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Hollywood’s comeback story
posted by
Michael Zoldessy
on
November 30, 2006 at 1:15 pm
LOS ANGELES, CA — The cries of the death of the movie theater have subsided a bit this year with receipts coming in significantly higher.
Ending a three-year slump, attendance at movie theaters is up this year almost 4%. Box-office revenue is up too, by 5.5%. The results stand in sharp contrast to last year, when weekly ticket sales failed to beat the previous year’s results for 19 consecutive weeks, and total box-office revenue was down more than 5% from 2004. Attendance fell 8.7%.
Those results led some analysts to speculate that consumers had lost interest in moviegoing, rejecting inhospitable multiplexes and high ticket prices in favor of bigger-screen TVs and videogame consoles. The turnaround this year offers a simpler explanation: Last year’s movies just weren’t very good.
To read more, go to The L.A. Times.
So is the movie theater really back in the driver’s seat due to this evidence? Do you really think there will be less sequels produced in the future?
At least in my opinion, I think the numbers of 2004 were not going to be surpassed no matter what. Shrek 2 and Spiderman 2 were such rare artistic/commercial successes for big budget sequels that nothing would touch them. Things are getting slightly better with art house films getting more press(Little Miss Sunshine) and indy directors getting the chance to make high-profile studio pictures(Batman Begins), but with the Pirates film doing so well this year, I don’t really buy that the industry is going to change that much.
That’s just me though. What do you think?
Comments (4)
theater bsns goes in a cycle as it has done for the last 90 years….things look good!
Dont forget that the Jesus Movie made $365 million dollars in the slower spring session. Which screwed 2005 more than anything.
Star Wars made $385 million.
Batman $205 Million
War of the Worlds $200 million.
King Kong $200 million.
Narnia $267 million.
These movies did thier job(and Star Wars grossed $50 million in a DAY in a “down year”).
Dont forget that the Jesus Movie made $365 million dollars in the slower spring session. Which screwed 2005 more than anything.
Star Wars made $385 million.
Batman $205 Million
War of the Worlds $200 million.
King Kong $200 million.
Narnia $267 million.
These movies did thier job(and Star Wars grossed $50 million in a DAY in a “down year”).
Hollywood and Movie theatres need to capitalize on the tenpoles better. AMC had a TON of concession specials for the Star Wars midnight screenings. And River East(in Chicago) had 15 midnight shows all sellout, with screenings going for 24 hours. Now that’s one way to milk an event movie.
Also, Theaters need to make a better case for $10 tickets and $7 nachos. Hollywood Blvd(www.atriptothemovies.com) is a full service restaurant/bar/mothie theatre. For 8 bucks i get swivel back leather chairs(office furniture), a table infront of me, and a wide selection of food(with names such as Bill and Ted’s Excellent Nachos and Dr. Frankenfurter hot dogs). The Soda? Free Refills from a waiter for only $3.50.
Make the experience better(and not so goddam expensive), and you’ll see movies become a moreviable entertainment option.
Look at how well the AMC ROckaway theatres have done to the town whose audience went to either East Hanover, Mansfield, Succasunna, Chester, Parsippany, or Morristown back when AMC closed it in favor of a Best Buy. Opening a new multiplex in an up year is fine, especially when the two busiest multiplexes in MOrris County (both clearview’s in ledgewood and parsippany) got remodeled with more auditoriums, and better seating, screens, and sound. That brings more people to the movies, to see a pirate on the big screen.