2011 Movie Attendance the Lowest in 16 Years

[sourceninja]

My 55 inch LED tv, nice speakers, and AoD, Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, etc. Why would I ever want to go sit in a room with a bunch of loud talking people?

 

[K1052]

No one really cares about 3D so stop forcing all the desirable movie times to be the 3D showings. I will almost always pick a movie in 2D vs 3D given the choice for both the cost difference and the fact that most 3D is horribly done.

People often say that but it hasn't borne out in attendance. The 3D versions are pretty much always more heavily attended when the option is available.

Hollywood knows they have a 3D quality problem and a lot of people inside the industry have been lobbying/working on fixing it with better methods and avoiding doing post-production 3D which is basically shit. Jackson, Cameron, Spielberg, Scorsese , and many others see 3D as a tool to enhance the storytelling rather than to just enrich the box office.

 

[Gunbuster]

I still remember that the theaters literally shit on their paying customers with that horrible intrusive poo brown dot code that they hoped to catch people camcordering movies with.

They seem to have moved on to a less visible technique but you don't quickly forget paying $11 to see a movie and then get crap code brown dots saying "YOU ARE A CRIMINAL"

 

[K1052]

I still remember that the theaters literally shit on their paying customers with that horrible intrusive poo brown dot code that they hoped to catch people camcordering movies with.

They seem to have moved on to a less visible technique but you don't quickly forget paying $11 to see a movie and then get crap code brown dots saying "YOU ARE A CRIMINAL"

Studios, not theaters.

The movement to digital projection has largely solved that problem. It's FAR easier to watermark in ways that the public will never see.

 

[OutHouse]

One thing that I would like to see more of are the dinner theaters. You go 30 minutes before the film starts, get a large, comfy chair, and order off a menu. Eat dinner, have a drink or two, relax, and watch the movie.

All that is generally only a couple of dollars over standard ticket prices (plus meal).

these have been popular in Germany for many years, long before it was even on the radar in the US. i neve went because it was $$$$.

on the flip side regular german theaters you can buy beer and same with fast food joints like mcdonalds heheh..

buying a bitburger with my bigmac was a interesting experience.

 

[sourceninja]

People often say that but it hasn't borne out in attendance. The 3D versions are pretty much always more heavily attended when the option is available.

Hollywood knows they have a 3D quality problem and a lot of people inside the industry have been lobbying/working on fixing it with better methods and avoiding doing post-production 3D which is basically shit. Jackson, Cameron, Spielberg, Scorsese , and many others see 3D as a tool to enhance the storytelling rather than to just enrich the box office.

I know they love 3d, but I can't watch movies in 3d. Unless they invent a way to fix headaches and that feeling of everything looking "fake".

 

[aldamon]

I don't really care about the cost of tickets and especially concessions which are an optional expense. A night out is a night out and we refuse to be hermits for every movie experience. However, when I go to a theater, I basically expect three basic things:

1. Good-quality projection on a giant screen I simply cannot replicate at home
2. Good-quality sound with working speakers.
3. A quiet audience with attentive staff and ushers

We are basically down to one (DLP) theater in our area because the rest can't get the basics right.

If you go to a restaurant, and

1. the food sucks and is easy to replicate at home
2. it's loud and distracting (when not appropriate)
3. the staff allows other customers to be unruly

would you keep going? Of course not.

 

[slayer202]

1. the food sucks and is easy to replicate at home
2. it's loud and distracting (when not appropriate)
3. the staff allows other customers to be unruly

would you keep going? Of course not.

The cheesecake factory?

 

[SP33Demon]

The cheesecake factory?

Or PF Changs

 

[BurnItDwn]

I did go and see "Immortals" with the gf in 2011. (without reading any of the reviews, on opening night), and I felt like I got ripped off something awful.

Movie sucked. (Story was garbage), they charged like $11.50 for "3d movie" for 1 person ...

I much prefer to watch movies in my home theater.

Picture and sound at home is good, my recliners are way more comfortable than theater seats. I can pause it to go for a smoke break or a piss break. I can have any beer that I want. I have a 4oz oil popcorn popper, so I can make "theater style" popcorn.

Usually I buy bluray movies for under $15 combined with netflix streaming.

Anyhow, there are good movies coming out, but, usually not from Hollywood, and when they do come out, usually they go direct to dvd, or, they are only shown in a small number of screens. Examples from last few years (Moon .. .was only at 1 screen in all of chicagoland ... was about an hour and a half drive, but this particular movie was good enough to warrant the drive, Hobo with a Shotgun ... I don't think I ever saw thin in theaters, 13 Assassins... I don't think ever available in theaters)

Also, seems like when movies went from 1 or 2 screen cinemas to 30 screen multiplex type setups, they lost the HUGE screens and scaled it down to screens that really aren't that much bigger than your home setups.

Seems like AMC is really bad about "small screens", and Loews is a bit better, but if I'm paying $30 to take my GF to a movie, I want to see it on a HUGE screen with awesome sound.... cause for that price, I can buy 2 or 3 blurays and watch them whenever I want, or pay for 3 months of netflix....

Sorry my ramblings are a bit incoherent ... I guess I'm mixed about theaters...

 

[bfdd]

We've hit a huge peak in media. Why spend so much money on NEW NEW NEW, when there's so much shit over the years that was NEW NEW NEW that we haven't been able to consume? Also, it costs quite a bit more to go to the movies and if there isn't anything really grabbing, people are avoiding that cost. Hollywood wants to get more people in the theaters, they need to lower their costs into somewhat reasonable ranges so we can get into the theaters cheaper.

 

[Saint Nick]

The cheesecake factory?

Or PF Changs

Why are these two always built right next to each other?

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Burn it down,

You say home theater. Is this a real hometheater? With the number of reviews you put up I tend to think that it is. And if so... pics?

 

[slayer202]

I did go and see "Immortals" with the gf in 2011. (without reading any of the reviews, on opening night), and I felt like I got ripped off something awful.

Movie sucked. (Story was garbage), they charged like $11.50 for "3d movie" for 1 person ...

I much prefer to watch movies in my home theater.

Picture and sound at home is good, my recliners are way more comfortable than theater seats. I can pause it to go for a smoke break or a piss break. I can have any beer that I want. I have a 4oz oil popcorn popper, so I can make "theater style" popcorn.

Usually I buy bluray movies for under $15 combined with netflix streaming.

Anyhow, there are good movies coming out, but, usually not from Hollywood, and when they do come out, usually they go direct to dvd, or, they are only shown in a small number of screens. Examples from last few years (Moon .. .was only at 1 screen in all of chicagoland ... was about an hour and a half drive, but this particular movie was good enough to warrant the drive, Hobo with a Shotgun ... I don't think I ever saw thin in theaters, 13 Assassins... I don't think ever available in theaters)

Also, seems like when movies went from 1 or 2 screen cinemas to 30 screen multiplex type setups, they lost the HUGE screens and scaled it down to screens that really aren't that much bigger than your home setups.

Seems like AMC is really bad about "small screens", and Loews is a bit better, but if I'm paying $30 to take my GF to a movie, I want to see it on a HUGE screen with awesome sound.... cause for that price, I can buy 2 or 3 blurays and watch them whenever I want, or pay for 3 months of netflix....

Sorry my ramblings are a bit incoherent ... I guess I'm mixed about theaters...

The silver lining with indie movies that many people don't go see, they usually make it to netflix streaming As I believe the three movies you mentioned did. I was lucky enough to see 13 Assassins in a theater, but I had to go to NYC to do so. You can see pretty much anything in NY or LA, but otherwise you're limited even in other big cities

 

[BurnItDwn]

Burn it down,

You say home theater. Is this a real hometheater? With the number of reviews you put up I tend to think that it is. And if so... pics?

I have a few pics at bbzzdd, but it's blocked at work .. not sure if I got the URL correct, but I think this is what they should be ...
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/burnitdwn/theaterroom.jpg
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/burnitdwn/theaterroom2.jpg
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/burnitdwn/theaterroom3.jpg

It's nothing impressive ... 10x25 room with 106 inch screen, mitsubishi Hc3800 projector, midrange Onkyo projector and 5.1 speaker/sub setup ...

 

[kalrith]

No, it's because of large screen TVs becoming affordable, and cinemas becoming unaffordable.

Agreed. Half the time I go to the movies, the sound isn't right, or some moron is talking or texting through half the movie (bright light of the cell phone kills the darkness of the theater). I don't have problems with either of those at home. I also don't have to spend over an hour of travel time and getting to the movies early either. Basically, when I had a 27" TV with crappy speakers, it was worth the extra hassle and cost to go to the movies. Now that I have a decent HT setup, I only go to the movies once every year or two for the films I really want to see on the big screen.

Also, with Redbox and Netflix, movies are cheaper to get at home too. A few years ago, movie tickets were $7.50, and new releases at Blockbuster were about $4. Now that the difference is between $10 for a movie ticket and $1 for a movie rental, the discrepancy is much greater.

 

[Mr. Lennon]

Good article on this issue:

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/what-ails-hollywood-six-experts-weigh-34020

Studios are out of touch with what the consumer wants and where media is headed. I think a quick bandaid fix would be to lower ticket prices by 50%.

 

[Keeper]

Did they blame piracy for the low turn out?

Thank you. Laughed so hard I started choking.........

 

[ElFenix]

http://drafthouse.com/houston

if i pay for a movie i prefer to go there

a friend of mine gets free tickets all the time and i'm still out $15-$20 if i try to get us something to eat.

 

[Keeper]

People often say that but it hasn't borne out in attendance. The 3D versions are pretty much always more heavily attended when the option is available.

Hollywood knows they have a 3D quality problem and a lot of people inside the industry have been lobbying/working on fixing it with better methods and avoiding doing post-production 3D which is basically shit. Jackson, Cameron, Spielberg, Scorsese , and many others see 3D as a tool to enhance the storytelling rather than to just enrich the box office.

Funny.. I have the opposite thoughts.... I think.
My family has seen all the Pirates as a family. Well, now my youngins are older and out of the house, so I arranged for Family Movie Night when the last one came out.
I said lets go LARGE.
Imax and 3D...

20.50 or 21.50 a PIECE?????????? Are they daft?
So 40 plus bucks for me and the missus.

And the 3D. Do me a favor studios. Dont put in UN-NEEDED SCENES just to show off mediocre effects.

I guess I must be spoiled, becuase when I walked in, I expected "Universal Studio" type 3D or "Disney World". A hundred years ago I saw Terminator in Unuiversal. HALF the audience would reach into the air trying to touch the things that were "floating" above us.
Not this crap I saw.

My one son has Polar Express in 3D and a 3D TV and the effects in that BLEW away the Pirates movie.
YES, I know Animated vs Filming.... But still.

 

[DesiPower]

They need to dub movies in other languages to adjust to the new demographic changes...

 

[randomrogue]

The only movies worth seeing in 3D are animated. The rest just give me a headache and the colors are too washed out.

I read somewhere that 3D is the greatest thing since sliced bread for a studio since it costs them around $100,000 to convert a movie to 3D but then the reap a huge premium. I'm hoping to never see a 3D movie again.

 

[randomrogue]

They need to dub movies in other languages to adjust to the new demographic changes...

Dub? No thanks.

 

[K1052]

Funny.. I have the opposite thoughts.... I think.
My family has seen all the Pirates as a family. Well, now my youngins are older and out of the house, so I arranged for Family Movie Night when the last one came out.
I said lets go LARGE.
Imax and 3D...

20.50 or 21.50 a PIECE?????????? Are they daft?
So 40 plus bucks for me and the missus.

And the 3D. Do me a favor studios. Dont put in UN-NEEDED SCENES just to show off mediocre effects.

I guess I must be spoiled, becuase when I walked in, I expected "Universal Studio" type 3D or "Disney World". A hundred years ago I saw Terminator in Unuiversal. HALF the audience would reach into the air trying to touch the things that were "floating" above us.
Not this crap I saw.

My one son has Polar Express in 3D and a 3D TV and the effects in that BLEW away the Pirates movie.
YES, I know Animated vs Filming.... But still.

For IMAX 3D the price is a little high but not excessive. The converted IMAXes aren't worth that kind of premium IMO but if you can get to a traditional IMAX screen then it is.

The difference in films that are made to be in 3D versus the conversions is considerable as far as quality goes. Animated is much easier to do because the filmmakers have absolute control over every aspect of the process and can tweak all their shots to leverage the 3D. Live action 3D is much harder and takes longer (more money).

 

[slayer202]

Good article on this issue:

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/what-ails-hollywood-six-experts-weigh-34020

Studios are out of touch with what the consumer wants and where media is headed. I think a quick bandaid fix would be to lower ticket prices by 50%.

the quality and selection of movies has nothing to do with the decline. most people see shit movies, and it doesn't matter what they are. blockbusters and sequels usually draw the biggest crowds, again, regardless of quality.

if you dropped prices 50%, there is zero chance of making a bigger profit. they would be better off raising prices