funny star led rom coms, but it's a case of finding the new Sandra Bullocks/Kate Hudsons and writers that can come up with decent scripts that are above the streaming level. Straight to streaming has become the new straight to video. While not quite a rom com, there was a lot of buzz online for Princess diaries 3 being announced |
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Post by Jon on Oct 14, 2024 19:28:56 GMT
Mid-budget romcoms do well on streaming because that is normally what they aspire to. I can’t really think of a big budget romcom that has made money at the cinema since the Sandra Bullock days. Anyone But You did pretty well and became a sleeper hit. It also reopened the conversation over rom coms box office potential. The streaming rom coms tend to be pretty dreadful. People watch them in the same way they watch hallmark Christmas movies. I think there is still a market for funny star led rom coms, but it's a case of finding the new Sandra Bullocks/Kate Hudsons and writers that can come up with decent scripts that are above the streaming level. Straight to streaming has become the new straight to video. It wasn't a romcom but It Ends With Us was a hit for Sony although that was based on a popular novel. Disney are cashing in on 2000s nostalgia with Freakier Friday which is out next year, the live action Lilo and Stitch and now The Princess Diaries 3. I won't have a bad word said about Christmas TV movies, I tend to end up watching a few back to back whenever Channel 5 start showing them! |
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Post by danb on Oct 14, 2024 19:37:55 GMT
Was that the Sidney Sweeney/Glen Powell one I watched on the plane going to nyc. theatrefan62? It was diverting enough for a few hours, likewise the really funny rom com with Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman on the way home. But I wasn’t aware of either of them before I stumbled across them by accident, and if you’d described either of them to me it wouldn’t be enough to get me to the cinema. |
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Post by matttom0901 on Oct 14, 2024 21:38:19 GMT
Since Covid, I think I may have seen about 5 movies in the cinema. It’s just not my thing anymore. The poor offering, the constant regurgitation of Marvel rubbish and people talking over the movie are just a few reasons. I have an 85” telly and I prefer to watch a movie in the comforts of my own home.
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Post by limestarburst on Oct 14, 2024 23:06:45 GMT
Pre-covid, I used to go the cinema almost as frequently as the theatre - at least a couple of times a month depending on what took my fancy. I really felt spoilt for choice with all the cinemas so close to my office in Central London, plus two cinemas within walking distance from where I was living at the time. BFI 25 and Under tickets were a big factor as well. But these days I don't go nearly as much despite having two big cinemas close to work and the office. It seems like they just fill the screens with whatever blockbuster happens to be out, so if it's a Marvel or DC film, I feel kind of shut out. I got the chance to do press for the London Film Festival when I was working part-time a couple of years ago, but since I've gone back to work I can't take time off to do that again even though I had a lot of really fun viewing experiences doing it.
Behaviour's the other big factor. It takes all my willpower not to lean over and tell people to turn off their phones. The light from the screens is so annoying. Also, on the odd occasion when I've been to the cinema and it's been completely packed, the sound of everyone chewing popcorn at the same time drives me nuts.
I have multiple streaming services at home, but I tend to prefer to work my way through a TV series than try to watch a movie on a work night. Part of it is the mental burnout from work but I have single glazing in my living room so sometimes it can be difficult to watch something without subtitles because off all the traffic noise coming from outside.
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